"General, there are too many enemies. We can't hold out much longer..." A soldier with shattered armor knelt before her, his tone heavy with despair.
"Has the city fallen? How many of our men remain?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on the scroll in her hand, as though something written on it made it impossible for her to look away.
"The city hasn't fallen yet, but those corrupted treants keep hurling boulders, and our warriors are taking heavy losses. Though our position on the mountain makes defending easier, still..." His head drooped, as if afraid to speak the rest.
"But we won't last much longer, is that it? You've done well. After all, it's your first time facing such a war. Seems I'll have to step in myself." She sighed, shook her head, then set the scroll down. Rising to her feet, she reached behind her, took up a greatsword, resting it across her shoulder. "Come with me. I'll take the field as well."
Her movement startled the young soldier, who quickly protested, "General, you mustn't! If anything happens to you, Her Majesty will surely come to the front herself. If she were to fall too, then our kingdom would truly be lost!"
Waving her hand, the girl gave him a brilliant smile. "Don't worry about that. I've received a letter from the queen—she said she'll soon send a group of heroes to aid us. They're all among the strongest of the strong. With their help, we'll surely drive back the enemy."
"The queen hasn't forgotten us! I'll tell everyone at once—if we can just hold on until they arrive, we'll be saved!" The soldier's face lit up with joy as he rushed out to deliver the message.
"Tell them—they'll be here in ten hours at most. That will be our time to strike back," the young general called after him.
Watching his lighter steps as he left, she gave a bitter smile and whispered, "The capital is in chaos, the ministers have rebelled, and half our army has defected. There's no one left to send us aid. But... if I don't say that, then we'll truly have no hope."
No matter what had happened, she was first the highest commander of this city, and only second the queen's general. Without Her Majesty's orders, she was responsible for this city and its soldiers—even if it meant dying in battle.
...
"General, we can't hold on... Hasn't the reinforcements arrived yet?" It was the same soldier again. He looked around at his dwindling comrades, then at the shattered walls and the collapsed gates of the city. His voice trembled as he turned to the figure beside him, leaning on her greatsword, swaying on her feet.
Even though far more than the promised eight hours had passed, they still believed reinforcements would come. That belief was the only thing keeping them standing. Even if deep down they knew their general's words had only been meant to give them hope—they chose to believe.
"Just hold on a little longer... just a little longer. We will win this war." Her armor was broken, her body covered in wounds. Her short hair, barely reaching her ears, was disheveled, and her once-bright eyes had grown vacant.
She lifted her head, breathing heavily. Her vision blurred, and her body trembled from blood loss, but her voice still rang out firm and strong.
"We swear our lives to the Crimson Lotus Empire! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" Raising the flag in her other hand, she swung it high with all her might.
Rain lashed against her face, driven by fierce winds, yet her back remained straight. She was like the war goddess of this city—as long as she stood, the city would not fall.
"We swear our lives to the Crimson Lotus Empire! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" Her soldiers looked at one another, saw the same resolve in each other's eyes, and shouted in unison.
"For the Empire's honor, to defend our land, we die in glory!" The girl waved her banner, gripped her greatsword, and charged first into the endless sea of monsters.
If death was inevitable, then let more enemies be buried with them!
"For the Empire's honor, to defend our land, we die in glory!" Raising their weapons and shouting as one, every soldier clenched their teeth, followed her lead, and charged forward.
In that battle, Sucheng Fortress fell. Fifty-three thousand warriors, along with General Susanna, perished in combat. The monster army finally began its advance toward the heart of the Crimson Lotus Empire.
Two days later, the queen—who had just quelled the rebellion in the capital—received the devastating news. Enraged, she personally led her army into battle, meeting the enemy in a deadlock at White Rain City.
One million monsters against one hundred and fifty thousand imperial elites—a war with such a disparity inspired no hope from any observer.
Yet, this young queen, aided by a group of immensely powerful friends, miraculously annihilated the entire monster army, suffering only thirty thousand casualties. From there, she led a counterattack, reclaiming every lost city one by one.
Half a month later, the queen marched with the remaining hundred thousand soldiers to the first fallen city—Sucheng Fortress.
There, nearly two million monsters had gathered, turning the city into their stronghold.
For creatures that neither rested nor ate, crowding together in such numbers was no burden. Their true purpose was to corrupt the land—draining it of life and nourishment, making it a breeding ground fit for their kind.
This battle's odds were even worse than before. To outsiders, it was madness to believe the queen could triumph again.
Even though she had performed a miracle just two weeks earlier, no one thought she could repeat it.
But after seven days and seven nights of ceaseless fighting, the queen once again annihilated the enemy. Leading the thirty thousand remaining imperial elites, she reclaimed Sucheng Fortress and built a grand cemetery for Susanna and every fallen warrior—engraving their names and deeds into history.
From then on, reconstruction began in Sucheng Fortress. The Crimson Lotus Empire stationed its most elite forces there to guard and recover, awaiting the next great war.
