Peggy paused for a moment, looking into Steve's eyes. Slowly, a hint of life returned to her gaze. She reached out and placed her hand on his face.
"Steve…"
"I'm right here."
"Then what about Howard…"
"Uh…" Steve's gentle and doting expression froze for a moment, and a cold sweat began to form on his forehead. "…I'll go beat him up in a bit."
"Sorry, Howard," Steve silently apologized in his heart, "for the happiness of our married life, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer a little."
"Pfft~" Peggy couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Steve's goofy expression.
Seeing her smile, Steve felt joy too. At least Peggy had come back to life—no longer the soulless shell she had been. As for her doubts and ideological disagreements, they could work through those with time.
"Steve, I'm sorry…" Peggy buried her head in Steve's chest and said softly.
…
…
"Peggy?"
"I was too impulsive. I shouldn't have put Howard and the others in danger, and I shouldn't have made things so hard for you."
Is Peggy smart? Of course she is. Otherwise, she wouldn't have become the English Rose, the person overseeing all internal affairs of the Spear Bureau, or the first-ever Director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
Once Steve awakened her heart, she completely calmed down. Honestly, even she couldn't believe she had made such a foolish mistake.
But that didn't mean her beliefs had changed. The world needed rules. All life should follow those rules. If one lashed out in anger and harmed the innocent, then they had broken the rules—and should be punished.
Her apology wasn't for her beliefs—it was for putting her friend's family in danger and placing the man she loved in an impossible situation.
"It's okay, Peggy. Howard doesn't really blame you. If you two sit down and talk, I'm sure things will return to normal."
"That's what I wanted to say too. Steve, I still can't agree with Melin's actions." Peggy said calmly.
Steve knew now that Peggy had regained her composure—this was going to be complicated.
"Everything in this world must follow rules. If someone breaks them, no matter the reason, they must still bear the consequences," Peggy said firmly.
"…Peggy, can I ask you something first?" Steve asked after thinking for a moment.
"Go ahead."
"These rules you speak of—who made them?"
"Of course, they were made by humanity! Didn't Mr. Melin himself say this is an age of human rule? Even if he is a god, shouldn't he follow the rules made by humanity?"
"But… do humans even follow these rules themselves?"
Peggy froze at his words.
"Aren't we here? The intelligence bureau, the investigative agencies—all of them exist to uphold these rules," she argued, though somewhat forcefully.
"Do you really think those agencies you mentioned, including us, have the right to judge the Sanctuary, the Saints, or Mr. Melin?" Steve asked gently.
Even he could see Peggy was being a little unreasonable. As a mere soldier, even he knew those so-called rule-upholding agencies were often the most corrupt. When someone from the lower ranks crossed a line, the higher-ups would swiftly crush them—not because it was right, but because the lower ranks lacked the power to resist, or because they infringed upon the interests of the powerful.
In the end, it was just a more subtle form of "might makes right."
And if everything had to follow rules—when people slaughter animals, has anyone heard the animals cry for justice? Even if they did, would it matter? And Hydra—weren't they rulebreakers too? What rules punished them? None. They were simply wiped out without any trial.
Peggy had long interacted with the upper echelons—she had to know all this. So why did she still say what she did? A hopeless idealism? Or one last act of stubbornness?
"But… but…" Peggy was left speechless.
What could she say? That people should just follow the rules out of a sense of responsibility?
That was a joke. In peaceful times, maybe. But in exceptional cases? Even a rabbit bites when cornered—let alone humans.
And was this situation exceptional? Of course it was.
A god's wife—who was also a god herself—had waited hundreds of thousands of years for reunion, only to be ambushed by other gods, nearly annihilated completely. How could her husband not be furious?
The fact that Melin only targeted the Buddhist forces and didn't raze the whole Earth was already merciful.
"But Steve… they can't keep living outside the rules forever, can they? Are we just supposed to pray they stay true to their hearts?" Peggy asked.
"We do have to pray—because we can't do anything to them. But I believe they'll stay true to themselves. After all, they've upheld their mission for hundreds of thousands of years." Steve replied.
