Lenon looked over with his clear blue eyes, stunned for two seconds.

Maintaining his stunned posture, he was directly flipped over by Lin You and pressed against the wall backstage of the trial court.

Actually, Lin You didn't use much force, and there was a physical disparity between the two of them. Lenon could have broken free with a slight struggle, but he maintained his blank expression, his waist soft as he let Lin You maneuver him, like an oversized throw pillow.

Lin You poked the waist of the 'throw pillow'. The pillow hissed softly, finally snapping out of his daze. Lin You said fiercely, "What's with that expression? What, don't you want to marry me?"

"..."

Lenon had never thought that he would have a wedding.

Before meeting Lin You, his life was already ruined, its end visible at a glance—the First Prince framed him for hurting his former fiancé, and White hated him to the bone. There would be no wedding between them. Later, when he made a desperate gamble to curry favor with the Third Prince, Lenon knew his future was bleak; no one would cherish a plaything that threw itself at them, and he never dared to wish for a wedding.

But now, with everything settled, Lenon realized that beneath all the disgrace and numbness, he had actually been looking forward to it.

Looking forward to the day when he could hold someone's hand and vow to spend the rest of his life with them.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lin You became a little annoyed. He raised his voice, trying to cover up his insecurity, "What, do you really not want to marry me?"

In the novel, Lenon disdained marriage. He could even put his body on the gambling table as a bargaining chip, much less care about these so-called ceremonies. Lin You was well aware of this. When reading the novel, he had even sighed with emotion at how free-spirited and clear-headed the protagonist was. But now that it actually came to this, seeing Lenon visibly stunned, he started to feel sad.

"Fine." Lin You took a step back, pretending to leave. "Then I'll just go to the coronation ceremony by myself."

Of course, he couldn't leave.

Lenon grabbed him and hugged him from behind. After a moment of hesitation, he said very softly, "...I just never thought about a wedding, a wedding of my own. Um, what should I do?"

This question was truly unqualified. As an aristocratic Female Zerg, he should be thoroughly familiar with all etiquette and handle everything for His Majesty the Zerg Emperor, just as Admiral Hoyle handled Lin You's coming-of-age ceremony, overseeing everything from the guest list to the decorative flowers.

But even an aristocrat would never expect to have to organize a wedding for the Zerg Emperor.

Lin You: "First, we have to get our formal suits made."

They messed around in the lounge. Lenon was indulgent for the first half, smiling as he watched Lin You fiddle about, letting the other measure his suit sizes, from chest to waist and whatever else. But halfway through his smiling, he suddenly couldn't smile anymore.

Reunited after a long separation, his body missed Lin You more than he imagined.

The citrus-scented Pheromones were overwhelming. They hadn't seen each other for five months, and the sudden contact with the Pheromones made his body react almost like an addiction. Lenon was even more sensitive than during his first marking. His waist softened instantly, as if intoxicated by tangerine-flavored sake. He relied entirely on Lin You pressing against him to keep from sliding down the wall. He clingingly demanded kisses from Lin You, only to suddenly tense his body when someone walked past the door outside, begging for mercy, "Little Majesty..."

This was the lounge of the trial court, after all.

With the trial settled, many people successively passed by the door. There were court clerks, the jury, and even the Grand Inquisitor. Each of them was neatly dressed with a solemn expression.

At that moment, Lin You was sliding his hand down the waistline to the lower abdomen. Having slept for five months, Lenon had lost some weight, but his waistline was even more beautiful. He mumbled vaguely, "Alright."

They walked out through the trial court's private passage and dazedly boarded the flying vehicle. Halfway through the flight, Lenon suddenly realized in shock, "This isn't the way to the Prince's mansion?"

Lin You: "I've moved."

Lenon was in a daze: "Right."

He was no longer the Third Highness, but the Zerg Emperor of The Empire. It was time for him to live in the imperial palace.

By the time they replenished their Pheromones in the brand-new bedroom and were too lazy to move even a finger, they had been messing around until evening.

