Jingliu's body went rigid in an instant, and even her breathing stopped for a moment.
Holding her breath, she focused and looked again at the picture frame on the Marshal's desk.
Jingliu's mind froze for a second. Then she quickly recognized where the photograph had been taken.
It was the Starsea Council's iconic building.
It was a key exam topic the Academy's teachers had drilled into them, a special place no Xianzhou native-no, to be precise, no human-could ever mistake.
Countless bills protecting human rights had been passed there.
Very few people were qualified to appear there and have their images recorded.
And she recognized... more than one of them.
Great leaders renowned throughout the Starsea, hailing from different star systems, had all appeared in this photograph.
Their expressions were nothing like the solemn faces in textbooks. With gazes ranging from reverent affection to flattery, they all focused on one person.
That man had fine, elegant features and a gentle, harmless smile that made anyone feel drawn to him at first glance.
He looked straight ahead, meeting Jingliu's eyes across time and space.
Jingliu looked away and quietly lowered her eyes.
The photograph was well preserved, with no flaws in either the image or its edges.
Without looking closely, it was difficult to tell when it had been taken.
Only the colors, which differed from modern tastes, the many leaders in the picture who now existed solely in history books, and that face so strikingly similar to her lover's...
Forced Jingliu to keep thinking.
Father and son? Or something else?
Jingliu's thoughts were a jumble, but she soon remembered where she was.
She was with the Marshal.
Her first priority was to carry out her superior's orders.
Jingliu forcibly pulled herself out of her thoughts and waited quietly.
The Marshal's