When Ling Ge awoke from endless darkness, the first thing she learned was that she was going to become the insect race's queen.
The entire insect race was celebrating, while Ling Ge, who had just ascended the throne, stood there in stunned bewilderment.
Did nobody... no insect... remember that she was actually human?
And their queens were all puppets. Did they really think she didn't know?
*
Ever since the previous queen was beheaded by a human empire general, the insect race had gone hundreds of years without producing another queen. Without a queen's psychic comfort, the insects' already unstable minds remained trapped in an uncontrollable frenzy, until one by one they fell into slumber.
They watched one clansmate after another return to sleep, believing the insect race would ultimately meet its end in silence. Then they encountered a human at the edge of their territory.
A human miraculously gifted with psychic power that could soothe the insect race.
From that day on, the insect race welcomed their new queen.
*
Every insect knew that their new queen was the lifeline their chief executive had found for them.
She could rule the hive from its highest seat, enjoy every comfort and honor the insect race could offer, and possess supreme status and the pretense of their submission.
All she had to do was sit still like a statue and provide her subjects with an endless supply of psychic comfort.
No one knew when the little human they kept in captivity had quietly plotted her escape from the hive, transformed herself, and become the deadliest general the human empire had seen in centuries.
Then, before the insect army, she casually tossed away the crown on her head.
*
She had once plucked the brightest moonlight from the top of the hive with her own hands, bringing peace of mind to every one of her people.
She had once calmed the insect legions' rampage by herself, allowing the interstellar expeditionary force to become invincible.
She had once restored a fallen hive to its former glory, leading her ministers to amass an astonishing fortune and building the most powerful insect dynasty in history.
Only when the throne stood empty once more did they understand what it had all meant.
They were now fragile, gentle, and restrained.
They needed a queen.
At her side, they would become the most fearsome army in the universe.
Reader's guide:
1. A multi-species universe, set in an era of great peace.
2. This is the insect race of early space operas, the great villains, not the version with male and female insects. They are intelligent humanoid beings with a highly developed hive society. The worldbuilding is entirely my own.
3. A lighthearted comedy of everyday life at first, also known as The Years I Spent Trying to Slack Off While Serving as My Arch Enemy's Queen.
4. A story with a beloved-by-all heroine and a touch of regret and redemption.
5. Blurb dated November 4, 2022.
Theme: Put aside prejudice and strive to live well.
