Chapter 51: It’s that not possible?

Oisín was stunned for a moment. He didn’t understand what Lorcan meant.

The badge on his chest was the sign of the Iris Major General of the Third Army. A white iris grew strong among thorns, standing for the lasting Collins Family and the brave Third Army of the empire.

Family badges carried special meaning. When a female gave her family badge to a male, it was a promise of loyalty to him on behalf of her whole family. But a male asking a female for her badge?

That had never happened before.

Lorcan had turned down the rose but hinted that he wanted the iris, and he had even said so in public. That was almost the same as saying, "I, Fionn, am willing to accept the Major General of the Collins Family and want to marry him."

But the badge also stood for the honour of the Third Army. Oisín’s mind raced. Was this male asking him to give up his family, so that he could then take away his position and lock him away in the back rooms?

Cathal was speechless, and the Third Army fell silent.

Lorcan ran his finger along the edge of the badge, a little disappointed. "Is that not possible?"

"No, of course it is." Oisín took off the badge and handed it over. When he looked up again, his almond-shaped eyes were full of pure devotion, and all his worries were hidden behind his blue eyes. He said gently, "It’s an honour for me and the Collins Family that this badge has won your heart."

After doing all that, Oisín stood up with a smile and didn’t even glance at the expensive rose on the ground. Instead, he politely held out his hand to Lorcan. "Please, let me guide you."

As an eager suitor, he had to stay at Fionn’s side.

Oisín made the gesture, but he didn’t expect Lorcan to take his hand, since males were famously hard to please.

If Lorcan brushed him off, he planned to step back politely, which would give him some distance from the pheromones.

But Lorcan didn’t move. He glanced at the novel instead.

In the original story, after the hero knocked down the rose, he simply left. Oisín never invited him, so the book didn’t say whether they held hands.

In Lorcan’s dictionary, "not mentioned" meant he was free to act as he liked.

He looked down at the hand in the leather glove. The knuckles were clear and the leather was smooth and soft, which suited a uniform lover perfectly.

If it isn’t mentioned, I can hold it if I want.

So Lorcan held out his hand with great dignity and took Oisín’s, lacing their fingers together.

The Third Army: "!!!"

Males were famously hard to please, and some hated being touched at all. They had never seen anything this bold.

Many were stunned, with strange looks on their faces. Hadn’t people said their Major General was madly chasing the Third Prince? This didn’t look like one-sided love!

The muscles in Oisín’s arm twitched. The thin glove couldn’t stop the pheromones from reaching him. The scent of citrus filled the air, and his fingertips trembled slightly as he tried to hide how shaken he was.

Though puzzled, Oisín showed nothing on his face. He held Lorcan’s hand properly and pretended to be flattered. "I will guide you, Your Highness."

They passed through the Third Army’s training hall and practice field. Males usually had little interest in such places, so Oisín gave only a short explanation. Lorcan answered with a few half-hearted "hmm"s, and his eyes landed on a machine shaped like a space capsule.

The egg-shaped metal shell looked very high-tech, and it was big enough for a person to lie down in. There was a rest at the head for the brain, linked to a thick bundle of wires.

Oisín said, "That’s a mental-link device. It’s used to remotely fly scout ships."

Lorcan nodded. If someone invented a full-body gaming pod, it would probably look like this.

Behind the training hall and practice field was a small display room. Oisín said, "This room shows the past victories and medals of the Third Army."

The princes never went into battle, and their visits were only for show. No one would care about victories and medals. Oisín hurried through, barely explaining anything, and tried to lead Lorcan away.

But Lorcan was curious and stopped him. "Wait."

He turned to the holographic screens at the far end of the room.

They were lined up neatly in different sizes, playing clips of the Third Army’s victories on a loop. The one Lorcan was watching was a personal recording. A silver-haired general, his battle coat soaked in blood and his clothes in tatters, had blue eyes that shone brightly in the dark of space. He held a pistol and aimed and fired in one smooth motion, and the bullet flew with incredible accuracy.

Lorcan, in a daze, saw the virtual wife he played with every day.

When he fired a gun as the hero of Star Warfare, the silver-white uniform made a beautiful curve, almost exactly like this.

