"Stand still," Princess said. She sat on the black throne and stared at Canaris.

"Mistress," Angelica said, her hand holding a gun to his head. "Please allow me to take care of him."

"It's fine."

Princess tossed a handful of tiny spiders at Canaris. They landed on him and sneaked into his clothes, hiding inside his fur. His face distorted in irritation. He grunted and resisted the urge to scratch.

"Angelica, how is your body?" Princess turned to Angelica.

"Please rest assured. I still can serve you."

"Are the spared parts any good?"

Angelica turned to Mucia. Her lifeless body remained in relatively good condition. "The quality is superb."

"What about her data? Can you assimilate it?"

"It should be possible with the right preparation."

Princess examined Angelica. Her azure pupils swept from the tip of the hair down to the slender legs. Though her skin was metallic, the tone closely resembled a lovely maiden. If she were a human, she would be a beauty.

"Angelica, what do you think about your body?"

"Mistress, what do you mean?"

"Do you want to use that body?" Princess pointed at Mucia.

Angelica looked at Mucia and shook her head. "Just replacing the damaged parts is enough."

"I'll see if I can help."

"Thank you, mistress."

Though Princess had no knowledge regarding the modification of the androids, the situation wasn't hopeless. She turned to Canaris.

"Canaris, aren't my spiders cute?"

"It's sickening. How can you do this?"

"They are necessary, my dear."

"No." He glared at her. "Why are they here?"

His finger pointed at the corpses. Constrien and Tardium laid motionless near him. The bloody fragrance filled his nose, causing him to twitch. Their horrified expression haunted his mind.

"Their bodies are valuable," Princess said.

"You monsters."

"You're working with me."

Canaris opened his mouth before closing it, his fists clenched.

"What are you waiting for?" Princess signalled Angelica to aim her pistol at Canaris. "You can die right now, just beg me."

"Please," Canaris said, "let me live."

He bent down against the floor and remained silent. He averted his gaze from Princess and stared at his hands, his face contorting. Despite not seeing her, he knew Princess was grinning.

"That's more like it." Princess gestured for Angelica. "Allow Angelica and me some alone time."

Canaris lifelessly stumbled his way out of the room. His body trembled with every step he took, though he expressed nothing.

"Mistress, should I kill him?"

"Wait until you are fixed first."

"What should we do now?"

"Take it easy. The next few days will be peaceful."

Princess descended from her throne and commanded her spider legs. They emerged from her back and snapped at the corpse. Like a sharp blade, they cut through the skin and brought the body to her. Though it was dripping with blood, the fragrance remained sweet and inviting.

"You should go too," Princess said.

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"As your maid, I must be with you, mistress."

"Even in the moment of horror?"

Angelica nodded, her face beaming with a smile. "I'll make sure your carapace is as good as new."

...

Surrounded by piles of documents, the general buried his face deep into the world of mental calculation. He formulated scenarios after scenarios for his simulation.

A series of knocks interrupted him. An officer opened the door and saluted before stepping inside.

"What is it this time?" the general said.

"I've got good news and bad news."

"Give me the bad one first."

"The Imperial Court has issued their command. We'll be helping Sector D through their C-graded crisis."

"Sector D? That is good news."

"How so?"

The general shook his head. "What about the good news?"

The officer walked to the desk and placed a pin-like object. It vibrated and revealed a complex data table. "Your strategy works too well. Our loss is lesser than your estimation."

"It shouldn't be possible."

"The number of Arachna doesn't reach your prediction. They were down by almost forty percent."

The general frowned. "Be on the lookout for the boundary of Sector B and A."

"Already on it. Anything else?"

"When will we depart?"

"You don't need to go there. The information regarding the situation will come to you."

"I'll go. Arrange the program in the next two days."

"Then we'll go to City D-1 in the next two days."

"There is no need to go there. I'll be visiting City D-34."

"But sir, the officers—" The general raised his hand.

"They don't matter. This journey will be humble. I'll meet up with an old acquaintance."

The officer looked at his superior before he sighed.

"If it's a humble plan, one day is enough."

The officer saluted and exited the study room. As soon as he closed the door, everything quieted. The general turned to his paperwork.

