“Lily.” Count Lamb stared at his daughter briefly before raising a question. “I thought I asked you to join a meeting. One that started five minutes ago.”

“Yes you did.” The young woman replied quietly, staring back at her father fearlessly. “And I decided not to.”

There was a moment of tension in the room as silence took hold. Count Lamb stood there, as still as a statue as he examined his daughter’s expression. Most people that dared talking to Count Lamb, or any Imperial Noble, like this would quickly find themselves paying the price in the most brutal way possible. Yet that would never happen to the young woman.

For a second, Count Lamb seemed annoyed at the defiance from his daughter, but that annoyance quickly disappeared. His relationship with his sixteen-year-old daughter was never the best. When Lily was little, he would be gone most of the time, usually to war with one enemy or another. It was only during the recent years that he was able to settle down in System Obsidian and spend some time with his family.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a fairy tale, and the three of them didn't live happily ever after. When Lily was 13, her mother was assassinated by a servant who happened to be an agent of a prominent group of rebels known as the People’s Alliance. The then-Baron hunted down every single person responsible, but in the end, what was lost couldn’t be regained no matter how many he slew.

Everything that happened, from not being there for her when she was a child to not being able to protect her mother, made Count Lamb feel very guilty toward his daughter more than anything else. If there was one weakness to the Count, then she was it. Regardless of what young Lily said or did, the Count couldn’t bring himself to punish her.

But this time, the Count had to make a stand. Knowing Lily wasn’t the biggest fan of his, Count Lamb turned to his sister and gestured for her to do the talking.

Laurel Lamb slowly walked to the sofa and sat down beside her niece.

“Look, Lily...it is important that you attend this meeting.” She said softly to the young woman. “There will be a lot of important people there, and it is imperative that you start getting to know all of them…”

“I know it’s important.” Lily replied, sounding slightly annoyed. Slowly, she raised the MI she was holding. “But there is something more important. Father. Aunt. I want to ask you two a question, and I hope that both of you can answer me honestly.”

Laurel frowned before turning back and exchanging a confused glance with Count Lamb. Neither of them knew what Lily was getting at, but both of them simply sat back and waited for Lily to continue.

“Count Gerard Wolf...was he really a traitor?”

The room became very silent very quickly as the question dropped.

For a second, Laurel frowned. Lies and deception raced to her mouth in the form of words of denial, but before she could say a thing, Count Lamb took a step forward and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Laurel. Do me a favor and run down to the conference room. Tell the others we will be running a little late.”

“Frederick…”

Laurel exclaimed as she stared at her brother in surprise. Of course she knew notifying the others was just an excuse. She was sent to do a job that could be done with a phone call, and the reason was obvious. Count Lamb wasn’t just going to tell his daughter the same lie he told the public. No...he was going to tell her the truth.

Laurel agreed that as the future heir of the Count and all the associated power and influence, it was only fair for Lily to know the truth about what truly happened to Gerard Wolf. The only problem was she didn't seem ready yet. Unlike her father and her aunt, the young woman clearly didn't have the necessary strength to see the necessity of what was done.

“Trust me.” Frederick Lamb gave his sister another affirming nod. His words were smooth and calm. He wasn’t threatening Laurel. Instead, he was asking that she trust his judgment. This was ironic coming out of someone who ordered the death of hundreds of thousands that he saw as threats to his position.

“I...I see.” Finally, the sister gave in. She gave her two family members another glance before heading for the door.

As soon as Laurel left, Frederick Lamb sat down beside his daughter. His hand reached out to caress Lily’s face, but Lily nudged back, and Frederick quickly pulled his hand back.

“You look so much like your mother.” Frederick whispered quietly before drawing a deep breath. “You want to know the truth about Gerard?”

“Yes.” Lily replied quietly, hesitantly diverting her eyes to the side. “You told me he was a traitor. A spy for the Republic. You told everyone he was a traitor! But...but he can’t be!”

Frederick tilted his head. “Why not?” He asked quietly, a blank tone in his voice.

“There are so many reasons!” Lily snapped. “If he was a spy, why would he defend the territories of the Empire against so many Republic invasions? If he was a spy, then how did you find out about this? How did Duke Wells and Countess Valentine find out about this?”

The entire time, Count Lamb simply sat there and watched Lily in silence. The young woman continued.

“And if he was really a traitor, then why was him and his entire household assassinated? Why wasn’t he seized? He was an Imperial Noble! He should at least be given a chance to defend himself! Instead...instead, you had him assassinated! And...what about Alex and Amelia? Were they traitors too? Why did they have to die as well?”

Finally, Lily finished her outburst, and her father sighed before raising his voice to form a reply.

“How did you come up with all this?”

“I...I just thought of them myself.

“I see…” Frederick’s eyes glanced across the MI his daughter was holding, but he didn't push the issue. Instead, he turned and stared Lily in the eyes. The young woman looked to the side once again, dodging his father’s inquisitive gaze. “Look, Lily...if you are a common citizen, this is how I would answer your questions. He defended the Empire because he was trying to tear it down from the inside. Invasion fleets can only do so much, but if he managed to spread the false, poisonous republic ideologies in the Empire, well...that could’ve truly threatened the rule of his grace.”

“As for how I found out...I was informed by the Duke, who was notified by a spy he placed within the Republic’s intelligence agency. We couldn’t take him in alive because we didn't know who to trust within the system. The threat was just so dire that we had to adopt an unorthodox method...all for protecting the Empire, of course. As for Amelia and Alex...they tragically died in the crossfire. Simple as that.”