"Your Majesty, it's time to rest. You haven't slept in ten days and nights. Even a body forged of iron wouldn't withstand this much longer." Behind her, the maid's tender voice trembled with concern. Sitting behind her desk, the young girl raised her head—her eyes bloodshot and weary.
Yet she forced herself to stay awake, hands still busy with paperwork. Just a little more to finish—just a little.
So, when she heard the maid's plea, she refused gently, "Ying'er, don't worry about me. I'm fine. Physical exhaustion can't defeat me. I must finish this first. If not for my mistake, Susanna wouldn't have died, Sucheng wouldn't have fallen, and everyone... would still be alive."
"But it wasn't your fault! It was the fault of those traitors! You were only doing what needed to be done—how can you blame yourself for that?" Ying'er's voice quavered with tears; it was clear how deeply she cared for her queen.
"I misjudged the situation. Because of old sentiments, I hesitated to purge the traitors early. I missed the chance to send reinforcements. That delay caused Sucheng's fall and Susanna's death. All of this... is my fault." The young queen shook her head. She was not one to shift blame onto others.
Even when others were wrong, she always reflected first—asking herself where she had erred, and how to fix it.
"But if you go on like this, your body will collapse," Ying'er said, disregarding their difference in rank as she ran to her side and hugged her tightly from behind.
Warm tears fell upon the queen's neck. She knew this crybaby maid was weeping again. Ying'er had already cried countless times these days—but the queen had hardened her heart and pretended not to see.
Perhaps this time, she should listen. After all, even her hands and feet no longer obeyed her properly.
"Alright, alright. I'll rest. Ying'er, keep watch for me, will you? If someone needs me urgently, wake me up right away, okay?" She patted the girl's hand gently, agreeing to her plea.
"As long as Your Majesty rests properly, Ying'er will do whatever you say." The maid released her embrace. The queen rose and turned back to pinch her delicate nose lightly. "Crybaby. You only know how to use tears to make people give in. So shameful."
"Isn't it Your Majesty who loves bullying Ying'er and making her cry? If anyone's to blame, it's you, for always teasing me," Ying'er muttered, wiping away her tears while pouting in protest.
"Yes, yes, it's all my fault. So don't cry anymore, Ying'er. I'll go rest now." The young queen shrugged, deciding not to tease her further. Dragging her weary body, she turned and walked toward the back chamber.
She truly needed rest. Otherwise, even if her body endured, her spirit would collapse. The intensity of the recent battles had simply been too overwhelming.
Removing her armor piece by piece, the girl was soon dressed only in a thin undergarment. She lifted the blanket and slipped beneath it.
Gazing at the white bed canopy above her, she slowly closed her eyes and drifted into sleep...
"Mm... it's morning already?" Looking around at the familiar furnishings and the sunlight streaming through the window onto the foot of the bed, she rubbed her eyes, trying to sit up.
Then she smiled wryly—for lying sprawled across her chest like a lazy sloth was Anna. On her left side, Inori had her arms tightly wrapped around her waist, as if afraid she might disappear. On her right, Chu Chu's legs were entwined with her own.
How was she supposed to get up like this? If she moved even a little, she'd surely wake them all. They had returned late the night before, hastily bathed, and collapsed into sleep together. Somehow, they had all ended up sharing one bed. It really was just like their school trip days.
"Was that... a dream just now? It felt so real." Raising her only free hand toward the foot of the bed, Chu Lian clenched her fist gently, as if trying to grasp a handful of sunlight.
"If it was a dream, I hope I don't have that one again... That feeling of total exhaustion—it's too much."
A blue butterfly fluttered in through the window. Noticing something, it alighted softly on her raised fist.
Its delicate wings trembled faintly. Perhaps it was drawn by her scent—or maybe it simply wanted to rest.
"Little one, aren't you afraid of me?" she whispered, slowly pulling her hand back as she gazed at the tiny creature.
Perhaps startled by her voice, the butterfly beat its wings rapidly and lifted off again, circling her room once before flying back out through the window.
"Zhuang Zhou's Dream of the Butterfly, huh?" Chu Lian murmured softly, shaking her head. "Maybe I'm just overthinking things. Still, with everything that's been happening lately... if I don't handle it properly, I won't be able to focus on anything else."
With that thought, she decided not to laze in bed any longer. As she shifted her body, her movements immediately woke the three sleeping girls beside her.
They rubbed their eyes, looked around, and when their gazes met, a strange yet gentle expression passed between them before they all greeted her at once.
"Lian, good morning."
"Mommy, morning~"
"Big Sis, good morning! Would you like a good morning kiss? Chu Chu's looking forward to it~"
Knocking the mischievous Chu Chu lightly on the head, Chu Lian said, "Morning. I'll get up first. You girls can sleep a little longer if you want—but don't sleep too long, or when Mommy comes to wake you, you'll regret it."
As she spoke, Chu Lian sat up and lifted the blanket to get out of bed.
But the next moment, she froze as if she had noticed something strange—and let out a startled gasp. "What... what is this?"