"..."

Lenon was stunned for a moment, unable to figure out Lin You's intentions.

The badge on his chest was the emblem of a Major General of the Third Legion. It was engraved with intricate patterns, a Pure White Iris blooming fiercely amidst thorns, representing not only the enduring Colette Family but also the Empire's brave and battle-hardened Third Legion.

A family badge held a unique significance. When a female Zerg presented their family badge to a male Zerg, it meant that they swore an oath in the name of their family, pledging loyalty to the male Zerg. But for a male Zerg to ask a female Zerg for it?

Such a thing had never happened before.

Lin You had rejected his rose but signaled for him to offer the iris instead. Furthermore, saying 'I like irises' in front of a crowd was almost equivalent to declaring, "I, Lin You, am willing to accept the Colette Family's Major General Iris and wish to enter into a marriage with him."

At the same time, this badge also represented the glory of the Third Legion. Lenon's mind raced with countless thoughts. Could it be that the male Zerg wanted him to hand over his family on a silver platter, only to strip him of his position and keep him hidden away in the inner chambers?

"..."

Devon was dumbfounded, and the Third Legion was completely silent.

Lin You stroked the edge of the badge, feeling slightly disappointed. "Is it not okay?"

"No, of course you can." Lenon took off the badge and handed it to him. When he raised his eyes again, his peach blossom eyes held nothing but pure infatuation. All his calculations were hidden behind his azure pupils as he said gently, "For this badge to gain your affection is an honor for me and the Colette Family."

After doing all this, Lenon smiled and stood up. Without even glancing at the priceless rose on the ground, he politely extended his hand to Lin You. "Please allow me to lead the way for you."

As a fanatical suitor, he should be by Lin You's side at all times.

Although Lenon made the gesture, he didn't expect Lin You to acknowledge him. After all, male Zergs were notoriously difficult creatures to please.

He planned to wait for Lin You to bat his hand away, then he would tactfully step back two paces, distancing himself from the male Zerg and leaving the enveloping range of his pheromones.

However, Lin You didn't move, instead raising his eyes to glance at the novel.

The original owner had simply left after knocking the rose away. Lenon hadn't invited him, so it wasn't written whether they held hands or not.

In Lin You's dictionary, not written = free to improvise.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the hand wrapped in a leather glove. The knuckles were distinctly defined, and the leather looked smooth and soft, perfectly fitting the aesthetics of someone with a uniform fetish.

—Since it wasn't written anyway, he'd hold it if he wanted to.

So Lin You reservedly extended his hand and directly grasped it, intertwining his fingers with Lenon's.

The Third Legion: "!!!"

Male Zergs were very hard to deal with. Some were extremely averse to physical contact. One that directly initiated hand-holding like this was something they had never seen before.

Many were dumbfounded, their expressions surreal. Didn't they say their Major General was madly pursuing His Highness the Third Prince? This didn't look like unrequited love!

The muscles in Lenon's arm twitched uncontrollably. The thin layer of gloves could not block the transmission of pheromones. The scent of citrus dissipated into the air, and his fingertips trembled slightly, barely managing to conceal his loss of composure.

Though thoroughly bewildered internally, Lenon showed nothing on his face. He simply held Lin You's hand properly, feigning a flattered expression. "I shall lead the way for Your Highness."

They walked through the Third Legion's martial arts room and training grounds. Male Zergs generally had no interest in these things, so Lenon gave a brief overview. Lin You gave a few perfunctory hums, his gaze landing on a device that resembled a space capsule.

The egg-shaped metal shell had a highly futuristic feel. It was large enough for a person to lie flat inside, and there was a support platform for the head, connected to densely packed wires.

Lenon said, "That is a specially made Spiritual Sea connection device, used for remote operation of aircraft for reconnaissance and cruising."

Lin You nodded, thinking to himself, 'If a fully immersive VR gaming pod were invented, it would probably look like this.'

Behind the martial arts room and training grounds, there was a small exhibition room. Lenon said, "This place records and displays the past combat achievements and medals of the Third Legion."

These princes didn't go to the battlefield; their visits were merely a formality, and none of them would be interested in combat achievements and medals. Lenon sped through the process, barely introducing a few things before leading Lin You away.

However, Lin You pulled him back, saying with great interest, "Wait."

He set his sights on the holographic screen at the end of the exhibition room.

Screens of various sizes were neatly arranged here, playing clips of the Third Legion defeating enemies in a loop. The scene Lin You was watching was an individual video: a general with long silver hair whose battle robe was soaked in blood, his clothes ragged and torn, but a pair of blue eyes shone brightly in the gloomy universe. He held a closed-bolt pistol, suppressed the recoil, and aimed all in one smooth motion, with a trajectory that was incredibly precise.

In a daze, Lin You saw the digital waifu he used to control.

When the protagonist he controlled in "Interstellar War" fired a gun, the silvery-white uniform traced a beautiful arc, looking much like this.

