Female Zergs of the Colette Family were adept at utilizing their beauty. Lenon gently rubbed against Lin You's palm, his azure blue eyes like the sky or the ocean. If other female Zergs were present, they would realize that his posture, kneeling on one knee, was extremely standard. The beautiful lines of his jaw were revealed just right, and following the pure white uniform downwards, the curvature of his waist and abdomen was also fully displayed.

Lenon murmured softly, tentatively speaking, still in that aria-like tone: "Third Highness, the moonlight tonight is so beautiful, perhaps we should... ugh!"

He was about to utter more beautiful sweet nothings, but his cheeks were directly pinched.

Lin You tugged at the soft flesh on his cheeks, pinching and rubbing it like playdough. He kneaded the major general's perfectly handsome face into a steamed bun and said resentfully, "You're not allowed to talk to me in this tone."

"..."

Lenon prided himself on understanding male Zergs. These creatures indulged in sensual pleasures, wallowed in enjoyment, and loved complimentary words. His pronunciation and intonation were just right; it shouldn't have incurred the male Zerg's disgust. In fact, he had no idea which tone had invited such distaste.

Lin You sighed softly.

He looked at Lenon. The major general was still half-kneeling on the ground, trying hard to relax his brows, yet they still furrowed unnaturally as if he was enduring pain. His silver hair reflected a silky luster under the dampness of sweat.

He pushed open the cabin door. "Come down with me."

The aircraft had already parked on the apron of the prince's mansion. The butler had noticed the movement here early on and was waiting respectfully nearby with the attendants. They took Lin You's coat and handed him water and a towel.

Lenon breathed a soft sigh of relief.

He had won the bet.

The Third Highness really did have a favorable impression of him, or at least he could tolerate these small requests.

Lenon calmly evaluated the current situation, thinking to himself, 'Life after marriage shouldn't be too sad.'

He put on a smile and was about to follow Lin You, but his calves were sour and weak. Caught off guard, he actually fell to his knees straight forward.

Lin You turned his head and loosely supported him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Lenon smiled and stood up. "Apologies, that was somewhat inappropriate. Please forgive me, Third Highness..."

This habit of Lenon's was less an aristocratic etiquette and more a form of self-protection. It seemed that only by maintaining this demeanor could he gain a shallow sense of security.

Habits couldn't be reversed in a short amount of time. Too lazy to say much to him, Lin You reached out, grabbed Lenon's wrist, and pushed him straight into the bedroom.

He pushed Lenon face-up onto the bed and scrutinized him up and down, seemingly wondering where to start biting.

—He needed pheromones, but just how much pheromone did he need, and how should he give it?

Lenon laid cooperatively on the bed, dropping all his defenses and exposing his soft waist and abdomen. He looked affectionately at Lin You and called him: "Third Highness, I want... I really want..."

The last few words were ambiguously faded out, swallowed between his lips and tongue, as alluring as a hook.

Lin You pursed his lips, thinking to himself, 'Liar.'

Lenon didn't want it at all.

The intimacy of the Zerg was not always pleasant; in fact, it was often very unpleasant. Arrogant male Zergs had many ways to torment people: whips, restraint rings, or whatever else. To obtain pheromones, female Zergs swallowed their pride and endured all the bitter consequences. These torturous methods might be nothing to Lenon, but the problem was, he was currently in a lot of pain.

So much pain that even maintaining a one-knee kneeling posture was difficult; so much pain that he stumbled when getting off the aircraft. To have rough sex at a time like this was absolutely not something he wanted to endure.

He simply felt that he had to endure it.

Because this was the only way to obtain enough pheromones.

And when Lin You reached out to push him, his pupils shrank slightly. Although he quickly relaxed his body and allowed himself to be manipulated, Lin You still saw it.

"..."

Perhaps because Lin You's expression was cold enough, even pursing his lips, Lenon half-straightened his body. He hastily inspected himself and gave a weak smile. "Apologies, I look a bit disheveled. I might need a moment to freshen up. Please wait a moment, Third Highness."

Right now, his hair was messy, there was a bloody cut at the corner of his mouth, and his complexion was surely not looking very good either. It was indeed unseemly.

Saying so, Lenon tried to get off the bed and head towards the bathroom.

But he couldn't even stand steady right now.

Lin You pursed his lips, clicked his tongue, and pressed him down face-up. The major general of the Third Legion was now as soft as a lump of mud, falling over with a single poke.

Under Lenon's surprised gaze, he then leaned down and pressed over him, inserting his fingers into that silver hair. As his fingertips rubbed gently, Lenon began to tremble slightly. Then, pressed against the bed, they exchanged one lingering kiss after another.

