Chapter 118
118. The Gay Little Prince, Part 7
Gary naturally wouldn't run around indiscriminately on the spaceship of the First Corps, but he would go to find those maintenance engineers whom followed him before.
And it was this move that gave Green and Emir the opportunity to approach him.
Green apologized over and over again, hoping to get his forgiveness, while Emir cried and pleaded, begging him not to harass Green again.
It was really funny. When did he harass Green? Clearly, it was these two guys who came to harass him all day long.
Gary endured it insufferably for two days and then discovered that the two men disappeared from his side.
Obviously, this was what Ludwig did . . . . Gary breathed a sigh of relief. In the following days, besides staying in Ludwig's room to rest, he went to find Will.
The spaceship belonging to the Third Corps had been eaten thoroughly by the marching ants, but they still managed to bring some things out. Gary and his subordinates worked together to repair all the things that could be repaired.
In addition to this, some people from the First Corps came to him on account of his reputation, looking for him to repair their mechs. So he also lent a hand to repair their mechs. He liked to fiddle with various kinds of components since he was child, and he genuinely liked his job, so he did not feel bored at all.
However, while he was willing to repair the mechs of the First Corps’ mech soldiers, he was not willing to help repair the Third Corps’ mechs. He was never the Holy Mother who returned good for evil. Before, although those people did not like him, they more or less didn’t show anything to his face, so he could not be bothered about it. But now both sides had shed all pretense of cordiality. If he still helped them with repair, he plainly cheapened himself.
Because of this, people of the Third Corps, except for the maintenance staff, basically remained at a respectful distance from Gary, but he did not care about it either—he had made up his mind to leave the military and still cared about what these people did?
On this day, Gary helped a mech engineer of the First Corps to repair a mech. During the repair, he still couldn't resist making some adjustments to others’ mechs.
"Lieutenant Colonel Gary, you’re really great! My mech has never been so easy to use!" After that First Corps’ major tried his own mech, he looked at Gary with a blazing gaze. "Lieutenant Colonel Gary, you come to our White Tiger Force, okay? We’ll definitely give you the best treatment! We can also contribute our boss to work extremely hard for you."
When this man first expressed gratitude, Gary was in a very good mood. Compared with the people of the Third Corps, these First Corps’ people who were not stingy with praises were really lovely.
However, when he mentioned Ludwig, Gary could not help but frown. Recently, the First Corps’ people kept mentioning Ludwig in front of him.
"There’s no shortage of people who work extremely hard for me." Gary turned to face that major and suddenly asked, "Also, who asked you to come?"
The major touched his nose and ran away awkwardly.
As the major left, Gary's brows furrowed tighter. He was aware of Ludwig’s thoughts, and it was exactly because of this that he had tried not to make contact with Ludwig as much as possible. Yet, many things still seemed to be unavoidable.
While Gary was thinking so, he saw Ludwig.
Ludwig, holding a meal box, ran toward Gary. He was obviously an extremely grave and stern man with a very imposing manner, but he became completely gentle after seeing Gary. "Gary, I asked the kitchen to make your favorite food."
“Thanks. No need to trouble yourself like this later." Gary said.
"No trouble, no trouble. I don't feel troubled at all!" Ludwig promptly replied.
"Then you can go back." Gary sent Ludwig away.
Ludwig did not dare to disobey Gary and could only leave in the end.
"Gary, won't you consider it?" Will with his lame leg arrived at Gary’s side and asked in puzzlement.
"I don't want to consider it for the time being." Gary sighed. He somewhat didn't know how to face Ludwig now.
"Colonel Mund is very good to you." Will said again.
Gary fell silent. "Did Green treat me badly before?" Things like delivering food and sending clothes that Ludwig did now, Green had often done the same and even more.
Will recalled the past things and immediately stopped talking.
On the way back after the busy day was over, Green once again appeared in front of Gary.
"Gary, are you with Ludwig?" Green stared at Gary, his eyes full of unwillingness. He had been watching the people of the First Corps these days. Not to mention that he was unable to approach Gary, he also learned from those people that Gary had been living in Ludwig’s place.
"What's that got to do with you?" Gary felt vexed already.
"You’ve been living in his place these days. You’re together, right?" Green bit the bullet and said.
Gary lifted his feet and walked away. He felt very, very miserable when he found out that Green had betrayed him, but after a few days, he was already much better. When he saw Green again, his mood would not fluctuate wildly.
