Chapter 9 Caretaking

Chapter 9: Care

"Close the door, quickly!"

"Your Excellency! You just woke up, your body is still weak, you can't go out yet!"

"Come over here, help hold His Excellency down!"

"Your Excellency, please don't move! It'll be troublesome if your wound splits open again!"

"Your Excellency, you haven't recovered yet, you can't use your psychic energy!"

"What are you standing there for! Go get the sedative!"

Just as Idris reached the door of the ward, he heard a cacophony from inside—shouts, sobs, various sounds overlapping or erupting in unison, like a symphony of chaos.

Inside, the chaos continued, even showing signs of escalating. Amidst the clattering, the door was knocked. Someone inside yelled "Come in!" in a strained voice, and Idris immediately pushed the door open.

When the insects inside saw him, they all looked relieved. After a flurry of pushing and shoving, Idris was ushered to the front of the hospital bed.

Instantly, the struggling male insect on the bed quieted down, staring fixedly at Idris. The panic in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by adoration and dependence.

Brother, I feel awful.

Samuel stared fixedly at Idris, pouting, looking aggrieved and pleading as he sought comfort from the person by the bed.

The Attending Doctor caught on and gave a meaningful look. Several members of the Medical Staff understood and tentatively eased their hold on the male insect.

Feeling the restraint lessen, Samuel, ignoring his headache, swiftly turned over and scrambled towards the insect by the bed, using both hands and feet.

Idris instinctively wanted to dodge, but remembering the male insect standing up for him by the lake, he forced himself to stay still, allowing the male insect to cling to him like a koala.

The male insect, having just woken up, was still very weak, and the strength in his limbs wasn't great. The sudden movement made him dizzy, so he was just hanging on limply.

A sub-female caste nurse watched in alarm and was about to reach out to support him, but another strong arm beat him to it.

Idris steadied the male insect's waist with one arm and cradled his legs with the other, holding him securely. The male insect's body was light and soft, snuggling against his chest like a soft bundle. If one disregarded his status as a male insect, he could be considered quite sweet and cute.

Onlookers: Oh, saved! Major General! Our savior! Can you please not leave until His Excellency is discharged!

Idris had no time to deal with these frantic insects; his mind was entirely on his arms. Male insects had a notorious temper. If his actions offended His Excellency, he would be in trouble again.

Thinking of this, Idris felt somewhat annoyed.

Samuel was completely oblivious to the female's caution. He simply tightened his arms, rested his head on her shoulder, and let out a contented sigh.

The two of them were pressed close together. Faintly, Idris caught a whiff of a distinctive scent. It was fresh and lingering, carrying the crisp scent of pine mixed with the slight chill of mint, very pleasant to smell.

Whether it was psychological or not, this scent relaxed him considerably, and the churning pain in his Mind Sea subsided.

Idris couldn't help but lower his head slightly, leaning closer to the male insect's neck to try and capture that scent, but he snapped back to reality instantly, turning his face away uncomfortably.

He must be out of his mind. Why did he always want to get close to this male insect?

Samuel noticed the movement of the person beside him but continued to nestle, unfazed. Idris's body temperature was slightly higher than when he first hugged her, but it was unexpectedly comfortable. Soon, he began to doze off.

Seeing the male insect's drowsiness, Idris glanced questioningly at the Attending Doctor beside him. The doctor approached and whispered an explanation: recovering from overusing psychic energy takes time; feeling drowsy was normal for a male insect.

Learning the reason, Idris secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was the reassurance of the female's embrace. In a short while, Samuel fell asleep.

Given how awkward their position was, Idris took two steps towards the bedside, intending to place the male insect back on the bed.

But who would have thought, as soon as he leaned over, the male insect seemed to anticipate it and hugged him even tighter, nuzzling incessantly against his neck. The soft sensation reminded him of the male insect's actions a few days ago.

Too close.

Pushing down the strange sensation, Idris slowly loosened his grip and unwound the arm from around his neck, sidestepping to avoid the male insect's instinctive grab.

The moment he touched the bed, Samuel woke up groggily. Seeing Idris's standoffish demeanor, he reached out to pull him, but didn't succeed.

"What's wrong, brother?" Samuel opened his eyes wide in confusion. Idris's distance gave him a sense of panic, as if he had been abandoned again.

Idris, Bulan, and the group of Doctors saw the male insect's mouth opening and closing, emitting a stream of incomprehensible syllables. They all looked at each other in bewilderment.

The Attending Doctor, under everyone's gaze, felt a throbbing in his temples, his composure on the verge of collapse.

Don't look at me, I never said His Excellency couldn't speak.

"Brother, hug." Samuel tentatively reached out again, still receiving no response.

Bulan watched from the side, secretly tugging at Idris's sleeve. Seriously, how pitiful can His Excellency get? How can you remain unmoved?

Idris glanced at him, remembering the condition Bulan had proposed two days ago—help stabilize the male insect's emotions, and he would handle the MPA's accountability for him.

The condition was tempting. Idris agreed.

Of course, whether there were other reasons, only Idris herself knew.

Why, why!

Why won't brother hug him?

Did something happen after he fell unconscious?

"Brother, did I do something wrong?"

"Why are you ignoring me?"