Oisín followed his eyes to the screen and paused. His lips parted. His usually smooth tongue, so used to reciting fancy lines, went quiet for some reason, and he said nothing for a long time.

Cathal had been trailing behind them. Seeing Oisín’s reaction, he stamped his foot in frustration, stepped forward, and pushed his general aside.

"Third Prince," Cathal said eagerly, "this is our general’s most famous battle, the Clearing of the 23rd District. In this battle, our army paid a heavy price and wiped out the biggest black-market stronghold in the 23rd Star Sector. It was also in this battle that the general became the Collins Family’s heir and was honoured as the Iris Major General."

Oisín frowned slightly.

He didn’t want Lorcan to stay long in the display room. The empire’s princes were pampered and had seldom seen blood, and most of the scenes here were violent. This one especially. The Second Prince had once vomited in disgust during a visit to this room, and Oisín didn’t want such an embarrassing scene again.

But Lorcan was curious. "A black market? What do they sell?"

The Zerg world in his game had a black market too, but this was the first time he’d heard of one in real life.

"Uh..." The topic was a bit sensitive. Cathal wiped his sweat but had to answer. "The main goods are illegal pheromone injections. You know, because there are so few males, pheromone injections have always been in short supply. The black market makes poor-quality injections and passes them off as real ones to make huge profits."

Lorcan: "What’s the difference?"

He had read the novel, but it was a tragedy that focused on how miserable the hero was and said very little about how the star empire worked. Lorcan was quite interested.

"Uh..." Cathal was sweating heavily. Lorcan was a prince, but this information was secret and not made public. He chose his words carefully. "The black market uses illegal methods and additives, and they may be addictive. If a female takes them, she might..."

Oisín cut in. "That’s enough, Cathal."

His brow held a coldness like the frozen mountains on the edge of the 23rd District. But when he looked at Lorcan, it turned into a gentle, loving look. "After seeing all this, you must be tired, Your Highness. Let’s go and eat."

Then he held out his hand to Lorcan. "Please follow me, Your Highness."

At that moment, a blue dot of light rose in front of Lorcan, and the System reminded him, "You have a line."

According to the original text, after visiting the display room, he was supposed to frown in disgust and say, "The blood is a bit disgusting."

Lorcan: "..."

He didn’t want to.

The black market hadn’t been fully explained, but there was no doubt that the Third Army and Oisín had paid a heavy price for it and had kept the empire’s borders peaceful. And now, as a prince in line for the throne, he was supposed to say, "The blood is a bit disgusting"?

Seeing its obedient host start to resist, 016 urged him. "Host, remember the 60% score."

If the score was too low, the host might die, and the small world could drift off course in different ways.

Lorcan paused.

Oisín was still holding his hand, polite and loving-looking. It was an act, but the warmth in his palm was real and hard to let go of.

"All right."

Lorcan sighed, squeezed Oisín’s hand back, and said quietly, "The blood is quite revolting."

Oisín paused, but his face didn’t change, and he even gave a polite smile. He spoke in his usual dramatic tone. "My apologies, Your Highness, for the unpleasant sight. Shall we go to the dining hall? The chef has already prepared..."

"But you’re all really impressive."

"..."

The empty polite words stuck in his throat. For a moment, Oisín almost thought he had misheard.

His voice was a little hoarse. Before he could work out how to answer, Lorcan pointed at the screen and praised him. "Oisín, you look amazing when you shoot."

It was a real compliment. Lorcan played shooting games himself, and Star Warfare was extremely realistic, with every move adjustable. To give his fans the best show, he had practised even the simple act of reloading countless times. Even so, the character he controlled was nowhere near as graceful as Oisín.

Silence. Just silence.

Oisín was used to fake social talk. As the eldest son of the Collins Family, he had always handled it perfectly. But no one had ever taught him how to answer honest praise.

The Third Prince’s eyes were glued to the screen, full of pure wonder and admiration, with no pretending at all.

Oisín turned his head, and after a long pause he finally said, "...Thank you."

He even forgot the usual polite reply, "Thank you for your kind words."