Do you know how to dance?

[To my dear little brat, spendthrift, and money pit]

Do you know how much your trending topics have cost us these past two days?!

The head of the General Affairs Office's public relations department called me and cried for an entire night. Unbelievable. I went a whole night without cuddling my darling Fan!

Even more unbelievable, the trending topics still haven't been taken down. I might have to take his call again tonight.

Ha. Ha.

As a man, an adult Alpha, you have to damn well (crossed out) take responsibility.

I had the PR director draw up a list: 7.2 million Starcoins. The itemized bill is attached. I don't care whether you sell your house, sell yourself, or beg on the streets. Fucking (crossed out) make up that shortfall!

Otherwise, I'll tell your mother you've been swearing behind her back!

-Your esteemed father, Pei Li.

"Over seven million..." Even Pei Ji couldn't help clicking his tongue. "We spent that much in two days?"

"What did you think?"

Old Hall looked at his young lord in exasperation.

"The Tree of Life isn't easy to deal with."

The Tree of Life, formally known as Tree of Life Interstellar Technology Ltd., maintained and operated Icarus's Star Network platform.

Its shareholder was a well-known hereditary noble-Duke Owen.

Speaking of Duke Owen, he had some history with Pei Ji.

His beloved youngest son, Austin, was the classmate who had mocked Pei Ji, infuriating him into entering the Hive alone, and who had stuck up his little finger at the graduation ceremony.

So...

"We've spent everything we needed to, but the Tree of Life would love to keep you trending for ten thousand years."

Pei Ji pressed a hand to his forehead.

Hall took out a long string of bills, put on his reading glasses, and checked them line by line.

"The lord has spoken. This money will come out of the Fallen Star Palace's maintenance budget for next year."

"If you can't make up the shortfall, we'll have to pull out all those expensive trees in the grounds next year... and plant cacti instead."

Pei Ji immediately objected. "Absolutely not!"

He had specially selected those trees from various planets for Shen Que.

Before choosing them, he had even consulted the list in the Life Sciences Research Institute's wellness handbook.

Never mind the trees-even the weeds beneath them could relieve stress, soothe the mind, and help with sleep.

Pei Ji glanced at Shen Que, then signaled to the old butler Hall with his eyes.

Look. Just look.

The Commander's complexion has improved these past two days. My plants deserve plenty of credit.

Old Hall sighed heavily.

Shen Que had no interest in their conversation.

More precisely, he didn't understand the point of Pei Ji's extravagant spending.

But he had no right to criticize.

At that moment, he was looking through the glittering gold invitation Pei Ji had tossed back.

It stated that the private banquet would take place three days later at the First Oasis, followed by a long list of attendees.

According to Anya, Pei Ji would dance the opening dance with him.

Dancing...

Dancing in front of all those people...

Shen Que's hand trembled almost imperceptibly as he lifted his teacup.

As the former commander-in-chief of the First Fleet, he had been required to attend plenty of banquets.

Victory celebrations, investiture banquets, dinners hosted by the Empress...

But Shen Que never danced.

Apart from exchanging pleasantries with the appropriate people, he generally spent the rest of his time standing in a corner... eating desserts.

He had paid attention during etiquette classes at the Royal Military Academy.

But those classes had no exams, earned no credits, and didn't count toward his GPA.

So, to draw a comparison, Shen Que's dancing skills were much like Pei Ji's money management skills.

The theoretical knowledge was there.

But it was useless.

Perhaps because Shen Que had been silent for too long, the shy, considerate maid Anya leaned toward his ear and whispered, "My lord's wife, do you know how to dance?"

Shen Que's fingers tightened around the invitation. Only after a long pause did he manage two sounds. "Ah... yes."

His gaze unconsciously drifted toward Pei Ji, seated opposite him.

The Alpha was still going over the long list with the old butler.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, gilding every unruly strand of his hair.

"General."

Shen Que spoke on impulse.

At his call, Pei Ji immediately raised his head.

A rare trace of embarrassment appeared on the Commander's face. He hesitated for a while before finally asking, "Do you know how to dance?"

Pei Ji took a moment to admire his Omega's faintly flushed cheeks.

Amid the screams of This is so rare! and He's so cute when he blushes! Aaaah! inside his head, he replied with brazen confidence, "Nope. Why?"

