It's a hard time now with the coronavirus, but this just helps us remember that the love we have for each other is real, and we can help each other through it, just as Klaire does for Xi Wei. 💛

***

The residence the second princess Sia brought Xi Wei to was a very large manor, almost as large as the Imperial Palace. There were many plant nurseries inside the manor that were maintained at a constant temperature, planted with all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruit. Next door, there was even a large flower hothouse. Under the early morning sunlight, Noda’s manor looked exceptionally quiet and leisurely, just like a paradise far away from conflict.

When His Majesty married Princess Sia to a rich merchant in the distant Lyra galaxy back then, it was evidently the correct decision.

Princess Sia’s alpha was a businessman, and his family background was clean, without the slightest association with the imperial government. This way, even if there was a military coup, Princess Sia wouldn’t be affected. At least her alpha would be able to save her.

“Big Brother, why don’t you go upstairs to rest?” Sia brought her older brother to the guest room upstairs.

While Xi Wei was walking upstairs, he suddenly heard a baby’s cry. He realized this was the nephew his little sister had given birth to not long ago, and couldn’t help but say, “It’s your son crying, right? Bring him over and let me have a look.”

“Okay. Brother, go inside first, I’ll bring him over.” Sia settled her brother down and then turned to get the child.

The child was chubby, and his plump little hands were waving nonstop. He was currently bawling in his mother’s arms. Xi Wei took him up and hugged him, and miraculously, once he was hugged by his uncle, the baby actually stopped crying and looked curiously at Xi Wei with big eyes.

Xi Wei smiled slightly, pinched the little kid’s face and said, “Real cute.”

As a mother, Sia couldn’t help but smile softly. She said, “Big Brother, your future children will definitely be even cuter.”

“...” Xi Wei’s hair stood up. He immediately stuffed the kid back into his little sister’s arms, and said with a cough, “...You’d better hold him after all.”

—It’d simply be too outrageous for a grown man like me to get pregnant and have children. Even if I’m together with Klaire, I absolutely don’t want children!

Xi Wei secretly resolved.

Xi Wei saw her older brother’s awkward expression and couldn’t help smiling and saying, “Big Brother, is your relationship with Major General Klaire very good? You kept on holding hands, you looked inseparable. After you get married, it’ll be time for children.”

Xi Wei coughed twice. He didn’t want to discuss this anymore. He surveyed the room and changed the topic. “Besides having you pick me up, did Father ask you to do anything else?”

Sia said, “Father just told me to bring you safely home, not to go out for the time being, and to wait for Caesar to come before acting according to the situation.”

Xi Wei nodded. “Then you should get busy. Since Father arranged things this way, I think something big’s going to happen on the capital planet soon.”

Xi Wei’s expectation wasn’t wrong. Before long, a shocking piece of news came from the capital planet.

The capital planet’s central radio station broadcasted a piece of news throughout the empire—

The head of Glory Corps, Marshal Rosen Bessimer, had met with a Federal corps’s ambush in a moment of inattentiveness while leading the Glory Corps on a military campaign to planet Nami. He’d been missing for many days, and his whereabouts were unknown.

Today at eight o’clock in the morning, the deputy head of the Glory Corps, Lieutenant General Corriman, had led his personal guards to a wormhole and found a large amount of fragmented mecha remains. The Mecha Association verified the remains and found they were all from Marshal Rosen’s personal mecha, Blackdragon.

After a thorough investigation, the military confirmed that Blackdragon’s AI hadn’t survived, and that the marshal, who’d been piloting him, had long since lost his life in the wormhole. The military had no choice but to announce the news of his death to the imperial populace. They decided to move Blackdragon’s remains back to the Cepheus galaxy, and to hold an official military funeral for the marshal three days later.

This piece of news immediately caused a huge stir in the empire!

Marshal Rosen had led the Glory Corps to defend the Empire’s borders for years. To the imperial populace, he was an undefeated war god. As long as he was there, he could ensure the empire’s peace and tranquility.

Now, the marshal had actually sacrificed himself. The imperial populace were sad and extremely angry at the same time. They were itching to hack the Federal troops who ambushed the marshal into a thousand pieces!

As soon as Xi Wei saw the news, he knew things weren’t that simple.

