The Queen's Path

Prologue On August 17th, in the year 7365 of the Galactic Empire, a girl was born in the Skylark Manor on the planet Monslanka. Following the wishes of her great-grandmother, she was named Wilhelmina. Her maternal grandfather was a well-respected squire, and her mother had once been a renowned anchor for the Empire's Central Television. As for her father, he was none other than His Highness Prince Adam, the fourth son of His Majesty Alexander of the Galactic Empire. Six months before her birth, her parents publicly announced their divorce in front of the Empire’s hundreds of billions of citizens. One year after she was born, her father remarried. Three years later, her mother died in an interstellar voyage accident. She led a peaceful life on a small planet far from the Imperial capital, until April 22nd of the year 7375, when Prince Adam and his wife were assassinated... Chapter 1: From Skylark Manor to Rose Palace *"Some people are born ordinary but destined for greatness, like me. But before I was ten, I had no idea about this. In my short, blissful childhood, there was no hint of power or fame. On the fields where skylarks sang and soared, my friends and I ran barefoot. Golden waves of wheat embraced our small bodies, and the fragrance of wildflowers and earth filled the air. We chased milk trucks and peddlers like a pack of wild, untamed children. This dreamlike happiness lasted only until the spring before my tenth birthday. For a long time, I didn’t understand why I had to be taken back to the palace. But I knew that this was my destiny. To accept fate without ever bowing my head—because this empire belongs to me."* — Wilhelmina I, Prologue to "My Memoirs" “Prepare for artillery! Flank the enemy from the right! Squad Four, get ready, attack!” A young, shrill voice rang out as a group of half-grown children leaped from behind a pile of straw, racing barefoot down the hill, wild with excitement. Leading the charge was a girl with a mop of straw-like blond hair and a dress covered in mud. She held a stick taller than herself, charging forward with the spirit of a true warrior. The children barreled down the hill, where their opponents leaped out from behind haystacks, and an intense battle ensued. The blond tomboy was agile, quickly disarming her opponents and tackling them to the ground. She sat astride a red-haired boy, pinning his neck. “Surrender! Say you surrender!” The red-haired boy struggled but refused to admit defeat. The children gathered around, chanting, “Willie! Willie! Willie!” “Come on, say it! Surrender!” The blond girl gloated. “If you surrender, I’ll show mercy and accept your allegiance. I’ll even offer you friendship!” She had memorized the lines from her favorite TV drama perfectly. The red-haired boy flushed but finally managed to push out two words through gritted teeth: “I… surrender…” “Yay!” the children cheered. “The Rose Brigade has captured the high ground!” The blond girl stood up, raising her chin proudly. “Derek, you’re so useless.” The boy got up, brushing straw from his hair, looking embarrassed. “You’re the heir of the Bykos family, and you surrendered that easily?” The boy muttered defensively, “But you’re just too strong; I couldn’t move at all.” The girl suddenly leaned in close, her sea-blue eyes staring at him, making him blush even more, his freckles standing out on his face. “You’re a whole year older than me, Derek. Don’t be such a weakling. Why don’t you join our Rose Brigade? I’ll guarantee you endless wealth and eight wives.” “I don’t want eight wives,” he mumbled, “My mom says I can only have one. She said if I marry you, we’d be connected to the royal family.” “Shut up!” The girl grabbed his collar angrily. “Say that again, and I’ll hit you.” “You… you… you can’t hit me,” he stammered. “My mom says you’re a lady, and you shouldn’t…” He didn’t finish before she punched him to the ground. The children cheered, gathering around to watch. Wilhelmina pinned Derek’s hands with her knees, lifting her fist toward his face. He barely took a few hits before bursting into tears. “Now do you think I’m a lady?” she crowed triumphantly. “Willie! Willie!” A small boy ran over, wiping his nose. “I saw a bunch of big black fancy cars pull up at your manor.” Wilhelmina stopped, standing up as Derek quickly crawled away, still sniffling. “Guests at home?” Her eyes sparkled. “It’s my father! My father must be here to see me!” She whistled, and a calico cat leapt from a tree onto her shoulder. “Lucy, Father’s here!” Wilhelmina hopped onto her small hoverboard, speeding off. The planet Monslanka was one of the