Lenon followed his gaze to the screen and paused slightly. His lips parted, but his articulate tongue, accustomed to speaking in an aria-like tone, inexplicably fell silent. He didn't speak for a long time.

Devon, who had been attending from behind, stomped his foot secretly upon seeing Lenon's reaction. He simply took a step forward, directly pushing their Major General aside.

"His Highness the Third Prince." Devon eagerly leaned in next to Lin You. "This is our Major General's famous battle, the Zone 35 Expulsion Battle. In this battle, our army paid a heavy price to destroy the largest black market stronghold in the 35th Star Region in one fell swoop. It was also in this battle that the Major General obtained the position of heir to the Colette Family and was respectfully addressed as Major General Iris."

Lenon frowned imperceptibly.

He didn't want Lin You to stay in the exhibition hall for too long. The Empire's princes were pampered and had barely seen blood, whereas the scenes here were mostly bloody and violent, especially this one of his. The Second Prince had once lost his composure and vomited while visiting the exhibition room, and he did not wish for such an embarrassing incident to repeat itself.

But Lin You was quite interested. "A black market? What do they sell?"

There was also a Zerg black market setting in the game, but this was the first time he'd heard of it in reality.

"Uh..." This topic was a bit sensitive. Devon wiped his sweat but had to answer, "The main traded goods are illegally produced pheromone injections. You know, due to the extreme gender ratio, pheromone injections have always been in short supply. Uh, the black market produces some substandard injections and circulates them as legitimate ones to earn massive profits."

Lin You: "What's the difference?"

Although he had read the novel, it was an angst-driven novel, and the focus was always on how miserable the protagonist was. The interstellar background description was vague, so Lin You was quite interested.

"Uh," Devon was sweating profusely now. Although Lin You was a noble prince, this information was an undisclosed secret. He carefully weighed his words. "The black market involves illegal production and additives, which can be addictive. If injected, female Zergs might..."

Lenon interrupted, "Enough, Devon."

His brows carried a coldness, like the permafrost mountains on the borders of Zone 35 that never melted year-round. Yet, when he looked at Lin You, he surprisingly switched back to a deeply affectionate and gentle demeanor. "After seeing all this, Your Highness must be tired. Let us go have our meal."

With that, he extended his hand to Lin You. "Please, Your Highness, follow me."

At this moment, fluorescent blue specks of light abruptly rose in front of Lin You, and the System provided a timely reminder: "You have a line."

According to the original text, upon finishing the tour of the exhibition room, he was supposed to frown in disgust: "Blood really is a bit disgusting."

Lin You: "..."

He was reluctant.

Although the matter of the black market hadn't been fully explained, there was no doubt that the Third Legion and Lenon had paid a tragic price for it, trading it for peace on the Empire's borders. Yet, at this moment, as an heir to the throne, he had to say, "Blood really is a bit disgusting"?

Seeing the normally obedient host beginning to uncooperate, System 55 urged, "Host, please remember the 50% completion rate."

Once the completion rate dropped too low, not only could the host die, but the small world would also experience varying degrees of deviation.

Lin You paused slightly.

Lenon was still holding his hand, his attitude polite and refined, his eyes filled with lingering affection—even though it was fake, the temperature of his palm was genuinely scalding, making one reluctant to let go.

"Alright."

Lin You sighed, squeezed Lenon's hand back, and said softly, "Blood really is a bit disgusting."

Lenon paused. His expression didn't fluctuate at all, and he even revealed a polite smile. Maintaining his usual aria-like tone, he said, "Is that so? I apologize, my Highness, for giving you a bad experience. Let us move to the dining hall. The chef has already prepared..."

"But you guys are also really amazing."

"..."

The hypocritical social pleasantries got stuck in his throat. For a brief moment, Lenon almost thought he was hearing things.

His voice grew slightly hoarse, and before he could figure out how to respond to that, Lin You pointed at the screen again and praised, "Lenon, the way you shoot is very beautiful."

This was an expression of genuine admiration. Lin You also played shooting games himself. "Interstellar War" had an extremely high degree of simulation, and all movements were adjustable. To provide his fans with the best viewing experience, Lin You had practiced even the simplest action of switching magazines countless times. But even so, when the model he controlled performed the same action, it was far less beautiful than Lenon's.

Silence, still silence.

Lenon was accustomed to dealing with hypocritical social interactions. He was the eldest son of the Colette Family who single-handedly shouldered the burden, always resourceful and flawless in social settings. But no one had ever taught him how to handle such praise.

The Third Prince stared at the screen with burning eyes, his expression full of pure amazement and admiration, without a hint of falsehood.

Lenon turned his head and only after a long while did he say, "...Thank you."

He even forgot the standard social pleasantry was: "Thank you for your compliment."

In a spot they couldn't see, Devon behind them looked suspicious.

—Didn't they say the Third Prince was arrogant and spoiled, very difficult to deal with?

—Didn't they say after the initial marking, he would be stingy with giving out pheromones?

—Didn't they say he came to the Third Legion to find fault?

The visit was already half over. Where was the fault-finding? Where was it?

