The powerful leader was tough on the outside but soft on the inside; the aloof major general fell fo

Cen Li paused.

He glanced to the side and saw Ashel with his head down, making it difficult for the insect to see the expression on his face.

Just because the male and female fathers didn't hold a grudge against him last time doesn't mean they'll treat Ashel well.

After all, Ashel was the only beneficiary.

There will always be those who speculate whether Ash was stirring things up. At the very least, if Ash failed to persuade Cen Li to give up this damned idea of ​​a lifelong, devoted lover, it would be Ash's fault.

"Alright, everyone, hurry up and try the Major General's cooking."

"I'm sure Ash's skills are just as excellent as his grades in practical classes."

Derek smiled and gestured for everyone to start eating.

Ash lowered his head even further after Derek finished speaking.

The higher Derek praises him now, the greater their disappointment will be when the insects discover that his cooking is barely edible.

Cen Li sensed something.

Ashel's confidence was clearly lacking; could it be that the other person had prepared some kind of culinary disaster?

Many insects had already put the food into their mouths, and Cen Li couldn't tell anything from their faces.

He hesitated for a moment, but seeing Ash's eager gaze, he decided to give him face and tentatively took a small bite.

Derek, who had been watching Cen Li closely, noticed his movements and asked with a smile, "How was it? Was Ashel's cooking good?"

Ash also looked at Cen Li, whose eyes held unease and a glimmer of hope.

Cen Li paused in his chewing, then swallowed the food hastily.

"tasty."

This was clearly not the answer Derek had expected.

He frowned deeply, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Almost instantly, his face darkened, and he gave his honest comment.

"The cooking time was poorly controlled, the flavor was too bland, and the presentation made the insects unappetizing..."

For every flaw Derek pointed out, Ashley's head would droop a little lower.

As a female ruler, his cooking skills are indeed not up to par.

Cen Li couldn't stand it anymore and had no choice but to interrupt Derek, "Father, aren't you being too harsh? Ashley isn't a professional chef."

Hearing this, Derek glared at Cen Li, looking at him with a rather disgruntled expression, "These are all things that the Queen must do."

"If other insects knew that your empress doesn't have a single dish that's presentable, they'd probably laugh at you for it."

Ashel felt embarrassed. "Father, I will practice my cooking skills more diligently from now on."

Upon hearing this, Derek snorted through his nose.

Cen Li knew, of course, that the female father's purpose was not this. Even if Ashel developed a culinary skill that all the insects praised, it would not be able to satisfy General Derek.

Ash doesn't need to be a good cook.

Seeing that the insects on the dining table were all looking at him, Cen Li's tone remained unchanged, "I married a queen, not a cook. I don't need my queen to wash her hands and cook. I can just hire a few chefs at home."

Derek felt a lump in his throat as he looked at Cen Li's indifferent expression, especially when he saw Ash looking at Cen Li with a blank yet undisguised joy, his heart ached even more.

"Just defend him!"

Derek stopped beating around the bush, seemingly genuinely angry, and said, "Ashe won't stop you from not wanting to marry any other female insects."

"As a child of the Duke's household, you must shoulder responsibilities. How can you ensure the continuation of the Duke's lineage if you only marry one female?"

Cen Li's body visibly paused.

He had no intention of leaving any descendants; he didn't belong to this place and would return sooner or later.

But General Derek was unaware that he was using this point to try and persuade Cen Li.

Being pressured to have offspring is always awkward, especially for Cen Li and Ashier—two insects who have no real relationship behind the scenes.

Cen Li's smile was somewhat stiff. "Isn't it too early for Father-in-law to say this?"

Derek looked slightly displeased and disagreed with Cen Li's words, "Male insects the same size as you already have several offspring at home, but you haven't made a sound at all."

After speaking, Derek's probing gaze swept over Cen Li and Asher.

"Didn't you quite like Ashel? How come there's no sign of him getting pregnant? Is he just not being fertile?"

favorite.

Upon hearing this word, Ashel became extremely uneasy.

Even the male lord's female father thinks this way?

As for the words that General Derek said later, which were clearly accusations against him, Ashel couldn't muster any anger.

Instead, she felt a sense of helplessness and shame.

Admiral Derek could never have imagined that the powerful ruler had never touched him.

They had only recently become a little closer, but this intimacy was limited to lying in the same bed.

Cen Li couldn't even manage a hint of a smile.

General Derek's gaze fell on Ash's abdomen through the air. Cen Li coughed, his right fist pressed to his lips. "Father, we are still young, and we have no such plans now."

"Just ignore what happens to the other insects."

A strange sense of loss flashed in Ash's eyes.

Derek was still dissatisfied with the answer and was about to say something when a servant insect came tumbling down the stairs, shouting "Help!" as if it were on the run, knocking over several vases in succession.

Clang, clang.

"What are you yelling about?!"

Seeing Duke Jolai's displeasure, the butler sternly addressed the servant.

The female insect looked quite frightened. Upon catching sight of Duke Jolai's cold expression, she ran over and knelt down in front of him with a thud.

"It's terrible, Your Grace!"

"Lord Mikhail is going to kill the insects!!"

Mihav has not had a single day of peace during this period.

From his appearance, his symptoms were extremely similar to those of Cen Li.

However, if Cen Li's symptoms were gradual, then Miha Wu's were an accelerated version, with symptoms appearing in less than two months that were the same as Cen Li's symptoms that had taken him three and a half years to develop.

No, it's even more serious.

Because Mihav's legs had completely lost sensation.