Kate Windsor pinched the hem of her skirt and said with a confused look, "But having children is originally the duty of the female."
She murmured softly as if she were repeating the teachings her mother had imparted to her.
"Besides, whether to give birth or not is in the female’s own hands. If she truly doesn’t want to, the Beast Husband can’t force it."
"Then let me ask you a question."
Selene Kane lifted her eyes, her light-colored pupils staring directly.
Inadvertently, she placed her hand on her chest, wondering how Miss Kane’s gaze could be more intimidating than the Empress Mother?
"Please go ahead."
"Who set this rule?"
"Of course, my mother did."
Kate Windsor blurted out, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
"Mother is the greatest ruler. The rules she set are naturally for the stability of the Star Sector."
Eliza Windsor stood up and sighed softly.
"Didn’t expect Miss Kane to see through my intentions so quickly."
She slowly walked to the window, back facing the two, her figure appearing exceptionally lonely in the dim light.
"Yes, I did think the same."
Her expression was somber, as if lost in a past she did not wish to recall.
That memory held betrayal, blood, betrayal from closest of kin, and the death of a beloved.
She had once kneeled in a pool of blood holding her child’s corpse, and had once stood above ten thousand people overlooking the masses.
A moment later, her gaze returned to calm.
"Interstellar civilization has developed for tens of thousands of years, always under male authority."
She slowly spoke.
"Wars were waged by them, laws defined by them, history written by them. Females were just accessories, tools, vessels for lineage continuation."
"And I, as a Princess, killed my husband, drove away my father, and ultimately ascended to the throne as an Outlander."
"Therefore, my daughter, Kate Windsor, you must take on this crown and inherit my position."
She turned around, her gaze intently locked on her daughter.
"Not for power, but to preserve the dignity we exchanged our lives for."
"Only when the female truly stands at the highest point can we safeguard our rightful place."
In the cold dungeon, Eliza Windsor stood unmoving.
At this moment, Selene Kane suddenly understood her painstaking efforts.
She was driven to desperation, sacrificing everything, just to ensure her daughter’s smooth succession.
Not out of a love for power, but because she saw the truth too clearly.
Once power is lost, all efforts become bubble dreams, all sacrifices meaningless.
An elite being, as a fertile female, ascended the throne solely by her own merit, not relying on male glory.
She not only changed her fate but radically altered the situation for all females in the Star Sector.
Perhaps females had status before, but there was never a ruler who could elevate their position to such heights.
Kate Windsor looked at her mother with bewilderment, fingers slightly clenched.
Her eyes welled with tears, her voice trembling.
"But... fathers respect you greatly, and they have always cherished me."
"Is it really that serious? Even if my brother becomes Emperor, I’m still the only Princess."
She had never faced malice.
Surrounded by love, cared for, praised from a young age.
Except for slightly weak spiritual power, she never felt inferior in any other aspect.
In her heart, her mother was the most admirable person.
She also wanted to be a female like her mother.
Continue the lineage for her beloved, maintain a stable home, protect the harmony and honor of the family.
"Silly child."
The Empress shook her head slowly.
"You don’t understand... you’ve been sheltered too well, always living under the safe wings, never truly facing the cost of life. Even though today’s medical technology is at its peak, even though gene regulation, embryo cultivation, painless childbirth are already widespread, childbirth still carries unavoidable damage to the female body."
"When I gave birth to my eldest son... that night, blood flowed like a river, contractions tore through my nerves, consciousness teetered on the edge of life and death repeatedly. I almost died on the delivery bed, it took three whole days and nights crawling back from the gates of hell. That pain can’t be entirely alleviated by machines, that fear can’t be described in words."
Kate Windsor clutched her mouth tightly, her eyes instantly turning red with tears, her pupils contracting sharply.
"This... this can’t be!"
"Childbirth technology was thoroughly addressed thousands of years ago! Non-invasive delivery, artificial womb, nerve blocking systems, it’s already widespread everywhere. How can childbirth be dangerous? It doesn’t cause deaths! Mom, don’t try to scare me with this, it’s not true, it can’t be true!"
At that moment, Selene Kane, who had just given birth, couldn’t bear listening anymore and leaned weakly on the medical chair.
"What Your Majesty said is true."
She gasped, the corners of her forehead still glistening with cold sweat.
"Surviving doesn’t mean it wasn’t painful. The kind of pain that penetrates the bones, tears through the nerves, the illusion that every bone is being crushed. When I gave birth, it was painful to the point of losing consciousness, painful to the point of begging the doctor for a dose of euthanasia. If it weren’t for the chief physician’s rich experience and timely handling of fetal distress and massive hemorrhage, I definitely wouldn’t have endured the difficulty of childbirth."
She looked down at her still slightly swollen abdomen.
"So much blood loss, the rescue lasted nearly six hours, blood pressure almost dropped below the danger line. To survive, it truly was luck."
She raised her head slightly, her gaze sweeping across everyone present.
"I made the right decision to come here for childbirth. The technology here is too advanced, full intelligent monitoring, AI-assisted delivery, every slightest fluctuation in vital signs can be immediately intervened. Zero mortality rates, it’s frightening. No wonder they regard childbirth so lightly because they don’t realize that elsewhere, every birth could be a deadly gamble."
Kate Windsor’s eyes were still full of disbelief.
But Selene Kane was already too weary to explain further.
She closed her eyes, reclining back on the chair, with a cold smile inwardly.
No matter what... whether she becomes Empress or not.
As a female, she cannot escape the destiny of bearing children for the Beast Husband.
That’s the social structure, the iron law of species continuation.
Otherwise, how could the current Empress have so many offspring?
In the end, the so-called "high treatment" is just using status and resources to compensate for the indelible bodily trauma.
If she weren’t female herself, she wouldn’t want to meddle in this business.
The Empress stood up slowly, gently lifting the still shaking Kate Windsor.
"We will find out soon."
"If you truly can make my child’s spiritual power stronger, no matter by what means, whatever you want, I will give it to you."
She paused, her gaze sharp, promising word by word.
"Fame, money, power, status, as long as you ask, I’ll give it all to you. The entire Empire’s resources, at your disposal."
After she finished speaking, she closed her eyes, and reopened them, her expression already extremely firm.
Not long after, a white-robed physician hurried in.
None other than the famed cold and aloof top scientist—Shaun.
"Your Majesty."