Chu Xuan raised her head; streaming with tears, she gazed dazedly at the imperial marshal's badge.
She remembered the moment that man had pinned this imperial marshal's badge on her with his own hands, and the oath she had sworn then.
At once she reached up, meaning to snatch the imperial marshal's badge back.
But Lilith sprang up and stepped back several paces,
so that Chu Xuan grasped at empty air.
Lilith looked down at Chu Xuan, sprawled on the floor in her sorry state.
She said coldly, "Do you still want this badge?"
"I want it!" Chu Xuan stumbled to her feet.
"You know what you ought to do, then," Lilith demanded.
Chu Xuan took a deep breath and reached for the badge in Lilith's hand, and this time Lilith did not pull away.
She let Chu Xuan take the imperial marshal's badge.
She held it in both hands as though holding a treasure.
"I will guard everything he left behind. Until he returns!"
Lilith's gaze softened a great deal.
She said, "We haven't found his… and that means he's still alive! And he said he'd come back. He has never deceived us. Never once! So all we need do is wait. Wait for him to return. He surely wouldn't want to come back and find everything he built in ruins!"
Chu Xuan nodded hard.
Lilith fixed her eyes on Chu Xuan and went on: "I'll give you one last twenty-four hours. You can stay here. No one will disturb you in that time; after twenty-four hours, I hope the one who comes out that door is Imperial Marshal Chu Xuan!"
With that, Lilith walked straight out of the room.
And closed the door.
Looking at the closed door, Chu Xuan sank to the floor again, holding the imperial badge as though holding a baby.
Suddenly she let out a hysterical wail that filled the whole room,
as though she meant to pour out every feeling in her breast.
For from then on she would keep watch for the sake of the belief in her heart.
She would wait for that man to come back!
Outside the door.
Lilith looked at the only one left waiting nearby, the Imperial Second Fleet Group's secretary officer.
Because Lilith had turned on sound-blocking once she went in,
the secretary officer did not know what had happened inside either.
Lilith looked at this fleet secretary officer. "Marshal Chu Xuan will be resting in the room for the next twenty-four hours; during that time no one is to disturb her…"
Just as Lilith was speaking,
the door opened.
A figure walked out.
A clean uniform, a straight-backed bearing; apart from a faint smell of liquor drifting out of the room,
nothing out of the ordinary could be seen about Chu Xuan.
Had Lilith not seen it with her own eyes, it would have been hard to connect the Chu Xuan before her with the drunk trying to die in the room just now.
"There's no need," Chu Xuan said flatly.
She was wholly free of drunkenness now.
In this age, drunkenness needed only a sobering draught to be set right at once.
"Supreme Secretary, is there anything I need to do next?" Chu Xuan looked to Lilith.
Lilith looked at Chu Xuan, somewhat surprised.
She had not thought Chu Xuan would recover so quickly.
Lilith paused, then said, "Your Second Imperial Fleet Group has just finished a campaign. First go back to the Owl Dragon Star System to rest and refit. While you refit, you'll need to send the Owl Dragon legions under you to garrison designated areas. You'll chiefly be responsible for the regions of three kingdoms: the Starlight Kingdom, the Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom, and the Holy Radiance Kingdom. To keep anything bad from happening in this special period."
Lilith's meaning was plain.
She was worried that once news of Zhao Chen's disappearance leaked out.
The various powers within the Empire would stir.
Before, with Zhao Chen there, those interstellar powers had been willing to bow and call themselves subjects, and with the Order hive-race, the Machine Race and the like about besides.
They had been content to attach themselves under the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's banner.
But now those several threats were all gone.
And the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had just been through a great campaign, its Emperor missing.
Some little schemes that had stayed hidden might all come out now.
Lilith's arrangement was meant to be ready at any moment for whatever might happen within the Empire.
Lilith paused at this point.
She fixed her eyes on Chu Xuan. "The Chu family stands very high in the Starlight Empire[1] now. We trust Marshal Chu Changhe. But a great tree with roots so tangled and deep is bound to have places where filth gathers."
Lilith's words were a reminder to Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan's eyes sharpened, and she said gravely, "Rest assured. Whoever it is, anyone who dares jump out and make trouble, even if their name is Chu, I will make them bear what they deserve!"
Lilith nodded; seeing Chu Xuan so resolute, she said nothing more either.
After a few simple instructions, she made ready to leave.
"Lilith, this business about His Majesty. Does Big Sister Charlotte know?" Chu Xuan asked suddenly, watching Lilith about to board her shuttle.
Lilith[2] shook her head. "Charlotte has only just given birth, and her body hasn't fully recovered. So for now I haven't told her. When… she's recovered somewhat, I'll choose a fitting moment to tell her."
Chu Xuan nodded.
After that, Chu Xuan had her Owl Dragon Imperial Second Fleet Group return to the Owl Dragon Star System to rest and refit.
"Hi there. My good granddaughter, I hear you're back. How did the fighting go?"
Chu Xuan had finished her day's work and just sat down to rest when she saw a video call from her grandfather.
She clicked to open it.
And saw an old man fishing by a lake in lovely scenery.
Chu Xuan gave a faint smile. "Everything went very smoothly. Both Hive Nests have been cleared, and only some hive-race dregs are left to clean up over a while. Next is dealing with the undead creatures within the Empire. But I have no other combat missions coming. It's mostly rest and refit for a while."
Chu Changhe, hearing his granddaughter could rest for a while, brightened and said at once, "Since my good granddaughter's resting. Why not come home for a visit! It's been half a year since we two last saw each other. Get that Zhao Chen boy to sign you some leave!"
Hearing her grandfather mention Zhao Chen, Chu Xuan's face plainly stiffened.
But she soon recovered and said, "No need for leave. I'll be going back to the Starlight Kingdom in a few days."
"That's wonderful!" Marshal Chu Changhe was beside himself with delight.
"Grandpa. Before I come back, give everyone in the Chu family a warning. Tell them to behave themselves lately and not get up to any mischief." There was a stern look in Chu Xuan's eyes.
Chu Changhe was taken aback, but soon understood: "Is that Zhao Chen boy planning to purge some unsettled powers within the Empire after the war? I understand. I'll warn the youngsters!"