The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(N'rean City- National History Museum)

"Oh? And who is your companion?" Princess Ana asked curiously as she lifted up her head and stared directly into Sophie's eyes.

"A hybrid? My… my sister… you truly are… brave… I heard that some of them are savages… do be careful…"

"Fuck off," Cleo said bluntly as she leaned back against her chair.

The princess did not mince her words and for a moment Ana froze in shock as she could not imagine that such vulgar words came from the mouth of a member of the royal family.

"I don't know what kind of game you want to play here, but I'm not interested," Cleo firmly stated as she grabbed Sophie's hand.

"Sister… that's no way to talk!" Princess Ana harshly replied as she crossed her arms and stared at Cleo with a look of mock disapproval.

"You have clearly not learnt from the royal tutors if you are willing to behave in such an uncouth manner!"

"Darling, you seem pretty uptight… why don't you realise that you aren't wanted here and as Cleo said… fuck off…" Rachel spoke up as she played with the food on her plate.

"And it is poor manners to talk ill of someone right to their face, so I guess you also have something to learn about proper etiquette," Sophie lazily chimed in.

Princess Ana's fingers curled up into a fist as she opened her mouth to insult the arrogant hybrid who dared to talk to her in that way.

Just as she was about to insult Sophie, a sense of terror enveloped her body.

The hybrid girl sitting down on the chair did not move a single muscle and yet Princess Ana found herself frozen in place.

Those dangerous golden eyes were staring directly at her, and a hint of crimson red was beginning to spread from the corners of her pupils.

A heavy bloodlust radiated from the hybrid girl's body and for the delicate princess it was like standing across from a mountain of corpses.

That hybrid girl… she was a predator.

Princess Ana's face whitened, and her fingers trembled slightly. Sophie immediately withdrew her bloodlust and the princess almost collapsed on the ground.

Princess Ana stumbled slightly as she turned around and walked away trying to maintain some of her royal dignity but failing miserably.

Sophie watched her go away and could not help but furrow her brows. What was the point of that random interaction?

Was it by chance? It seemed to be nothing more than an arrogant princess trying to insult her sister but…

Sophie's sense of danger had flared up with Princess Ana's hand drifted towards her pocket as if there was a threat inside.

The hybrid girl frowned slightly as she tried to recall what exactly about the arrogant princess seemed dangerous.

"There are too many of my brothers and sisters who believe that being a member of the royal family is the same as having real power," Cleo muttered quietly.

"Too self-centered and stupid to realise that our late father sired hundreds if not thousands of heirs so being a prince or princess doesn't mean anything."

"Well, they do all have the chance to become the next leader of the human side of the Federation," Rachel stated plainly.

"Only a handful of candidates actually stand a chance. Everyone else is just going to die horribly during the process," Cleo replied with a distant look on her face.

Concubine Sisrelis… her mother… she always wanted to have her offspring sit on the throne one day.

It is just that no one could have predicted that the late emperor would choose to kill himself.

But maybe there was a small part of Cleo that actually felt relieved.

Since she was only in the qi tide stage her mother had abandoned her plans to have her daughter be on the throne and fled.

Cleo could not be happier not to participate in the meaningless political struggles to become the next leader of the human side of the Federation.

Being the empress just sounded exhausting.

"Wow you really showed her!" a cheerful voice interrupted Cleo's train of thought.

Another person had wandered over to their table and this time the voice belonged to a handsome young boy with a cheeky grin on his face.

He wore an expensive white shirt, dark black pants and a leather belt with platinum engravings etched onto its surface.

There was a grace and charm to his movements that spoke to years of proper training in learning how to conduct oneself in public.

His hair was a dirty blonde colour, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of green almost identical to Cleo's.

Another one of her siblings?

"Can I help you?" Cleo asked politely but there was a clear sense of indifference in her tone.

"No, I just came over to briefly chat and meet the famous princess who managed to capture the heart of Duke Peterlor's successor," the boy happily spoke.

"I must say that she is truly beautiful… you are one lucky girl… wait where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself…"

"My name is…"

"What's in your pocket?" Sophie's cold voice cut through the mysterious prince's pompous self- introduction.

The hybrid girl stared at the prince whose speech briefly faltered. There was an expression of bewilderment and confusion on his face that appeared to be genuine.

Sophie's eyes did not drift from the pocket on the prince's pants because her danger sense was once again going into overdrive.

"Is this some kind of joke?" the prince finally asked.

"No… don't let me repeat myself. What. Is. In. Your. Pocket?" Sophie's tone did not change as the blade-like appendages on her back shifted menacingly from side to side.

One false move and she would skewer the prince like a piece of meat on a rack.

The prince's hand drifted towards his pocket and Sophie did not stop him.

This was not out of arrogance that he would not attack in public but rather it was because her sense of danger had disappeared.

And sure enough… there was nothing dangerous to be found in the prince's pocket.

He turned out the inside of his pant's right pocket and there was nothing inside except for a well-worn handkerchief and some Enas credits.

"Err… I can empty my other pockets if you want…" the handsome boy said with hesitation evident in his voice.

"Sorry I think that it's best if you just go," Sophie eventually replied as she waved her hands to dismiss the prince who had a disbelieving look on his face.

"Goodbye. It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Cleo backed up her girlfriend immediately.

The prince sensed that his presence was not wanted and took his leave with more dignity than Princess Ana.

"Wait… we didn't even get his name!" Rachel whispered softly as the back of the prince disappeared in the crowd.

The saintess thought that the cheerful prince was actually quite cute…

"Don't bother… there was something off about him," Sophie replied as a small frown flashed across her face.

Were her instincts wrong?