Looking down between the white butterfly’s legs, the wasp smirked in amusement. The butterfly’s hole wasn’t just small—it was so smooth and seamless it was hard to believe anything was even there. No way… it couldn’t be missing, right? Hah, with something that cute, if he saw my weapon up close, wouldn’t he faint on the spot?
He was grinning as he brought his hand to his buckle—when it happened. The beauty, who had been lying still, exhaling soft, delicate breaths, suddenly twitched at the corner of his lips. Was it just his imagination? The wasp looked up, only to see those lips slowly curl upward, forming a faint crescent-shaped smile.
“Oh? What, you’re already into it? This reaction is pretty promising—”
“Ugh, kuh…”
“Huh…?”
His elegantly tapered lashes quivered as a pair of silver gemstone-like eyes were revealed beneath them. A rosy blush bloomed across his pale cheeks, and the lips that curved in a perfect arc now trembled with a helpless, bubbling laughter.
“Heheh… Oh, wow. This is bad.”
“…What, you were awake this whole time?”
The butterfly’s low chuckles and languidly lifted gaze were soaked in sensuality. Blinking slowly, he spoke in a lazy, drawling voice.
“Ah… I wanted to wait and see how far you’d go, but your dirty talk was just so bad I lost it.”
“…What?”
The wasp, who had secretly taken great pride in his seductive talk, looked like he’d just been struck by lightning. His mind went blank from the shock.
“No matter how I look at you, you seem like a clueless grunt…”
The butterfly muttered, slowly propping himself up with one arm. The movement was so fluid and natural that the wasp instinctively took a few steps back before he even thought to stop him.
“Guhah!”
Suddenly, a searing heat bloomed in his gut and his vision flashed white. The world spun, and the next thing he knew, he was flat on the ground. Cracks stretched across the ceiling above him—and then a puff of white cloud rose beneath it.
So an exoskeleton can come in handy sometimes. Guess you won’t die right away.
He heard the butterfly mutter, just as something heavy and solid pressed down on his abdomen, cutting off his breath.
“Usually, when the outside is tough, the inside’s weak. That’s how it is—nine times out of ten.”
Then came a grotesque sound, like something deep inside him being crushed. A metallic tang flooded his mouth, followed by a rush of hot, watery liquid surging up his throat. He tried to scream, but the moment he opened his mouth, he vomited a gush of bitter, iron-scented fluid.
“W-What… what the hell are you…?”
Flailing wildly in a desperate attempt to escape, he found that he couldn’t move his legs. Not even a toe. It was like his body had gone completely numb.
“You could’ve at least told me you were kidnapping me. Imagine waking up to a completely different ceiling. Scared the shit out of me.”
Who the hell announces their kidnapping in advance?!
“But still, it worked out. I’ve been looking for someone.”
And since you saved me the trouble, I should repay the favor. If you cooperate, this’ll all be over quickly.
The spider smiled sweetly, like a flower blooming, his half-lidded eyes sultry and glazed. He exuded an aura of strange, intoxicating allure.
“There’s a Queen honeybee here, right? Where is she?”
***
If it’s said that realizing someone else is looking at you in a special way is easier than recognizing your own feelings for them—how many would agree with that? Blaine did.
And how could he not? It had been twenty years. Two whole decades spent in the same place, seeing each other every single day. There was no way he wouldn’t notice the kind of gaze filled with want and longing. Even someone as oblivious as Blaine couldn’t miss it.
But the world of honeybees was merciless. In their society, an impossible love wasn’t something tragically romantic—it was simply forbidden. The most important thing was knowing your place and fulfilling your role.
So Blaine was certain the Queen would never confess her feelings. It just wasn’t allowed. That was only natural for a honeybee.
“Blaine, I’m in love with you!”
“N-No! Absolutely not! That’s impossible!”
“Blaine!”
Now, with the Queen throwing herself into his arms, even crying, Blaine was on the verge of losing his mind.
“Your Majesty, you’re… you’re mistaken, yes? This—this isn’t right, you know that.”
“What does it matter? I’m going to die anyway.”
“You won’t die! I came here to save you!”
It wasn’t exactly strange for a creature on the brink of death to do something wild and irrational just to shake off lingering regrets. The problem was that Blaine had no intention of dying like this.
How the hell was he supposed to escape this horrific situation? The only thing he’d stayed up all night planning was getting out of the wasps’ base! And now—was he really supposed to just scoop up the Queen and run off with her?
But even if he did, could he actually manage to save Hurel like that?
“I have one last request.”
“It’s not your last—”
“You’ll grant it, won’t you, Blaine?”
Dew clung to the Queen’s long lashes as she blinked slowly, eyes filled with sorrow. Blaine stopped talking. There was no way he could say no.
“Of course. Whatever it is…”
Even without being begged in such a pitiful voice, a worker bee must obey the Queen’s command without question. Blaine was prepared to devote both body and soul for her sake. Even if it meant sacrificing himself to get her out safely.
A hive with a Queen still had hope. Even if heavily damaged, it could always rebuild.
“Then… Blaine…”
The Queen’s lips, glistening pink like they’d been kissed by honey, slowly drew closer. The sweet scent that wafted from them made Blaine’s head go hazy. He stood frozen as they approached.
“Mmph…!”
Soft, jelly-like lips pressed against his. From his sensitive lower lip, a tender warmth seeped in and traveled up through his bloodstream, attacking his brain. Startled, Blaine opened his mouth—and something soft and slick slid inside.
The Queen’s tongue wound around his in a slow, sensual dance, caressing every inch of his mouth with gentle, practiced strokes. Before he realized it, Blaine’s eyes fluttered shut, instinctively responding in kind. But the moment he tried to return the kiss, it hit him like ice water. His hands flew to the Queen’s shoulders and shoved her away.
“This isn’t right—!”
“You said you’d grant my last wish. Won’t you?”
The voice was still teary and sorrowful—but underneath it, there was a chilling undertone. Blaine didn’t know what to do. His hands hesitated, half-lowered—until the Queen grabbed his shoulders and pounced, deepening the kiss even more.
It was like sugar blooming on his tongue. His body temperature began to rise, a floaty, euphoric sensation spreading through him. He felt dizzy, almost lightheaded.
…But something wasn’t right. It felt good—but wrong. Blaine had already experienced something more intense, more dangerous, more electrifying than this.
“Haah!”
What the hell am I doing?! Blaine flinched and shoved the Queen away in a panic. She stumbled, losing balance, and Blaine didn’t even think to catch her. His trembling hands reached up again and again to brush over his now-wet lips.
“Blaine.”
“Y-Your Majesty… This—this isn’t right. This can’t happen.”
“Even if it’s my final request?”
Because I’m a worker bee. That was the reason. He was just a worker, and the Queen was a ruler—a being of nobility, meant to lead the hive. This kind of relationship could never be allowed. These feelings weren’t supposed to exist.
But deep inside Blaine, a different kind of rejection was blooming. His whole body seemed to scream no. This wasn’t right. The lips and hands that touched him so intimately—they were supposed to belong to someone else.
“……”
Torn between the absolute obedience owed to his Queen and a strange, inexplicable sense of déjà vu, Blaine took a deep breath and steadied himself.
Luckily, he had a way out. A logical and convenient excuse: such a forbidden relationship could never be tolerated in honeybee society.
