Around late afternoon, close to dinner time, Xi’eryou finally managed to find a spare moment and came rushing over in a hurry.
“Velis! Are you alright!?”
Velis was still training with the Sakura Kill Petals she had just acquired. The moment she heard the voice, the door was kicked flying off its hinges.
Bang!
Velis quickly put away the petals, her gaze twitching as she followed the door that had been shattered once again, watching it crash against the opposite wall with a loud thud.
The newcomer rushed anxiously to her bedside, flipping her over and checking her thoroughly.
“I heard you were assassinated again last night? Where’s the assassin? What the hell is the Inquisition Office even doing? Are you hurt!?”
Xi’eryou reached out her hands, and Velis, being merely a small Apprentice Mage, didn’t have her kind of strength. In no time at all, her defenses were breached.
“Let me see!”
“Alright, alright, Imperial Sister, I’m fine, stop looking……”
“Hey! Why are you taking off my clothes? It’s still daytime! At least close the door first—I won’t resist……”
Bang!
The next moment, Xi’eryou, having snapped back to her senses, delivered a chop to Velis’s head.
“Ow! That hurts!”
Velis clutched her head, while Xi’eryou scolded her with a laugh, a look of frustration on her face. “You deserve that!”
“Didn’t I tell you to be careful? How could you let your Guardian Knight leave your side?”
“What exactly happened last night? Don’t think you can just brush me off! Big Brother and Second Brother are already dead. If you die too, then the royal family will only have me and Third Imperial Sister left!”
Xi’eryou’s furious, wide-eyed expression was utterly adorable, and it was only at times like this that Velis could feel a shred of warmth.
How nice, this feeling of being cared for.
And so, Velis briefly recounted what had happened the night before.
“Oh, speaking of which, I told that Zhengsi named Normankov from the Inquisition Office to send over the results this morning. It’s already afternoon now—looks like I really am not well-regarded around here!”
Velis let out a cold laugh, already scheming in her mind about getting revenge on that Zhengsi named Normankov, such as having him lose his job and end up begging on the streets……
But Xi’eryou looked at Velis strangely and said, “Normankov? I heard that officials of Zhengsi rank and above at the Inquisition Office are currently at the Imperial Palace getting scolded by Father……and have been since morning.”
Hiss……
Velis drew in a cold breath.
“Since morning?”
“Yeah, Father is extremely displeased with what’s happened over the past two days. Apparently, he’s planning to reorganize the Inquisition Office.”
As Xi’eryou spoke, she gave Velis a hard pinch.
“Ow! What are you doing!?”
Velis arched her brows, but the person before her seemed even angrier than she was.
“I should be asking you what you’re doing, Velis! This is about your own safety! You don’t go investigate, you don’t go ask questions—what are you doing holed up in this room? Can you take things seriously!?”
Xi’eryou practically shouted it out, and Velis couldn’t help but shrink her neck.
Alright then, an angry Imperial Sister is truly terrifying.
Just then, a commotion arose from outside, and Velis and Xi’eryou exchanged a glance.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Xi’eryou said with a frown.
“What a coincidence, so do I.” Velis pursed her lips.
Soon enough, the messenger stood outside the gate and called out loudly: “By the Emperor’s decree, summoning both Princesses to the palace immediately!”
Ten minutes later, seated in the carriage heading toward the Imperial Palace, neither of the two women spoke.
Velis simply watched the scenery outside the window. The one who had always found excuses to get close to Xi’eryou before seemed to have undergone a subtle change.
Yet this change only made Xi’eryou feel a faint sense of loss.
Finally, Xi’eryou couldn’t hold back and asked, “Velis, what do you think Father wants us for?”
“I don’t know.” Velis continued looking out the window. This beautiful, prosperous, and vast Imperial City—every step and every move was a rare sight to behold.
But beneath all this prosperity, who knew how much filth lay hidden.
Velis’s mind churned with constant thoughts, making her gaze seem even deeper than the murky waters of a dark pool.
“I suppose it’s probably about my matter, or maybe something else—such as reprimanding me……or something.”
Velis murmured to herself, yet she didn’t seem to be speaking to Xi’eryou.
After those two exchanges, Xi’eryou no longer felt like continuing the conversation.
The two quickly arrived at the gates of the Imperial Palace at the heart of the Imperial City. Within this towering, majestic city within a city, the palace also had its own wall that stood over a dozen meters tall.
Not particularly tall, but it exuded solemnity and nobility.
The towers atop the gate were resplendent and magnificent, surrounded by many castle-like structures.
It was a mixed-style otherworld imperial palace. From a distance, Velis could see the towering main hall rising high into the clouds.
The carriage rumbled over the road with clattering sounds. The guards came up as usual to question the coachman, then waved them through.
There were no excessive obstacles.
After the carriage entered the deep, narrow passage through the wall and traveled a bit further, they arrived at the vast military parade ground outside the main hall.
Sentries were posted every five steps and guards every ten, with soldiers in full armor and carrying weapons patrolling everywhere.
Stepping down from the carriage onto the solid ground, Xi’eryou reached out her hand and took Velis’s.
Then she led her toward the main hall.
Ascending the stairs—there weren’t many steps in this palace, just a two-tiered foundation, with the first tier having only twenty-one steps.
Forty-two steps in total, and the two women arrived at the main hall’s entrance.
The guards here were fewer, but all around were experts radiating intense killing intent.
And looking at these experts clad in military armor, guarding the palace with unwavering dedication, Velis suddenly snapped back to reality—a terrifying thought surfaced in her mind.
As a Princess vying for the highest seat of power, how was it that she had no experts around her besides her Guardian Knight, Weiduoliya?
Moreover, judging by the forces the previous body had controlled, besides Ushi City, there was an underground organization called Nightfall.
This organization handled intelligence gathering and assassinations, but there were pitifully few people within it who were actually competent!
And judging from last night’s attack, this organization had already been thoroughly infiltrated.
With such circumstances, how could Velis possibly cleanly deal with those princes who had grown up in the royal family and were accustomed to scheming against one another?!
Her grasp on power was pathetically weak, yet Velis herself was so arrogant, vicious, and foul-tempered—her reputation in shambles……
Even if rumors said she was skilled in political maneuvering, the actual reality was……
In that instant, it was as if an invisible hand reached out toward Velis. She suddenly whipped her head around—behind her……
Empty, nothing at all.
For a moment, fine beads of cold sweat seeped from her back. Velis stood frozen in place with a look of fright on her face. Only when Xi’eryou urged her did Velis snap out of it.
Could it be……
All of this……
Velis looked ahead. Within the open doors of the hall, seated in the highest seat, was the Okam Empire’s Emperor—Lubath Egbert!
A feeling of being toyed with suddenly surged up within her. Recalling Velis’s memories, she seemed arrogant, vicious, and ruthless—but it was as if all of this had been manipulated by someone!
And at this moment, standing on either side of the great hall were not the Empire’s ministers, but as Xi’eryou had said, the high-ranking leaders of the Inquisition Office.
From the Inquisition to the Zhengsi who had met with Velis last night—Normankov—all of them were here.
“Velis, you’ve come.”
Seated at the head, the Emperor Lubas spoke softly with his eyes closed, then opened them.
The sharp glint exposed in that instant startled everyone present.
Xi’eryou led Velis into the main hall—the Council Hall—and together they performed the courtly rites.
“Father!”