1065 A Bright Future

"Royal Secretary, it the Emperor convening a meeting today?"

"No. Not today. Tell them it'd be held soon, possibly as early as tomorrow." On the first floor of the palace, in the fourth largest office, Alison answered a group of ministers in a neutral tone.

The man leading the group of six, the finance minister, responded with an embarrassed expression and shifted in his chair. "As you know, it's already been seven days since the coronation.

We all know what his Majesty has done for our race, how much he sacrificed and who he fought. For any of his services, he deserves a long vacation and none of us have any right to question him.

But the public cannot comprehend what he had been through. They're eagerly waiting for his majesty's first set of laws. It doesn't even have to be anything groundbreaking. Just…they want to know that he cares. It's enough."

Alison, codenamed Blue Flash, placed her arms on the brown desk and stared out of the razor-thin window glass. The sky of the capital was still bright with fireworks. People were celebrating Varian more than he could've imagined. For them, he's the beacon of hope and a promise of better life.

"His Majesty has more important tasks than a meeting for the sake of publicity." Alison's voice sharpened and the office fell into a heavy silence.

The finance minister immediately bowed. "I'm sorry, I'm still thinking in the old ways. Since he chose not to appear, it must be something extremely important for the Empire. I…I was privileged to get a glimpse of his biography. He was saving everyone behind the shadows since the beginning. I can only imagine what grand task he's doing now."

The others also apologized and left hanging their head in shame.

"Haa~" Alison stood up and stretched her arms. This was the twentieth meeting she held today and all of them ended like this.

"I'll die if this goes on for longer." She teleported into one of the rose gardens and sat on a bench.

From there, she stared at the top floor of the palace with a mix of resentment, confusion and exasperation. "It's called first night, not first week."

Even for awakeners, there were limits. Body awakeners would be mentally exhausted, Mind awakeners would be physically exhausted.

But this guy…he's going it for a week.

"Should I pity or envy the girls?"

— — — —-

"So Sir, what would you like to buy for your grandkids? We have very well crafted toys, delicate clothes, the best medical meals. Anything infants need, we have that and in the best of quality." The salesgirl spread her arms and explained with a proud expression.

Well, she was right. This store was indeed the best on Venus for baby care. In fact, it's the undisputed number one in the entire Empire.

And that's why he's here.

"My Son-in-law said something when we were drinking during his marriage." The middle-aged man who looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s, rubbed his chin and said with a look of pride.

"Yeah?" The salesgirl blinked in confusion and gave the man a skeptic look.

This man didn't dress up luxuriously. A white turtleneck sweater, black pants and a red muffler. His fashion sense was just terrible. He seemed somewhat familiar, like some person from military she couldn't recall.

But his face was soft, kind and very welcoming, like a friendly uncle. There's no way this person was a military hero.

'Probably a braggart.' The salesgirl cursed him internally but played along. "What is the profound thing that your Son-in-law said, Sir?"

"He said choosing is for children, adults will have them all." Evander said with an expression of great enlightenment.

"W-What does that even mean?"

"That means I'm not picking one thing or another from your ship," Evander smiled and the salesgirl's expression collapsed into fury. But his next words caused her to open her mouth in shock. "I'm buying everything here—I'm buying your store."

"Ah—Ahahaha, You good sir surely have a good sense of humor."

"I'm not joking." Evander pointed to the entrance and the owner of the entire store chain rushed in panting.

"I didn't raise my daughter with enough care. At least, not after my wife and son passed away. Looking back now, I fully regret that I couldn't see her grow. I missed so much time with her. Just a few months ago, we didn't even talk to each other properly." Evander wiped the corner of his eyes.

The salesgirl was captivated by his story but her eyes were glued to the store manager who was literally sprinting here like her life depended on it.

"For my grandkids, I'll not allow any such regrets. I'll their only grandparent. So, it's my responsibility to spoil them. I'll give them all the love in the world. Even though their parents are more capable than me, I can give them the love of a grandfather." Evander said with a bright and determined smile.

"I already envy your grandkids. They're so lucky to have a grandpa like you. If I were in that position, I'd consider myself the luckiest girl." The girl said sincerely.

"You'll understand when you grow older. Grandchildren are the way we make up for the lost love. But little girl, if you're going to be a parent someday, don't hesitate to love your kids. Most kids don't really want much, they just want you to love them. And trust me, kids you love back more than we can imagine."

Evander left after giving an advice. Soon, the store changed its owner and was the beginning of the "World's Best Grandpa".

In the neighboring planet, the new cadets joined the Earth Academy with bright hopes and burning passion.

But they happened to be the unluckiest batch of them all as the academy strictly prohibited any dating between cadets, teachers, and even workers.

The biggest blockbuster of the opening ceremony was Dean Anna's speech. Some called it passionate, others termed it delusional. But everyone unanimously agreed that the speech would go do in history, if only for its peculiarity.

"This is a military school, not a breeding ground! For three years, don't eat, don't drink and don't even think about enjoyment. Work like hell."