Lilian finally truly snapped out of her daze. She looked at Gamma, a hint of scrutiny flashing in her eyes.
“You are… Miss Gamma, one of the three Vice Presidents of the Kayin Trading Company?”
“I am.”
Gamma turned to Lilian and gave a slight nod. Her etiquette was incredibly standard, yet it lacked a certain human touch.
“That Your Highness was startled is a serious dereliction of duty on the part of this Trading Company. The identities of the attackers are currently being interrogated under emergency protocols. The Company will certainly provide an explanation.”
Camilla interjected at the right moment, a look of lingering fear on her face.
“That’s wonderful. Thankfully, Supervisor Gamma arrived in time. Your Highness, are you alright?” She walked to Lilian’s side and asked with concern, while simultaneously giving Gamma a subtle look.
Understanding the signal, Gamma immediately added, “This is not a place to linger. Princess and Miss Camilla, please follow me to an absolutely secure VIP lounge. The Trading Company will handle the subsequent matters properly.”
Ludmila silently sheathed her sword and stood back at Camilla’s side, but her gaze remained vigilantly fixed on Gamma. This newly appeared silver-haired woman gave her an extremely dangerous feeling—as if… she wasn’t a living thing at all.
Lilian nodded. She also knew now was not the time for questioning.
“I shall trouble you then.”
Under Gamma’s lead, the group walked through the wrecked corridor. With every step, Camilla felt as if she could hear the sound of gold coins clattering away.
Repairing these high-level magic-conducting facilities, replacing the guards lost in battle, appeasing the frightened guests, and recovering the lost reputation… Alpha’s financial statements for this month were likely going to be bleeding red.
What frustrated her even more were the attackers themselves.
The Eye of Truth… when did those lunatics get involved with assassinating members of the Royal Family? Wasn’t their ultimate goal the Sage’s Stone?
Her gaze subconsciously flickered toward the guard, Shuang, who was following behind Lilian.
This undercover lady seemed to have fought quite hard in the battle outside the corridor earlier. She still bore fresh wounds on her body and was currently performing her guard duties with a submissive appearance, showing no signs of anything unusual.
‘Is it her? Did she leak Lilian’s whereabouts and guard configuration to the Eye of Truth?’
‘No, that’s not right.’
Shuang belonged to the Chaos Cult. Although she was suspected of being involved in the previous incident where the Dark Demon Beast Legion attacked the Academy, for now, she could be considered half an ally.
Besides, if the other party really wanted to kill Lilian, they wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble. With her strength, which was Level 8 Peak despite appearing to be Level 7, such complicated schemes were unnecessary.
‘So, was this really the Eye of Truth’s own intention?’
Just as she was thinking this, Gamma stopped before a seemingly ordinary metal door.
She pressed her palm against the identification panel on the side of the door. After a faint light scan, the heavy door slid open silently to both sides. The scene behind the door was in stark contrast to the chaotic mess outside.
It was an extremely spacious and luxuriously decorated circular room.
The floor was covered with a deep blue carpet embroidered with complex and magnificent patterns. The walls were in soft, warm tones, inlaid with top-tier Light Crystals that emitted a natural glow. In the center of the room sat a set of comfortable sofas arranged around a small fountain. Beside them was a small bar filled with exquisite snacks and high-quality drinks. The air was fresh, the temperature was pleasant, and one could even faintly hear soothing, relaxing music.
This was clearly a safe house prepared by the Kayin Trading Company for its highest-level VIPs, and its protection level was extraordinary.
“Please rest here for a moment. It is absolutely safe.”
Gamma stepped aside, signaling for the three of them to enter. She followed them inside, while Lilian signaled with her eyes for Shuang and Lei to remain in the corridor outside on high alert.
Lilian looked around, a hint of surprise flashing through her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and elegantly sat on the main sofa.
Ludmila still held her sword, standing behind Camilla’s sofa like a shadow.
Camilla also sat down, habitually scooping up Rimuru as it hopped over and placing it on her lap. She gently stroked its cool body, and the little fellow let out a comfortable *pu-ji* sound. The injuries it sustained from being cut into pieces earlier had already completely healed.
Gamma did not sit. She walked to the center of the room, faced Lilian, and performed a standard ninety-degree bow. Her long silver hair slid over her shoulders with the movement.
“Once again, I offer my most sincere apologies to Her Highness Lilian Vivalana for this serious security lapse.”
Her voice was steady and clear, devoid of much emotion, but her posture was impeccable.
“Allowing Your Highness to encounter such danger within the premises of this Trading Company is an inexcusable dereliction of duty on our part. According to our preliminary investigation, the attackers infiltrated through multiple means, including forging identities, bribing low-level employees, and utilizing space-obscuring tools. Their target was clearly Your Highness. This represents a major loophole in our Company’s monitoring system and security protocols.”
She straightened up, her crystal-like eyes looking calmly at Lilian.
