MCDWTBS Chapter 61

Chapter 61: The Royal Family’s Secret

Serra stopped half a meter away from Edwin, his body not actually touching him, but his desire for touch was far greater than when he was a young Chong. Edwin didn’t retreat, but his hand landed on the male insectoid’s chest, gently pushing him away:

“Don’t be silly, Young Male Master. We should get going.” His tone was calm, pretending not to see the way the male insectoid’s eyes drooped instantly, with a pitiful look like a big dog.

Taking a deep breath, Serra compromised—he simply didn’t know how to refuse Edwin when Edwin truly made a request of him. In fact, the very act of Edwin making a request of him brought him unimaginable joy.

“Alright, male parent, let’s go together.”

The distance from the Duke’s Mansion to Sky City wasn’t short, but they were both located on the Capital Star. Thanks to the insectoids’ advanced space-jump technology, the Noah Duke’s Mansion’s spacecraft arrived at Sky City’s suspended landing platform in the blink of an eye.

Countless spherical monitoring and filming devices rapidly roamed above them. Serra’s mental energy detected that many of these devices originated from media on the Capital Star and other planets of the Empire. He knew this was his first appearance as the Noah Duke after the Church incident, representing the latest developments in the cooperation and negotiations between the royal family and the Noah Duke’s Mansion. Without even thinking, Serra knew he would soon see major media outlets across the male insectoid Star Network vying to report:

“Noah Duke’s Mansion Attacked, New Noah Duke Miraculously Transforms. Will Loyalty to the Royal Family Continue?”

“Phoenix Reborn! Noah Duke Makes First Appearance, Suspected of Becoming a Higher Male Insectoid, S or 2S?”

“Prince Colean Meets Noah Duke. Does the Mutual Support Agreement Between the Royal Family and the Four Great Duke’s Mansions Remain in Place?”

…

Serra took a deep breath, extending a mental tendril to cautiously grasp Edwin’s ankle, but the female insectoid was too accustomed to it and didn’t even spare him a glance. The brown-haired male insectoid bit his lip in a bit of frustration, knowing that Edwin was still annoyed by the fact that he had been drawn into heat by the male insectoid’s pheromones earlier, and Serra had wanted to say something to ease the tension, but didn’t know how to comfort the frustrated female insectoid.

Serra, as a former human, knew very well that some physiological reactions were beyond control. Not only were they as normal as eating and drinking, but they might also be the body’s way of coping. For example, some people might enter heat in emergencies or critical situations, even if their hearts were filled with fear and the desire to escape. Their bodies would secrete hormones beneficial to their survival.

In human society, men who held the power of speech and established judicial systems often took advantage of women’s natural reactions in crises, attacking the women’s “non-consent” in involuntary relationships, thereby acquitting sex offenders. But Serra, of course, knew that mere physiological reactions were far from equivalent to “consent” or “volition.”

He had marked Edwin, and his pheromones flowed in Edwin’s blood. Of course, he knew why Edwin had entered an estrus he didn’t want to enter.

However, because the insectoids’ physiological research on sub-males and female insectoids was astonishingly lacking, and because Edwin and his current relationship were mixed with other complex and immoral feelings, he wasn’t sure how to make Edwin feel better.

In the insectoid race, pure, healthy emotional relationships between female insectoids and male insectoids were already so rare that they needed to be found under a microscope, let alone a union between a former male parent and a male insectoid son—Serra could hardly imagine what kind of impact such immorality would have on insectoid society.

Not to mention how those male insectoids, laden with sins, would cynically view this relationship, even the sub-males and female insectoids on the Star Network, who were incredibly devout to the “Mother Goddess” and the Church, and who had been brainwashed into willingly becoming the dust beneath the male insectoids’ feet, could develop extreme resistance to this relationship.

Not that the outside world’s opinions were very important to Serra, but Serra couldn’t allow Edwin to be subjected to social condemnation. Therefore, he didn’t plan to bring Edwin into Sky City, because Edwin’s body was still permeated with his scent. Although his mental energy could help Edwin avoid prying eyes, sometimes the leakage of secrets wasn’t just about direct evidence. His interactions with Edwin could also give them away.

He didn’t want Colean to set his sights on Edwin, especially now that he clearly knew Colean’s malice towards the Duke’s Mansion and himself. Serra had long known that Colean wasn’t a good partner, but he didn’t have many choices, did he? The Church had repeatedly displayed their cards accumulated over thousands of years, and some of those forces had even completely killed Serra before. For Serra, he had no better choice but to maintain cooperation with the royal family.

He could only hope that Colean was blind and arrogant enough. After transmigrating to the insectoid race, Serra had always firmly believed that the male insectoids’ rule would fall apart sooner or later. The high-ranking male insectoids’ contempt for female insectoids and sub-males, and their wanton expansion of power, would eventually backfire on them.