Lin You had been a good student since childhood and learned everything quickly. It hadn't been long since he started streaming Interstellar War, and he was already ranked on the national servers. Even when it came to kissing, he actually made rapid progress. Coupled with his competitiveness as a 'top', Lin You couldn't allow himself to be out-kissed by Lenon.

Lenon, on the other hand, had only studied some theories on paper; he was a king of theory with zero actual practice. He could handle a rookie like Lin You, but once Lin You got the hang of it, he threw away his armor and completely fell apart, only able to gasp lightly for breath.

Worried that he hadn't given enough pheromones, Lin You delivered one deep kiss after another. Lenon had completely lost all his strength. Lin You peeled him out of his uniform like unwrapping a gift. He only undid the buttons without completely taking off the uniform, letting it hang loosely on his body.

Lenon began to tremble slightly at some point. The male Zerg's fingertips brushed over the medals and ribbons, and then over his cold, white skin. On it were pale pink scars left behind from the battlefield. The wounds had long healed and scabbed over, leaving only faint marks, but when the fingertips touched them, Lenon felt very itchy.

Lin You asked, "Does it hurt a lot?"

With such a long scar, he simply couldn't imagine how severe the injury must have been.

Lenon gasped, "It doesn't hurt."

Facing the seemingly curious male Zerg, he forced himself to focus and introduced his body: "This scar was left from the Zone 35 Expulsion Battle."

Lin You stroked the scar and lightly tapped his right hand on his shoulder blade. "I see it. Is it this medal?"

Above the left shoulder, there was a metal commemorative medal, inlaid with enamel bearing the words 'Zone 35 Commemoration'.

Lenon's expression was hazy. "Yes..."

Back then, when he stood on the stage to be awarded the medal, he was wearing this uniform and this medal, with the overwhelming cheers of military female Zergs from below. At that time, he was Major General Iris of the Third Legion, the proudest eldest son of the Colette Family. Yet now, lying limply beside a male Zerg with his clothes wide open, it was actually still this uniform and this medal.

Lenon smiled bitterly. A subtle sense of sorrow filled his chest, but before he could react, he no longer had the time to care.

Lin You leaned down and kissed that scar.

The skin around the scar was astoundingly hot. The uneven scar seemed to have sprouted nerves out of nowhere, becoming terrifyingly sensitive under the effect of the pheromones.

Lin You started kissing from the collarbone. Having never practiced this before, he was a bit clumsy, merely gently comforting this trembling body. Only when Lenon finally calmed down did he place his fingertips on his buttons. "May I?"

Lenon paused for a moment before smiling. "Of course, please."

The Third Highness was already much gentler than he had imagined. And since military female Zergs were always good at enduring, the next part wouldn't be too unbearable.

...But

...But why did it feel a bit comfortable?

Lenon and Lin You's first time was very rushed. Lin You was half-asleep and groggy, while Lenon didn't know the proper technique and relied entirely on brute force; neither of them felt much pleasure.

But now?

Pheromone hypersensitivity was a double-edged sword. If it wasn't satisfied, the body would suffer as if having a high fever. But if enough was obtained, the Spiritual Sea would be smoothed out one by one, alleviating much of his past hidden injuries as well. Both mind and body felt as if they were sinking into the clouds, every muscle relaxing soothingly, light and warm.

Lenon didn't even have the strength to lift his hand.

The anguish inside his body finally disappeared, and the twitching, aching muscles settled down. The pheromones were finally enough.

Lin You rolled over and yawned.

It was supposed to be just a normal meal, but it ended up like this. Lin You complained in his heart, the Zerg were truly a troublesome species; they made him so sleepy.

Hearing the movement, Lenon turned his head to look at him. The Third Prince was sleeping right beside him, his handsome eyes half-closed, looking gentle and harmless. He yawned softly, seeming a bit drowsy.

Lenon: "Your Highness..."

His tone was very light and soft, but Lin You didn't want to chat. He rolled over into the blanket, lay on the fluffy pillow, and mumbled, "I'm going to sleep."

He reached out and turned off the light. Before falling asleep, he didn't forget to share a section of the blanket with Lenon.

The blanket was stained with a slight body heat, and the air was filled with citrus-scented pheromones.

In the pitch-black darkness, Lenon looked to his side. Lin You's breathing was light, his face peaceful, and his soft black hair slid down his cheek. He seemed to have already fallen asleep.

