Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

One night, after moving to the palace, Adrian saw a pink light drifting in through the window. It didn't know how long it had been outside, but simply remained hidden in a corner, making no further move.

Recently, temperatures have plummeted in the Zerg region, and as the year draws to a close, light snow is falling in various areas.

Frost climbed up the glass, weaving a cracking net of ice. Adrian looked around inside for a while, then walked to the window and drew back the curtains: "Come in."

A layer of energy waves surrounded the pink ball, and after Colin's affection points disappeared, its size shrank by nearly half. However, the energy stored in its system was still sufficient to barely withstand the extreme cold outside.

Adrian opened the window, and the pink ball slowly slipped in through the crack.

[...Did it leave?]

The powder ball shook off the frost on its surface, making a sound as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Adrian said helplessly, "It left two days ago."

[Didn't they leave me a single word?]

"..." Adrian shook his head. "No..."

Pink ball: (*?????)

Adrian opened his lips as if to say something but then stopped. He waited until Pink Ball finished sobbing before speaking, "But it once said that being in love depends on the person you're with. I hope that will be helpful to you."

[I don't want to be love-struck anymore! Waaah... I want to switch departments, I want to go to the Department of Thorough Understanding and Ruthlessness, I never want to fall in love again—]

The pink ball cried bitterly as it plummeted from the sky, landing on the desk in front of Adrian. Perhaps due to the sudden movement, it accidentally bumped into the corner of the desk, knocking itself unconscious.

Adrian: “…”

The sobbing stopped abruptly, and the light on the pink ball dimmed completely. Adrian picked it up and examined it, confirming that it wasn't completely dead.

Adrian was even more speechless. He put the pink ball in the next room and let it recover on its own as before.

It was already past midnight. Adrian glanced out the window; it was pitch black, with neither moon nor stars in sight.

He drew the curtains and went back to his room.

After being promoted to general, Morris had more responsibilities, but they were still manageable. Considering the complexity of the move to the palace, Morris specifically requested leave from the military and had been staying at the villa for the past few days.

When Adrian returned to the room, Maurice was already asleep in bed. He had been easily fatigued these past few days. Adrian approached the bed and saw the lamplight casting a shadow on Maurice's nose.

Edley watched quietly for a while, then lifted the covers and lay down beside Maurice. He wrapped his arms around Maurice's waist and buried his head in the crook of Maurice's neck.

With a soft click, the small nightlight beside them was switched off. The last bit of soft orange light disappeared into the air, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.

As if sensing something, Morris frowned and instinctively hugged the warm body in his arms tighter.

"Get out."

"I do not need."

"What are you pretending?"

Morris felt as if he were walking in an indistinct fog, with illusory and complex scenes flashing past his eyes, piecing together a completely different picture from the present.

It was him and Adrian, but not entirely.

The Adrian in those scenes is nothing like the one now. He sits on the sofa in the villa, his face gloomy, coldly staring in the direction of Maurice.

Maurice had never seen him look like that before; his blue eyes were filled with undisguised disgust and loathing. He considered it too much to say even half a word to Maurice, and most of the time he would stay alone in the room, the door tightly locked.

Morris was turned away.

He turned to look at another female insect that looked exactly like him. This female insect was standing outside the door smoking. She was missing an eye, and her only remaining purple eye was fixed on the door without moving, her face extremely sinister and vicious.

Morris stared at him, and soon tried to snatch the cigarette from his hand. Unexpectedly, the female insect beat him to it, stubbed out the cigarette himself, and turned to walk downstairs.

In these scenes, Maurice and Adrian seem to present entirely different faces. Adrian is driven by profit, while Maurice is tyrannical.

In some situations, they would even bite each other as if venting their anger.

Adrian, though a male insect, was not as strong as Maurice, but his teeth were sharp, often leaving Maurice with bloody wounds. Maurice, however, was not lenient with him, and two bites were enough to make Adrian bleed profusely.

