The Spider Queen

(Procyon Star System- Angro Galaxy)

(Planet Lumclite- Private Mansion)

A man stood silently by a window without saying a word. He was a tall, gaunt figure with eyes that had heavy dark circles beneath them.

His hair was completely white and fell down to well below his shoulders.

A long black robe hung around his body that gave him a scholarly aura and he held a small cup of tea in his right hand.

Tiny wisps of white smoke floated gently upwards from the cup.

The Grand Tutor raised up the cup to his lips and took a small sip of the liquid inside. A bitter taste flooded his mouth, but he gave no visible indication of his discomfort.

He continued to look outside the window as if searching for something amidst the large forest that surrounded his private estate.

The elderly man began to heavily cough and quickly placed the cup of tea on a table nearby.

The sounds coming from his mouth were horrifying to hear and his chest began to heave violently as if he was about to vomit.

The Grand Tutor tilted his head downwards and fumbled around in one of the pockets of his robe for a handkerchief.

He raised up the white fabric to his mouth and stifled his coughs. When the coughing stopped the handkerchief was stained with flecks of blood.

Everything was going wrong.

His health was slowly getting worse and his influence in politics was beginning to wane.

Nobles who once would not refuse his call now had excuse after excuse not to visit him.

Those vicious sharks could sense blood in the water and to them it was only a matter of time before he fell…

The strength and unity of the Pure-blood Human coalition was beginning to crack.

Those petty fools were too busy arguing with one another and fighting amongst themselves to present a united front.

As a result, they were now seen as unreliable to the neutral noble factions.

And to make matters even worse…

The Grand Tutor tilted his wrist communicator upwards and quietly read the secret report that filled the screen.

[Report – 013- Subject Sophie Peterlor]

[The information that Duchess Peterlor has entered the void stage has been verified to be true from multiple sources.]

[It has even been confirmed by the principal of Zrudread University and it is highly unlikely that he would lie about the matter.]

[Many aristocrats are now viewing House Peterlor in a different light since there is a good chance that Duchess Peterlor has inherited the talents of her late father.]

[It appears to be an inevitability that she will eventually reach the god stage.]

[I will continue to monitor the ongoing situation and report back to you about any further developments- S.T]

The elderly man let out a heavy sigh and then angrily slammed his fist down on the table next to him.

Crack!

The wooden table immediately split in half and pieces of wood fell to the ground. The Grand Tutor looked at the destruction but did not feel any better.

Sophie Peterlor… the first hybrid head of an upper-class noble family was now a void stage cultivator.

Now she had the strength to match her position. It would be harder to make the argument that she was illegitimate.

Even Lady Beterica's boy would stand no chance against her in the political arena.

"Damn it!" the Grand Tutor cursed softly as he suddenly felt a wave of tiredness overwhelm his body with exhaustion.

The disappearance of the former head of House Peterlor had been the perfect opportunity to advance his reforms against Hybrid Rights but…

Things did not go in the way that he predicted.

The future leader of the human side of the Earth Federation was still unknown, Rokan Peterlor's faction was still united, his hybrid daughter had successfully taken over as head of his house…

It was just one bad news after the next.

At least this dark storm had one silver lining…

"Sir… your guest of honour has arrived," a woman wearing a silvery grey dress approached the elderly man and bowed politely.

"Send him in to the meeting room… I will there shortly," the Grand Tutor replied as he straightened out his back.

The female servant bowed once more and then departed from the room with quick and quiet steps.

The Grand Tutor took in a deep breath and then proceeded to walk along a short and narrow corridor that led to the meeting room.

He opened the wooden door that led to the room and slowly walked inside. The room was not very spacious and only had a few pieces of furniture.

A pair of long couches were opposite to each other with a table in the middle that was covered with drinks and various refreshments.

Water colour paintings hung along the walls of the room depicting famous events and scenes from the history of the Earth Federation.

From the Draxi Rebellion to the civil war in the early days of the Federation that threatened the stability and existence of the new Interstellar Alliance.

A roaring fireplace sat in the corner of the room and the warm orange glow from the flames illuminated the space with a soft and gentle light.

The Grand Tutor sat down on one of the couches and waited patiently for his guest to arrive.

He was the host so he needed to be in the room and ready to welcome the important man who would step through those doors.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait for long.

The doors slowly opened and another woman wearing a silvery grey dress stood by the entrance and opened her mouth.

"Announcing the arrival of the crown prince… Prince Theseus Sisrelis!" the female servant respectfully spoke.

A very handsome man with sharp facial features and a lean but muscular body strode into the room.

His curly black hair had grown slightly shaggy but that did not detract from his overall handsomeness.

His piercing green eyes seemed to stare right into the Grand Tutor's soul but the warm and friendly smile on his face made him seem affable.

"Crown prince… it is an honour to have you here," the Grand Tutor cheerfully spoke as he got up from his seat and bowed respectfully.

"Please the pleasure is all mine," Prince Theseus replied as he walked over to the elderly man and stretched out his hand for him to shake.

The Grand Tutor smiled as he reached out with his wrinkled hand and gave the prince a firm handshake that only lasted for a few seconds.

"You resembled your late father so much… you have inherited his best qualities… I am sure that you will be chosen as the next leader…" the Grand Tutor gave out generous praise.

The crown prince merely smiled at his flattering words but for some reason the Grand Tutor got the impression that his smile did not reach his eyes.