"Brother, please don't hate me. I'm scared."

The pleas echoed in the ward. As the voice grew more urgent, immense psychic energy once again swept through the room, centered on the hospital bed. Many insects in the ward were thrown off balance by this powerful storm.

"Idris, quickly try to calm His Excellency down! His Excellency cannot use psychic energy right now!" Bulan cried out anxiously.

Back at the lake, Bulan had noticed that Idris seemed unaffected by the male insect's psychic energy.

Watching the male insect's emotional breakdown and his use of psychic energy, Idris involuntarily strode forward and pulled the insect towards herself.

Once held in the embrace, the male insect only sobbed more aggrievedly. Idris, at a loss, cast a pleading look at Bulan.

Idris: How do you comfort an insect? I don't know how!

Bulan received the look, shrugged, and spread his hands helplessly.

Bulan: I don't know either! You do your best!

Idris: Bulan, you useless insect!!

Idris sighed, clumsily imitating his father's gesture toward his mother from memory, gently patting the male's back.

Having achieved his goal, Samuel quickly stopped sobbing, clinging affectionately to the female insect's waist as he slowly withdrew his psychic energy.

After ensuring the male had fallen asleep again and wouldn't wake, Idris followed Bulan to the balcony.

"His Excellency's mental state has deteriorated again," Idris stated with certainty.

Bulan nodded. "The attending doctor just said His Excellency has faced repeated stimuli recently, triggering a self-protection mechanism. He'll be mentally confused for a while, so discharge for rest is recommended. But given his condition, living alone isn't suitable. The Male Protection Association's (MPA) intention is to assign someone to care for him."

"That's fine. At least someone can soothe him during an episode," Idris pretended not to understand, knowing the MPA's original wording was surely "match him with someone," not just "assign someone."

"I recommended you," Bulan stopped beating around the bush. "The doctor said the caregiver should ideally make him feel at ease. From my observations, you're suitable. Plus, if you receive his psychic soothing, your own psychic disturbance..."

"Did he ask you to do this?" Idris stared at Bulan, already knowing the answer.

Bulan smiled without refuting. Idris was right. The MPA's initial plan was for Idris to care for the male as a concubine.

Only Idris's mother's disagreement forced negotiations, delaying it six months. If the male hasn't recovered by then, Idris will be forcibly matched.

Idris didn't know the intricacies, but guessed the original terms weren't simple. He couldn't be bothered to argue. Turning to open the balcony door, he said, "I refuse. Tell him my life is my own; I don't need his concern!"

"You can't refuse," Bulan tapped his Stellar Ring. "The Association President has the Insect Emperor's approval. The military will contact you shortly."

The military document arrived instantly. Idris glanced at it, surprised the male was near S-rank before adulthood. No wonder the Emperor intervened.

"How long?" Idris closed the Stellar Ring.

"Until His Excellency recovers," Bulan said vaguely.

"Six months, maximum. Then you take him back," Idris glanced at Bulan, uninterested in exposing his scheme.

Both were old hands at this game, cutting deals under false pretenses.

Bulan nodded slightly. "Fine, six months. I hope you get along. Remember to bring him food later; he won't touch anything others prepare."

Idris snorted in response, turned, and left. Just six months. He'd endure it, consider it a repaid favor. And he'd see what the male's real purpose was in approaching him.

Seeing Idris leave, Bulan leaned on the balcony, opened his Stellar Ring, and messaged the MPA President: "Done." Then he switched accounts and sent another: "All smooth," before leaving the ward.

The following days kept Idris busier, shuttling between the military and hospital, and occasionally acting as a teacher for the male.

With his brother willing to stay, Samuel was happy to cooperate. He was clever, remembering nearly everything on the first try. The ease made Idris suspicious; he deliberately misread a word, and the male repeated the error.

*Hmm... truly illiterate.*

Samuel smiled.

The discharge was set for Saturday. That morning, Bulan delivered a pre-bound Stellar Ring, along with compensation papers and property contracts for the male to sign.

Setting the pen down, Samuel silently counted the long string of zeros, eyes wide. *Was the male insect status really that useful?! So much money!*

*Does this count as a scam?*

He felt a bit guilty. But he soon reasoned: *If I didn't ask for it, it's not a scam!*

After signing and verifying the contracts, Samuel followed Idris onto the hovercar.

After days of rest aided by species-specific psychic restoratives, Samuel's mind had improved slightly. Learning he could leave with Idris thrilled him.

Though the path was bumpy and cost him something, being with his brother was still a gain.

…………

Idris lived in District B of the Imperial Capital Star. Compared to male-dominated District A, District B was nearer the military and quieter, preferred by many military males.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived.

Idris's home was a two-story villa. A gravel path led to the door. Lawns flanked the house, with blue-purple flowers beyond, and the walls were covered with climbing roses.

A breeze wafted fragrance through the courtyard.

Passing the intoxicating scent and reaching the steps, the aroma faded. Pushing the door open revealed a sea of white, accented by black furniture, like an ice cave.

Samuel stared into the house, confirming, "This... is your home?"

*Brother is so poor.*

Idris: "Obviously."

What did that pitying look mean?

They stared each other down.

Each thought the other a complete idiot.

Author's Note:

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