Chapter Sixty-Six: Ivy's Concerns

*On Lucilia's ship*

"What's the status?" Lucilia asked Rumia on the bridge of the ship.

"They have entered the enemy ship and are currently out of contact. The escort team has returned to base and is being prepped for the assault team." Rumia said.

"Good, I'm heading down to the hangar to prepare. Make sure as soon as that signal changes color, you notify the assault team." Lucilia said.

"Of course, princess." Rumia said, bowing.

Lucilia walked down the hallway, and as soon as she was out of sight of anyone, she took a deep breath. She was unnerved about the mission, especially since Ren was in there without her. She didn't like to be separated from Ren, and him sneaking onboard a ship full of men who'd kill him on sight didn't help her nerves any.

"It's ok, Lucilia." a voice said from behind her.

Lucilia turned around and noticed it was her mother standing in the shadows.

"What are you? A Assassin?" Lucilia asked.

"I can be if I need to be. Anyway Lucilia..." Ivy said before walking over to a nearby bench and sitting on it while patting the open seat next to her. "Let's talk."

Lucilia listened to her mother and sat next to her.

"What do you have planned, Lucilia?" Ivy asked.

"What do you mean?" Lucilia questioned in response.

"I'll be blunt. Do you plan to overthrow your father?" Ivy asked.

Lucilia didn't say a word in response to her mother's question, which made Ivy smile upon seeing it.

"So you're not denying it. Do you intend to replace him with Ren then?" Ivy asked.

Lucilia once again said nothing.

"Don't act like I'll snitch on you, Lucilia; I hate him as much as you do. In fact, I was offering my support." Ivy said before wrapping an arm around her daughter.

"Wait...what?" Lucilia asked in surprise.

"Why are you so shocked? Tell me, outside of letting me birth you, what has he done for me as his wife? All I used to do was sit around the Imperial Palace watching him...be with other women who were as bright-eyed as I was when he told me he loved me. Each of them ended up exactly like me in the end, though, just another woman." Ivy explained.

"Wait...okay I get why you'd be against him...but why are you telling me this?" Lucilia asked.

Ivy smiled "Because I wanted to ask you. Do you think there is even a chance Ren ends up like your father?"

Lucilia got angry at her mother's words, slapping away her arm and getting up off the bench.

Ivy tried to diffuse the situation "Don't get me wrong, I like Ren. He seems like a kind boy with a good heart; he's also handsome to boot. But power corrupts. He already has a growing harem, so I'm just worried, Lucilia... I don't want you to wind up like me. Falling in love with someone who only see's you as a conquering achievement."

Lucilia sighed. She knew what kind of pain her mother went through with her father. Being treated like she was his empress, the one he loved. Only once had she given birth to be tossed away like nothing more than a body to him. She sat and watched him take new wives after new wives while she was left alone to take care of Lucilia. She tried her best, but she didn't know everything about being a mother, so she hired maids that she trusted. These maids had served her family for years, and she also hired young girl maids as well. That way, Lucilia could grow up with girls her age and become friends with them since she couldn't leave the house much.

Lucilia sat back down next to her mother before grabbing her hand and holding it "I understand where your concern comes from, Mom; more than anybody, I've seen what that man has done to you, and I will never forgive him for that. But Mom, Ren isn't like our father. He doesn't treat us as just crowning achievements. While I do wish he'd be with us a little more, he has also taken a lot of responsibility onto himself. I mean, look at the situation we are in right now. He had no connections to Tsukiko and no responsibility to help her or her daughters, but he volunteered for this mission. He voluntarily put himself in life-or-death danger to help two girls he had never met and Tsukiko, whom he had only talked to once. Ren isn't selfish like my father. I believe he can help lead Volaria to a better age. At least one is better than my father. Aurelia and Octavia both agree with me on that. I do expect a power struggle once we do make that move in the future, but with our combined influence, we might just be able to do it. Dethrone our tyrant of a father and have a truly good man be our Emperor. Mother...please trust me when I tell you, Ren isn't Dad."

Ivy sighed upon hearing her daughter's words. She respected everything she said and thought about each word. "I will give him a chance. I do like Ren; I think he's a good person, but if I see him start to change...you know I will take matters into my own hands."

Lucilia's eyes darkened "You will not touch him with the intention of harming him. If he strays, I will force him back into the light."

Ivy smiled upon hearing this "Good...but speaking of touching? Do I get a turn with him?" Ivy had fallen back into her usual persona, a MILF that likes to tease.

"MOM!" Lucilia cried out.

*On the Rebel ship*

Ren and the infiltration team were continuing to go down the corridors, looking for a way to go down a level.

It was then that Serenity, who had taken point, closed her hand, signaling everyone to hold their positions.

Two guards were talking out of a room carrying trays of food.

"So isn't that fox bitch supposed to be coming soon?" one of them said.

"Yup." another guard said.

"So when she comes, we get paid, right? I mean, this should be a pretty easy job." the first guard said.

"Yup." the other guard said.

"Why are you just saying "yup"? Don't you know any other response?" the first guard said.

"Nope." the other guard said.

"What the hell, man? Are you tired or something?" the first guard said.

"I was on guard duty last night watching over the fox woman's daughters." the other guard said.

"And?" the first guard asked.

"The red-headed one decided to make me stay up all night while she sang...and she was worse than a drunk man at a bar..." the other guard said.

"She couldn't have been that bad, right?" the first guard asked.

The other guard looked at him with anger and said, "I would rather hear the screams of a rakashan from planet Arsa..."

The first guard looked shocked "She was...that bad?"

"Yup...so bad that when I was finally relieved from guard duty, I had nightmares about it when I tried to get some shut eye..." the other guard replied.

"Wow, man, I'm sorry... Wait, she sang...all night?" the first guard said.

"Yup..." the other guard said, sighing.

"Why did you just hit her?" the first guard asked.

"Can't hurt the merchandise, CO's orders." the other guard said.

Serenity signaled Laelli and Ren to move forward to take out the talking guards. Both of them nodded as they moved closer and closer to them.

"So... I heard Tentacle ship IV was available on spacehub..." the first guard said.

"Dude, I do not care about spacehub right now...all I want is sleep." the other guard said.

"Happy to oblige." Ren said before grabbing the tired guard in a chokehold.

"What the fu-" the first guard tried to say before Laelli punched him, knocking him out cold.

Once the tired guard was knocked out, Ren got up and said to the knocked-out tired guard "Well maybe now you can get some sleep."

Ren and the infiltration team continued to move up and eventually found a staircase leading down to the next floor of the ship.

*A half hour later, back on Lucilia's ship*

Lucilia was in her knight doing some last-minute checks "Listen up, assault team; once we get word from Rumia, it is go time. All teams will launch our planned offensive. First, we take out their cannons on the outside of the ship, which will allow the evac shuttle to make way and pick Ren and the others up. Once the shuttle confirms its passengers, Tyler, Aleyda, and Ceti, you will escort them back to our ship. Once we have the princesses secured, we launch all that we have against the ship. Do you understand?"

"Yes Princess!" Aleyda and Ceti said on the comms.

"Yeah, I understand." Tyler replied.

It was long before Rumia called the assault team.

"The stick is green. I repeat, the stick is green. Launch the assault."

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