Back then, Klaire had also run into an enemy ambush before going missing. As it turned out, he returned a year later, saying General Ling Yu had saved him. Maybe the marshal had also been carrying out some secret mission? Wasn’t General Ling Yu, who was stationed on planet Nami, the marshal’s beloved in the past? Since he could save Klaire, he couldn’t possibly look on unfeelingly as the marshal died in front of him.

Feeling suspicious at heart, Xi Wei contacted Klaire.

This time, Bluestar’s communicator quickly connected. Before Xi Wei questioned him, Klaire said on his own, “You saw the news? Don’t worry, General Ling Yu’s gone to save him. The marshal definitely isn’t dead. Right now, I’m on planet Nami, temporarily managing the subterranean military base and waiting to join your uncle.”

Xi Wei said in surprise, “Uncle’s going too?”

“Yeah.” Klaire nodded and said, “Your Uncle Berg mixed into the Cobra Corps guard camp, disguised as a soldier. He left the capital planet with General Drew and Carlo, and they’re hurrying on their way to planet Nami right now.”

Startled, Xi Wei stood up from the sofa, and mused for a while, looking down. He said, “It looks like my father foresaw all of this long ago, and that’s why he arranged to send me away ahead of time. What did he arrange for next?”

“You still remember how when I was at the Iswell galaxy, I went to support the marshal and ended up getting caught in an ambush?” Klaire said in a low voice, “They were clearly waiting there for me. At the time, I thought it was strange; it seemed like they’d already known our movements. And the way the Federal troops tried to eradicate me didn’t follow common sense. After I woke up, I contacted the marshal and explained the situation. He believed that the military had a mole, and that they might be allied with the Federation with the goal of eliminating the marshal and me.”

Xi Wei was shocked to the bottom of his heart—he hadn’t thought that the imperial military actually had scum like this! For the sake of increasing their own strength, they actually allied with the enemy, wanting to eliminate the empire’s most outstanding officers!

Klaire continued, “Something’s bound to happen at the marshal’s funeral. Don’t worry, wait for your little brother Caesar to come before making plans.”

Xi Wei frowned and said, “I’m at the Lyra galaxy, and Caesar’s gone to planet Rennes, so won’t Father and Mother be the only ones left in the imperial palace?! What if those people are crazy enough to want to kill my father and mother?”

“Don’t worry, my father’s on the capital planet too. When necessary, he’ll cover His Majesty and the Queen during their escape from the imperial palace.” Klaire paused, then said, “Xi Wei, don’t let your thoughts run wild. Keep your spirits up and wait for news from your uncle.”

Xi Wei could only nod and say, “You have to take care of yourself too.”

“I know.” Klaire smiled slightly and cut off the call.

***

Three days later in the afternoon, all the TV channels in the Lacey Empire gave a live broadcast of the funeral being held on the Cepheus capital planet.

Led by Lieutenant General Victor, the soldiers of the Glory Corps slowly escorted the carrier full of the marshal’s mecha’s fragments through the streets of the capital planet’s central city, methodically advancing towards the Imperial Cemetery of Martyrs. Between the two neat rows of military hovercars there was a black and white frame wreathed with flower garlands, and inside it was Marshal Rosen’s portrait.

The man in the portrait had handsome features and a calm gaze. The picture was so lifelike that it was as if the marshal was there.

Many citizens of the capital planet remembered the marshal’s elegant manner as he led the Glory Corps through the central star field, returning in victory. Today, though, it was the same Glory Corps and the same setting, but the joy of a victorious return was gone, and replacing it was the shocking sight of mecha remains and a black and white portrait in the middle.

With the military dirge playing, the funeral’s atmosphere was extremely depressing, and many people couldn’t help but cry.

Auguste Orlando, the head of Thunderclap Corps, was already 180 years old but still as strong and muscular as ever. Wearing a uniform so dark of a violet it was almost black, he turned to face the crowd, evidently about to make a speech on behalf of the military for Rosen.

“We have gathered here today on this solemn occasion, carrying heavy grief within us, to mourn the seventh marshal of the Empire, the head of Glory Corps—Rosen Bessemer.”

“On December first of the 742nd year of the universal calendar, Rosen was born to an ordinary family on the capital planet of Cepheus. In the 770th year of the universal calendar, Rosen was admitted to St. Romia Military Academy with outstanding grades, having gotten full scores in all three sections of the entrance exam. He started his career as a soldier…”

The funeral was absolutely silent, with only General Auguste’s deep voice echoing repeatedly throughout the cemetery, amplified by a wireless microphone.

