Charlotte rested a full week.
In that week,
the physicians and medics around Charlotte found every sort of reason to keep her in bed.
Saying that matters outside were all going smoothly, in the hands of His Majesty and Secretary Lilith.
"Both children are very good," a medic said, wheeling the two cribs over to Charlotte's bedside.
Charlotte looked at the two babies, a boy and a girl, and felt warm at heart.
She had now begun, little by little, to grow into the part of a mother.
Indeed, if the two children were out of her sight for more than a few hours, she would grow uneasy.
"They are good. It's only a pity their father can't be reached now. I still don't know what names to give them." Charlotte tapped lightly at the two children's skin, delicate as a bubble.
This son and daughter both had very plain white-tiger beast-folk features: cat's ears on their heads, tails behind,
and patches of white down here and there.
"Once His Majesty has a free moment, he'll surely hurry back without a pause," the physician said comfortingly at her side.
"Lilith is coming to see me today, isn't she?" Charlotte asked suddenly.
"Yes. The Lady Secretary will arrive in an hour to visit you and the children. She is expected to stay three hours," the physician answered.
Charlotte nodded and said nothing more.
She only bent her head and played with the two children.
An hour later,
Lilith had just stepped down from her shuttle.
When she saw a figure standing beside the hangar berth with an icy look, arms folded, watching her.
Lilith's heart lurched; she knew that what had to happen would happen.
Lilith told those with her not to follow.
And walked toward Charlotte alone.
Charlotte watched Lilith coldly. "So you've finally deigned to come and see me."
"There's been too much to do lately; I truly couldn't get away for a moment," Lilith said with feigned composure.
Charlotte stared at Lilith and demanded, "Truly couldn't get away, or is there something you're hiding from me!"
"Hiding from you? What are you saying, Big Sister Charlotte? You're our Empire's five-star Grand Marshal; who would dare hide anything from you?" Lilith said in surprise.
"Still pretending?" Charlotte's tone grew colder.
The look on Lilith's face stiffened; then she sighed and said, "You've only just given birth. Your body isn't well. Some things have indeed happened outside. But rest assured and leave them to us to deal with. You need only stay here with the children."
"I can stay here with the children. But I must know what has happened outside!" Charlotte stared at Lilith. "Does it have to do with Zhao Chen?"
Just as she had thought: there was no hiding it from this great white cat after all.
Charlotte went on: "Those people do still give me news from outside. But the reports on the second Hive Nest campaign have very little in them, and there are a great many holes, places that even contradict each other! That is false news through and through. Lilith, why lie to me? Has something happened to Zhao Chen? Is that why you're hiding it from me!"
Faced with Charlotte's questions,
Lilith sighed and said quietly, "Let's talk somewhere else."
This time Charlotte did not refuse.
The two went into a room by themselves.
The room had a huge floor-to-ceiling window, through which the universe outside could be seen.
"There is indeed something we've hidden from you. But it was out of concern for your health…"
"Whatever it is. I want to know now; I can bear it!"
Charlotte looked at Lilith with unshakable resolve.
Lilith was silent a long while.
At last she slowly spoke a few words.
In that instant Charlotte felt as though her ears had gone deaf.
She could hear nothing at all.
Everything around her seemed to have nothing to do with her.
She was out of keeping with the whole space around her.
The passing of time she could not feel at all.
Charlotte's body gave a shudder,
as though a lifetime had gone by.
She looked at Lilith, unable to believe it. "You… just said… the interstellar warship… Zhao Chen was aboard… is missing?"
Lilith nodded and said in a low voice, "During the attack on the second Hive Nest. They used a technology meant to destroy us along with themselves. They detonated the second Hive Nest outright, and at the cost of that Hive Nest set off a catastrophe of spatial collapse in that star system. It collapsed that space from three dimensions down to two. By His Majesty's arrangements, a batch of T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships was rushed there. Every interstellar warship could have withdrawn safely by following orders. But… of all ships, it was His Majesty's T6 Seraph-Ballista-class Interstellar Long-Range Hunter-Killer Ship that met with an accident. On the withdrawal route set for T6 Seraph-Ballista-class Interstellar Long-Range Hunter-Killer Ship No. 1, where His Majesty was, there appeared a field of Order hive-race interference units. T5 Dimension Ghost-Bugs, T5 Starfield Venom-Blast Bugs, T5 Starlight Fireflies and the like. In the end, His Majesty's T6 Seraph Ballista No. 1 failed to withdraw to a safe place at the appointed time. After transmitting the last three secret T6 technologies and leaving a recorded message. It was lost altogether."
Having heard Lilith out, Charlotte's eyes were all disbelief.
She lunged forward, seized Lilith by both shoulders, and said in what was almost a roar, "Send fleets to look for him!"
Lilith shook her head and said helplessly, "That star system's space has already become two-dimensional; three-dimensional creatures like us cannot get in at all!"
Charlotte's composure broke; her body swayed.
Having only just given birth, she had recovered quickly over the week's rest.
But to hear such news, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, was agony all the same.
Seeing this, Lilith hurriedly brought out a communication file she had prepared long since.
"This is the last communication file he left for you!" Lilith said.
At these words, Charlotte seemed to gather a little strength.
She opened the communication file.
From the other end of the file came a familiar voice.
"Wife."
Charlotte's body trembled.
"By the time you hear this, I expect you'll have given birth to our lovely pair of children. You've had a hard time of it, wife. I'm not a responsible husband. Not only could I not be at your side while you gave birth; I may even, for a while, be unable to do a husband's and a father's duty. When I get back, I'll make it up to you. While I'm away. I leave the children in your care. I've thought of names for them both. The boy will be Zhao Hu, and the girl Zhao Baier…"
Tears were already running from Charlotte's eyes.
She sobbed, and wanted to speak, but found her throat as though stopped up.
She could not get out a single word,
until the last few words of the recording.
"Wait for me. I will come back. You and the children must live well, and wait for me to come back!"
At last,
Charlotte, broken, let out a hysterical scream.
"No! This can't be! This absolutely can't be!"