They proceeded smoothly through Sky City, and countless sub-males and female insectoids serving the royal family gave Serra kneeling salutes, which Serra temporarily ignored as much as possible. Just as they reached the inner city of the royal capital, Sky City’s iconic pair of giant golden bird wings suddenly opened, revealing the inner city gate adorned with golden feathers.

Colean stood at the palace gate himself, his golden eyes, full of false smiles, watching Serra with apparent warmth, revealing an expression of well-timed surprise:

“Serra, my dear Duke! To see you transform into a young insectoid is truly the most moving miracle of this century. What’s more, you are so handsome. Today, the Sky City media will surely be thrown into utter frenzy by the Noah Duke’s first appearance after his transformation!”

His words were amiable and proper, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. After Serra’s transformation, his mental energy was far more acute than when he was a young insectoid, and he could easily detect that Colean’s gaze briefly lingered on Serra’s serpent-shaped armlet.

Colean recognized the Mother Chong’s rib bone, a divine artifact made by the Church. Or perhaps Colean understood the ins and outs of the Church’s attack on the Duke’s Mansion even more thoroughly. The royal family’s sources of information were worth considering.

After all, the royal family’s history was even more ancient than the Church’s. They were the ones who established this empire, while the Church was merely a successor attempting to usurp power. Why hadn’t the Church succeeded after so many years? If Colean was truly so afraid of the Church’s divine artifact that he allowed the Church to attack the royal family’s allies on the Capital Star—the royal family’s own territory—then Serra couldn’t see why the Church hadn’t seized the empire’s power from the royal family’s hands after thousands of years.

Serra’s eyes turned slightly cold—after the attack on the Duke’s Mansion, he clearly knew two things. First, the royal family and the Church each had trump cards, but the royal family’s trump cards were more difficult to use, making the royal family appear passive. What consensus had they reached, and Colean’s leniency towards the Church’s actions wasn’t because of fear. Second, Colean wasn’t someone he could align with. Serra wasn’t a genius at discerning human nature. Frankly, before his transmigration, he was just a young teacher, rich in empathy, who had just entered society. But even so, he understood that Colean, as a male insectoid who would backstab allies at any time, a petty and jealous leader, was absolutely not to be trusted.

“Your Highness,” no matter what he thought in his heart, Serra’s face only showed a few degrees of appropriate dissatisfaction, expressing his anger at being betrayed by his ally as bluntly as a blockhead: “I don’t intend to let my private life become a feast for the media. In fact, the accident that caused my accidental transformation is the juicy story they’ve been trying so hard to pry into these days, isn’t it?”

The anger Serra expressed almost made Colean laugh, which was exactly what he had expected to happen. Colean’s smile only grew brighter at the superficial anger, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement, forcing him to put his hands behind his back, leaving Serra to guess that Colean was actually feeling incredibly happy about Serra’s near-death experience—or perhaps he had already died, Serra wasn’t sure how much Colean actually knew—and even savoring it endlessly.

Colean’s jealousy was so deep that Serra wanted to laugh. But this was also a good thing. Under the command of the Pope, the Church was almost monolithic, while the royal family in Colean’s hands… let’s just say, if Serra were to choose again, he would still choose Colean as his ally and pawn.

“I am truly sorry about that, dear Serra.” Colean dragged out the aristocratic pretense: “But I’m glad you are still a being favored by the Mother Goddess.”

A half-truthful test, Serra remained noncommittal. He lightly hummed and walked alongside Colean into the royal family’s magnificent reception hall, never once looking at Ilott, who stood behind Colean with his head bowed, as if he didn’t care about a familiar female insectoid.

This reaction also satisfied Colean. After entering the reception hall, he no longer held back with polite greetings, but instead said bluntly:

“My Duke, the Golden Wings deeply regrets your ordeal, and we will ensure that the Church pays the price for their transgression. To this end, all exported goods from the Church’s planets will be subject to double taxation by the Empire, and the weapon companies, minerals, and energy stone planets under the four great families of the Empire and the royal family will no longer terminate all cooperation with the Church and its affiliated planets. You know what this means, my clever, lucky Serra Duke. This is the greatest honor the Empire can bestow upon the loyal Noah family, meaning the Golden Wings is willing to launch a civil war for an ally!”

Colean’s voice was full of bloodthirsty excitement, which almost made Serra feel nauseous. He didn’t agree with Colean’s actions at all, and he was even more repulsed by Colean using him as a gimmick to achieve his personal goals. Serra knew what kind of chain reaction war could bring, and he also knew that Colean’s superficial “sanctions” wouldn’t hurt the Church at all, because the Church’s affiliated planets had enough energy stone mines and weapon manufacturers to supply them. The only ones affected would probably be the female insectoids and sub-males who relied on these industries to make a living.

“Your words move me deeply. The Golden Wings’ majesty must not be provoked.”

Serra showed a gentle expression, pretending to be touched by Colean’s words:

“But I must worry about you, Your Highness. With the Church possessing the divine artifact, how can we contend with them? As you know, the four great dukes’ mission is to protect the Golden Wings.”