Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 85: A Mission

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The thin silk did nothing to hide her body’s moonlit contours. Heat surged down his abdomen, filled his ant rod. The hardness pressed against his thigh.

Mia’s gaze flicked downward, she saw the bulge... saw the fabric tenting. She gasped. "Kai!" She half-rose, sets of emotions exploding across her face: shock, anger, the memory of that night’s shame.

Kai’s heart lurched. He started to lift his hands in protest, but it was too late.

Mia stepped back, clutching her shift. "You... you beast!" The silk clung, revealing even more as she moved. She flushed hotter. "Get out and wait outside. You... You pervert!"

Kai stammered, "Princess, it’s not that I can’t control... but your beauty is something that makes me lose control."

Her eyes flashed. "Leave, before I forget every blessing I spoke to Mother!"

He rose, stumbled over crimson cushions, nearly tripped on a golden brazier. "Forgive me..." But she turned away, hiding tears of frustration or fury, he couldn’t tell.

He fled through the curtained arch, the scent of jasmine snapping behind him like a whip. Outside in the hall he leaned against cool stone, breath ragged. His rod throbbed between plates. He slammed a fist against his chest, furious at his own biology.

Inside, Mia sank onto the couch, trembling. The silk shift clung to her damp curves. She pressed fists to her cheeks. "Stupid, stupid heart. Why are you beating so fast?" Yet the image of Kai’s broad shoulders lingered, as did a confusing flutter low in her belly.

Far down the corridor a scribe turned a corner; Kai darted into a stairwell before the ant could see his shame. He raced to the gate, out into the chill night, where only willow fronds knew his name.

An hour later... Mia looked for Kai. But somewhere in that vast tapestry, Princess Mia moved with a red face, burdened, yet unbowed. And Kai, no matter his shame or anger, would stand at her side when the sandstorms came.

The torchlight burned low by the back walls casting flickering shadows on Kai’s chitin. He felt humiliated, and aching in more ways than one.

He slumped onto a rock. The frame creaked under his bulk. He stared up at the mud-plastered ceiling where lanterns glowed dimly in clusters. Every breath still carried the scent of jasmine. Every blink conjured Mia’s silver-washed figure and the stunned tremor in her voice. "You beast." The words burned more than fire.

He turned over, clutching his mandibles. "I didn’t mean..." But what he didn’t mean, and what his body did, seemed to be two different things.

A whisper of movement at the barrack’s front door drew his antennae upright.

Behind him, Princess Mia stood alone, hooded in a travel cloak lined with ceremonial silk. Her eyes, visible beneath the shade, were unreadable. A breeze from the stirred her cloak, revealing a polished dagger at her hip. The sash bore the silver feathers of a commanding scout.

Kai stood frozen, then bowed deep. "Princess..." Seeing the dagger he thinks, "Is she going to tell me that she wants to cut my ant rod or something?" A chill ran down Kai’s body. Without his ant rod he can’t be called a man. Inside his mind, "I will fight you, if you try to cut my ant rod. Once my impression points reach 80. I will use my ant rod to punish you."

"No titles needed," she said. "We’re not at court. Call me Mia." Her voice softened. "Now you are a fighter." She met his eyes with a blush face. "You asked me to let you march."

His heart kicked in his chest. "Yes."

"I’ve spoken to the scribes. The teams will be finalized tomorrow at dawn. I asked the Queen to permit me full discretion over my personal escort."

Kai swallowed. "And?"

"You’re in." She looked away, brushing nonexistent dust off a carved shelf. "But I gave you a role that allows flexibility. You will not be a frontline. You will move with my banner, act as envoy, backup, and... insurance."

"I’ll take any position," Kai said quickly. "Thank you, Pri... Mia."

She turned sharply at the way he said her name. Her brows rose slightly, and a half-smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. But then she exhaled deeply, the weight of tomorrow already dragging down her shoulders.

"You don’t have time to rest," she said. "We will march soon. Prepare yourself."

Kai nodded. "I’ll be ready."

She hesitated. "Don’t... fail me. Not again." The words hung between them like a sword on a string.

"I won’t," he said. "Even if the desert burns the sky, I’ll stand beside you. I will be your shield and sword."

Their eyes met. For once, there was no heat, no blushing or sudden tension. Just a raw, unspoken bond... she thinks, "The stubborn worker Ant turned into a warrior," and she, the princess, feels happy.

Then she turned to leave, pausing "And, Kai..."

"Yes?"

"Try not to walk into any more bathhouses uninvited." Her voice was light, but it trembled with the ghost of laughter.

Kai flushed, ears twitching. "I’ll try."

And with that, she vanished into the shadows.

Later that night...

Kai sat on the edge of his straw bed, the room was silent. The chirp of insects outside was very clear. His system chimed inside his mind.

[Ding! System notifications-

Mission: Desert Dawn

Team assignment: Princess Mia’s Royal Escort Banner

Status: Activated

Mission Goal 1: Ensure Mia safety.

Mission Goal 2: Unknown.]

Kai exhaled slowly. "She is a six star rank and I am only a two star. It’s it supposed to be the opposite? She is stronger than me."

Then a new line blinked. He saw new information.

[Special Bonus Objective Unlocked:

Build affinity with Mia before you reach the desert ruler layer. Increase your impression points.

Reward: ???]

He blinked.

The system never gave him optional side-missions like this. Not unless something... emotional... tied into growth.

Kai lay back, eyes on the fungus lanterns again. "I’ll protect you," he whispered. " But from who? This Desert ruler expedition seems to hold many dangers."

Kai thinks a lot about the upcoming challenges, And then, he sleeps dreamless, deep.