The Broodmother Is Hungry Again Today - Chapter 5

I agreed to Adesas’s request.

I was the future Sovereign of the insectoid race. Saving my subjects was already my responsibility.

Even if he had said nothing, I would have done the same after awakening the throne.

Besides…

“I can go to Military Command and soothe them now.” I held out one hand. “But I’m still in my vulnerable period, so I must work within my limits. Five males at a time is the most I can handle.”

For an organization as vast as Military Command, five was a drop in the ocean.

But to insectoids whose collapsing mindscapes had brought them to the brink of self-destruction, it was a glimmer of hope that could not be ignored.

* * *

From that day onward, I began accompanying Adesas to Military Command.

At first, the males in the army refused even to look at me directly. Under their breath, they muttered things like, “A tiny female will never disrupt my military discipline. I will absolutely not become a female’s lapdog.”

But after watching me cure one “madman” after another—males who had once been locked away to await death—their attitude reversed completely.

Soon Adesas no longer needed to order them to serve me. Whenever those young males saw me, they came trotting over on their own, bringing tea and water and asking anxiously whether I was warm enough.

My reputation soared throughout Military Command.

No male looked down on me or dismissed my work as childish mischief anymore. Even when they spoke the word “Broodmother,” unconscious reverence colored their voices.

One male even took the opportunity to recommend himself in a whisper.

“The Marshal is cold as ice. One look tells you he doesn’t know how to cherish anyone. Your Exalted Highness, do you need another puppy? I promise I’ll be more obedient than Marshal Adesas.”

Before I could tactfully decline, Adesas pinched the back of the young male’s neck and carried him away.

That evening, Adesas was unusually assertive when he fed me.

The untouchable Marshal’s eyes were warm with desire, his usual calm and restraint gone.

Normally, he worried about everything. He refused to feed me too much and would not even undo a single button.

But now…

“Adesas, are you jealous?” I watched his awkward movements with amusement. “That was only a child’s joke. I wouldn’t accept him.”

Adesas was already beyond hearing me.

He had been thoroughly ignited. Even though his psychic power remained stable, his body hovered at the edge of losing control.

His eyes were red as he looked at me. For all his immense strength, he seemed fragile enough for one touch from me to shatter him.

“Your Highness, please.”

“Take pity on me. Please don’t look at males younger than I am…”

Poor Adesas. Poor, adorable Adesas.

He was always so steady and mature. Did his age truly make him insecure?

“I must not have given Adesas enough reassurance.” I stroked him tenderly. “I’m sorry. What else do you want?”

The tip of his nose pressed into my palm as he breathed in my scent.

His scorching breath dampened my skin, and he carefully licked away each trace.

“I also… want to hear you call me Big Brother. Like the first time…”

Now I was genuinely surprised.

Who knew the great Marshal harbored so many little worries?

But it was such a small request. Naturally, his kindhearted Broodmother would not refuse.

“Big Brother Adesas.” I brushed my lips against his burning earlobe. “Big Brother, you’re so adorable. Do you truly like me that much?”

Blushing, Adesas nodded. “I do… More than anyone in the world…”

His silver-white hair spread around him in disarray, like a spirit of snow dragged down into mortal passion.

I licked my lips. “All right. Then I won’t hold back.”

After starving for so long, I could finally have a proper meal. Hooray!

After consuming Adesas completely, my strength grew by leaps and bounds.

The dreadful hunger that had constantly threatened my life finally receded a little. I no longer felt the same urgency to feed.

That was not my fault, of course.

Ice cream might be delicious, but too much in one sitting could upset anyone’s stomach.

For the sake of my health, I decided that I should eat in moderation from now on, following a sensible schedule.

Adesas did not share this opinion.

He had become a wild beast freed from its cage. Every day, the instant he caught me, he pinned me beneath his paws and licked me without mercy.

He licked until I was as wrung dry as a scraped mango pit. Once I no longer had the strength to flee, he bashfully started stuffing me with ice cream.

I couldn’t take another bite. Truly, I couldn’t.

This life of unchecked excess went on for several days. I nearly became an ice-cream-flavored Broodmother before Adesas finally agreed to leave the house on serious business.

He dressed with guilt written all over his face.

“Forgive me, Your Highness. An emergency at Military Command requires my attention.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” I said quickly. “Important work comes first.”

I would not mind even if he worked all night and never came home!

But Adesas promised to return as soon as he could.

“I will never let Your Highness go hungry again.”

The declaration sent a chill straight through my stomach.

…

After Adesas left, I considered my predicament for a long time. I could not bear to give up such sweet ice cream, but if things continued like this, I was genuinely afraid of ruining my digestion.

In the end, I ordered a box of stomach medicine online.

Surely it would help?

When the doorbell rang, I opened the door without suspicion, silently praying the medicine would work.

A pink-haired male in a deliveryman’s cap leaned against the doorway and flashed me a radiant smile.

“Come, Your Highness. This brave rescuer has arrived to free the Broodmother imprisoned by an evil dragon.”

I tried to shut the door. “No, thank—”

Before I could finish, Ning Fu clapped his hands.

I looked up by instinct and met his gaze.

His eyes were pink like his hair, but so intricate and dazzling they resembled the stained-glass windows of a temple. Light shimmered through those foxlike pupils.

My thoughts went blank, and crushing drowsiness swept over me.

A moment later, Ning Fu caught my collapsing body.

Then, as though bowing at the end of a performance, he raised two fingers and tossed aside his cap.

“Now, little Broodmother, say goodbye to our lucky Marshal Adesas.”