The trend of noble young masters and their little underlings has finally reached the insect race.
Ellis Belia, a C-rank male insect, thinks he is exactly that kind of little underling.
His family is beneath notice among the nobility, his male-insect rank is on a par with his family's standing, and his older brother is an A-rank male insect who is far more "valuable" than he is...
Since childhood, his family has sent him to serve as a companion to Lorian Bush, a bad-tempered young nobleman. He can only secure resources for his family when the young master happens to be in a good mood and lets a little slip through his fingers.
With an identity that would be considered a downright disastrous from the start in any of the many insect-race novels, Ellis still feels that his life isn't too bad.
Ellis thinks everyone is a good insect!
Although Young Master Lorian has a bad temper with other insects, he is generous to those close to him. As long as Ellis coaxes him a little and smooths his ruffled feathers, whether it's the expensive jewelry in the young master's room or rare delicacies that have nearly gone extinct in this insect-race era, if Ellis says he wants some, Lorian will get a portion for him too.
If Lorian is willing, Ellis thinks he could live off him for the rest of his life!
What? You say that, as a noble male insect, Ellis is summoned and ordered around without a shred of dignity, expected to come whenever he's called?
Ha! What use is dignity?!
Can it let him eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants? Can it stop his family from using him as a tool for a political marriage and making him the father of three kids as soon as he comes of age?
Most importantly...
Can it let a third-rate noble like him throw caution to the wind and be himself, relying on the young master's influence at Saint Laurent Noble Academy, where tossing a brick could hit three high nobles? Can it make all those noble insects who look down on him for being a PrprDog feel the darkness of the Bush family, third among the Empire's Sacred Twelve Clans?
In short, Ellis is very satisfied with his everyday life as a little underling at a noble school.
*
Of course Ellis is satisfied.
...Because he's the only one enjoying himself!
*
As the Empire's only noble academy, Saint Laurent has always been known as the elite of the elite. Third-rate nobles, who would be highly sought after at any ordinary school, are at the bottom here, on a level with exceptional students from commoner families.
But from the day Ellis enrolled, the strange rule at Saint Laurent that "third-rate nobles, exceptional students, and dogs must bow to high nobles as concubines" was shattered outright.
Cool green eyes, shoulder-length cherry-pink hair that usually gives insects a cute impression, and a face that never shows emotion somehow create an indescribable sense of oppression.
Even though Ellis Belia is just an utterly ordinary C-rank male insect.
Do not listen to him.
His words are filled with an enchanting magic. Even Young Master Bush has become a plaything in his palm, offering up all his honors and power, and even using himself as a bargaining chip, becoming nourishment for Ellis to climb higher in the manner of a sacrifice, even though they are the same sex.
Do not look him in the eye.
His eyes seem to hold a deep pool. Even the composed and self-possessed student council president had his mind stolen the instant their gazes met, and was willing to make peace with Bush, who is also in love with Ellis, even though they are the same sex.
Do not approach him.
Because he is desire itself.
Just getting close will make you want to give him everything, become a stepping stone for him, and devote yourself to making his road to glory smooth and bright.
Even though you are the same sex.
Even though his emerald eyes will never reflect your image.
The powerful submit, the indifferent fall, the rational lose control, and the chaste succumb.
Yet Ellis's face never shows the slightest emotional change because of any of it.
*
Because he has a permanently expressionless face :D.
A crowd-pleasing story with a delusion-fueled cast. The main plot is Ellis's happy everyday life as an underling at a male-insect noble school. No gender equality.
The love interest's rank and personality will not change from beginning to end. He has a healthy personality and simply lives according to his own wishes. The CP bonus chapters have separate endings.
This story is told primarily from Ellis's point of view. Please don't read if you're attached to a particular character type. Any of my sudden ideas might be a landmine for you. If you feel uncomfortable while reading, please just leave and send the author a plane ticket, to avoid the possibility that my future writing might hit a nerve.
Let's bow to each other to show that we're emotionally stable, can use smartphones, and are normal human beings capable of independent thought.
Theme: Insects always have to lose something as they grow, such as their disdain for money