countless stars in the Galactic Empire, naturally suited for human habitation yet extremely remote. Its industries centered around agriculture and tourism, with few inhabitants and simple customs. Skylark Manor was located on the western hemisphere, where the plains were vast, the forests dense, and valleys split the continent in two. Among several large farms, Wilhelmina’s grandparents’ Skylark Manor was one of the most prominent. The manor was a gray structure, ancient and dignified, with gardens full of flowers. Wilhelmina parked her hoverboard by the wall, sneaking onto the terrace and slipping to the window of the art studio. Her grandfather was speaking with a guest. The man sat deep in the room, his face shadowed by curtains. He wore the uniform of an imperial officer, the silver insignia on his chest dazzling. “Yes, the servants have gone to fetch her,” said her grandfather, Mr. Lehman, in a low voice. “I hope it’s not causing you any trouble.” “It’s our duty, sir. We deeply regret what happened.” “Does she know?” “We don’t yet know how to tell her.” “Then, please allow me to do so.” “Willie is a strong child…” As Wilhelmina inched closer to listen, a large hand lifted her up. A tall soldier looked down, then smiled kindly. “Miss Wilhelmina.” He opened the window, announcing, “Sir, we’ve found Miss Wilhelmina.” “Willie!” Her grandmother rushed over, hugging her tightly. “Sweetheart, what have you done to yourself?” “I was playing war with Derek and the others,” she replied. Mrs. Lehman forced a stiff smile and gently nudged her granddaughter toward their guest. “This is His Excellency, Mr. Hans Borg. Do you remember the courtesy I taught you?” Wilhelmina gave her grandmother a puzzled look, then performed a clumsy curtsey toward the man. “Good afternoon, Your Excellency.” The handsome man knelt on one knee, kissing her dirt-covered hand with a warm smile as if she were an angel. “Miss Wilhelmina, I am Owen Hans Borg, an executive officer of the Imperial State Department. I’ve come to escort you back to the capital.” Wilhelmina’s heart leaped at the familiar word. “Did Father send you? Where is he?” Hans Borg exchanged a look with the Lehmans, a glimmer of sympathy in his eyes. “Your father is waiting for you in the capital, Miss. You’ll see him when we get there.” Wilhelmina glanced at her grandmother, who turned away in anguish. “Will you and Grandfather be coming with me?” “No, dear. Not yet. But I promise, they’ll visit you in the capital someday.” The girl hesitated, but then nodded, accepting his words. Pleased, the man smiled. “We leave tomorrow.” The next morning, her nanny dressed Wilhelmina in a new black dress and tied a white ribbon in her hair. “Such a beautiful child,” Hans Borg complimented sincerely. “May I bring Lucy to see my father?” she asked, holding her cat close. “Of course, Miss,” he said, bending down to take her hand. Wilhelmina looked back at her grandparents with sudden apprehension. Her grandfather stepped forward and hugged her tightly. “My dearest, my sweet girl.” He handed her a pocket watch. “This belonged to your mother. Keep it close. Remember, your mother was a strong and kind woman. No matter what hardships you face, think of her.” “Yes, Grandfather.” He whispered, “Don’t let them know what you’re thinking inside.” The girl nodded, rising on tiptoe to kiss his old cheek before being led away. The convoy left Skylark Manor quietly, speeding along roads flanked by harvested wheat and cornfields. As they passed the hill where the children had played the day before, Wilhelmina saw her friends waiting. The children of the Rose Brigade cheered, “Willie! Forward! Willie! Forward!” Derek, his red hair catching the sun, looked lonely among them, watching the convoy in silence. Suddenly, he bolted down the hill, running after the cars as fast as he could. “Willie!” he shouted, but the hovercar quickly left him far behind. Wilhelmina pressed her face to the window, watching the tiny red figure grow smaller until it disappeared. Despite her early maturity, she couldn’t hold back her tears. Through blurred eyes, she saw Skylark Manor fade into the distance, the place where she had grown up slipping further and further away. That year, she had just turned ten, and she understood she wasn’t simply leaving home. In truth, she would never again set foot on the soil of Monslanka. On May 3rd, in the year 7375 of the Empire, the starship Abraham docked at the Imperial Capital’s spaceport. Hans Borg, then an ordinary officer in the State Department, led Wilhelmina down the gangplank, hand in hand, onto the soil of Odin, the Imperial Capital.