Duchy of Dawn capital, Dawn Star Planet, planetary administrative capital.
Duchy of Dawn Deputy Prime Minister Daphne Clement had just finished a video conference. She rested on the sofa for a while, then picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip.
She was already one of the Duchy of Dawn's elder statesmen, one of the first people Tang Xiao had awakened. Since then, she had overseen the Fourth Civilization's internal affairs and construction, all the way to the present day.
She was now nearing fifty. Married to an engineer, she was the mother of three children and had adopted another three. Yet she remained full of energy, throwing herself into both work and life with the greatest enthusiasm.
Though her position was Deputy Prime Minister, serving as Prime Minister Francis Underwood's second-in-command, in truth she had always managed domestic affairs, and no one could replace her. Francis's work focused more on diplomacy and other administrative matters, such as that parliament that existed merely for show.
Daphne Clement had begun with only a dozen or so civil servants under her command, and now oversaw the livelihoods and economy of the Duchy of Dawn's hundreds of billions of citizens. It could be said that she had witnessed the miracle of the Fourth Civilization's development.
At that moment, a polite knock interrupted her rest. She pressed a button, signaling that the visitor could enter.
With a click, the automatic door opened. An official entered and placed a document on Daphne Clement's desk. "Deputy Prime Minister, these are the results of this Population Census. Please review them."
"I understand. Rest here for now. Once I've finished reading the report, I may have some questions for you," Daphne Clement said.
An attendant entered and served the senior official a fruit platter and coffee.