Public Speech
"Your Highness Alyssa, are you ready?"
Gabriel had completed every aspect of the reception hall's preparations for Alyssa the Worm Queen's first public address. From the layout to the displays, from the furnishings to the lighting. She felt even more nervous than Alyssa herself, having gone over and over the details countless times since morning. From the pheromones of her housekeeping officers, she could sense that they were getting agitated by her nitpicking.
That was it. Gabriel forced herself not to worry about the asymmetrical bouquet of flowers behind the throne. She stepped into the lounge next to it and decided to check Her Majesty Alyssa's attire again.
When she saw the insect mother bathed in the morning light from the starry window in the lounge dome, she was speechless for a moment.
Alyssa wore a floor-length gown, cinched in waist and woven from fine silvery silk spun by the Korda silkworm. Mixed with tiny fragments of star diamonds, it shimmered like the glimmer of stars as she moved, reflecting the changing light. Below her slender waist, the gown was stretched open by layers of translucent, iridescent gauze, as if concealing the most beautiful, iridescent wings of the butterfly race. The gown had a sleek, stand-up collar, edged with a narrow, gold-trimmed lace, a touch of gold that perfectly echoed the golden eyes of the Worm Queen.
Miranda was crowning Alyssa. The olive branch crown, inlaid with countless diamonds, rested between Alyssa's black hair, and a king, dignified yet gentle, regal yet not extravagant, appeared before Gabriel.
Alyssa raised her eyes to look at Gabriel, and that glance made Gabriel know that the person in front of him was still the familiar, gentle and kind Her Majesty Alyssa, but she was fully prepared.
Prepare to become the undisputed king of the Zerg.
Gabriel's heart settled down, no longer needing her to make adjustments. Her Majesty Alyssa would conquer the billions of people waiting to watch the live broadcast on Starnet, just as she had conquered her, Ryan, and Flora.
Gabriel opened the carved door made of a white beetle shell for the Zerg Queen. Alyssa walked into the reception hall with her chest held high and her head held high, stepping on the thick red carpet. She walked into the different perspectives given by dozens of micro cameras and into the attention of billions of Zerg.
Alyssa smiled calmly. She knew that, just like in the past few live broadcasts, Sewell would definitely take the lead and present her best side.
Seville… Seville wasn’t as relaxed as Alyssa had imagined. He stared intently at the iridescent gauze skirt that showed when Alyssa moved, his eyes turning almost dark purple.
"Woo woo woo, on such a momentous occasion, Your Majesty Alyssa, wear the wings of our Illusionary Butterfly. Woo woo woo, Your Majesty Alyssa, I will follow you until death!"
Seville could barely hear Isabella's howling beside him. The weight of affection from a superior made Seville feel like he was being crushed. He was terrified, yet willing to accept it.
He wanted to split himself into the smallest and stickiest honey in the world and wrap Alyssa up in all directions.
He wanted to become the flowers, the piano, the scepter in Alyssa's hand, and anything else that was deeply connected to her, and from then on, he wanted to be integrated into her life and never be separated from her.
"I know you are happy, but don't emit this kind of estrus pheromones! Do your job well!" Isabella slapped Sevier on the back of the head to wake him up.
Elsewhere, Alyssa had already taken her seat on the throne, caressing it subtly, the throne forged from the chrysalis of the Hundred-Ren Insect Queen.
Mother, Your Majesty, Primal Worm Mother, please grant me strength.
"Good morning, everyone. I, Alyssa Kairos, will explain the issues that have been of concern to the public on Starnet recently."
"First, I want to apologize to all the people. The root of your unrest lies in my dereliction of duty. As the Worm Queen, I failed to provide you with a way to alleviate your restlessness; I failed to provide you with a sufficiently safe and reliable production environment; I failed to allow you to live in a peaceful and prosperous era where you don't have to take risks for your livelihood."
All the insects with internet access were watching the Mother's livestream intently. When they saw the Mother, even smaller than a newly transformed young, begin by tackling the root causes of problems that previous generations of Mothers had failed to resolve, the high wall of distrust they had built in their hearts lowered a few inches.
Alyssa's voice was steady. "I'm not shy about my experience of being accidentally stranded in ancient human society. Because of that accident, the meteorite stone was extinguished, leaving many insects far away from the Saint Hobel Palace with no way to resolve their mental agitation. But fortunately, I have returned."
Alyssa talked about the problem with Drake, the former commander of the Third Legion, that she discovered at the Thanksgiving dinner after her return, and the strange phenomena she found in the spiritual world of Drake and his subordinates at that time; then she talked about her encounter with Meyer on the campus of Tsukumi Hoshiin, who almost degenerated into an alien species, and how she saw the shattering of Meyer's spiritual world before Meyer's death; finally, she mentioned the abnormal behavior of the Third Legion's military insects in the insect battle. All of these were supported by detailed inspection reports.
"...In recent years, even though our Third Legion's Zerg warriors have been constantly battling the aliens at the border, the aliens have only continued to grow in number. I've tasked the Third Legion with capturing some of the aliens alive at the border and bringing them back for testing. I'm also conducting genetic analysis on the remains of the aliens I've captured. I have reason to suspect that excessive use of primordial honey may be the culprit behind the deterioration of the Zerg and the increase in the number of aliens."
The Worm Mother finally explained the hints that hadn't been made clear in the official announcement during the live broadcast, inevitably causing a panic on Starnet. But the Worm Mother's expression remained gentle, her tone calm. After a brief commotion, everyone forced themselves to quiet down and continue listening to the Worm Mother's speech.
