The reflection of the setting sun could not hide a man's silhouette standing behind the window. And though the man was handsome, he could not compete with the sunset. Today, the clouds had donned their prettiest blush tones and a flock of azure birds glided across the sky that had turned into a beautiful gradient of oranges, pinks and blues. Nature had painted such a picture in front of the man, but his downward gaze instead fell upon the metropolis spread at his feet.

  What was he thinking about? No one would be able to tell from his expression alone. The man's golden eyes were clear and his dark brows relaxed.

  He showed no reaction to the footsteps resounding behind his back—their echoes bounced around the giant near-empty room, before the other person came to a stop and silence befell the space.

  It was only for a moment, but felt as though it had stretched for much longer.

  “Speak.” The man said curtly in a tone that was neither cold nor warm.

  “Of course, Admiral.” The response came from Reynard, whose looks and voice were awfully similar to the man, except that his complexion looked much younger and so was the sound of his voice. “The ETSD has reported confirmation of significant damage being dealt to the fifth regiment. The presumed status is ‘annihilation’, pending verification in the coming six to eight days.” They were expecting this ever since the copious amounts of smoke had risen above the horizon.

  Such outcome was a shame, though neither was it a surprise to the Admiral nor had the regiment belonged to his province. The only reason it had been stationed on his land was the access to the border and the mission itself was authorized elsewhere. That’s why this failure did not weight on his shoulders.

  “How have you proceeded?” This was what mattered to him most right now—how had his son reacted?

  And Reynard had naturally anticipated the question. “I have informed the marshals to begin spearhead preparations on our side and drafted regional aid request documents for after we receive the verification. I have also requested an updated evaluation of LRAD joint strike chances of success.” Truthfully, there wasn't much they should do, just because a 'presumed' status had been issued—a lot could be done, but this single province wouldn't play a hero, unlike a certain dead Major.

  As he listened, the Admiral's brows rose slightly and his eyes focused on a single spot in the city, where an enormous silver and black structure towered above the sea of buildings. It was the Empire's greatest weapon—the long range artillery. An energy cannon that measured hundreds of meters in height alone, armed with two rails to guide the payload.

  A fault within the previously defined physics laws had to be found to even allow its theoretical existence. A marvel of engineering and the pinnacle of arrangement technology.

  “What extent of preparations?” The Admiral still refused to drop hints in his tone on what he was thinking or feeling.

  This talk evolved for a while longer and the cause was simple—Reynard was his designated successor. However, that did not guarantee that he would become the next admiral. The purpose of this 'title' was only to signify the path his son was taking as a candidate.

  Every military lead officer—the rank of marshal or above—had the right to succession proceedings, meaning to train a candidate themselves. Because these ranks were special. A hierarchical promotion was not impossible, but not a requirement either. To qualify for such ranks, one had to adhere to an elaborate set of rules and the final selection was just as complex of a process.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  That's why the Admiral had discussed his son's actions and conclusions in-depth, but eventually Reynard exited his father's office and let out a long breath.

  “All good?” The sound of Atrice’s voice helped him feel at ease again. His friend was already done with her work for today, but came here to keep him company. Reynard’s topaz eyes met her malachite orbs and the corners of his lips lifted into a smile. “I will take that as a yes.” She spoke with a sigh and turned around, her blonde neck-long hair fluttering in the motion.

  The corridor windows faced eastward, so it was in the dim light coming from the lamps that a golden stripe and a four-pointed star shined on her pearl-white uniform.

  And Reynard’s gaze followed her, until he caught up so that they walked side-by-side. “He said that I shouldn’t have mobilized our troops yet.” There was a hint of disappointment in his tone—disappointment with himself, but he was happy overall. Though he knew, that the real test would come soon...

  “Well, he is the Admiral, but...” Atrice begun with an innocent peek behind herself. “If you hadn’t sentenced me to hell for the next few days, I would have said that you made the right call.” The tone of her voice was playful, but what she said was a fact. As a specialist major of the Advanced Technical Service Division, she was bound to work overtime during the preparations from tomorrow and onward.

  “Sorry about that...” Reynard gave her an embarrassed smile this time.

  “Are you really?” She squinted at him. From that alone, he could already guess what she was up to—“Then we’re going to Luxe now. On your tab.”

  Luxe Starlight Brasserie. A five-star restaurant on a rooftop under the moonlit sky.

  “Of course, Specialist Major!” He eagerly responded in feigned seriousness. Though it was true that she was, strictly speaking, of a higher rank than him—Reynard was the Admiral’s designated successor, but had no rank of his own. “This cone shall drive you there!” The ‘cone’ was unofficial slang for civilians working in military institutions.

  “Seriously...” Atrice couldn’t help but sigh again. She had said it as a joke—yes, this was her last free evening for at least a week, probably three, but—‘Seriously? Are you for real?’ The times Reynard had paid for her coffee or normal food were a few—now this was not normal. Because Luxe was notoriously expensive.

  Had it been the Admiral’s money she wouldn’t care, but he wasn’t the kind of father to spoil his son...

  Surprisingly enough, Reynard really drove there.

  The restaurant was on the highest floor of the most prestigious hotel in the city. The lobby was impressive enough, with marble decorations, red carpet and all, but both Atrice and Reynard were more amazed by the view on top—it was breathtaking, no matter how many times they’ve seen it.

  The sky itself was exceptionally beautiful tonight, but what couldn’t be described as anything less than magical, was the effect of the mirror-like surface covering the roof. The hotel was so tall that you couldn’t see any other buildings in the north, east or south, so when the brilliant sky was reflected by the floor, it brought about the sensation that you were floating on the endless firmament.

  That’s why, despite the prices, there were always many customers.

  Luckily, a waiter working here was Reynard’s friend from high school—and he was the Admiral’s son—so they were granted a VIP table without issues.

  “You are unreasonable.” Atrice said quietly as she continued to admire the view.

  “Why, thank you.” His father would have furrowed his brows right about now, but it was only Reynard and Atrice here.

  “Honestly, we should have come here after the dispatch, because I don’t think I will have the motivation now...” The words left her mouth absentmindedly, and her friend understood that. However...

  “Then let’s come here once things quiet down.” He would be happy to do so.

  At that, Atrice looked away from the view, her attention now on Reynard. For a moment she was speechless and stared at that gentle, charming smile of his. “Okay. On my tab.” She initially planned to pay for herself today, contrary to what they had said earlier, but... wasn’t this even better? ‘I am being unreasonable, too...’

  Perhaps it was because they wouldn’t get to see each other for a while, that neither of them could immediately look away. Both of them tried guessing what the other was thinking...

  They had known each other for quite some time, but it wasn’t long since they started meeting like this. At first it had been because their mutual friends hadn’t had the time, now it was just the two of them for no such reason—

  “Excuse me, Madam and Sir. May I take your order?” The waiter interrupted them and sent Reynard a smirk. It was his high school friend who didn’t have the time to go out tonight, but was here nonetheless.