The T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser · the bridge.
Zhao Chen walked in, carrying Su Lan seated upon his shoulder; this pose at once drew the notice of no small number of people.
"Haven't you carried her about enough yet? And just where is that hand of yours!" Zhao Wan'er came over, glaring at Zhao Chen.
Xue Xiaoxiao, in her excitement, looked at Su Lan.
"Senior!"
Hearing Zhao Wan'er say this, Su Lan only then came back to her senses — she was still seated upon Zhao Chen's shoulder, and her face flushed so red it looked fit to drip blood.
Because of the relationship between Zhao Wan'er, Xue Xiaoxiao, and Su Lan, before this operation began Zhao Chen had specially arranged for the two of them to be aboard his own flagship.
Under Zhao Wan'er's none-too-friendly gaze, Zhao Chen set Su Lan down.
Secretary Lilith, for her part, was at his side, thoughtfully helping the commander off with the single-soldier exoskeleton armor upon his body.
Ka-zzt, ka-zzt.
Zhao Chen, clad in a black, close-fitting combat bodysuit, stepped out from the single-soldier exoskeleton armor.
Gulp~
There was no telling who it was that gulped.
A good many of the bridge's female soldiers were staring at the commander's well-defined, contoured midriff beneath that close-fitting suit, their eyes gone glassy.
Several of the bridge's female soldiers, among them, felt a heat rush to their noses; and thereafter, covering their noses with a silly, blissful grin, they wore the very look of ones who could die happy now.
Lilith, naturally, took notice of these gazes; she thoughtfully draped over the commander's body a military greatcoat she'd long since made ready — and only then did the scorching gazes of those bridge female soldiers ease off somewhat.
"Senior, are you all right?" Zhao Wan'er inquired with concern.
"I'm fine — I'm quite all right." Su Lan looked at her two dear sisters, deeply moved within.
But very soon she looked toward Zhao Chen again, worried.
"But your carrying me off like this, before the Third Prince's very face — should the Third Prince, and the Prince Faction at his back, come to learn of it, they'll surely never let you off! You'd best put me back, and explain it to them…"
"Explain what! Are we to stand by and watch, wide-eyed, as you're married off to someone you don't care for? That Qin Hu — I've looked into him. On his lips he speaks of loving you at first sight, but in fact he's long had who-knows-how-many women! They only take you for a tool of political marriage-alliance!" Zhao Wan'er set her hands on her hips and spoke in indignation.
"But… you, and your brother… will be dragged down on my account." Su Lan worried.
Zhao Chen sat in the floating captain's chair, and said with a light laugh, "Whether or not we're dragged down — is there still time to regret it now? The scene of my snatching you back just now — in all likelihood, in less than a day's time, the whole Starlight Empire will know of it. Even were I now to return you to the Third Prince, do you suppose the Third Prince would believe that you and I were innocent of anything? It would be for all the world like my leading you into a star-hotel before your fiancé's face, and then turning around and delivering you back, and telling him I'd done nothing at all — here's your betrothed, returned to you. I rather think that, faced with such a situation, Qin Hu would want to kill me all the more than he does now."
Su Lan was taken aback; it did indeed seem to be so.
For Qin Hu, this would be, quite simply, insult heaped upon insult — with a bit of corpse-flogging on top.
"Then now… this… what's to be done…" Su Lan was somewhat at a loss.
Zhao Wan'er took Su Lan's hand.
"Senior, you needn't worry over any of this. Since my brother has come here, then for all of this you need only trust him, and that's the whole of it. Isn't that so, brother?" Zhao Wan'er looked at Zhao Chen.
This lass. Now she thought of him — whereas a moment ago, when he'd been carrying Su Lan, she'd been afraid he might carry her a moment longer.
Zhao Chen laughed and pointed a finger at Su Lan.
"In any case — if your heart can't get past it, then just take it that you really have been kidnapped by me. You are now the 'hostage' of me, Zhao Chen."
Su Lan was taken aback, her cheeks flushing faintly.
"Wan'er, take your senior down to rest. I have still some matters to see to here." Zhao Chen instructed.
"All right." Zhao Wan'er and Xue Xiaoxiao accompanied Su Lan down to rest.
Zhao Chen looked toward Lilith beside him.
"How does the situation stand now?"
"Both the Su family's and the Third Prince's fleets show no movement. But our T3 Silver Rat-class Light Interstellar Stealth Reconnaissance Ship, having hacked into the enemy's comm system, has learned that the other side has already begun mobilizing several imperial fleets within the bounds of the Purple Perilla Star Region, hastening them this way. The fastest can arrive within two hours; the slowest can be in position within five hours," Lilith answered.
"By the look of it, this His Highness the Third Prince truly does hate me a great deal. But he's quite cool-headed all the same — able to swallow humiliation and shoulder a heavy burden. Since they're not barring our way now, then there's no need for us to waste time here either. Relay my order — make ready to sail home. So long as their interstellar warships don't attack us, pay them no mind. But should they dare open fire on us, return fire the first instant. As for those interstellar warships that bar our route — the T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigates may grind straight over them. No need to report it!" Zhao Chen said, a finger resting on his chin, mild and unruffled.
"Yes."
"Oh, right — that T3 Dragon-Croc-class Medium Interstellar Battleship mustn't go to waste either; isn't it the dowry given to Su Lan? Then let's just take it back along with us."
"Yes."
…
The Su family starport.
"Report — the Owl Dragon fleet has begun sailing home!" a Su family scion reported.
"And the Third Prince's fleet shows no movement over there?" the Su old governor asked.
The Su family scion answered, "The Third Prince's side wants us to find a way to intercept the Owl Dragon fleet, and hold them until the other imperial fleets arrive."
"Intercept? Heh, heh, heh — why doesn't he take his own interstellar warships and go plug the way himself?" The Su old governor gave a cold snort; that little scheme of the Third Prince's — how could he fail to see it?
For one must bear in mind that this Zhao Chen was, in truth, one who'd actually take an interstellar warship and go ramming.
"Relay my order — the Su family fleet has only to follow along in their passage, and put on a show of it. In any case, this time, it isn't we who are taking the loss," the Su old governor said blandly.
"But… this matter — afterward, we'll have no way to give account of it to the Third Prince." the Su family's eldest son stepped forward and inquired.
"Give account? Account for what?" The Su old governor said, light and offhand, "What is the Third Prince's aim in marrying Su Lan? Is it not to make a marriage-alliance with our Su family — a bargaining chip for the Second Prince, so that he may control the Empire after he succeeds to the throne in future? Then a marriage-alliance — what does it matter with whom? So long as this girl-child is surnamed Su, it is a marriage-alliance with our Su family."
The Su family folk round about at once grasped their old master's meaning.
No small number of them found their eyes lighting up all at once — for did this not give the girls of their own houses a chance?
Thought of thus, then this bride-snatch of Zhao Chen's did not seem such a bad thing after all.
"Wait… what's the Owl Dragon fleet trying to do!"
"It looks like they mean to take the T3 Dragon-Croc-class Medium Interstellar Battleship away along with them!"
At this point, the Su family folk discovered that the T3 Dragon-Croc-class Medium Interstellar Battleship, which had originally been Su Lan's dowry, was, of all things, sailing off in company with the Owl Dragon fleet.
Well then.
The Third Prince had lost a betrothed.
And the Su family had lost a T3 Dragon-Croc-class Medium Interstellar Battleship.