110 Lord's Chapter 22: Bride-Unit Moves 1

I meant to go serious, but ended up subtly melancholic—kinda clumsy, honestly. I threw in this bit just to see how it felt.

Was writing in third person, panicked, and switched to first person on the fly.

Sorry if anything feels off. Might get revised later.

"Master seems to be in distress. This is our moment."

I, Carolina, first of the intruding brides, daughter of the Marquis Caprius, declare it.

There, gathered with resolute faces, are the second intruding bride, Marianna, daughter of the Marquis Graul, and the third, Jane, daughter of the Baron Lartel.

Since the clone assault incident, we three have been concerned about the stagnation of Master Akira’s Earthling recovery operation.

"If Master stays busy like this, we won’t get any attention at all!"

This is the most dire emergency for us, no doubt.

"But Carrie, what can we possibly do on our own?"

"According to Father, he wants solid proof whether the clone’s Personal Ship is from Dalon 4 or not."

"Ralter’s intel from the research facility is unquestionably reliable."

"Wait—does that mean we’re okay with it?"

Marie, you’re not just nodding like that.

That’s a breach of confidentiality, Carrie.

My head’s already throbbing from your lack of discipline.

"Then let’s do a little investigation ourselves and get praised by the master."

"Ooh." "Well, I suppose that’s the only way."

No, no—don’t let yourself get smug from daydreaming.

I snap back to reality and start contacting everyone. The two of you, now with serious expressions, get moving.

The wives are in motion. Acting on their own desires.

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"Can't do it. Infiltrating the Daron system—the primary star system of the Eighth Prince—is out of the question."

I clutched my head.

My husband's caution stems from not wanting to provoke the Eighth Prince unnecessarily.

Without concrete proof that the Eighth Prince was involved in the Earth-cloned assault, we can't afford to take hostile action.

"Looking for another system where Daron-made starships are deployed could work."

"Then the system directly under the Eighth Prince's control would be the prime target, wouldn't it?"

"Here, in the Ugritch system—Ugritch 3, under the Daron hub. There's a famous brand shop here!"

Jane, you caught that. That observation just opened the door—now the conversation can really take off.

So, Marie finally found a planet where it wouldn’t be strange for a woman to visit. Major accomplishment, that.

Ugritch III—planet renowned as a hub for textile manufacturing and apparel production, home to fashion brands operating factories, and a leading center for cutting-edge fashion.

The capital’s lined with brand shops, women flocking in for shopping.

"Baron Bykovsky of the Stellar Domain is indeed under the command of the Eighth Prince, isn't he?"

"Here, we can visit without shame."

"Settled!"

I'm off then!

But the bride—she hadn’t noticed.

I hadn’t the slightest idea how to inspect the starship.

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Our three Personal Ships arrived smoothly at the Daron system’s Hub Dimensional Jump Gate, then proceeded without entering the Daron system itself—instead, we skirted through hyperspace directly toward the Uglich system below the hub.

“Entry clearance, please. This is Lady Capriess, Lady Graul, and Lady Lather. Purpose: shopping. Kindly assist.”

“Lady Countess? And a Baroness? Please hold a moment.”

The Uglich traffic controller sounds flustered at my announcement.

Ah. Can’t have any disrespect toward noble ladies, can we?

Please tell me they don’t suspect we’re the wives of the master.

“Welcome to the Uglich system. We’re honored to have you.”

Worrying won’t help—action does. Smooth passage, no issues.

“Then, everyone, let’s head to Uglich Three, where the luxury brands await.”

“Actually… I think our purpose’s different.”

"Guess it really was plan-free all along!"

Lartel and Graul are being a pain, aren’t they?

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No good this kid. Gotta fix this fast.

Me? Nah. Too much hassle. Just stick to the usual—me, plain and simple.

I’m Jane. Daughter of Baron Lartel. First wife of Lord Akira.

I’ve been letting Carrie—Countess Caprius—run things till now, but this one’s gone full daze since landing on the brand planet. Completely forgot the mission.

We came to Uglich Three to confirm whether this place is the production site for the clone personal ships used by the 8th Prince’s industrial planet faction attacking the Anoi System—our home.

So I came to this star system to check out the personal ship of Baron Bivkovsky, the 8th Prince’s direct subordinate.

Here’s the plan I came up with.

Our personal ships are decked out in lavish decorations—fit for a noblewoman.

Before marrying Akira, my family was only a minor baronial house, so we couldn’t afford that kind of extravagance. But now? We’re decked out like a baroness—or even a princess of the 6th Prince.

What happens when a fancy personal ship like ours collides with one from the Uglich System?

We could use the repair excuse to get a proper look at the other side, don’t you think?

Once inside the Uglich System, I started scanning the surrounding space, hunting for a target.

Thanks for the review, Rucifer. Appreciate it.

Reviews and bookmarks keep me going.