"Simulate this," he said, his eyes dimed. Though he had failed countless times, his expectation remained strong.

The room flashed before transforming into blackness. Blue hologram lines emerged from the wall, morphing into mini structures.

The Arachna swarmed the Human Empire's fleet. In mere moments, they swallowed everything and killed countless officers and commanders. Though the formation of the fleet was impeccable, they couldn't break through the encirclement.

The objective was to let one tiny ship survive. Everyone was willing to sacrifice everything for it to happen. Nevertheless, the plan failed even before the real threat could emerge.

His strategy didn't work. It was and had always been impossible since the beginning of his quest.

As the emergency vessel broke down, the room dimed before brightening again. The surrounding turned to its original design.

"Still failed."

The general sighed and gathered the documents before placing them at the back desk. They piled into a mountain of papers. He brought another stack and arranged it.

Before he began his grind, he took out his notebook and tapped on it. It recognized his fingerprint and opened, revealing pages upon pages of detailed reports.

"1,962nd attempt failed. The detail of failure included—"

The general recorded his mistakes. His voice was filled with frustration, not the arrogance of a genius, but the intense regret, the unwillingness to accept Fate.

"Beginning the 1,963rd attempt. This time, the references included—"

Like all previous attempts, the sorrow faded away, but the perseverance persisted. He would try again. He believed it would get better each time.

Maybe, someday, he would prove it. In his heart, there was the flame of hope that ignited his spirit. It must be possible.

...

Angelica held a white handkerchief and wiped Princess's lips while admiring the glittering carapace and the delicate figure she helped clean.

"Mistress, I'm finished."

"It's all right if you stop. Your body isn't stable right now."

"I'll have to rely on mistress to take care of me." Angelica smiled.

"I'll try."

Though most of the knowledge Princess gained wasn't about the modification of the androids, Tardium's memory had a generous amount of information about them.

"Stand still. Let me examine your body." Princess could ask Angelica, but she wanted to test her newly acquired knowledge.

She examined Angelica, her hands caressing every part. It was cold and metallic but also elegant and efficient. The design looked ordinary, but beneath it concealed a beauty, both in the aesthetic and practical sense.

"As expected, your model is unique."

"Mistress, it's all right."

Princess giggled. "I can take care of it."

Though there was no matching design, there were enough references to fix Angelica.

"Record the process. I'll try it on Mucia first," Princess said. She moved to Mucia and knelt in front of her.

"I'm ready," Angelica said, her eyes studying every movement.

Princess inserted her claw-like fingers into a joint and wiggled around it. In a quick swipe, she cracked a few screws and picked apart layers upon layers of metals. As her attempts grew, she became more efficient.

"This should be good enough," Princess said.

"Congratulations."

"Now, will you allow me?" Princess stretched her hand out.

Angelica smiled and grasped the hand. She didn't even take a look at the record. "You're my owner. I'm your property. My life has always been in your hand."

"I'll try my best."

Princess took the Fon battery out of Angelica. The Fons in Angelica depleted. She twisted and gasped for breaths.

"Are you okay?" Princess said.

Angelica nodded, but her expression looked frightened. Despite being an android, she felt a suffocating sensation in her chest. It wasn't merely a nap. It was death.

"Mistress, please take good care of my body." Angelica closed her eyes.

The suffocation passed. A flood of tranquillity engulfed her body. Angelica slipped into the dreamland.

"Are you there?" Princess said.

"Is this a dream? Why am I still here?"

"Your expression, it pains me. I won't do it that way anymore." Princess caressed Angelica's cheek, wiping her invisible tears.

Though Princess didn't reveal any emotions, Angelica could see the worry in her pair of gentle, azure eyes.

The silence reigned, but it wasn't a cold, distant one. Instead, it was comforting, refreshing, and soothing.

"Will it hurt?" Angelica said.

"I'll make sure that it's painless."

"Thank you."

"Let's go to the throne. It'll be easier to work while you rest on my laps."

"Do I only need to lay down?"

"I'll take care of the rest."

So, Princess, with Angelica in her embrace, went up to the throne. Time passed slowly yet quickly. The dream-like sequence lasted short. Yet, to them, it lasted an eternity.