"In light of all the above, I have decided to continue the policy of prohibiting the use of virgin honey that was in place during my mother's tenure. However, considering that the meteorite stone has not yet been lit, this policy will be implemented in the military in the first phase and will not be mandatory for the civilian population for the time being."
"Due to the high deterioration rate of the Third Army due to its distance from the Saint Joseph's Palace, the high intensity of combat, and the heavy workload, the Saint Joseph's Palace Guards and the First Army will be replaced in batches with the Third Army. I will personally conduct mental refresher sessions for the returning soldiers."
The moment these words were spoken, the high-ranking families erupted in an uproar. Tiger, Ryan, and Flora's computers bounced around on their desks, as if a hornet's nest had been stirred. Seeing that the three legion leaders refused to answer the call, the other insects turned to the Resolution Court, "Lord Alfonso! Are you unaware of such a major resolution?"
Alfonso twisted his brain and glared fiercely at the insect mother who was still giving a speech on the projection screen. "She really... doesn't need us anymore."
Alyssa knew she was doing something that seriously affected the core interests of the Zerg's higher families. The First Legion and the Guards contained numerous members of these families, and sending them into the most dangerous battlefields would likely lead to backlash from established political forces.
The Worm Queen was the mother of all Worms, but since when had she become a resource monopolized by the higher-ranking families? Her mother, aware of this injustice, had been striving to break the deadlock. If it weren't for that accident, she believed that choosing Wolf Black Armor, from a small, obscure family on a remote planet, as the Queen's mother would have also achieved great success.
She couldn't just be a worm queen protected by the high-ranking families of the five star chains.
It was difficult, but someone had to do it. She was grateful to Ryan and his father, the supreme commander of the Guards and the First Army, for their unwavering support. She wasn't fighting alone... no, she was fighting alone.
If the original worm mother is destined to have a different appearance from all previous worm mothers, then let her do things that all previous worm mothers would not do.
Alyssa continued, "...Although it's not mandatory for the public, I, as a Worm Mother, am here to advise everyone to stay away from Chu Mi. To address everyone's mental agitation, I've proposed developing the 'Today's Throne' app. I'll be livestreaming my personal life through this app. I hope that through this app, you can witness my growth and feel that the Worm Mother is with you. I also hope that the spiritual comfort methods I use during the livestream will be equally effective for you after being shared online, helping you reduce your dependence on Chu Mi."
"All the profits from this app belong to me personally, and I will donate them all to improve the living and working conditions of the impoverished Zerg on remote planets."
"I will also do my best to make the meteorites on each planet light up as soon as possible. Finally, I want to say..."
Alyssa's always serious face softened, her brows slightly raised, replaced with the innocent look that Gabriel couldn't resist every time she looked at him like this: "I'm still growing, please give me some time, and please grow with me."
"Thank you everyone."
The live broadcast ends.
The floating micro-cameras withdrew one by one, and Alyssa's tense body relaxed. Her back felt hot, soaked with sweat from nervousness that had seeped through her clothes. Beneath the throne, within her sight, stood Gabriel, Ryan, Vio, Flora... along with the chamberlains and Tiger Guards of the Saint-Hobelu Palace. They applauded Alyssa enthusiastically, and finally, Alyssa was able to smile easily.
She has never been a bug in battle.
Seville's call also came in. When Alyssa saw Seville's name and portrait jumping on the intelligent computer, her eyes instantly brightened several shades.
She hurriedly nodded to everyone who was still applauding under the throne, picked up her long skirt, grabbed the intelligent computer, and ran into the private lounge.
After closing the door, as soon as Seville’s projection appeared, he couldn’t wait to say to Alyssa: “I love you.”
Alyssa felt the heat on her back rush up to her face: "How, how..." Why is he suddenly so blunt! He was so restrained when we were talking last night!
"I'm afraid your life will be constantly livestreamed, and I can no longer express my love to you directly like this." Sewell's eyes were blazing. "Why did you choose this dress?"
"Because, because..." Alyssa covered her face with her hands, trying to cool it down. This morning, when the housekeeper brought her a dress to choose from, she immediately fell in love with this gauze dress, which was a similar color to Seville's butterfly wings. She felt very safe wrapped in a dress like this.
"I know it even if you don't say it." Sewell's eyes seemed to be a little moist. "Alyssa, I'm so happy. I don't know how to express it in words. If I were by your side, I would want to wrap you up with my wings."
Seville stretched out his hand, as if trying to grab Alyssa in the projection: “I am so lucky to have your love. I am the luckiest bug in the world.”
Alyssa couldn't adapt to Sewell's surging and intense emotional expression, and hurriedly changed the subject: "I said I would donate all my personal income without discussing it with you... Will it cause you any trouble?"
"Whatever you give me is an honor. My Worm Queen, the love of my life." Sewell knelt on one knee beside Alyssa's dazzling, full-skirted skirt. His tentacles gradually rose and turned the same color as Alyssa's skirt. "I said, earning a fortune is my business."
Alyssa smiled sweetly. She placed her hand on the hand that Seville's projection had stubbornly extended. Her face was filled with the complacency and shyness of a young girl who had conquered her beloved's heart. "I'll be live streaming in the future. There will be many, many bugs who like me. You're in danger."
Seville gently kissed Alyssa’s phantom fingertips: “You are worth it.”
----
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