"Gary, do you think he’ll always be with you? My parents disagree with me and a beastman together. Will his parents agree?" Green suddenly said. "Duke Myer and Duke Calvin only have one child. Can they accept that their child will have no offspring?"
Gary did not know whether Myer and Calvin could accept Ludwig with a beastman, and he never thought about it either. After all, he had never considered being with Ludwig. "So what?"
"Gary, you won’t have a good result if you mix with Ludwig. His parents certainly won’t approve of him being with a beastman, and maybe they’ll even harm you. Gary, forgive me. We’ll be as good as before, okay? I swear, I’ll definitely convince my parents." Green promised.
"Who said my parents would never agree to me being with a beastman?” Ludwig's voice suddenly rang out, and at the same time, he ran towards Gary from the other end of the passageway and quickly arrived at Gary’s side, glaring at Green all along—this guy actually ran to Gary and planned to deceive his man; it was really too vile!
"My parents have long consented to me being with a beastman I like!" Ludwig reiterated once again while looking very carefully at Gary.
Gary unconsciously turned toward Ludwig and happened to meet Ludwig's gaze, not missing the feelings inside.
He knew that Ludwig should be telling the truth. This man would never deceive him. Moreover . . . Myer sometimes had a strange attitude towards him.
He had known for a long time that Ludwig liked him, but he really didn't expect that Ludwig had even persuaded his parents. This was something Green had not been able to do before.
"It's impossible!" Green did not believe it at all. "It's impossible for your parents to agree to you being with a beastman!"
"My parents have long agreed." Ludwig stated affirmatively. Looking at Green, he sneered, " Do you think everyone is like you?"
Green froze, and a feeling of defeat rose from the bottom of his heart.
"Gary . . . I . . ." Ludwig suddenly realized that he had actually spoken something similar to a confession and immediately looked at Gary with some helplessness. He was always decisive in his work. He previously didn’t dare to confess to Gary mainly because Gary had Green at his side. If he had confessed, Gary would have definitely drawn a line with him. But Gary was single now.
"Gary, I’ve always liked you. I’ve liked you for more than ten years!" Ludwig said out loud.
Glancing at the dazed Green, Gary said to Ludwig, "Follow me."
Gary actually didn't refuse or reprimand him! Ludwig was almost bubbling with happiness and then followed after Gary.
Meanwhile, Green sat on the ground in desolation.
"Green!" Emir appeared out of nowhere and looked at Green with tears streaming on his cheeks. "Are you going to abandon me?!"
Green, seeing Emir crying incessantly, inexplicably felt a little fed up with him all of a sudden.
He liked fighting and many thrilling activities. And it was exactly because of this that he would choose Gary instead of a sub-beastman back then. But later . . . . why did he go find a sub-beastman?
Getting up from the ground, Green went back without giving Emir a glance.
Behind him, Emir wiped his tears dry and couldn't help but gritted his teeth. "Gary . . . . It’s all Gary’s fault . . ."
Gary took Ludwig back to the room that originally belonged to Ludwig but now belonged to him.
The door broken by Ludwig had already been repaired, and Ludwig’s scent in this room had completely disappeared as well, leaving only Gary's own scent—he and his mother were the same; they never liked others’ scents on their own territories.
"Ludwig, I can't accept you." Gary suddenly said. If he refused Ludwig in front of Green, not only would it make Ludwig embarrassed, but it might also raise Green’s hope again, so he brought Ludwig back to the room, intending to make it clear to Ludwig.
"Is there something wrong with me, Gary? I can change it immediately."
"You’re great, but I don't plan to start a new relationship right away." Gary said.
"Is it just that? In other words, you’re willing to let me stay at your side?" The dejected expression on Ludwig's face was swept clean. "Gary, I've liked you for a long time. You don't have to like me. It’s okay as long as you’re willing to let me stay at your side."
"I might never like you." Gary added.
"I’ll try hard to make you like me!" Ludwig stated.
Seeing Ludwig like this, Gary opened his mouth to speak but did not even know what else he could say.
In the following days, Gary simply didn’t come out of the door of his room. Rather, he found some components and continued to study mechs.
After fighting the marching ants with a mech, he had some new ideas, and now he urgently needed to inspect and verify them. Of course, there was another reason for him to do so, that was, to avoid Ludwig.