The speech described Marshal Rosen’s life in detail, going over what he had experienced through the years in a moderate, serious tone.

It was natural for people to speak highly of the deceased at funerals, but Auguste’s speech was too exaggerated, to the point where he raised Rosen up to the height of a god. To hear him talk, it seemed like Rosen was a genius of military command who only came once every hundred years, who triumphed in every battle, attacked without fail, and was even a moral pillar of the Imperial military?

Auguste’s expression was serious throughout, and his tone heavy. The people believed in his words, and his moving speech stirred them. They couldn’t help but feel regret and deep grief over the imperial marshal’s sacrifice, and some even cried in front of their televisions.

Xi Wei and Sia sat together in front of the screen, watching the live broadcast, and Xi Wei couldn’t resist saying, “Didn’t Auguste and the marshal find each other disagreeable before? What does he mean by praising the marshal with all his might at the funeral?”

Just at that moment, Auguste paused for a few seconds, looking straight into the camera with sharp eyes. He suddenly changed his direction: “What Marshal Rosen put the most importance on was the imperial populace, and what he wanted to see the most was for the Empire to achieve true democracy and liberty! In today’s technologically advanced galactic age, the Empire is still using the old-fashioned constitutional monarchy, which has no advantages for the Empire’s development!”

“Brother!” Princess Sia said, “By what he’s saying, does he mean to take this opportunity to get rid of the royal family?”

Xi Wei said coldly, “I finally understand what their goal is. By saying provocative words like this at the marshal’s funeral, he clearly means to stir up the imperial populace’s emotions, and turn their sorrow for the marshal’s sacrifice into hatred for the imperial royal family! And he’s putting all of this on the marshal, as eliminating the royal family was what the marshal wanted! In any case, the marshal’s not there, and dead men tell no tales!”

Sure enough, Auguste raised his voice and said firmly, “The royal family has been doing nothing for years. While the marshal was on the front lines, risking his life to kill the enemy, His Majesty and the Queen were passing their days leisurely in the royal palace. The profligate palace’s daily expenses exceed the income of an ordinary citizen for an entire year! A royal family like this simply doesn’t have the qualifications to represent the desires of the imperial people! Right now, I hope that all of the soldiers of the Empire can carry on the marshal’s mission—to abolish the royal family, and fight to bring about true democracy!”

Auguste’s cold gaze swept across the audience, and he said loudly, “—Salute!”

With his order, tens of thousands of imperial soldiers simultaneously put their white-gloved hands to the brims of their caps.

With the funeral music still playing, the sound of gunfire started up.

“Bang bang bang bang—”

Hundreds of miniature rockets soared into the sky at the same time, bursting into dazzling firework after firework high in the sky of the capital planet!

On July 9, 799 of the universal calendar, at Imperial Marshal Rosen’s funeral, General Auguste publicly announced the abolition of the royal family, and the civil war between the military and the royal family began fire.

The new central regime was subsequently established, with Auguste assuming office as the interim president, and Major General Joen as president of the senate.

The Thunderclap Corps immediately surrounded the Imperial Palace. The Royal Guard had heavy casualties, and His Majesty Trand and Queen Anna were shut inside. Bombarded by gunfire, the once gorgeous and refined palace instantly turned to ruins.

***

Xi Wei clenched his fists in anger. His father and uncle hadn’t guessed wrong. There were people in the military who’d been harboring treacherous intentions for many years. They seized this opportunity to get rid of the outstandingly talented rising star, Major General Klaire, and Marshal Rosen, who had a sky-high reputation. They finally couldn’t hold back anymore, and took action!

What royal inaction, extravagance and wastefulness, what mission the marshal left of pursuing democracy—those were all damned fabricated excuses!

Fortunately, his father had planned ahead, and sent away the princesses and princes in advance.

Right now, Xi Wei was especially worried about his father and mother’s situation. From what was being broadcasted live on TV, the imperial palace had already been indiscriminately bombed into a pile of ruins. Though the Royal Guard was an elite force loyal to the royal family, they simply weren’t on par with the military strength of the entire Thunderclap Corps.

Just as he was feeling restless, Xi Wei finally got the message from Uncle Berg he’d been expecting: “I’m about to reach the military base on planet Nami and join Prince Caesar.”

***

5 hours and 22 minutes for 2,514 words, or 12.8 minutes for every 100 words. An increase in rate by 3.2 minutes... 😅There was a lot of political language in this chapter.

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