As expected, she still couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Even if she did, Sista probably wouldn’t give her an answer, just like before.
Su Ling let out a quiet sigh.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed through the silent corridor, followed by a series of rapid knocks at the door, shattering the previous tranquility.
The voice of a maid came through the heavy wooden door, tinged with urgency and anxiety.
“Princess Sista, please forgive my intrusion, but His Majesty the King has urgent business and requests your immediate presence.”
The voice reverberated in the room, sounding especially clear.
Upon hearing this, Sista furrowed her brow slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
She quickly turned to look at the somewhat flustered Su Ling and said softly, “Let’s leave it here for today, Su Ling. I have some urgent matters to attend to.”
With that, she quickly straightened her clothes and stood up, heading for the door.
Seeing this, Su Ling hurriedly got to her feet, wanting to say something, yet not knowing where to start.
She could only nod silently, watching Sista’s departing figure, a surge of inexplicable emotion welling up inside her.
She was just about to turn and tidy up Sista’s room when the maid who had delivered the message stopped in her tracks and turned back to Su Ling.
“Su Ling, you should come too. There’s an honored guest!”
“An honored guest? All right… I’m coming.”
A trace of curiosity flashed through Su Ling’s heart, but she didn’t think much of it and instinctively replied.
She quickly closed the door and followed in the maid’s footsteps, weaving through the winding corridors toward the heart of the Castle, the audience hall.
The audience hall was the most magnificent part of Hailuosen Castle.
Its towering dome was built from finely carved stone, adorned with holy images and angels outlined in golden lines.
Beneath the dome stretched a spacious, lofty chamber, with a grand path of massive stone slabs running straight down the center, leading directly to the throne at the end.
Standing in the center of the hall was a tall, broad-shouldered Blood Clan man, appearing to be well over fifty in age.
His skin was unnaturally pale, and he wore an elaborate religious robe made of silk, embroidered with golden crosses and intricate patterns.
Gems sparkled brilliantly at the collar and cuffs.
Despite standing before the exalted King, the man did not kneel on one knee in salute.
Likewise, King Steyat was not seated on his throne, but stood directly opposite the man, wearing a golden crown, with Moria and the just-arrived Sista at his side.
Seeing this man whom even Steyat treated with respect Su Ling couldn’t help but guess.
He must be some high-ranking figure in the church no, he must be the Pope.
“Your Majesty, and Your Highnesses, I know it is against court etiquette to appear without notice, but the matter is urgent. I had no choice but to come in person to report an issue concerning the Blood Clan,” the man’s imposing figure looked even more dignified in his ornate garb as he bowed slightly.
Upon hearing this, King Steyat’s previously calm face instantly turned grave.
He asked in a deep voice, “Father, what has happened to make you so anxious? I am all ears.”
The Pope’s gaze swept over those present, finally settling on the King.
He paused for a moment.
“Your Majesty, it concerns the Moon Eclipse Rite.”
As he spoke, he swept his wide sleeve, and behind him, a small figure stepped forward and knelt respectfully before the King.
“Stellar Scribe, come.”
“So beautiful, it’s her…”
Su Ling heard the maid beside her unconsciously gasp in a low voice.
She fixed her eyes on the figure.
It was a human girl about Su Ling’s age, with gray, shoulder-length hair and a strikingly beautiful face.
Yet her expression was as blank as a doll’s, utterly devoid of emotion.
The girl’s attire was strange, with shining silver rings on her wrists and neck.
Judging by her appearance, though human, she seemed to hold considerable status even among the Blood Clan.
After bowing to the King, the girl called “Stellar Scribe” spoke in an emotionless voice.
“Your Highness, in recent days, the Stellar Scribe has observed the heavens and found a series of unusual changes. The omens of the Moon Eclipse Rite that should have appeared have not shown themselves. The Rite may not be able to proceed as scheduled.”
“That is the situation,” the Pope’s tone grew even more solemn, “The Moon Eclipse Rite is an ancient ceremony passed down through generations of the Blood Clan. However, the sudden change in the stars means our original plan for the Rite is no longer suitable.
“After urgent discussion within the church, all members agree that the Moon Eclipse Rite should be postponed until the Stellar Scribe can more accurately sense the heavens and ensure the Rite proceeds smoothly.”
“This is unheard of,” not only Steyat, but even Moria looked shocked.
“The Rite is being postponed? Why? What happened?”
“Stellar Scribe suspects something has changed,” the Stellar Scribe stood motionless like a doll, only her lips moving, “A variable that should not exist has appeared within the Blood Clan, and the power of the Divine Abyss Goddess has changed as a result.”
A variable…
After hearing the Stellar Scribe’s statement, Steyat’s expression grew even more serious.
He looked into the Pope’s cloudy eyes.
“Father, what do you believe this variable is?”
The Pope shook his head, his furrowed face just as perplexed, which made Steyat’s expression even grimmer.
A variable?
Su Ling also mulled over these two words. At that moment, she suddenly felt an unusual gaze on her.
She quickly glanced around with the corner of her eye. The servants on either side were focused on the scene in the middle. Su Ling lifted her head slightly.
Her gaze met the eyes of the girl called “Stellar Scribe.”
Su Ling felt her heart skip a beat, her nerves instantly taut.
Those clear blue eyes were fixed on her, and Su Ling couldn’t fathom what she wanted.
Wait… could she be saying that the variable is me?
Her sudden arrival in this world, disrupting its original rhythm, influencing the course of events—could she really be the variable in this world?
But she’s just a maid! An insignificant nobody, how could she possibly change the fate of the Blood Clan?
Fortunately, that doll-like girl said nothing. Neither the King nor the Pope noticed her gaze. The two had already resumed discussing the delay of the Rite.
Only then did Su Ling breathe a sigh of relief.
If that Stellar Scribe had actually declared her to be the “variable,” who knows what treatment she would have received from these Blood Clan. The thought alone left her a bit shaken.
Not long after that conversation, word of the postponed Rite quickly spread throughout the Castle, and all the original preparations had to be rearranged.
The servants’ already difficult work was about to become even more hectic.