Lenon stared at him intently, reached out his hand, touched his cheek fleetingly like a dragonfly skimming the water, and then pulled it back as if burned. He lowered his eyes and paused for a long time.

A dreamless night.

Early the next morning, Lin You was woken up by a communication request from his Light Brain.

He groggily fumbled towards the head of the bed when a hand took the Light Brain and fastened it onto his wrist for him.

"Your Highness, it's a call from your father."

Lin You opened his eyes and saw Admiral Hoyle's solemn face. Meanwhile, Lenon took some clothes from the side, wanting to help Lin You put them on, like a dutiful personal butler.

Lin You wasn't so lazy and ignorant as to need that level of help. He signaled that it wasn't necessary and walked around to the adjacent balcony to take the call. "Female Father?"

Admiral Hoyle sighed. "You're still not up at this hour. Youyou, your schedule is getting stranger and stranger. This is bad for your health."

Lin You laughed awkwardly.

His profession as a streamer doomed him to never having a good schedule.

They exchanged a few pleasantries. Admiral Hoyle's gaze swept over the bed and slightly paused. Before he could speak, Lin You turned sideways to block half of his view. The admiral hesitated to speak but ultimately said nothing, only saying, "Come over in a bit. We need to discuss the details of your coming-of-age ceremony."

The Third Prince had just reached adulthood. His coming-of-age ceremony would be held in three months. At that time, the Zerg Emperor would personally allocate a territory for him and confer a title of nobility.

Lin You hung up the phone. When he returned to the bedroom, Lenon was already up. Stepping out of the door, he saw the major general with his uniform and ribbons meticulously arranged, holding a tray and setting out the food for him.

—He seemed dead set on stealing the butler's job.

Lin You wasn't used to being served breakfast. The silver-haired major general stood tall in front of him and smiled. "Good morning, Third Highness. Did you sleep well yesterday?"

Lin You yawned. "Good morning, Major General Lenon. Thanks to you, I slept very well."

Lenon replied, "It is my honor."

The disheveled Major General Iris from last night seemed to no longer exist. He had turned back into his aloof and beautiful self. His posture while serving Lin You was elegant and appropriate, even taking into account his eating speed.

When Lin You finished eating and planned to head to Admiral Hoyle's residence, Lenon stepped forward to drape a windbreaker over him and tie his scarf. He stood extremely close, their skin almost touching. The major general cautiously observed Lin You's reaction. Seeing that he wasn't repulsed, the smile in his eyes grew even deeper.

Lenon suddenly leaned in. "May I ask Your Highness for a morning kiss?"

Lin You thought about it. They had already kissed like that yesterday; one more wouldn't make a difference. So, he stood on his tiptoes and left a light kiss on Lenon's cheek.

"Here, your morning kiss."

The kiss carried pheromones, making his cheek heat up slightly. Lenon paused in his motion of tying the scarf, then asked with feigned casualness, "May I ask one more question?"

Lin You thought to himself, 'In the plot, Lenon was as cold as a blade and didn't like to talk. Why is it one request after another now?' He gave a hum of affirmation. "Go ahead."

Lenon leaned down to adjust his collar, asking barely audibly, "Will Your Highness marry me?"

Ordinarily, Lenon would absolutely never ask a question like this. Perhaps it was because of the meticulous and gentle intimacy of yesterday, or the protection in front of Admiral Hoyle, but Lenon found himself unconsciously asking it.

—After all, his initial reason for approaching the Third Highness was for marriage and pardon.

Lin You paused slightly.

In the novel, he did marry him, but not right now. There was still a long stretch of plot for them to go through. At this point in time, Lin You couldn't easily say it out loud.

The Third Highness's hesitation and pause were exceptionally obvious. Lenon noticed it instantly. He smiled bitterly, which was immediately replaced by a courteous smile. He pretended to be oblivious: "Your Highness need not be troubled. If there's no definite answer yet, I..."

"Lenon," Lin You interrupted. He raised a pair of clear, bright eyes, his expression unusually serious. "Of course I will marry you, but not right now."

Not right now?

Lenon's hands hidden in his sleeves unconsciously clenched tight, but his face remained calm. "Then when will that be?"

A long night is fraught with dreams, and delays bring unexpected changes. The Third Prince was one of the royal heirs; there was more than one female Zerg keeping an eye on him. Moreover, male Zergs were fickle. If he couldn't get a promise even after a night of intimacy, it would only be more difficult later.

Lin You thought for a moment and said, "In two months."

This was the original text of the novel, and also a plotline that had to be recreated.

Lenon's brow twitched.

—His Judgment Day was also in exactly two months.