Inside the Fallen Star Palace's magnificent banquet hall.

Demi planted both hands on her hips and heaved a long sigh.

"This family is doomed!"

Old Hall was utterly baffled. "Young lord, Lady Ai hired eight private tutors to teach you etiquette back then. None of them taught you to dance?!"

Pei Ji guiltily averted his eyes.

He had taken down all eight etiquette tutors in one go, leaving six with dislocated joints and two with broken legs. To this day, they refused to set foot in the Pei household.

The Lord's Wife, Ai Fan, had consequently decided this wild weed was beyond saving and let him return to nature.

Pei Ji cleared his throat. "A man's dignity belongs on the battlefield."

Old Hall sighed at the heavens. "But a young lord's dignity lies in being a gentleman, in etiquette and proper Social conduct!"

"Besides, if you can't dance, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Pei Ji looked bewildered. "You never asked?"

Old Hall felt he needed oxygen.

Pei Ji said, "Besides, Dad only said to dance. He never said I had to do it well."

"How about I put on a show of blowing up worms with a Mecha instead? During the seven fleets' joint military exercises, I blew up more worms than anyone."

As he spoke, he turned toward Shen Que.

"Hey, Commander Shen, did you take part in the seven fleets' joint exercises back then? Did you see my performance?"

Shen Que gave him a complicated look.

"No."

Old Hall was already breathing oxygen.

With one Hall down, another pillar of the household, Demi, stepped up.

Demi said, "What else can we do? Intensive training!"

"We've invited ten lords, fifteen generals, twenty-three business magnates, and seventy-two nobles to this banquet, including three dukes."

"We can't actually have the General perform a worm-blasting show, can we?"

And so, for the rest of the day, from bright sunshine to sunset and then the lighting of the white crystal chandeliers, the Fallen Star Palace's banquet hall continually rang with:

"Ow!"

"Sorry, General. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Go easy on my feet... go easy..."

"Hiss..."

"Are you all right, Commander? Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine... ah!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you or kick you!"

"No... General, please don't squeeze my waist..."

After countless instances of stepping on each other's feet, tangling their legs, flailing about, and falling over together.

Pei Ji discovered that dancing did have its merits.

For instance, he could cuddle up close to Shen Que.

The Omega's waist was slender. With a gentle hold, he could gather him entirely into his arms.

Looking down from above, he could see a small sliver of clear eyes beneath those long lashes.

Occasionally, he caught an upward glance. If he was lucky, Shen Que would even give him a faint, helpless smile.

So vividly alive.

Nothing like the cool, unreachable moonlight he usually was.

Nor the little bird who tugged at his heart when overcome with desire.

Instead, he was a living, breathing person.

Shen Que couldn't stay up late, so he returned to his room to rest a little after nine.

Pei Ji was left alone in the empty banquet hall, tapping away as he memorized the dance steps.

In truth, as long as one person knew the steps, the other could follow along.

Beneath the lavish white crystal chandeliers, Pei Ji stepped to the beat alone while considering how to spare Shen Que some effort.

Round and round.

Until midnight, when Anya pushed open the door.

"General..." she called softly. "My lord's wife is feverish again."

"One, two, three, two, three, left, right, left... what?"

Pei Ji stopped and immediately followed Anya out.

"Is it just a fever, or is he having another bout of pain? Did he take his medicine before bed?"

He questioned her as he walked.

Anya jogged to keep up with his strides.

"He took all his medicine. I watched him... I can't tell whether he's in pain, but he's suffering."

Pushing open the bedroom door, Pei Ji immediately saw Shen Que curled into a ball on the bed.

He was trembling all over, the corners of his eyes faintly red.

Meaningless moans escaped his lips.

Pei Ji sighed, climbed onto the bed beside him, and gathered the feverish man into his arms, patting him gently.

"It's all right. It's all right."

The poor little bird whimpered and burrowed into Pei Ji's embrace, following his pheromones. After a while, he calmed down.

With a beauty in his arms, Pei Ji silently recited One, two, three, two, three, left, right, left to cool his own heat.

Marriage is so hard.

That thought flashed tragically through Pei Ji's mind after a whole day of memorizing beats, only to have to serve in bed afterward.

Then, amid floral fragrance and exhaustion, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Would he dream of a lilting waltz tonight?