The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Private Study Room)

Knock! Knock!

"Enter," Sophie whispered softly as she placed her face in her palms and let out a heavy sigh.

The desk in front of her was stacked from top to bottom with metalloid tablets, files and other messy paperwork.

There was so much that she still needed to do.

Tasks, meetings… by the gods… it never freaking ended…

The door to the study room slowly opened and butler Gerald stepped inside holding a plate with a steaming cup of tea on top of its metal surface.

"My lady… you should take some rest," Butler Gerald gently spoke as he approached the tired girl and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

He placed the plate on a section of the desk that was still relatively clear and waited for Sophie to speak.

"I… I can't… the banquet is in two days' time… the meeting with the administrators is tomorrow… I need to speak to my father's allies…" Sophie replied with exhaustion evident in her voice.

She was tired.

Everything was just too overwhelming.

"Take a break," Butler Gerald spoke firmly as he grabbed Sophie by the arm and gently pulled her out of her seat.

It was a disrespectful move for a servant to make but the head butler had looked after Sophie since she was a little girl.

Sophie allowed herself to be pulled away because truthfully… she needed a break.

"Why don't you take a walk around the gardens to clear your mind and I will help out with the rest of the paperwork when you get back," Butler Gerald calmly suggested.

The elderly servant spoke softly and there was an undercurrent of concern in his voice which showed that he was worried about Sophie's well-being.

"Your father would not want you to burn yourself out," Butler Gerald added as he saw a conflicted expression flash across Sophie's face.

"Okay… I'll be back in an hour…" Sophie finally relented as she stretched out her arms and let out a tired yawn.

The hybrid girl walked out of the study room and made her way towards the mansion's exit. The Peterlor estate was eerily quiet.

Butler Gerald had placed the living servants on a leave of absence which Sophie had approved.

Katarina and the other death guards would need to reassess the servants working in the manor just to make sure that they were still trustworthy.

Therefore the only ones keeping the large estate in order were the robotic androids that worked tirelessly to keep the place spotless.

Sophie envied the robots since they never got tired, and they didn't need rest.

Still… it could be worse.

Unlike when her father had taken over as the head of House Peterlor, there was a robust system and chain of command still in place.

Sophie just needed to speak to the heads of the various organisations that were under the umbrella of House Peterlor.

It was still a daunting task but… a far better alternative than having to seek out replacement employees or running the groups herself.

No… stop thinking about work…

Sophie glanced at her wrist communicator and had to force herself not to power it on and check the news on the Virtual Net.

She was still a hot topic of conversation.

The number one ranked student in the tournament had dropped out. The final stage had just begun yesterday and yet she was still being talked about.

And not favourably.

Sophie let out another sigh as she lost herself in a daydream of what could have been.

She imagined herself holding up the grand trophy and being proclaimed as the winner of the Inter- University tournament.

But that was a future that would remain… a dream.

Sophie walked for around ten minutes before finally reaching the back exit. She opened the door and stepped outside.

The air underground wasn't exactly 'fresh', but the air filtration system made sure that it was not stale.

The hybrid girl wandered around the back of the mansion and soon found herself standing in the middle of the flower garden.

Sophie wasn't feeling in the mood to walk all the way to the greenhouse complex so this would have to do for her break.

She sat down on a white bench in front of a field of purplish- white flowers that swayed gently in the wind.

The scent of fresh herbs, and a sweet odour came from the flowers. Sophie took in a deep breath and felt some of the tension in her body melt away.

In her private garden, she felt at peace. It was a world away from the struggles and problems of her daily life.

Here she could pretend that everything was okay… even though it felt as though her world had collapsed.

She was going to become a duchess.

A high ranking noble.

It was a position that many in the Earth Federation would dream of possessing. Dukes stood at the top of the noble societal hierarchy.

They were just below the emperor and in some cases stood above the offsprings of the Imperial Family.

And yet… Sophie was willing to give it all up if it meant that her father would return from the war safe and unharmed.

She didn't want power.

She wasn't greedy for authority.

She just wanted her dad back.

The hybrid girl closed her eyes and gently exhaled. She could feel the wind brushing against her face and the light rays coming from the artificial sun washing over her body.

"The banquet…" Sophie muttered softly as she stretched out her arms and shifted her body into a more comfortable position.

Her social debut as the future head of House Peterlor would be in two days. As the host she had invited her father's allies as well as other influential nobles.

It was the first step in her transition from heir to the head of the household. After the banquet she just needed to take part in the succession ceremony and that was it.

A relatively straightforward matter and yet Sophie was not leaving anything up to chance. The banquet would be held in one of her father's properties and security was a top priority.

Nothing could go wrong.

She would not let anything go wrong.

Sophie furrowed her brows and mentally ran over the security preparations in her mind.

There would be biological, mechanical and chemical scanners, private mercenary groups patrolling the far outskirts, her loyal death guards handling the inside and finally…

Some extreme measures that Katarina had suggested.

It would be perfect.

Sophie knew that as a hybrid, she would be judged far more harshly than a full-blooded human.

It was not fair but there was nothing that she could do about it.

This was the hand that she had been dealt in life and frankly… she was proud of her Arachnais heritage.

Sophie slowly opened her eyes and extended her foot so that it lightly brushed the top of a flower in front of her.

She got up from the bench and approached the swaying plant. Sophie carefully plucked one of the petals and placed it in her pocket.

A good luck charm.

Hopefully it would bring her good fortune over the next couple of weeks.