Chapter 24 Unfortunately, You Did Not Win
Tessa felt a little embarrassed–giving out buns as prizes seemed rather stingy.
What she didn’t realize was that the audience had gone from surprise to pure euphoria.
Finished
A female was giving out gifts. A female was actually giving out gifts to them! Across the entire Empire, this was unheard of!
‘Pick me!‘
“Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!‘
‘I desperately need this bun. If I don’t get it, I swear I’ll fall into a deep depression.
‘May Solvyr bless me!”
However, with only 100 winners among billions of viewers, the odds were painfully slim.
At the military headquarters, work had just begun when sudden groans of despair rang out.
“Didn’t win!”
“Me neither–ugh, I’m gonna cry!”
“My luck is garbage!”
“What are you all doing?” A cold voice rang out like whispers of death.
The few staff members instantly stiffened, a chill running down their spines. Caught red–handed slacking off watching a live stream during work hours–by none other than Marshal Lyon himself. We are doomed.
Felix stood above them, gazing down with a quiet intensity. “You’re watching Tessa’s live stream?”
Losing the raffle was bad enough, but getting caught by him? That was a nightmare. If it had been any other superior, maybe they could’ve gotten away with it. But it just had to be the Marshal…
The room fell dead silent, like a flock of chickens suddenly strangled mid–squawk.
No one dared meet Felix’s gaze. They stammered out apologies–about how they shouldn’t have been slacking, how they shouldn’t have been watching a young female’s live stream at work, especially not in the military headquarters of all places.
But to their astonishment, Felix didn’t seem angry. He simply said, “Don’t let it happen again,” as if the whole thing was nothing more than a trivial matter.
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Chapter 24 Unfortunately, You Did Not Win
No punishment? No self–reflection report? Was that really Marshal Lyon? Or had someone impersonated him?
Back in his office, Felix lowered his gaze to the notification on his HoloCore.
‘Unfortunately, you did not win.”
The room was silent. For a long while, nothing moved. Then, faintly, a sigh was heard..
Finished
Had he lost his mind? Not only had he acted like one of those unruly, undisciplined young officers–watching Tessa’s live stream during work–but he also felt.. disappointed? Just because he didn’t win the raffle?
Such an obvious shift in emotion–Felix rarely experienced it. He let himself sit with the feeling for a moment, turning it over in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
Why would something so trivial stir any reaction in him at all?
Shaking his head, he reached for the stack of documents beside him.
That was the end of it. He had no reason to concern himself any further with that young female named Tessa.
He barely got through two lines before his HoloCore chimed.
“Tessa has sent you a friend request.’
Felix instinctively sat up straighter.
One second later, the request was accepted. He stared at the chat screen for a long moment. No message came through. Finally, he broke the silence.
‘Good morning, Lady Tessa.
It is simply a matter of etiquette, he told himself. Males ought to take the initiative to greet females first.
Meanwhile, Tessa was still agonizing over what to say to an elder, rewriting her message over and over. When she saw Felix’s greeting pop up first, she nearly jumped out of her chair.
She replied, Just call me by my name! Or Tess works too.
Being called Lady feels way too formal. I am not worthy of that title.
Felix responded almost instantly. ‘Alright, Tess.
It felt a little inappropriate to use a young female’s nickname when they had only just met, but since Tessa had offered, he saw no reason to refuse.
Tessa then wrote, “Sorry to bother you. I wanted to send you some of the breakfast we made. Are
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Chapter 24 Unfortunately. You Did Not Win
0
Finished
In interstellar logistics, addresses weren’t necessary. As long as a recipient was confirmed, the system would automatically locate them and deliver the package directly.
Felix replied, I’m at the military headquarters right now. You can send it here. Thank you, Tess.
Tessa was speechless. Sending buns to the military headquarters? Is that really allowed?
Back when she was in school, they didn’t even let students bring breakfast into the classroom. Maybe interstellar folks are just more easygoing about these things, she reasoned.
She wrote, ‘Got it. Alexander and I made the buns together. Hope you like them.
She added a little animated sticker of a bowing bunny.
By 9 a.m., the atmosphere at the military headquarters had turned serious. Everyone was fully focused on their work.
The morning meeting had just wrapped up. A few officers who had rushed in early hadn’t had time for breakfast. One of them pulled out a nutrient pack, downed it in one gulp, then grimaced. “This brand keeps getting worse.”
“Maybe we should just order takeout,” someone at the next workstation muttered.
Despite its intimidating reputation, the Empire’s military headquarters didn’t actually have that many strict rules. In fact, there was no official policy banning food during work hours.
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