"…That…" Peggy had no counterargument. She was only a few decades old, and they had existed for tens of thousands of times longer. If they had endured this long, why couldn't they continue?
Even if she might change over time, they likely would not.
"As for being outside the rules…" Steve continued, answering her earlier question, "…they've actually always been within them."
"How could that be!? Then this whole Operation Buddha-Extermination…"
"Because those were their rules. Mr. Melin has always followed his own code." Steve explained.
Peggy fell silent. Steve's words left no room for rebuttal.
Does Melin follow the rules? Of course—just his own.
Since his awakening, Melin never used his power to subjugate others or rule the world. He simply rebuilt the Sanctuary, trained more and better Saints, and even saved many desperate people—mutants, for example, and Camus's parents too.
And the Saints truly did what they claimed: guarding the love and hope of the Earth, with the noble courage to raise a fist to gods as mere mortals.
Take Sebastian Shaw, for example, possessed by Ares's lingering soul. If Deathmask hadn't risked his life to stop him—taking serious injuries and still not backing down—who knows how much destruction would've followed? Everyone knew Ares was a war-crazed maniac.
But on the flip side, Melin didn't follow our rules. When others attacked first, he responded by annihilating every Buddhist presence in the world and was still searching for their hidden sanctuaries to destroy them completely. It caused tremendous global damage and countless deaths.
Steve really wanted to describe how he felt during the operation—but it was too elusive. Unless someone experienced it firsthand, they couldn't grasp that strange mix of justified anger and deep sorrow.
"Peggy, I think you really need a break. Let me take you on a vacation. Leave all the work behind for a bit," Steve suggested.
Peggy had been stretched too thin. Howard only handled the science division, Colonel Phillips had basically retired, and while Steve was great on the field, management was definitely not his strength.
So nearly all the Spear Bureau's internal affairs fell on Peggy. Now she was also managing the newly established Strategic Homeland bureau—she was practically being torn in two.
She needed a real break—not just to relieve the stress built up inside, but also to reflect on herself a bit.
"But Steve… how can I go on vacation now?" Peggy smiled bitterly. At least with the Spear Bureau, she had trained a few capable successors over the years, and the X-Men could help if needed.
But the Strategic Homeland bureau was brand new. What kind of new director takes time off right after the organization's formed? Sure, the spies might celebrate the chance to plant their people in her absence—but she didn't want to return from a vacation only to find she was the only loyal member left.
"There's always a way, right?" Steve grinned mischievously.
"This…"
"Alright, Peggy, it's settled. I'll go talk to Howard, then ask Mr. Melin for permission. We've been away long enough—it's time to go home." Steve cut off Peggy's protest and made the decision for her, walking straight out the door without giving her a chance to object.
Peggy was stunned, her hand still extended in midair.
"Pfft~" She thought of Steve's usual serious face and the sudden silly side he just showed. Her man was… really quite cute.
But then her thoughts turned back to Howard's earlier scolding.
"We are equals."
"Maybe… it really is time to reflect on myself." Peggy muttered with a self-deprecating smile.
…
"That's the situation. Please don't take Peggy's words too seriously. She was just anxious and backed herself into a corner." Steve bowed as he explained to Melin.
"Heh, it's fine. You're both still young. Everyone makes mistakes. Didn't Alex say it before? My judgment has never been wrong—and I still believe that. Do you?" Melin replied.
If Steve had only heard the first part, he might've burst out laughing. He was over sixty now. Young?
What? You're hundreds of thousands of years old? Oh—never mind. I'm just a baby, then.
But the second part of Melin's words once again showed Steve what it meant to have the magnanimity of a Primordial Earth God.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Melin. Please allow us to take our leave. There are still many matters at home that need attention."
"Go on, then."
Just as Steve turned to leave, Melin's voice rang out again.
"By the way—if it's a couple's vacation, the Maldives are nice. The Aegean Sea down the mountain's not bad either. The mysterious ancient eastern kingdoms are also good—if you can get entry permission, that is."
Steve stumbled at the door and nearly fell.