“To express our apologies and compensate Your Highness for the shock and losses suffered, the Trading Company has decided on the following: First, the Deep Sea Star Tear Amulet Your Highness won tonight will be gifted to you for free. Second, the Company will provide an additional portion of precious cultivation resources worth no less than 500,000 gold coins as compensation; a list will be presented later, and Your Highness may specify the types. Third, the results of all subsequent handling and intelligence tracking of this incident will be fully reported to the Royal Family at the earliest opportunity. We hope Your Highness can accept our humble compensation.”
This response could be described as showing full sincerity—it was even a bit too generous. Gifting a 700,000 gold coin amulet plus 500,000 gold coins worth of precious resources meant the total value exceeded one million gold coins. It was enough to move anyone.
However, Lilian’s reaction exceeded Camilla’s expectations.
The young Princess listened quietly, picked up a cup of floral tea, blew on it gently, and took a small sip.
Then, she set down the teacup. Her pale gold eyes looked directly at Gamma. Her face wore her usual gentle smile, but in the depths of her gaze was a cold, scrutinizing look.
“I have felt Supervisor Gamma’s sincerity, and the Kayin Trading Company’s response has been very swift and professional.” Her voice was neither fast nor slow. “However, Supervisor Gamma, you should understand that some things cannot be fully compensated for with gold coins and resources. Tonight, I nearly lost my life here. If not for my friend Camilla’s sharp perception of the anomaly and Ludmila’s strenuous defense, I would be a corpse right now—perhaps without even my remains left.”
Lilian’s tone remained gentle, but every word seemed to carry weight.
“The Fourth Imperial Princess of the Empire was nearly successfully assassinated by an evil organization in your supposedly absolutely secure Trading Company auction house… If this news were to spread, what do you think it would mean for your Company and for the Empire?”
Gamma remained silent, not answering immediately.
Lilian’s words… she was applying pressure, but not to demand more compensation. She clearly had another purpose.
Sure enough, Lilian leaned forward slightly, her hands folded over her knees in an elegant posture that nonetheless carried an indisputable momentum.
“The compensation can be waived. I will pay the original price for the amulet; those are the rules. As for the 500,000 gold coins’ worth of resources, please take those back as well. My Vivalana Royal Family does not lack such things.”
She paused, staring straight into Gamma’s inhuman eyes.
“I have only one request. I hope to meet with the true owner of your Trading Company—that mysterious Mr. or Ms. Cain—or at least have a direct conversation.”
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Camilla’s hand stroking Rimuru stiffened, and she felt a layer of cold sweat instantly break out on her back.
Lilian’s smile deepened slightly, but it provided no sense of warmth.
“Supervisor Gamma, I understand that the identity of your Company’s owner is sensitive and that they are unwilling to show themselves easily. But tonight’s events force me to re-evaluate the relationship between us. I need to personally confirm what kind of attitude and sincerity the owner of this Trading Company holds toward cooperation with the Empire and the Royal Family. I also need to know if a lapse like tonight’s will happen again in the future.”
She sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness yet remaining incredibly firm.
“After all, you wouldn’t want rumors of an imperial princess being assassinated at the Kayin Trading Company to become public knowledge, would you?”
Hearing Lilian’s words, Gamma remained expressionless, but she tilted her head slightly and gave Camilla an imperceptible glance with her crystal-like eyes.
The meaning in that look was clear: ‘Boss, should I agree to her request?’
Camilla’s brain worked at lightning speed. In a flash, she made a decision. She gave Gamma an extremely tiny nod.
Gamma instantly understood her meaning.
The silver-haired synthetic supervisor looked back at Lilian and bowed slightly.
“I understand. Your Highness’s request is… reasonable.”
She seemed to go through a “difficult” psychological struggle, her tone carrying an appropriate weight of gravity.
“Please wait here for a moment, Your Highness. I need to consult my Master.”
Having said that, she bowed again, turned, and walked quickly out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.
Only Lilian, Camilla, and Ludmila remained in the room. The atmosphere became somewhat subtle for a moment.
Lilian leaned back against the sofa, picked up her teacup, and gave Camilla a slightly apologetic smile.
“Sorry, Camilla, for dragging you into this kind of thing. Were you frightened?”
“I-I’m alright…” Camilla managed a strained smile. “It’s just… Your Highness, do you really want to see that mysterious boss?”
“Of course.” Lilian shook her head gently, a trace of sharpness flashing in her pale gold eyes. “I have a reason why I must meet them… Of course, more than that…”
As she spoke, she leaned in and hugged Camilla. An elegant, noble fragrance flooded the latter’s nose.
“Camilla, tonight was truly thanks to you. If you hadn’t discovered the anomaly with the waiter in time, I’m afraid I really would have been in danger.”
“Your Highness overstates it…” Camilla was caught off guard by this sudden, direct display of gratitude. Her cheeks heated up slightly, and she could only respond vaguely.
But just then, the room door was pushed open again, and Gamma returned.
Her expression was still calm, but her tone carried a hint of relief.
“Your Highness, my Master has agreed to your request. However, the requirement is that only Your Highness may participate in this call. We ask for your understanding.”
“No problem.” Lilian smiled sweetly.