Iliya returned to the Fia family's home planet, but before she could even see her father, she was placed under house arrest.

As for her mother, the Queen who ruled the Fia lineage, she had long since forgotten this daughter and certainly wouldn't spare a thought for where she was or what she was doing.

Sometimes, Iliya felt she ought to hate someone, but who could she possibly direct it towards? No one. She could only hate herself—hate her own powerlessness, the way they controlled her! And by extension, she ended up hating the entire world!

On her first day back in Fia, she felt utterly exhausted, yet relaxation was impossible here, especially without knowing the true intentions of her so-called father.

The next day, her nominal assistant—who was, in reality, a spy sent by her father—Thirteen Yu, finally appeared. Iliya observed his sanctimonious expression with cold detachment and instantly felt a sense of relief. What was coming had finally arrived.

Thirteen Yu approached her, holding a schedule, and leaned in slightly. "Young Mistress, your father wishes for you to attend the following engagements." Iliya offered a cold sneer, refusing to meet his gaze, only bestowing a sliver of attention once he had placed the illuminated screen flatly before her and flipped it open to the first page. May 18th, 7:30 to 9:00 PM: The birthday banquet for Lord Ningluo, the foremost noble of the Fia house. Below were listed the address and the major figures attending.

Thirteen Yu, a master of reading the room, saw her attention linger on the details and immediately, with a fawning gesture, presented a gold-embossed invitation. "This was personally sent to the Young Mistress by Lord Ningluo himself." Iliya merely scoffed.

Lord Ningluo, when boiled down to essentials, was nothing more than a second-generation wastrel who knew nothing beyond gluttony, debauchery, and gambling. His only leverage was the mere mention of the name Ningluo. In Fia, the Ningluo family was the largest entity apart from Fia itself, grown so immense that Fia now had to tread carefully around them. Iliya could guess with her little finger that her father intended to align with Ningluo to eliminate her mother, hence forcing her attendance.

Iliya deeply resented her current status. Fia had always been a matriarchy. Currently, the CEO of the Fia corporation—and effectively the Legion CEO—was her mother. Her father had married into the family. Admittedly, every man who married into a powerful female line harbors a splinter in his heart: the necessity of looking up to a woman for his livelihood. For him, this was unbearable. For years, he had schemed to seize power from his wife, but how could the CEO allow such a thing? This struggle for authority only intensified their domestic strife, turning Iliya into the ultimate sacrifice.

The most absurd twist was that while she was her mother's biological daughter, she shared no blood relation with her father, which made the whole dispute even more tangled and despicable. Originally, she could have simply ignored this cheap excuse for a father. But fate intervened: her father who died young was the younger brother of this cheap father, and on his deathbed, he entrusted Iliya to him. The biggest interstellar scandal that erupted three years ago ultimately left her as the biggest casualty. Now, even this stand-in father could hold leverage over her!

Iliya gritted her teeth, brimming with resentment. Before the truth of three years ago was exposed, she was doted upon by both her real father and this stand-in, and her mother treated her kindly. She was the most envied, jealous, and hated princess in all of Fia. She was still a princess now, but she had become a galactic joke. Her goal in winning the Mecha competition was precisely to find capable partners for an alliance. The next Queen of Fia would undoubtedly be her! Why couldn't Pei Zhe hold out until the final moment? Why?! Why was it always her, the one who failed?! Why could she never obtain what she truly desired!

Iliya felt the familiar surge of rage threatening to erupt again. But in front of Thirteen Yu, she forcefully swallowed every ounce of her anger. No matter how furious she was, she could not afford to lose control on Fia's turf. Otherwise, within an hour, she would be the gossip fodder on Fia News once more.

Thirteen Yu smiled mildly. "The couturier, hairstylist, and makeup artist will arrive at 4:00 PM this afternoon. Mr. Yifan will arrive at 5:30 PM." Iliya asked coldly, "Why is Yifan coming?" Thirteen Yu’s smile remained unbroken. "He is your male companion for this evening." Iliya had only one word for this: Ugh! (A sound of utter disgust/rejection.) However, she kept her expression composed and inquired mildly, "Can you submit a request to my father to change my companion?"

Thirteen Yu bowed slightly. "It would be my honor to serve as the Young Mistress's companion." Iliya's face chilled. "What do you mean?" Thirteen Yu announced clearly, "The Master instructed that if you do not wish for Mr. Yifan to accompany you, I shall be your escort." Iliya didn't even have the energy to utter her sound of disgust now. That cheap father was pushing her too far!

Iliya lightly tapped her fingertip, turning to the second page of the schedule. After a quick glance, she said with a faint smile, "It would be perfect for you to be my companion. However, could you perhaps do me a small favor?"

Her agreement delighted Thirteen Yu; he secretly felt superior to Yifan and became exceptionally eager to fulfill her request. "Please command me, Young Mistress." Iliya leaned back against the sofa. "Purchase two robots: one from Mengya Group’s high-end B-series, and one from the W-series."

Thirteen Yu’s smile froze momentarily. Was her implication that she preferred robot servitude to his company? The B-series was the delicate pretty boy, the F-series the utterly capable heartthrob. What was she thinking? ...Especially since the F-series handsome dreamboat had become the most despised robot among men across the galaxy within six months of its launch, bar none. In this era, a man's dignity was largely reflected in his looks, his physical competence, and his problem-solving skills. The F-series high-end robot was not only impeccably handsome—it could even be customized to match the buyer's ideal aesthetic of a handsome man—but it was also versatile, capable of performing nearly anything a man could, even sharing the marriage bed! Its cost-effectiveness surpassed that of the once wildly popular [CENSORED WORD] by thousands, even tens of thousands of times! Interstellar marriage and family, already on shaky ground, were heading for collapse thanks to these androids. Several months ago, the Male Rights Advocacy organization had launched a campaign to boycott these robots, but it met with no support and ended in crushing failure. Did Iliya truly believe he was inferior even to a robot?

Thirteen Yu, having navigated Fia's high echelons for so long, was an expert in maintaining a placid exterior. He cheerfully agreed. "Are there any other specific functions you require?" Iliya shook her head. "The standard functions will suffice. Thank you." Thirteen Yu responded eagerly, "I shall place the order immediately." Iliya nodded. "Be quick about it. I won't manage the banquet tonight without you."

They conversed amiably on the surface until Thirteen Yu departed. Iliya scoffed dismissively once alone. She knew perfectly well what Thirteen Yu's true motive was. Ordering two robots and diverting one via a direct signal was a simple task; he didn't need to step out personally unless he intended to tamper with the machines. She laughed inwardly with cold sarcasm. Ever since discovering that Mengya Group’s robots had connections to the members of the Chuqi (Sheathed Blade) faction, she had refused to use them! She sat upright, flipping several pages back in the schedule, and memorized several names listed there. Most of these attendees had dealings, or were about to have dealings, with her cheap father. Her goal was not to poach these individuals—that was unnecessary and too risky, easily discovered by her cheap father. What she intended to do was to align with the other attendees who had not yet fallen under her father's banner!