Morris watched from outside the scene, his breath catching for a moment as he felt a chill run down his spine.

How could they... do this?

The scene before him dissipated, and Morris continued walking inside, seeing other fragmented scenes.

A dynastic war, similar to the one that broke out a few years ago, erupted here. The factions were different, but the result was the same—Adrian emerged victorious.

Morris stood beside Adrian, expecting the male insect to be overjoyed at having achieved his wish. However, standing next to Adrian, he saw him standing expressionless, showing not a trace of emotion.

He was holding an iron box in his hands, inside which was Maurice's head.

The moment Maurice saw his own head, it was as if he were in the dead of winter. All around him were charging warriors, and he stood in the center of the battlefield. Artillery fire was everywhere; mental energy pierced his wings and thighs. He raised his head, a cold light flashed before his eyes, and his head was severed from his body.

Morris's body trembled slightly uncontrollably. His pupils narrowed, and he spread his wings toward the female soldier who was pouncing on him, making a fierce attack gesture.

The illusory scenes shattered into fragments under Morris's mental attack. Surrounded by darkness, Morris instinctively turned and fled back to where he had just come from.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty... We must escape! The defenses around the palace have been breached, and Prince Sien has already entered... We still have a chance to escape through the secret passage..."

Morris paused in his retreating steps, stunned for a few seconds, and stiffly turned his head.

Inside, the scene had changed completely. Stone pillars had collapsed in the palace, and chaos reigned. From time to time, one could see the serving female insects frantically packing their belongings and fleeing.

Adrian sat on the throne in the center of the hall, seemingly oblivious to everything, and slowly cut the fruitcake on the table with a knife, dressed in ill-fitting robes.

Seeing that Adrian remained unmoved, the female insect who was trying to persuade him hesitated for a few seconds before packing her things and fleeing the palace.

The entire palace was soon empty, as both male and female insects fled in the chaos, leaving only Adrian inside.

Morris stopped in his tracks, turned back without a second thought, and quickly walked over to Adrian.

"What are you eating now? They've all run away! There's a secret passage down there, you'd better get out of here!" Morris frowned and reached out to grab Adrian's sleeve, but his hand passed right through Adrian and he only managed to grasp air.

Morris paused slightly, his purple eyes stiffened for a few seconds before turning again, only to realize that it was all an illusion.

It took Adrian nearly five minutes to finally cut the cake to his desired size. Morris, seething with anger, couldn't hold Adrian back and could only sit sullenly beside him, coldly watching him eat.

Outside, the roar of artillery fire filled the air, and the smell of burning permeated the air. Amidst the dust and stench, Adrian chewed on a cake, a mixture of fruit and cream, slowly and haphazardly stuffing it all into his mouth.

Morris sat down next to Adrian for a short while before standing up again. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze inadvertently drifted to Adrian's collar.

The ill-fitting robe was embroidered with military symbols in gold thread. Maurice looked closer and finally saw the Reshirobian pattern on Adrian's collar.

These are his clothes.

Morris's mind went blank for a moment. His eyes were dry and even felt a dull ache, and his pupils stared blankly ahead. Adrian had already eaten nearly half of the fruitcake, and he was still cutting into the smaller cake with his knife and fork.

"Stop eating..." Morris abruptly overturned the long table, his eyes bloodshot, and repeated in a stern voice, "Stop eating!"

All his actions passed through these situations without producing any substantial effect.

Adrian paused, as if he had heard Maurice's words, and finally stopped moving.

Outside, female soldiers had already broken into the palace. Adrian took out two tissues and wiped all the cream and cake crumbs off his mouth and hands.

“It’s pointless.” Adrian stood up and slowly walked down the stone steps of the main hall, blood beginning to seep from his mouth and nose.

When the venom takes effect, it severely damages the insect's senses. Adrian's vision blurred, and he lost his footing. He fell down the long steps after only a few steps.