He had just ended a relationship and did not want to start another relationship immediately. Moreover, that was unfair to Ludwig.
Ludwig could not see Gary. In the end, he could only appear on the doorway of Gary's room from time to time and then steal a glance while the robot was delivering something to Gary.
But even so, he was already perfectly satisfied. At least Gary was on his spaceship now, not on a different planet than he was like in the past.
"Boss, you’re considered to be one of the most outstanding men among the younger generation of the Empire. Why does someone still look down on you?" The people around Ludwig who observed all this had some sympathy for Ludwig.
"What do you know? Gary is much more outstanding than me!" Ludwig replied at once. Gary was too low-key, otherwise . . . he would have long become the most popular beastman in the Beastman Empire since he was smart and strong and also had the same innate ability in the medical field as the empress!
Well, even if Gary was very low-key, he was still the most popular beastman in the Beastman Empire at present . . . .
Ludwig sincerely felt this way, but his subordinates thought that he saw Gary through a lover’s eyes. After all, although Gary was outstanding, he had not reached the level of being more outstanding than Ludwig.
At least the somewhat chubby Gary was never as handsome as Ludwig.
"But Boss, this isn’t the way to go on, ah."
"I also know that this isn’t the way to go on, but I can’t do anything about it, can I?" Ludwig was a little helpless and suddenly thought of something. "Can you help me think of a way?"
"This . . . . The way of chasing after a sub-beastman is useless for chasing after a beastman, right?"
"Yeah, we’ve only chased after sub-beastmen."
"I’ve never even chased after sub-beastmen . . ."
Ludwig's subordinates expressed themselves one after another.
"Then, if there’s a beastman pursuing you stubbornly, what will you wish him to do?" Ludwig asked again.
"If there’s a beastman pursuing me stubbornly, I’ll certainly beat him up until even his mother can’t recognize him!"
"I'm not interested in beastmen!"
"I'm determined not to be the one below . . . . Wait a minute! Boss, the man you like may accept a beastman, but he may not be able to accept being the one below. You’re too strong, Boss. Won’t he always disagree then?
That Green was basically unable to defeat Gary and suitable to be the one below. Their boss was different though. Such a tall and big beastman . . . .
Ludwig looked pensive.
Ludwig had never thought about such a thing before, but now, having thought carefully about it, he realized that it was indeed a problem.
When the robot delivered the meal for Gary today, Ludwig followed in, brazen-faced.
Gary frowned. As he was about to drive Ludwig out, he found that the tall man before him was looking him in the eye, and his appearance was no different from that when he was a child.
In the past, he would often be soft-hearted toward this kind of Ludwig, and then, regardless of how awkward the relationship between his own parents and Ludwig’s mother was, he would go to see Ludwig time and time again. This time, he also couldn’t help but be soft-hearted. "You have something on your mind?"
“Gary, I can be the one below. I can do everything that sub-beastmen can do, and I can still learn too. You don't see me look tall, I . . ." Ludwig looked at Gary earnestly. Although every time he was dreaming, it was always him who pressed Gary to do this and that, but as long as Gary was willing to be with him, he absolutely didn’t mind being pressed by Gary!
Gary: ". . ."
Gary drove Ludwig out. After driving the man away, he could not help feeling funny as well as extremely embarrassed.
He was used to the sight of the way his parents got along since he was a child. Essentially, regarding being the one above, he was more inclined to be the one below . . . . During the years he liked Green, his mother talked privately with him, and then he was even more disposed to be the one below.
After all . . . according to his mother's words, it was easier to be the one below, and, as it should be by rights, he could still command his partner to do this and that . . . .
What's more, he still wanted to give birth to an egg!
However, in spite of thinking so, he had actually never shown anything in front of Green. Green never mentioned marriage with him, ultimately making him unable to fully open up when facing Green.
Ludwig returned to the spaceship's main control room dispiritedly. The others saw his expression and could guess what had happened.
"In fact, there’s a way that can prove one’s sincerity." Someone suddenly said.
"What way?" Ludwig looked over.
The man wanted to speak but was stopped by others. Yet even then, Ludwig already guessed what he had wanted to say.
At dinner that day, Ludwig once again followed the robot into Gary's room.
"What do you want to say?" Gary asked again.
Ludwig took a few deep breaths, filling his lungs with Gary’s scent, and then spat out his own beast bead. "Gary, I’ve long wanted to give it to you . . ."
