Chapter 483
Shermaine had never slept so deeply and peacefully since arriving in the Kingdom of Xyperia. When she finally opened her eyes, it was nearly noon.
She shifted slightly and immediately felt the familiar ache in her lower back, along with that parched, dry sensation in her mouth–a feeling she hadn’t experienced in quite some time. How she had missed it.
As memories of their passionate encounter from the night before flooded back, Shermaine licked her lips unconsciously, feeling her back grow even weaker at the thought.
Joshua noticed she was awake and thoughtfully brought her a glass of warm water. Then he slipped his hand under the covers and began gently massaging her lower back.
Last night’s positions had definitely taken their toll on her spine.
After draining the glass of water, Shermaine stretched lazily. “I’m starving.”
“I made you some oatmeal,” Joshua said, his voice incredibly tender as he helped her sit up in bed. “Have some oatmeal first, and I’ll cook something delicious for you later.”
He paused, his hands still working on her sore muscles. “You don’t need to take those medicines anymore. If you’re not feeling well, just tell me, okay?”
Shermaine thought about Joshua’s skillful massage techniques and how much better her chest felt now that her milk supply had decreased. She nodded in agreement–this way, she could simply give Gracie formula instead.
“I miss Gracie,” she said softly. “Can you find Jasmine and ask her to bring Gracie over?”
“Of course,” Joshua replied without hesitation.
When Shermaine finished washing up and emerged from the bathroom, she found Jasmine already settled in the living room.
Gracie was awake, listening peacefully to the lullaby that Jasmine was playing, and the moment she spotted Shermaine, her face lit up with another smile.
Shermaine scooped her up and planted several kisses on her cheeks.
“Ms. Hanks, would it be okay if I called you Shermaine?” Jasmine asked. Though she was still amazed that Joshua turned out to be a pure–blooded descendant of the royal family–and an incredibly powerful one at that–Shermaine remained her goddess and idol in her eyes.
Shermaine readily agreed. Given Joshua’s lineage, she was technically Jasmine’s relative after all.
Jasmine felt overwhelmed with happiness. Not only had she gained a whole new family, but this morning’s oatmeal was absolutely delicious. ‘Joshua truly is a man of many talents.’
While sipping her oatmeal, Shermaine casually browsed through the military news. Despite their carefree and luxurious time aboard the ship, the flames of war in the Kingdom of Xyperia continued to spread relentlessly.
Shirley’s forces had initially held the advantage, but ever since Judy’s return, the tide of battle kept turning against them.
After learning about this world and the royal family’s history, Shermaine understood that the crystal sarcophagus Judy had brought back from their world was actually an ultimate mecha–in short, an incredibly powerful war machine.
Only members of the royal family could pilot this mecha, but Judy had found another way to activate it. With her enhanced combat power, Shirley didn’t stand a chance against her.
Chapter 483
Meanwhile, Joshua stood in the kitchen, gripping a sharp cleaver as he sliced through fresh chunks of meat. Each cut produced slices that were almost perfectly uniform in thickness.
Damien was delivering his latest intelligence report. “Boss, word about you taking out Queen Cobra has spread through the underground, but the news hasn’t reached Baykeep yet.”
“Simon’s keeping it under wraps?” Joshua asked.
“That’s right. He hasn’t told Bronx that Queen Cobra is dead.”
After all, with Mandy already gone, if Bronx found out that Queen Cobra had been killed, he’d realize that Simon wasn’t focusing on business. Instead, Simon had been too busy scheming about how to steal women from Joshua.
So Joshua’s identity remained hidden, which meant he could keep having his fun for a while longer.
“But Simon’s been secretly reaching out to Queen Cobra’s organization, the Lunar Sect, and her lovers,” Damien continued. “If I’m right, the next time this cruise ship docks, we’ll have a whole army of vengeful enemies boarding to come after you, Boss.”
“Let them come,” Joshua replied with calm indifference. “Just make sure you’re all ready. Don’t embarrass me.”
That was a given. They’d already stockpiled ammunition and supplies, ensuring that anyone who came for revenge would never make it back alive.
“Understood. And Baykeep reminded you this morning that we can start by taking out one or two people from the hit list.” Otherwise, if they all died at once, the assassination pattern would be far too obvious.
The next port stop wouldn’t be for another week, and that week would bring the top–fifty tournament matches. The top–fifty tournament wasn’t much of a challenge–Shermaine was aiming for the championship title.
Joshua set down his cleaver. “Go arrange a meeting with Shirley’s people. Tell them we’re open to cooperation.”
Just then, Shermaine walked in from outside. Damien immediately called out, “Mrs. York.”
Shermaine gave a slight nod. “Do you have connections to purchase S–level fighter jets?”
Damien seemed surprised that Shermaine could actually pilot fighter jets, especially the most challenging mecha fighter jets. “Mrs. York, mecha fighter jets are incredibly scarce on the market right now. Generally speaking, both Her Highness Judy’s and Her Highness Shirley’s armies have monopolized those resources.
“I see the boss is interested in cooperating with Her Highness Shirley,” Damien continued. “If you want to pilot mecha fighter jets, you could have Boss request some from their side.”
Joshua hadn’t expected Shermaine to want hands–on experience with real machines after just one virtual fighter jet session. Honestly, it was an extremely dangerous pursuit, but Shermaine had exceptional talent–she’d mastered the virtual simulator on her first try.
With a few practice runs on the real thing, she’d probably be ready to face Judy in actual combat.
Shermaine turned to Joshua. “Get us two of them.”