I was childfree by choice until I was thirty-two. Then I opened my eyes and found myself the mother of five children. Looking at their pale, malnourished faces, my retirement plans went completely out the window.
My grand ambitions? Forget about them. My current KPIs are to stop my eldest son from constantly trying to enlist and get himself killed, convince my eldest daughter that women can support a family too, keep my second son from wrecking the house, help my second daughter find the courage to speak up, and get my youngest to... stay alive. I rolled up my sleeves. Fine, first I'll raise these five retirement plans into capable adults. But I never expected that once they all made something of themselves, the first person to come knocking would be the emperor himself.
