"…I suggest we form a unified front and go to his aid immediately."

"Why are you speaking in the plural?" Hilary arched an eyebrow, her tone dripping with mockery. "Do you think that just because you've managed to gather four fleets and sew some matching uniforms for your soldiers, you've suddenly become one of us?"

"…" Helen lowered her gaze, her lips pressing together, a blend of frustration and embarrassment visible in her expression.

Hilary commanded a Centennial Empire with twenty-five fully armed fleets. Harry, her twin in ambition but not temperament, ruled over ninety-eight planets and possessed twenty-two fleets of his own. In comparison, Helen's achievements still looked like the fragile beginnings of a dream she hadn't yet earned the right to claim.

"The First Brother's ambitions far exceed his actual capabilities," Harry said with a casual wave, his tone calm but laced with disdain. "Who in their right mind tries to take control of a Galaxy Seed without the backing of a Behemoth, or at the very least, without securing the support of his own sector? He dragged himself into a war that even our father would hesitate to join, and now we're somehow the villains in someone's story because we didn't rush to help without being asked? That's insanity."

"Well," Hadison finally spoke, raising both hands as if to calm the air, "maybe Helen is still young and inexperienced, but her personal power isn't any less than either of yours—perhaps even greater." His tone grew firmer. "And besides, the First Brother has every right not to trust us. This could be our chance to rebuild that trust—if we send aid on our own initiative, not because he asked for it."

"Ha?" Harry slammed his palm onto the table, the sound echoing through the grand hall. "Join a cosmic war with no profit? No assurances that my fleets or my men will even return? And when they're wiped out by the Savage Behemoth, what do I do—go crawling back to Father for another loan to shatter my spine even further? Forget it! I didn't come here to listen to meaningless slogans!"

Whoosh! In that moment, Harry's figure dissolved into a streak of light as he left the hall.

"Hmph. For the first time, I actually agree with that child," Hilary stood up gracefully, her crimson cloak flowing behind her. She gave Hadison a half-amused look. "The First Brother bit off more than he could chew, and now he's choking on it. As long as he's choking quietly, without calling for help, why should we drag ourselves into the storm he created?"

She tilted her head with a teasing smile. "See you at the next meeting with Father, Hadison. Maybe you'll be the First Brother by then!" Her voice dropped slightly, mocking yet smooth. "Just don't spend too much time listening to children's fantasies." She cast a final glance toward Helen before vanishing in a golden shimmer.

"..." Helen exhaled deeply, her shoulders sinking as silence filled the hall once more.

"I'm still here…" Hadison spoke after several long seconds, his voice soft but steady. "Aren't you going to try to convince me to join you—to help our brother?"

"It wouldn't be fair for you to act alone," Helen replied, shaking her head slowly. "I know you have your own wars to fight. I've already tried everything I could for the First Brother, even though I have no glorious history with him like the rest of you… but since I failed, there's nothing left for me to regret."

Hadison gave a short nod. "You're right. I do have my own wars, and sending fleets across half the cosmos to reach the Mid Sector 101 would be madness. But…" he paused, eyes narrowing slightly, "I can go myself. Spending a hundred thousand Pearls to reach the sector personally isn't a waste—not when it's for Hedrick."

"That would be incredible," Helen's tone brightened slightly, her brows lifting. "You're the only one among us who's become a Monarch after the First Brother. Your presence alone could change the tide."

That was precisely the reason their father's anger had flared toward Hadison in recent years. Despite possessing both the power and the roots to ascend into a Millennial Empire, he had chosen to remain content as the ruler of a mere Centennial one. Worse, he didn't even strive to expand to four hundred planets.

Such restraint—whether born of wisdom or apathy—made him a tempting target for the Millennial Empires of his sector. They saw in him a threat waiting to awaken, and before he could truly grow, they waged proxy wars through lesser empires to keep him shackled, stalling his rise before it could begin.

Helen continued quickly, "Can I come with you the same way?" She shook her head, as if dispelling a foolish thought. "Those two don't understand. Everyone already knows the First Brother is your brother—if they swarm him like this and you remain passive, everyone will see how fragile your ties are, and the next time the blow comes it will strike you instead." Her tone sharpened; the worry behind it was plain.

She narrowed her lovely brows a little, measuring the room. "You're fighting the Centenary Empires by proxy now, placing pawns and contracts where you cannot show your full hand, but if First Brother falls, you will fall with him. Your enemies will throw everything they possess at you, without mercy or hesitation." She gestured toward the empty chairs with a small, bitter laugh. "And our dear short-sighted fourth brother and third sister sitting comfortably today will be wiped out within a century. Do they truly believe that their meager, private efforts are what hold their rule together? It isn't their strength — it's their father's reputation, the myths of brotherhood and legacy that prop them up."

"…And I," Helen said, looking down and speaking softer, "may not yet be known for who I am in the eyes of the masses, but one day everyone will know I am the First Brother's sister, that I belong to this fractured family — and then that connection will be a stain on my face just like yours." Her voice carried a mixture of defiance and fear; she was making a bargain with reality as much as with Hadeson.

"…You've grown, Helen." Hadeson sighed, and the sigh contained both fondness and a weary recognition. "I still remember the few times I saw you standing beside Father before you chose to step away… young, with raw talent and a reckless streak — stubborn, sharp-tempered. Back then everyone expected tremendous personal prowess from you but doubted your capacity to lead men. In the end they were right about some things… but you've finally begun to show true leadership." He studied her for a long beat, as if cataloguing the small changes time had carved into her.

"…I've gone through too much in my life to believe that personal strength alone is everything." Helen tilted her head further, a small, rueful smile ghosting her lips. The line left open whether she referred to the long, bitter war with Ghasan or the night she struck at Jura; both possibilities hung in the air like distant thunder.

Hadeson offered a faint, resigned smile and waved a hand to break the heaviness. "Enough of that — practical matters." He leaned forward, voice slipping back into the businesslike calm he preferred. "Do you have enough Pearls for the Great Space Gate? It will cost you another hundred thousand for the return trip." He raised one brow; the request sounded oddly pragmatic coming from a woman famed as the lady of poverty and ruin.

"I can raise any sum easily these days. I have my ways," Helen replied, nodding with a confidence that belonged partly to experience and partly to careful calculation. She folded her hands for a moment, then looked up. "So—see you at First Brother's, then?"

"I'll see you there... in time." Hadeson inclined his head once more, then — with a soft whoosh as if someone had drawn a curtain across the room — he vanished, leaving only the faint scent of ozone and the echo of his last words.

———

Young Sector 99 — Planet Nihari

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"How many fleets do we have ready today? We've got a big order!"

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