Galaxy's Only Triple-S: Five Lords Can't Hold Her novel Chapter 8

Margaret woke to the insistent beep of her neural implant pulsing softly behind her ear.

A notification glowed in her field of vision: New message. Please review.

Still half-asleep, she groped for the bedside interface panel. The screen flickered on, its bright light making her wince.

She blinked a few times before opening her inbox.

"Sender: Interstellar Marriage Bureau

"Recipient: Margaret (Citizen ID: SQL-1030332-J)

"Subject: Notice Regarding Post-Divorce Support & Re-Pairing Scheduling"

"You've gotta be kidding me." Margaret pushed herself upright, her hair tangled from sleep.

She stared at the message, then read it again slowly.

"Counseling? Re-pairing?" She jabbed a finger toward the display, her voice sharp with disbelief. "I just got out of a marriage—and they're already trying to set me up with someone new?"

"Host, it's standard procedure under current law." Primo's calm voice filtered through her thoughts. "Females are a limited resource. To maintain population stability, divorced individuals are prioritized for rapid rematching."

"Rapid?" Margaret let out a short, humorless laugh. "But not one month rapid, right?"

"Well..." Primo hesitated slightly. "Based on accessible records, thirty days is actually the maximum grace period permitted upon request. Some matches are reassigned within a week after dissolution."

Margaret opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She just stared blankly at the screen, the words sinking in slowly.

Seven days?

Divorce, then seven days later—lining up to the next guy? No, guys—plural.

Her mind drifted back to the original host's fate in the novel—dead aboard a starliner just three days after the divorce. If she followed that logic, that ship had probably been carrying her toward some frontier colony to meet her next assigned partner.

"Primo," Margaret said, her voice distant. "So this is what life is really like for women here?"

"Yes, Host. The core societal principle of this world is: women are a scarce resource, so they are placed under protective custody. But precisely because of that protection, they forfeit certain personal freedoms. You receive the benefits of the Female Welfare Act, but you must also comply with the reassignment protocols of the matching system. That's simply the way things work here."

Margaret stayed quiet for a long moment.

She thought about the original host's three years—matched with three different Sclass males, then left isolated and unsupported. What kind of protection was that? It wasn't protection. It was more like being tossed into unfamiliar territory and expected to survive on your own.

"What if I don't want to be rematched?" she finally asked.

"In theory, you can file for a postponement," Primo replied. "But you would need a valid medical or psychological justification—for instance, unstable psilevels requiring longterm therapy, or a diagnosed chronic condition necessitating extended rest. During any deferral period, however, your welfare benefits would be significantly reduced. Life could become... quite difficult."

The corner of Margaret's mouth tightened.

Basically: obey, or suffer.

She took a deep breath, ready to say something—when her Holo-bracelet beeped again.

There was another email.

It read, "Sender: Prime Planet Central Hospital, Spiritual Power Department.

"Recipient: Margaret (Citizen ID: SQL-1030332-J)

The little thing can laugh?

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