GIGGADON EMPIRE IMPERIAL PALACE.
THRONE ROOM.
"Is what you said true?"
Izzak asked the envoy in a confused tone.
"Yes, every word I have just spoken are the words of the emperor himself,"
Ralphye, the envoy sent by the Thorka Empire, replied.
The room fell into silence as Emperor Maximus, Izzak, and the lord chamberlain stared at Ralphye intently.
*TAP*
*TAP*
*TAP*
Emperor Maximus tapped the edge of his throne's armrest three times, his gaze fixed on Ralphye with an amused expression.
"Heh, from how fast his heart is beating, I can tell he's afraid of exposing the fact that the old man is dead. However, I already found out that, through Shadow... Though the old man wasn't as strong as I am, he could unite all the kingdoms and empires in the south to prevent my army from conquering the South. And with him serving as the leader of 'SOTO,' I had to stop my conquest of the South. But now that he's dead, the 'SOTO' is like a snake who lost its head. So, why..."
Emperor Maximus pondered in his mind as he stared at Ralphye.
Lord Chamberlain glanced towards the throne and noticed Emperor Maximus lost in thought. Sensing the opportune moment, he shifted his gaze away towards Ralphye, the envoy from the Thorka Empire, before addressing him.
"So, what is the Emperor of Thorka willing to pay for this aid? Please think carefully before speaking,"
Lord Chamberlain said with a fierce gaze.
"Yes, for your invaluable assistance, the Thorka Empire is prepared to extend a generous array of offerings to the Giggadon Empire..."
Ralphye began, his voice carrying a tone of significance.
---------------------------------------------------
MEANWHILE, IN THE VALKARIE PALACE.
HELENA'S ROOM.
*CLICK*
*CREAK DOOR OPENING*
"Ahhhhh... finally, I can take off this stupid dress,"
Helena exclaimed as she entered her room, followed by Nora and Grace.
"Princess, don't say that. I think you look beautiful in the dress,"
Nora said in response to Helena's remark.
As Grace was about to step through the doorway into Helena's room, she received a message sent to her mind through a communication scroll.
[COMMUNICATION SCROLL: A SCROLL INBUED WITH TELEPATHY MAGIC. IT'S USED TO SEND MESSAGES TO THE MIND OF A TARGET. IT ONLY WORKS IF THE TARGET IS WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES, AND THE SCROLL NEEDS TO HAVE A RECORD OF THE TARGET'S MANA TO LOCATE THE TARGET WITHIN ITS RANGE.]
"Lady Grace..."
the message began.
"!?"
Grace was surprised by the sudden message and stopped at the doorway, wearing a strange smile.
Nora noticed Grace's behavior and turned to look at her with a curious gaze. "Huh? Grace, why are you just standing at the doorway? Come in quickly, we need to prepare a bath for Her Highness,"
Nora said, puzzled by Grace's actions.
Upon seeing Nora's gaze, Grace realized she needed to come up with a convincing excuse to leave and attend to the information she received from the Guild. However, she found herself struggling to find the right words.
"Emm... Emm, what do I say here? Do I lie to her, but I am bad at lying, or... or should I stay quiet... but if I say nothing, how can I tell her I want to leave?"
Grace panicked, her mind racing.
"Don't tell me Grace is acting this way because she was traumatized by cutting off someone's arm... It's understandable. Despite Grace's inhuman strength, she is still a woman after all. Her Highness should refrain from asking her to do such things again. It will prevent Grace from suffering, and Her Highness from being seen as a villainess,"
Nora thought, understanding the situation.
[Grace? What's going on?]
Helena asked through telepathy.
[M-my liege, I am sorry for being such a pathetic servant. I received a message from the guild that they have found the target's location, but-but I... I can't lie to Nora! Because I am a terrible liar! I am sorry, my Liege!]
Grace replied in a sad tone.
[Huh? You are a terrible liar?... You can't be that bad. Why don't you try telling me a lie?]
Helena suggested.
[Emm... my liege, what sort of lie should I tell?]
Grace asked, stammering.
[Any... Tell any lie.]
Helena encouraged.
[Emm... my name is Li-Lily. Or... or you can just call me Grace. That's the name my mother gave me. She said she chose it because I looked graceful when I was born, and- and...]
Grace stumbled over her words.
[Enough! Enough!... I got an idea of your situation.]
Helena interrupted, covering her face with her palm.
[Huh? My liege! You do!? Hahaha, my liege is incredible. There is nothing in this world you can't do. So how do I fix it?]
Grace asked, filled with anticipation.
[There is no fixing it because your case is hopeless. If I was a stranger, I would know everything about you just from one lie. How did you work for an assassination guild?]
Helena asked curiously.
[Well... my main job in the Guild at the time was convenient. Since I did not have to answer to anyone except the leader of the Guild, I was able to avoid questions that would require me to lie.]
Grace replied.
[Sigh... don't worry, I'll take care of it.]
Helena assured her.
"Oh, Grace, did you prepare the gift I asked for?"
Helena inquired.
"... Huh? What gift-"
[JUST SAY NO!] Helena yelled through telepathy.
"I mean, no... No, Your Highness, I have not gotten the gift you asked for. I am sorry,"
Grace responded, panicked.
"I told you I needed the gift for my visit to the Empress's palace tomorrow. I can't be the only one who doesn't get a gift for my little brother. Now, can I?"
Helena asked angrily, crossing her arms as she sat on her bed.
"I-I am sorry, Your Highness. I will go get the gift right away,"
Grace apologized, bowing her head before swiftly leaving the room.
*WHOOSH*
*CREAK DOOR CLOSING*
"Grace! Wait, get anything this late..."
Nora exclaimed, chasing after Grace as she tried to close the door.
*BAM*
*CREAK DOOR OPENS*
Nora managed to reach the door in time and prevented it from closing completely. She stepped out into the hallway but couldn't find any trace of Grace.
"Huh? Where did she go? Even if she ran, it would take her two minutes to reach the other end of the hallway. So, how did she disappear?"
Nora wondered suspiciously.
"Hmm... it seems my suspicion was right. Grace is not a normal female, just like Her Highness... Staying by Her Highness's side for almost a year now, I have seen some strange things. Like a black hole appearing out of nowhere or the time when sharp glass shards fell on her highness, but she walked out unscratched. Since then, I always had my suspicion, but seeing Grace cut a man's arm off without having mana confirmed my suspicion. The PRINCESS IS A..."
Nora's thoughts trailed off.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------
A FEW MINUTES LATER.
SOMEWHERE IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE INNER CAPITAL CITY.
*WHOOSH*
"I can't believe I showed such an embarrassing side to my liege. I have to make up for it..."
Grace thought to herself as she ran at an inhuman speed towards the gathering spot relayed to her through the communication scroll.
"??..."
Grace noticed two presences chasing after her while avoiding spots where the moonlight shone, preventing themselves from being seen. The night sky was cloudy, providing little to no moonlight.
"Heh. You think I can't see you if you hide in the shadows..."
Grace said with a smirk in her mind before closing her eyes.
"But unfortunately for you, you can't hide from these eyes of mine,"
she declared as she opened her eyes, and they glowed with a golden hue.
IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:
"...Hey, Cobra, don't tell me you were defeated by a woman. Ke-kekekeke."
"Urgh... Kekeke, she packs a punch for a female."