He tossed the rose and immediately took the iris. He expressed disgust at the blood, yet praised the person for being beautiful? But wasn't the Lenon on the screen covered in blood and gore? And His Highness stared at it for so long! Was he actually disgusted or did he find it beautiful?

Meanwhile, in Lin You's mind, the System was about to die too.

"Ahhhh, Host, what are you doing!"

"That line doesn't exist ahhhhh!"

Lin You didn't mind. "The novel naturally wouldn't record every single line of dialogue. People say so many words every day, but a novel only writes down what involves the plot development. So, it's feasible for me to logically expand on it, right?"

System 55: "...That's true."

Lin You: "Besides, I said the required line without missing a word, so the score should be quite high."

System 55: "..."

That made a lot of sense, but it felt like something was wrong somewhere.

Lin You added tactfully, "Also, you know I'm a streamer. Sometimes I speak rather quickly. This is also an occupational habit."

Streamers had to interact with fans and couldn't let the atmosphere go cold. They had to play games while thanking donors and explaining the game situation. Lin You was already considered someone of few words, yet he still frequently said whatever came to mind.

As they spoke, they had arrived at the military cafeteria.

Next, Lin You needed to taste the military cafeteria's food and have a friendly exchange with the higher-ups of the Third Legion.

Every time a prince visited, dining was a troublesome segment. The military cafeteria couldn't possibly be as refined as the royal family's; the dishes were far inferior in both taste and presentation. Whenever it came to this, the First Prince and Second Prince would inevitably show displeasure.

Everyone took their seats around the round table, and Lenon introduced them to Lin You one by one.

"This is Major General Sleet, this is Major General Grier..."

Although a prince was visiting, the Third Legion couldn't possibly have everyone come out to play house with him. Many high-ranking officers hadn't shown their faces earlier, but they had all gathered for this meal. Aside from Lenon, there were a few other Major Generals. Some were close to Lenon, while others were not. For example, the first two, Sleet and Grier, belonged to other factions.

Everyone's gazes swept over Lenon's and Lin You's faces, trying to guess the Third Prince's attitude.

If the Third Prince's attitude was intimate, it would prove that Lenon had a chance of obtaining a pardon, and they would continue to acknowledge him as their commanding officer. But if the Third Prince's attitude was poor, then an inevitable bloody struggle for power would ensue.

The first half had gone entirely too smoothly, and Lin You hadn't caused any trouble at all. Yet Lenon didn't dare relax his tense nerves. If something went wrong during this meal, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

He stood by Lin You's side and gently probed, "I hope I might have the honor of serving you food."

Lin You nodded. "Of course."

The novel didn't spend much ink on the dining segment. There was only one plot point: when Lenon was serving food, he failed to accurately grasp Lin You's preferences, leading Lin You to raise his hand and knock away his chopsticks.

But in reality, Lin You truly didn't know which dish was taboo, nor did the novel specify. He was very easy to feed; when he had nothing else, he could survive for days on instant noodles. He ate whatever Lenon gave him, and when he was almost full, Lin You raised his chopsticks and batted away Lenon's hand with a smack.

Lin You's eyes were cold. "Don't serve me anymore. I'm not eating it."

The chopsticks hit the dining plate with a clatter and then fell to the ground. Sleet and Grier looked up simultaneously, and the entire dining table held its breath.

Here it comes!

Lenon's movements paused, but this situation was already much better than he had imagined. He only froze for a split second before standing up with a smile. Just as he was about to apologize, he saw Lin You unhurriedly pull out a napkin and gently wipe his hands.

He looked up at Lenon, his tone light and showing no signs of anger. "I'm full. Just serve yourself; there's no need to serve me."

He leaned back casually in his chair, pointed at the plate, and ordered, "You eat."

Lenon paused slightly, then immediately said, "Then I shall respectfully obey."

He obscurely glanced at Sleet and Grier opposite him and, sure enough, saw their slightly disappointed expressions.

With the visit reaching this stage, it was practically wrapping up. Lin You, a half-socially anxious person who had forced himself to be outgoing for a whole day, had depleted his battery. The other high-ranking officers took their leave one after another. Lenon stood up and pulled out Lin You's chair. "Your Highness, I'll walk you out."

The Prince's starship was still parked at the entrance of the Third Legion.

Lin You yawned and returned to the starship accompanied by the old butler. The starship, which was hundreds of meters long, ignited and launched, trailing fluorescent blue exhaust in the void. After a few maneuvers, it completely vanished into the sky.

Devon stood behind him with his arms crossed. "Are we still doing the pheromone imitation? You guys held hands for so long, the pheromones given should be enough, right?"

Lenon lowered his eyes and took off the leather glove, tossing it into Devon's arms. "Do it. Take this for matching and analysis too."

The glove had directly touched the male Zerg's skin and was stained with pheromones.

He gazed into the distance in the direction the starship had disappeared. "To this day, the Third Prince has not promised to marry me."

Execution day was right before his eyes. If he couldn't obtain a pardon, everything would be in vain.