The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Imperial Palace Complex)

"Move! Move! Move!"

"Come on we need the decorations in the hall yesterday!"

"Amelia and Keira! I want you two to handle the meal preparation. Contact all the finest chefs on Planet Gaia and reserve their services!"

There was an air of desperation and busyness as thousands of servants rushed to and from the numerous palaces that made up the Imperial Housing Complex.

The ceremony to select the future leader of the Human side of the Federation was going to take place in a week's time.

Of course, the actual event was to be held on the planet Cerulean Prime, but the opening ceremony was going to be hosted here.

This was an event that would occur once in every tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years.

The late Emperor Sisrelis for instance had ruled over five hundred thousand years before his untimely and unexpected death.

Not that the servants would ever speak of it.

What the late Emperor had done had badly damaged the reputation of the Imperial Family.

All who worked in the palace knew about the incident as did much of the Federation due to the magnitude of the event and those who were affected.

It was impossible to shut the mouths of a group of the most powerful nobles in the upper echelons of society especially when they had lost their heirs.

But for the ordinary workers of the palace… they could not say a word if they wanted to keep their jobs or more importantly… their necks.

A dapper looking elderly gentleman wearing a black tuxedo strode into the dining hall and looked around to see how the setting up of the decorations was going.

This elderly man had been employed by the Imperial Family for over three hundred years. His name was Chen Wei.

Chen Wei had gone from a humble butler to one of the core operations managers responsible for the day-to-day affairs of certain sections of the palace.

It was a position that demanded a great deal of hard work, long hours and time spent away from his family.

But it was all worth it.

Luxurious crystalline chandeliers hung from the ceiling, statues carved in the likeliness of past emperors and empresses were scattered across the hall and there were other pieces of art as well.

"Have the guest invitations been sent out?" Chen Wei asked a woman dressed in a low-cut grey business suit.

"Yes sir!" the woman quickly replied.

"Only the high noble families have been invited to the opening ceremony and most have expressed interest in attending."

"So far only a handful of duchies have declined, and I believe that it is because they wish to remain neutral."

"But sir…"

The woman's voice trailed off as she looked around the hall to see if anyone was listening before taking a few steps closer.

"Who do you think will be the next…" she began to speak but the Chen Wei quickly cut her off by raising up his right hand.

"Do not speak of such matters. We will simply serve the new master of the Imperial Family if he or she chooses to continue to employ our services," he replied calmly.

He reached into his pocket for a smooth metalloid tablet and pulled up the document regarding the list of locations that he needed to inspect.

"Keep up the good work," Chen Wei said to the woman before walking away towards the western section of the palace.

Despite his words, he was also curious about who would be the next leader of the Imperial Family since his keeping his job would depend on the goodwill of the new monarch.

Rumors had already begun to travel and most agreed that the crown prince would be the safest bet to ascend the throne.

But Chen Wei wasn't so sure.

The past succession ceremonies to choose the next leader of the Imperial Family rarely ended with the favourite contender as the winner.

There were just too many factors to consider.

In a life and death struggle the person with the higher cultivation level was not always guaranteed to win against those below them.

Well… there was nothing he could do except make sure that everything went smoothly at the opening ceremony and then take things one day at a time.

Chen Wei wandered through the numerous halls, corridors, and side passageways until he arrived at the western wing of the castle.

The opening ceremony was a two-day affair so the nobles taking part would have to rest in one of the many available guest rooms.

The accommodations would all be luxurious but of course the best rooms would go to the high nobles and their associates.

Chen Wei knocked on one of the doors and it was opened by a beautiful maid wearing an elegant black dress.

"Sir! I have finished cleaning!" the maid saluted as she gestured for the elderly man to step inside. Chen Wei nodded his head and then entered the room.

This wing was reserved for viscounts and counts, so the space was large but not too spacious. It was around the size of a two-bedroom apartment.

There were three beds, a small hot tub in the corner of the room, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a private study area.

The floors were covered in an expensive fur carpet made from the wool of an endangered species of genetically modified hounds from the Andromeda Galaxy.

Chen Wei walked around the room and carefully examined every nook and cranny to make sure that nothing was out of place.

"Good job," he finally turned to the maid and spoke.

"But… why are you wearing that?"

"The high nobles are assigned personal maids and butlers to look after their needs, so I volunteered to be one of the servants," the maid replied cheerfully.

"Are you sure? Some nobles do not treat servants… well…" Chen Wei's voice trailed off and he left certain words unspoken.

A young and beautiful maid was the prime target for one of those lustful nobles or aristocrats who were jealous of her beauty.

"I'm sure!" the maid replied firmly as she curled up her fingers into a tight fist. If she could attract the attention of an upper-class noble, then she would be set for life.

Even if she was only a mistress… that would be more than enough. Better yet… if she could get pregnant with a child…

Her friend Angelica was given a blank cheque of one million Enas to raise the daughter of a count who had an affair with her when he was staying in the Imperial Palace.

She was now living in a luxury home on the coast of Virvedean Beach and no longer had to work for the rest of her life.

Chen Wei sighed heavily as he saw the greedy emotions surfacing in the young maid's eyes.

Getting involved with nobles… rarely ended well.