Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 68
Darius Bayes was utterly out of sorts.
All because of that damned Gauss. The small spoils he had won from Joanna Begrel were now gone (including his senior!). The failed mission was primarily Gauss’s fault, but as the commander, he couldn’t escape the blame either. Back in the Empire Capital, before he could even meet with Annot, he had to first apologize to Her Majesty the Queen. Her Majesty, of course, didn’t blame him (thank the Lord she only wallowed in self-pity), but that tough old coot Greenwald insisted on punishing him. After much haggling with the old Chancellor, the final punishment for Darius was half a year’s salary deduction and three months of house arrest for reflection.
Three months!
They might as well kill him!
He wasn’t a schoolboy who needed to be sent to detention for making mistakes! Did old Greenwald see every living being younger than himself as an immature child? Was it really possible for an elderly man with Alzheimer’s to serve as the Chancellor of the Empire?
However, a decree was a decree. Once it bore Her Majesty’s seal, it became an edict. Darius had no choice but to cease all activities outside (including chatting and having tea with Annot) and return to his estate in the suburbs of the Empire Capital to start a life akin to a shut-in. Every morning, he was awakened by the booming voice of his old butler, just as it had been for twenty years, then went through his morning routine. Like a retired old man, he would drink tea and read the morning news. His morning activities included gardening, walking, and sunbathing, and his afternoon activities were sunbathing, gardening, and walking again. In the evening, he would chat with Musaya, who would log on full of energy (her day started at 1 PM).
“It’s so rare to see you,” Musaya said. “It’s truly a rare sight for the Major General to be back in the Empire Capital!”
Darius replied, “The Duchess must be very busy. It’s an honor for someone of my lowly status to have a conversation with you. I am truly flattered!”
They both laughed insincerely. The pleasant day ended with them mocking each other’s lifestyle habits.
A few days of such a life could be called a leisurely vacation, but after a week, Darius became bored (only the old butler was extremely happy. “Master Darius finally came home!” he said, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief. “The spirits of your father and mother will be pleased!”). He began to find ways to occupy himself, such as indirectly asking Musaya for news. However, whether because the girl was too good at counter-espionage or she genuinely didn’t care about her father, Darius gleaned very little information about Duke Winnet, except that Musaya was no longer in the Imperial Capital but had returned to the Duke’s territory.
This was very surprising. Getting Musaya out of her room was harder than making those damned space pirates surrender. Yet she had indeed left her cocoon and now complained daily that the internet speed back home wasn’t as good as in the Empire Capital… Never mind the effort her father must have put into transporting all her figures and manga. The reason behind this was worth pondering. What was the Duke planning? Surely not just getting his daughter to rejoin society!
Darius soon guessed the answer. One morning, while he was eating breakfast and watching the news out of sheer boredom, a call from the White Radiance Palace was brought to him by the old butler.
“Hello?” The Major General dropped his fork.
“Darius…?” came the voice of the Prince on the other end.
“…Annot?”
“I’m sorry to bother you so early…” The Prince’s voice trembled. “But I really don’t know who else to turn to…”
“Take your time. What happened?”
“It’s Alveira… she… she…”
Darius frowned. “What happened to Alveira? Didn’t she go with the Duke to Leyting for an inspection? What happened?”
Annot choked up. “News just came in… Terrorists broke into her hotel and took her away!”
“What?!” Darius could hardly believe his ears. “Terrorists? They took Alveira? Where did this information come from, and is it reliable?”
“I heard it from my mother. The Duke reported it personally. They say the terrorists even broke into the Governor’s mansion, stole a shuttle, and have already left Leyting… The terrorist…” Annot sobbed, “is that space pirate Joanna Begrel…”
Darius no longer knew what expression to wear. While he had expected Joanna to retaliate somehow after the attack on her base, he hadn’t imagined she would kidnap Alveira… Wait, hold on. This information came from the Duke, so it might not be accurate. Could it be the old fox was up to some trickery? Yes, merely hearing others’ accounts wouldn’t suffice. To find the truth, he’d have to investigate himself. Darius told Annot, “I’ll find a way. Send me all the information you have,” then hung up and pushed away his breakfast.
“Master, where are you going?” The old butler blocked his way. “Don’t forget you’re still under house arrest for reflection!”
“Call Leibniz over!” Darius pointed at the butler’s head. “If you don’t want to be fired, do it immediately!”
“Even if you say that, I…”
“You’re fired!”
The butler touched his nose. “Alright, I’ll call him.” He picked up the phone to call the young master’s adjutant, muttering to himself, This line has been used since you were a child. Can’t you come up with something new?
Ten minutes later, the unfortunate Adjutant Leibniz arrived at his superior’s home, out of breath. “John Leibniz reporting!” He stood at attention and saluted.
Darius had already changed into his uniform. “Order the fleet to depart immediately!”
“Immediately?” Leibniz blinked. “But the fleet is still undergoing maintenance and isn’t ready. Even if we issue the order now, it will take at least half a day to depart…”
“I said—immediately!”
“But the supplies…”
“The Empire Capital is right behind us. What more supplies do we need?”
“But the personnel…”
“Anyone who boards the ship later than me will face military punishment!”
Leibniz shivered. Darius Bayes’s “military punishment” wasn’t in the same category as other fleets’ regulations. Violating military law could be compensated for in various ways. Violating Darius Bayes meant only death.
“Yes, sir! I’ll notify them immediately!”
Under the strict control of the Major General, the fleet was fully manned within an hour. At that time, an envoy from the palace also arrived at the spaceport.
“Major General, you are still under house arrest, and mobilizing the fleet requires Her Majesty’s approval…”
Darius responded, “Fuck the house arrest.” If the butler had heard that, he would have fainted.
Then he waved his hand irritably, signaling the soldiers nearby to drag the envoy off his boarding ramp. “I’m going to rescue Her Majesty’s daughter. Do you think she would disagree?”
“Her Majesty has entrusted the matter to Duke Winnet…”
Darius glared at the envoy, saying something else that would make the butler faint. “Fuck Winnet.”
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