Maurice stood beside the throne, his limbs stiff, staring blankly down. Adrian lay curled up below, blood streaming from his face, his body convulsing as he desperately covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve.

"pain……"

Maurice then saw Adrian's face clearly; he was so pale and emaciated that the years since his ascension to the throne had ravaged him into such a state.

The light in Adrian's green eyes dimmed; he had taken a potent, fast-acting poison and died within a minute.

"Do not……"

Morris walked down the steps, while Adrian had a pool of blood on his face. His eyes were lowered as he looked down, as if he were looking at something that no longer existed.

he died.

"No!"

Adrian suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. He woke up with a start and turned on the small night light next to him, where he heard Morris breathing heavily.

Morris's dark hair, mixed with sweat, clung to his forehead. His eyes were moist, and his gaze lingered hesitantly over Adrian.

"Maurice, what's wrong?" Adrian approached Maurice, intending to wipe the sweat from his face, when he saw Maurice furrow his brows and abruptly step back a distance.

He looked at Adrian, his eyes revealing a mixture of ruthlessness and pain.

Adrian's arm froze in mid-air. He withdrew his hand and continued, "Had a nightmare?"

Morris didn't answer. He lowered his head and gripped the sheets tightly. He gripped them so hard that his fingertips turned white.

During those few silent minutes, Adrian moved closer again, slowly embracing Maurice from his side, feeling the taut muscles on Maurice's body.

“Maurice, don’t be afraid, I’m here.” Adrian gently stroked Maurice’s back; his shirt was already soaked with sweat, revealing his unease.

Adrian looked at Maurice, who unconsciously covered his neck with one hand, adopting a defensive posture. Adrian was taken aback at the sight. He kissed the corner of Maurice's eye and softly comforted him, "Dreams are all just dreams."

Morris gradually relaxed under Adrian's comforting words. Occasionally, he would touch the cool lips of Adrian's eyes, close his eyes, and tilt his head back to inhale the scent of Adrian's pheromones.

After a few seconds of calm, Morris opened his eyes and, without warning, suddenly rolled over and pinned Adrian beneath him.

Adrian didn't resist. He put his arms around Maurice's neck and felt Maurice pinch his chin: "Open your mouth."

Adrian hummed and obediently opened his lips. Morris lowered his head, and his hot, wet red tongue entered his mouth, their tongues entwining and returning in the increasingly intense heat.

Having switched places at some point, Adrian continued, during a lull in their breathing, "Did you have a nightmare? What did you dream about?"

His green eyes flickered, and his eyelashes trembled slightly; it was an extremely obvious test.

Morris, still seething with anger, bit Adrian's collarbone: "I dreamt that you and I were arguing, and you couldn't take it anymore, so you poisoned yourself."

Adrian was stunned. Morris licked away the beads of blood that had seeped from Adrian's collarbone, his hot breath spreading over Adrian's fair and delicate skin.

How could you do such a thing?

Adrian felt a bit of pain from his bite, but he gathered his thoughts and, without thinking, turned the tables: "Dreams are born from the heart. You must be thinking badly about me a lot to have this kind of dream."

After saying that, Adrian picked at Maurice's collarbone and bit back: "You're also at fault!"

"Ha..." Morris was so angry with Adrian that he was speechless. He suppressed his anger and asked slowly, "My lord, I was wrong, and you were wrong too. What should we do?"

Adrian's Adam's apple bobbed.

Morris unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his chest. After unbuttoning his own, he pulled at Adrian's collar, easily throwing his shirt off the bed.

"We punish each other."

……

The pink ball rested for two days at Adrian's villa. On the day Adrian moved to the palace, the pink ball also recovered most of its energy.

To thank Adrian for taking it in, the pink ball gave Adrian a so-called declaration of love.

Love is about being honest with each other.

Adrian: “…”

He slipped the note into the white paper and stuffed them together into the locked drawer.