That was when Count Lamb suddenly snickered. His right hand reached up and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“Of course, that is what we would tell the common people. That is a lie crafted by teams that have countless experiences with propaganda. A lie that is repeatedly broadcasted across a hundred worlds. What I am about to tell you now, that is the truth.”

The Count leaned forward. He talked slowly, giving it time for every word to sink into Lily’s head. “Gerard wasn’t a traitor. He was a loyal Imperial Noble. I killed him, and his family and all his supporters, not because he was a threat to the Empire, but because he had grown weak. Survival of the strongest. That is the principle of the Empire. That is the very fabric in which our society and our hierarchy is crafted. Gerard...he had grown content with his position. He had grown weak and he had become an obstacle in my path to power, so I had him killed.”

For a second, Lily couldn’t believe what she just heard. Sure, she had her suspicions, but to hear it from her own father was so much more different! So much worse! She could feel her eyes turning red as tears raced to her eyes, but she forced them back. When she spoke up again, her voice was furious.

“But…but you were friends with Gerard! You saved his life many times! He saved yours even more!” She paused. “And...and what about Alex? And Amelia? We...we were so close...”

Given the relationship between the Wolf and the Lamb, it was no surprise that their children were close friends as well. The two kids were obviously not spies, so they were mainly kept out of the official story. Lily wept for them, and now, the idea that her friends were killed because of the greed and desire of her father...it made her beyond furious.

“I took no pleasure in their deaths, just like I took no pleasure in what happened to Gerard.” Frederick Lamb sighed as he saw the disgust in his daughter’s eyes. He could tell his daughter was mad, and who could blame her? Still, he hoped she would see reason. “What I did was out of necessity.”

“Necessity? What you did was a betrayal of the highest order!” Lily snapped.

“Yes it was. So what?” The Count’s reply was as calm and collected as always.

Honestly, if it was up to Count Lamb, he would’ve started teaching Lily about the harsh reality of this galaxy since she was a child. This was a common thing for Imperial Nobles to do. Toughen them up while they were young. Teach them that only certain lives held value and that betrayal was as much of an option as remaining loyal.

Yet the Count never got that opportunity. For all of her attractions, his wife was a naive woman in heart, and she made Lily almost as naive as she was. By the time the Count returned to his daughter, he found himself dealing with a young woman who resented his ways. Unfortunately for him, Frederick couldn’t bring himself to force anything upon his daughter.

All he could do was try to convince her with words.

“Look, Lily...you are still too young to understand this, but we live in a cruel and deadly universe. Moral means nothing. Ethics mean nothing. Justice is merely the will of the mighty. Those who hold power can do anything they wish while those without power have nothing. No dignity. No respect. There will be no hell for the wicked, nor will there ever be a heaven for the just. You may not agree with it, but this is how things are.”

Once again, he could see the anger in his daughter’s eyes, but he continued nonetheless.

“Yes. I did some horrible things to people who trusted me. Innocent people. Yet...I did what I did to maintain and expand my power, and everything that came with it. Wealth. Influence. Respect. If I did nothing and stayed with Gerard to the end...we would’ve lost everything, including our lives. Especially our lives. You can see me as a monster, Lily, but I will never regret my actions.”

For a second, the man seemed like a loving, caring father...until one remembered that loving, caring father had millions burned and executed for crimes they may or may not have committed.

“Well, it’s settled then.” Lily said quietly. It was clear she was completely disappointed at her father’s words. “What else is there to say?”

She looked down on her MI, silently signaling to the Count that it was time for him to leave. But the Count wasn’t finished just yet.

“You know...when most people are faced with things they don’t agree with, they have no choice but to accept it for what it is. Their opinions, like their lives, are meaningless to those truly in charge. When reality wrongs them, there is nothing they can do to fight back. But that is not true in your case, Lily.”

“What...what do you mean?”

“You are my daughter, Lily.” The Count replied, showing clear signs of compassion in his voice. “It may be tomorrow. It may be thirty years from now. But one day, I will die. Laurel will die. When we are both gone, you will be the leader of the Lamb family. You will be Lily Lamb, Imperial Countess and Mistress of the Obsidian System. Your son or daughter will also bear the name of Lamb. You will hold the fate of hundreds of billions in your hands, and Battlefleet Obsidian will act at your will.”

“When that time comes, you will be the goddess of a hundred worlds. Your words will be law. Within these worlds, Your decree will be as effective as the commands of the Holy Emperor himself. At that point, you will be able to implement changes, any changes, that you see fit. You can grant your people civil rights. You can give them the freedom and justice that I stripped away from them. In fact, you can even tell the galaxy the truth about Gerard Wolf...if such is your will, although I would not recommend it.”

As he spoke, Frederick Lamb could see the impact of his words on the young woman. What he said was tempting...and true. Of course, he knew that even if she did become the Countess, she would find herself in plenty of trouble if she tried to make the same reforms Gerard Wolf did. After all, making reforms meant touching the profit of the military and civil leaders, and that seldomly ended well. Just look at Gerard Wolf.

Still, that didn't stop Count Lamb from using this promise, the promise of power and the changes it could bring, as bait. For better or for worse, Lily needed to grow up and be prepared for the noble title that would eventually be bestowed upon her, and getting her to join the meeting today would be a good start.

Count Lamb glanced at his daughter again. Now he could see a small fire ignited in her eyes. The flames of ambition. The flames of hope. This only made the man grin in satisfaction.

“Very well. Now, get dressed. You have a meeting to attend, my daughter.”