Lin You had mentioned "measuring," but he hadn't figured out anything. In the end, the royal tailors still had to come over with measuring tapes.

Both of them were beautiful, with tall statures and long legs, standing there like clothes racks. The tailors tightened their measuring tapes, recorded the data in detail, and then opened the pattern books, handing them over for them to choose.

Lin You flipped through several pages but wasn't very satisfied. The style of the royal formal suits was complex, somewhat resembling Rococo-style menswear, covered in intricate lace patterns, with lace embellishing some of the cuffs.

Lin You frowned and finally asked, "Can you make two matching sets modified from this uniform?"

He secretly had 55 print out the character model from his game account.

The tailors readily agreed.

The royal tailors weren't afraid of His Majesty making specific requests; they were only afraid that his descriptions would be too abstract. They lowered their gaze to the draft, already prepared to flatter and praise even if His Majesty presented a pile of dog shit.

—But this formal suit was actually very good-looking.

The modeled character stood quietly on the display interface, similarly upright in posture, with a narrow waist and long legs. The silver-white uniform was elegant yet sharp, its tailored cut outlining a beautiful waistline. His overly long silver hair was tied into a low ponytail, secured with a hairband of the same color.

This was the virtual wife Lin You had spent almost a month carefully crafting in the real world.

55, who had been lying on the side, shifted its gaze back and forth between the printed draft in Lin You's hands and Lenon. It suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Wait, did you model this little guy after Lenon?"

Although 55 had helped Lin You import the data, it hadn't looked closely. Now that it compared them, it finally noticed the clues.

Lin You acted coy: "Actually, no. If you must say, Lenon grew up looking like my wife."

"..."

55's eyes went blank: "I was really stupid, really."

The plot, starting from a certain moment, had suddenly bolted like a runaway wild horse, never to return. 55 thought that although Lin You pulled off a lot of wild stunts, his completion rate was at least higher than a certain Xie's, and his score was better than Xie's as well. So, it had tolerated that minor deviation. It never expected that this mission was destined to be a mistake right from the very beginning.

—How could Lin You possibly abuse his wife, ahhhhh!

And while the System was silently breaking down, Lenon's gaze landed on the little figure's right shoulder.

On it, impressively, was an Iris Medal.

—It was precisely the medal that Lin You had "snatched" from Lenon's hands during his first visit to the Third Legion, which was later imported into the game by the System and became one of the little figure's accessories.

The Iris Medal carried significant symbolic meaning. Lin You never wore it when playing matchmaking, but this was their wedding, and he would not allow even the slightest imperfection.

Lin You discussed the details of the suit, while Lenon frowned slightly on the side. He looked left and right, feeling that this outfit was somewhat familiar.

The Empire's military uniforms were mostly similar, all following the same standard design, but Lin You's set was slightly different. It had many more decorative straps, with tassels draping from the shoulder blades. It looked familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out where he had seen it.

After all, Military Female Zergs only played matchmaking to train; no one stared at other people's clothes.

At this time, Lin You had finalized it. He turned to look at Lenon: "What do you think?"

Lenon then smiled: "It's very beautiful."

His little Majesty looked beautiful in anything he wore.

The suits were finalized, the guests were finalized, and then the date was finalized. The coronation ceremony and the wedding were set for the same day. The Empire's noble Third Highness and his Female Consort would ride in a carriage to parade through the imperial capital in the early morning, then arrive at the palace, where Admiral Hoyle would present the new emperor with the crown and scepter.

Next, the Zerg Emperor would announce with a slight smile under the public eye that the day of the Zerg Emperor's coronation and the following three days would become annual statutory holidays, because he wanted to take a vacation and go on a honeymoon with his Female Consort. This was met with a tsunami of cheers; the enthusiastic citizens almost blew the roof off the imperial palace.

The coronation ceremony was grand and solemn. In contrast, the wedding did not have as many people. Neither Lin You nor Lenon had flamboyant personalities, so they only invited a few relatives and friends. Lin You had few friends among the Zerg, so he entrusted the task of inviting guests entirely to Admiral Hoyle. Lenon, however, sent out quite a few invitations to his old acquaintances in the Third Legion.

