At that moment, the forces she commanded were no more than a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished by a gust; burning too brightly would only make her disappear prematurely.

Yang Ming held the edge of the sink, gazing at himself in the mirror.

This was the face of Hanton.

But he seemed to see, standing silently behind him, a ghost named Yang Ming.

"Politics is the art of compromise."

"The cultivation from the Sherman family can grant you everything you desire in the shortest time."

"They understand Faya's game, and the Empire has taken hold of your lifeline."

Yang Ming squinted his eyes.

The true ruling class of the Empire had extended their large hand toward him, seeking to tame him, confine him, turn him into a loyal dog of the royal family... What else could he do? Simply fly out of their grasp?

Hmm? Fly?

Yang Ming suddenly paused, turning his head to look at the small window in the bathroom.

Inside, Daphne breathed a slight sigh of relief, then continued to hold her upright posture, her legs neatly crossed, gently waving the cloth fan in her hand.

She turned her head toward the door, "Aren't you two coming in?"

Han Yin and Han Xiang bowed their heads and walked in, Han Xiang with an expression of resignation, while Han Yin wore a full smile.

Daphne did not hold them accountable for exposing her plan, and gently said,

"Could you help them adjust their positions a bit? Such a posture is somewhat improper."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Han Yin and Han Xiang exchanged a glance and quickly bowed their heads to get to work.

Fortunately, these maids were all quite slender, and Han Yin and Han Xiang's combat abilities were considered excellent by ordinary standards, so they wouldn't be exhausted.

Daphne also silently contemplated.

The gossip reporters she had arranged had blocked all the hotel's exits, including the staff passageways and the back door of the kitchen.

As long as the relationship was publicized, she could take the initiative and even gain some attention from her father.

Suddenly, the faint light outside the window caught Han Yin's attention, and she turned to look.

Han Xiang and Daphne also turned their heads to that area, all three showing varying degrees of daze and astonishment.

Yang Ming, wrapped in a red sphere of light, was floating in the air with his arms crossed, barefoot, swiftly ascending to the Emperor Star's sky.

Daphne couldn't close her gaping mouth for quite some time.

"He can actually fly?"

Han Yin squinted with a smile beside her, "Don't you know, Your Highness? The Earl faced a private army flotilla of dozens of noble ships, and single-handedly wielding a light sword, he cut through the fleet."

Daphne watched Yang Ming's back intently, even though it had become just a red dot.

"He is deterrence itself."

Daphne whispered, her previously empty gaze now tinged with liveliness.

...

Half a Galaxy Time later.

In the empty cockpit of a small transport ship, Yang Ming sat on the chair, resting his arm as he waited for the ship to leave the Emperor Star's shield zone.

He had borrowed the transport ship from the defense forces, and he now had a new pair of army boots on his feet.

However, Yang Ming couldn't leave the Emperor Star at present.

He had only mentioned feeling troubled and wanting to stargaze in the synchronous orbit for some solace, promising a quick return as the transport ship didn't have the capability for jumps.

Buzz, buzz!

Yang Ming's wristwatch lightly buzzed, projecting a trapezoidal halo as a small figure emerged.

"Ciao-meow! Today, I am your cat maid personal assistant! Meow~"

Lyu was dressed in a maid outfit with a pair of fluffy pink paws, with two 'almost real' cat ears on her head, her tail behind her wagging somewhat frivolously as she looked at Yang Ming with a grin.

Though frivolous, seeing Lyu immediately eased Yang Ming's mind considerably.

"How is Catherine?"

"Captain Catherine is on a mission near the Empire's border, just a routine assignment, no issues at all.

"Don't worry, Boss, we've got two Dark Star star patrol ships nearby on standby for support!"

Lyu said with a cheeky smile,

"This is mainly to guard against the Empire acting against Captain Catherine due to your marriage alliance with the Princess, so we arranged for security without consulting you first."

Yang Ming chuckled, "Well done... What are your thoughts on this Princess marriage alliance?"

"Do you want an objective evaluation or subjective emotional outpour, Boss?"

"Objective evaluation."

"This situation between you and the Empire was bound to happen, it just arrived sooner than expected," Lyu mused, "What exactly did you experience in the Dimension Ascension Laboratory on the Emperor Star?"

Yang Ming succinctly recounted his conversation with Director Eno.

Lyu sighed,

"This actually makes sense; the Sherman family behind the Emperor is the true master of the Empire. Levi's descendants are split into the Elite Faction and the Fallen Faction, with the Elite Faction possessing extremely high personal qualities."

"Actually," Yang Ming sighed, "I don't know why I feel so restless, a political marriage is the best thing that could happen to me; then I could just lay back and wait for the game to open."

"You misunderstood, Boss; the marriage is not a good thing for you now."

Lyu lightly shook her head,

"You feel restless because you've directly sensed this powerful Empire's oppression on you, your freedom is severely compromised.

"They gave you no choice, their strike went straight for your Achilles' heel.

"Now, you only have two options, submit to them and be assimilated or become material for the Dimension Ascension Laboratory after many years.

"If I'm not mistaken, Princess Daphne is a beautiful virgin, and this is their way of expressing sincerity to you, trying to blur your perception of oppression."

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