Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 72
Alveira pushed open the oak door, and a biting draft welcomed her, causing her to shiver.
The room behind the door was empty. This wasn’t to say there was no one inside; rather, the entire space gave her an unusual sense of void, as if it wasn’t a living person who resided here but a ghost who had died many years ago. He wandered in his memories, lamenting in regret and self-blame, weeping alone in the darkness and cold wind.
The cold wind lifted a pristine white curtain. Despite the bright sunshine outside, the room held not a trace of warmth. In front of the window stood a high-backed wooden chair, on which someone sat quietly. Hearing the door open, the person didn’t turn around but simply asked softly, “Alveira?”
“It’s me. I’m back, brother.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
The young man in the chair sighed in relief. “It’s good that you are safe. I’ve been restless these past few days, worried about you, fearing something might happen.”
“With Darius protecting me, there won’t be any accidents,” Alveira said, though thinking to herself, ‘Really? You still care about others? Hasn’t your heart already left this world with Leia?’
“And… the Duke? How is he?”
“Also ‘safe and sound’.” She became irritated talking about this. Darius had done nothing and let the tiger return to the mountain. If she were Darius, she would have taken the opportunity to stealthily eliminate that old fox, to avoid future trouble.
On the chair, the Prince shifted. “Is that so…” His voice lowered again. “By the way, there’s something I think I should tell you.”
“What?”
“I’m getting married, to Miss Jessica from the Greenwald family.”
Jessica, the Chancellor’s granddaughter, was about the same age as Alveira. The Chancellor had long been trying to arrange a marriage between her and Annot. Alveira wasn’t surprised by this news. It seemed as though it was destined to happen. There was nothing astonishing about it.
“It’s mother’s idea, isn’t it? Did you agree?” she asked.
Annot nodded. “Mother said… she said that compared to the covetous Duke, the Chancellor, though ambitious, is more trustworthy and would be a reliable ally…”
A gentle breeze came through. The thin and light curtains floated like a layer of mist, obscuring the Prince’s frail figure.
He stopped mid-sentence because no one was listening anymore. The oak door was wide open, the draft howling through, and his sister had already vanished.
He lowered his head, pulling out a pendant from his chest and opening it to reveal a small paper photograph of a girl smiling brightly like the spring sun.
He stared at the girl’s face for a long time until tears blurred his vision.
……
The “Dream of a Cold Night” was about to cross the Empire’s border and enter the Free City-State territories. Joanna Begrel breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, mission accomplished! Safe return, and then we don’t have to deal with the Duke’s nonsense anymore!” To celebrate, she even indulgently opened a bottle of her private stock wine, enjoying the sweet moment of victory alone in her cabin.
“Don’t be too happy yet, Captain.” Leonard’s holographic image sat beside her, coolly dampening the spirited pirate’s mood, “Until we set foot on Milantu’s soil, we’re not safe. If I were the Duke, seeing what’s on that chip, I would be furious and vow to tear you to pieces.”
“Hey! Why me? Wasn’t this damn idea yours?”
“Even if he wanted to tear me to pieces, he couldn’t…” Leo tilted his chin, then suddenly his expression changed.
“What’s wrong?” Joanna looked puzzled at the AI. She felt the floor tremble beneath her feet, the wine glass on the table also vibrating fiercely, causing the wine to nearly spill out. “Why the sudden acceleration?” she frowned.
Leo looked serious. “A large armed fleet has appeared from the direction of Andromeda.”
“The Empire fleet?” It was common for fleets to patrol the border and large base starships to pass through. The Empire fleet wouldn’t only not hinder civilian merchant ships, sometimes they would even escort them. The female pirate didn’t understand why the AI was so nervous. They weren’t strangers to this kind of display.
“It would be better if it were the Empire fleet,” Leo murmured. “The other party hasn’t identified themselves. I fear they come with ill intentions.”
As the cherished red wine threatened to spill, Joanna quickly grabbed the glass, downing the remaining wine in one gulp. “Could it be the Federation Army?” They must be very bold to sneak into enemy territory!
“Not them!” Leo suddenly stood up. “Joanna, I suggest you immediately order the entire ship to enter escape mode. Prepare the escape pods! I’ve already started the jump engine, hoping to make the jump before we encounter them!”
“This isn’t a safe sector to jump. It’s dangerous!” Joanna tossed the wine glass and bottle into a storage box in the cabin. “What’s going on?”
“Just 36 seconds ago, Duke Winnet officially posted a proclamation on the public net calling for the queen’s overthrow! He has rebelled! The fleet approaching us is likely his forces!”
Joanna opened her mouth in disbelief. “How is that possible… He clearly didn’t get those manufacturing data… How dare he…”
Leo pressed his fingertips to his temples. “He probably thinks we switched the contents and plan to sell them at a high price to someone else. He wants to control the situation before someone else manufactures the ‘Yasha’.”
“Ugh…” Joanna felt a splitting headache.
“That ‘Yasha’…” she frowned deeply. “What exactly is it? Why are you and the Duke so anxious about it? An ultimate weapon to destroy humanity? Can such a thing really be manufactured?”
Leo looked at her with an unfamiliar gaze, giving the pirate goosebumps.
“Of course, my dear Captain,” the AI said softly. “The strongest artificial intelligence and the strongest humanoid weapon, ‘we’ are Kaster’s final and greatest masterpiece. But I don’t want to see my ‘siblings’ released,” he paused, “or manufactured. Without my control, they are just mere killing machines. Those who want to manufacture the Yasha only know its power, but not that this power will destroy its creators.”
“So you switched the chip?”
“That’s right. The secrets of Yasha should be buried forever. Darkness is where it belongs.”
Then Leo raised his voice. Joanna, hearing him, also activated the ship-wide broadcast. “The ship is entering jump status. All crew prepare for emergency procedures!”
“What!” Joanna only had time to grab something to stabilize herself. The vibrations from the jump attempt made her dizzy. A few seconds later, the shaking stopped.
“What now?” she asked, holding back the urge to vomit.
“The other side launched a gravity disruption wave. Jump failed,” Leo said. “They have an entire fleet, and we have just one ship, twenty crew, two pilots.” He glanced at Joanna. “Captain, your decision?”
The female pirate straightened up. She had never anticipated landing in such a situation.
“Abandon ship,” she said. “Everyone take the escape pods and seek refuge on a nearby planet.”
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