Devon was slightly startled when he received the invitation. His rank of Colonel was considered pretty good in the Third Legion, but it was somewhat inadequate in front of the Zerg Emperor. He felt slightly reserved, his uncertainty mixed with surprise: "You won't seat me at the same table as Admiral Hoyle and the others, will you?"

Admiral Hoyle would inevitably invite many high-ranking military officials, and perhaps even Devon's military academy teachers or superiors. If they really had to drink at the same table, he probably wouldn't even be able to eat his food in peace.

Lenon: "Don't worry, I set up a separate table just for you guys."

Among Admiral Hoyle's many friends, he really did set up a separate table for the Third Legion.

On the day of the wedding, besides Devon, there was also a red-haired Female Zerg. His hair color was flamboyant and fiery, as bright as a rose, and his facial features were richly beautiful.

He was an old subordinate of the Third Legion rescued from the "factory." Having stayed in the sunless factory for too long, he had forgotten how to speak, and his expression was wooden. Even though he had been properly resettled later, and Lenon had arranged for royal doctors to treat him, it wasn't something that could be reversed in a short amount of time. The wedding venue was filled with bouquets of flowers, but he only stood cautiously in the corner, silent, completely out of place amidst the surrounding bustle.

However, when the master of ceremonies loudly offered his blessings and the newlyweds embraced and kissed, he actually smiled at Lenon.

Having stayed in hell for so long, he still smiled for his commanding officer's happiness.

Lenon bit his lower lip.

Lin You hugged him: "Are you guys good friends?"

Lenon forced a smile: "He's my junior from the military academy, and a former genius of the military department. I used to guide him. His marksmanship was very accurate, and he scored full marks in his tactical courses. If it weren't for that battle, he should have..."

He couldn't continue.

He should have had a brilliant future, bright and promising.

Lin You sighed and said softly, "The Empire has allocated special funds for resettlement and treatment. The current treatment is highly effective. In at most three years, he will be able to return to the military department. There will also be a large sum of compensation later on. Although it can't offset the harm done, it's at least somewhat of a comfort."

The First Prince's faction was thoroughly purged, and all their assets were confiscated. The amount of illicit profits involved made even Lin You stare in astoundment. The parliament had swiftly established a relief fund to aid the Female Zergs who survived the "factory," and professional doctors were organized to closely monitor their physical conditions.

The wreckage of the "factory" was towed to the Capital Star and dismantled into many pieces. The parliament unanimously passed a resolution to build a park around it. When citizens took walks in the park, they could look through those mottled, pitch-black glass curtain walls and amidst the giant mechanical arms, catch a glimpse of the cruelty and bloodshed of the past.

In the center of the park stood a towering memorial obelisk, recording the names of those who unfortunately perished in the Zone 35 defense battle, corresponding one by one to the remains in the Graveyard.

Lenon lowered his eyes: "...Thank you."

If it weren't for Lin You, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. He might have even carried a notorious reputation to his death. When people spoke of the Major General of the Third Legion, they would say he was a brutal Female Zerg who not only hurt his fiancé but was also audacious enough to assassinate a prince. As for the truth buried in the graveyard, no one would have cared.

Unknowingly, they had walked away from the wedding into an empty garden in the imperial palace. Lenon took a deep breath, suddenly hugged Lin You, and buried his whole face in his embrace.

Lin You patted his Female Consort, belatedly realizing that the Major General was trembling, so he also reached out to wrap his arms around his back: "What's wrong?"

Lenon nuzzled against him and hugged him even tighter, like a drowning man clutching at his last straw, as if trying to melt Lin You into his bones and blood. He said nothing else, merely stubbornly repeating: "...Thank you."

Lin You was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "What are you thanking me for?"

Lenon only shook his head, saying nothing.