Seeing the beast bead in Ludwig’s hand, Gary could not help but stare blankly.
Until he grew this big, he had only seen Fred’s beast bead. At that time, having no beast bead, he was envious and really wanted to take a closer look, but Fred quickly put away his beast bead and said that it was to be given to his own wife and could not be seen more.
Later, when Fred's wife grew to adulthood, Fred coaxed his wife to eat the bead bead. He never saw anyone else's beast bead after that.
Green . . . had never shown him his beast bead and even always avoided mentioning this.
"Gary, I’ll give it to you. You must believe me. I sincerely want to be with you. I won’t be with anyone else except you." Ludwig said again.
"What if I don't want to give you my beast bead?" Gary abruptly asked.
"It doesn’t matter." Ludwig said. He had long planned to give his beast bead to Gary, but he himself hadn't really had an extravagant hope that he could get Gary's beast bead . . . . Gary had been with Green for so long, and they might have already exchanged beast beads. If they had not exchanged . . . . Gary had not given Green his beast bead after ten years with Green. It was definitely impossible for Gary to give his beast bead to him all of a sudden, wasn’t it?
Gary suddenly remembered an unexpected mishap that his parents had had before. His father once thought that his mother was a beastman, and, thinking that they were doomed to have no children, he gave his beast bead to his mother to play with and told others that he had lost his beast bead . . . .
At that time, he was very touched and also wished that he could have such a partner. As a result . . . Green, whom he fell in love with, did not fulfill his wish, yet Ludwig did.
"I know. You go out." Gary spoke.
"The beast bead . . ." Ludwig, holding his beast bead up, said.
"It’s used for proposing marriage. Don’t tell me that you want to save the pursuing and directly propose marriage?" Gary sneered.
Ludwig was extremely disappointed but soon recalled—the meaning of Gary’s words seemed like . . . he could pursue Gary?
Ludwig left Gary's room giddily. But when he tried to go in after the robot again, he found that Gary had refused the robot delivering him meals.
"There’s enough food in my space button. No need to deliver me meals." Gary sent out such a message, and then he never opened the door again. He did not continue to study mechs though.
His heart was initially in turmoil, and now it was even more unable to calm down.
Gary suddenly discovered that he did not know how to face Ludwig . . . . He had not yet fallen in love with Ludwig, but he could not deny that his feelings for Ludwig had begun to change to some extent. He could not consider Ludwig as a younger brother any more.
Why hadn’t the man he liked back then Ludwig? If that man had been Ludwig, they must have been very happy now.
After shutting himself in the room, Gary's days were very peaceful, but such peaceful days did not last for long—the spaceship had reached the capital star!
Military spaceships were able to block signals, and their spaceship had been blocking signals in order to maintain secrecy. Only after they were near to the capital star did they finally remove the blocking. The blocking was just removed, and Gary’s communication device started ringing incessantly with messages from his father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and also his older brother and his older brother’s partner.
The news of their encounter with the marching ants had been passed back. Although his close relatives had already gotten the news that he was not inconvenienced, they still didn’t feel reassured, so they would send so many messages.
His mother even expressed that he would personally come to pick him up.
Gary’s heart was warm seeing so many messages. Lying on the bed, he started to reply to each and every message.
Meanwhile, at the stern of the spaceship, someone connected to the star network and began distributing some information to the media.
After the spaceship was settled at the docking point, someone inspected the spaceship with a machine to ensure that it did not carry any alien and illegal goods. Once it was done, the people on the spaceship were finally allowed to go down.
Gary did not want to squeeze with others, and the person who came to pick him up also said that he would wait for him. So he waited until most of the people had left before putting his stuff into the space button and then walking down the spaceship breezily.
There were so many people packed in this spaceship, and it was noisy outside the spaceship. After looking around for four times, Gary took out his communication device and started to contact his mother, asking him to come find himself.
As a result, his message had not yet been sent out, and someone suddenly rushed towards him. "Gary, I beg you to not entangle Green. You already have Colonel Mund, so let Green off, okay!"
Emir? This guy again? Seeing that Emir was going to hug him, Gary subconsciously lifted his foot and kicked Emir away.
Emir fell to the ground, crying out in surprise, and started to weep bitterly. At the same time, some reporters ran out of nowhere and unexpectedly set about surrounding Gary.