There was too much he wanted to be thankful for. Thankful for this grand wedding today, thankful for the gentle kindness in the past, thankful for the proper settlement of his old friends, or perhaps... thankful to Lin You for catching him before he fell into hell.

If there was no Lin You, what would have become of him?

Lenon couldn't help but think about that future. He would have become addicted to Pheromones, locked in a dark dungeon, wasting away to nothing but skin and bones amidst endless torture, until only the ghost fire of revenge burned in his chest. He might still have gone to the graveyard and fired that shot, but he would never have been able to walk in the sunlight again, never able to have this warm embrace he had today.

Lenon once thought he could be fearless, but as things stood now, just thinking about that future felt unbearable.

Lin You stroked the long silver-white hair again and said, "You better wait until tonight to thank me."

That night, they lay on their backs on the bed in the imperial palace's master bedroom. Lenon wanted to change his clothes, but was stopped by Lin You. The Emperor of The Empire was unhurriedly unbuttoning the uniform, like unwrapping a gift.

The silver-haired Major General was a mess. The buttons of his uniform were all undone, and his sash was thrown aside. Lin You was slowly peeling his beloved gift out of the uniform. He pressed down on Lenon's trembling legs, which shook from unbearable anticipation, leaving brief kisses on his smooth skin. It wasn't until those clear blue eyes lost focus that he drawled leisurely, "Lenon, this is not pleasure; this is punishment."

"We weren't married before, so it wasn't appropriate for me to settle the score with you, but now, it's time we cleared the ledger."

...Punishment?

...Settle the score?

Lenon's unfocused eyes slowly landed on Lin You, actually looking somewhat wronged.

These two terms were not good words. The Zerg's punishments were often extremely cruel. With his mind muddled by Pheromones, Lenon vaguely recalled the "punishments" he had witnessed before. His Male Father had also locked his Female Father in a bunker, leaving him either dripping with blood or subjected to humiliating torture. Subconsciously, he didn't think Lin You would punish him harshly, but since His Majesty the Zerg Emperor said it in bed, he still felt wronged.

Lin You used his Pheromones to string him along, speaking at a measured pace: "Do you know why I want to punish you?"

Lenon tilted his head. His brain had almost lost its function, only acting on instinct: "Because I didn't organize the wedding well?"

—Admiral Hoyle had been busy with most of it.

Lin You reached out to pull Lenon's belt tight, releasing a bit more Pheromones. The citrus scent in the air grew even thicker: "I don't care about that, incorrect."

Lenon pursed his lips: "...Because I slept for five months and woke up too late?"

Lin You: "Although I was indeed sad about that, you were recovering your body, so it's not a fault."

"..."

He shakily raised his leg to hook around Lin You's waist, saying in a breakdown, "I don't know."

Lin You felt a sense of exasperation at his failure to live up to expectations: "Going to the 'factory' was such a dangerous thing, didn't you know to tell me first? Even though I couldn't help much, I still have the right to know!"

The little Majesty's tone was indignant; he was truly angry to the extreme.

The taut string in Lenon's heart loosened. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he said in relief, "So it was because of this."

Lin You tightened the belt again, dissatisfied: "What do you mean 'it was just because of this'?!"

His threat no longer had any effect. Lenon vaguely begged for mercy, completely discarding the unyielding character of a Major General who would rather die than surrender: "Your Majesty, forgive me, please..."

Unable to bear it any longer, Lin You kissed him.

In the education of a Female Zerg, this kind of thing usually didn't mean pleasure, but rather torture and indignity. But Lenon opened himself up more forcefully than ever before, like a clam impatiently opening its hard shell to expose its soft spot, inviting a taste of its inner sweetness. He craved to be merged into one, craved to be inextricably intertwined.

By the time the storm passed and things quieted down, they fell asleep in a daze. When they opened their eyes again, it was already broad daylight.

Lenon pulled Lin You in and hugged him tightly, planning to go back to sleep. Hazily, he thought to himself, 'This is really nice.'

Waking up with his beloved on the same morning, in the same bed, was very good.