The Imperial Capital, Inner City, Royal Palace.
The afterglow of twilight filtered through the glass windows, falling upon the magnificent palace and casting mottled colors onto the marble floor.
In front of a large silver mirror, Isadorella gazed at her reflection.
Her black and red military dress was adorned with golden threads embroidered with the Black Vulture emblem, exuding an aura of majesty and opulence.
Her platinum blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. The pure silver hue was a unique symbol of the Freista Empire’s royal family, as it had been since ancient times.
“Your Highness, you seem to have changed a lot these past few months,” Diris, wearing a palace gown, stood gracefully behind Isadorella, holding a beautiful sash.
With her fair white fingers flying, Diris tied back Isadorella’s flowing silver hair. As Isadorella’s secret subordinate, Diris was intimately familiar with her superior. However, since Shaya Egut disappeared from the City of Knowledge three months ago, Diris noticed significant changes in the Second Princess she served. While Isadorella maintained her stern and majestic demeanor in front of others, once they left, she would often gaze into the distance, lost in thought.
*Snap.*
The sash made a crisp sound as the waterfall of silver hair was gathered into a ponytail, revealing Isadorella’s swan-like, snow-white neck. Diris surveyed the Princess in the mirror. “For an imperial succession ceremony, this attire might be a bit too simple.”
“I recall the royal family having attendants and stylists specializing in noble etiquette.”
“Since it’s such an important ceremony as the succession, why didn’t Your Highness have those professionals handle it…”
“There’s no need.”
Her clear and cold voice echoed through the vast royal hall, interrupting Diris’s suggestion. The silver-haired Princess looked at her reflection in the mirror. “If any other man were to help me get dressed and touch my body during the process.”
“He wouldn’t say anything out loud, but he would still be a little unhappy, wouldn’t he?”
“I don’t want him to be unhappy.”
A faint smile graced Isadorella’s lips. She recalled the scene in that corrected, erroneous history, of the black-haired, black-eyed youth bidding her farewell on the Obsidian Throne.
Upon hearing Isadorella’s words, Diris couldn’t help but blink. She also remembered the declaration the Second Princess made about her future consort during the previous parliament session.
“Is Your Highness referring to Shaya?”
Isadorella nodded candidly. “Of course.”
“I can’t help it. He’s just such an unbelievably possessive and greedy person.”
“He wouldn’t even allow me to develop feelings for his alter ego, and he’d even cross a thousand years of time to come back and tear it apart.”
“And I like him so much…”
Hearing the Princess’s unreserved confession, the flowing light in Diris’s eyes flickered slightly. As the matchmaker between the Second Princess and Shaya Egut, Diris knew almost all of Shaya and Isadorella’s interactions in the current world, even participating in some herself. It was precisely because of this that she was surprised by the Princess’s current transformation. She was not a Legend, so she naturally had no way of knowing what had happened in secret three months ago. However, she surmised it must have been a deeply unforgettable experience. Only then could their relationship, which had merely been one of mutual trust between allies, have ascended to such unwavering love until death.
But soon, Diris lowered her head, casually adjusting the buttons on Isadorella’s military dress, unwilling to let the ripples in her eyes be perceived by others. She chuckled softly. “If Shaya is that petty, perhaps he’d mind not just Your Highness’s interactions with other men, but even your interactions with me.”
Her words, spoken as a joke to mask the turmoil in her eyes, had barely left her lips.
The next moment, Diris heard that clear and majestic voice echo in her ears once more. “I’ve actually considered that.”
“So, after we get married in the future, you can resign from your position as a Sword Holder and come with me…”
Diris’s movements paused slightly. “Your Highness is as domineering as ever, arranging your subordinate’s lifelong affairs with just a few words.”
“However, if it weren’t for Your Highness, I might have been buried in the Abyss long ago, and I wouldn’t be the Royal Succubus Diris I am today.”
She smiled faintly. “Since it’s Your Highness’s command, your subordinate will obey, whether it’s as a maid, or even as Shaya’s concubine or mistress.”
“There’s no need for that. Although I saved you once in the Abyss, you’ve been undercover at Saint Roland Academy for so long and helped me choose a talent like Shaya. That kindness has already been repaid.”
“Besides, I know he doesn’t like the clear master-subordinate treaties that the Empire currently has.”
As she spoke, Isadorella did not look at Diris, but continued to gaze at herself in the silver mirror.
“The biggest difference between the Royal Succubus Clan and ordinary succubi is that ordinary succubi can only grow stronger by absorbing others’ Desire Power…”
“Royal Succubi can not only infiltrate dreams to steal Desire Power but can also create dreams for themselves, growing stronger through their own emotions.”
“And if I’m not mistaken, you’ve just reached the Sixth Ring, haven’t you?”
Diris was slightly stunned and nodded subconsciously.
“The Pure White Unicorn only forms a contract with maidens of pure heart… If you were truly like your kin in the Abyss, growing stronger by unrestrainedly absorbing others’ Desire Power, then your contract with the Pure White Unicorn should have already collapsed.”
“However, I know your first Soul Pact is still intact.”
“In other words, the fact that you were able to advance from the Third Ring to the Sixth Ring in just over half a year—”
“The only possibility is that you’ve been continuously dreaming about someone as material, constantly weaving dreams for yourself during this past half-year.”
“And you’ve been weaving those full of desire daydreams.”
A faint smile appeared on Isadorella’s lips.
“So—”
“Diris, are you really refusing?”
As the words left her lips, the magnificent hall fell into a brief silence.
After a long while, Diris finally gave a wry smile. “Your Highness is truly perceptive.”
“Those who had ill intentions previously speculated that Your Highness possessed the combat power of a throne thanks to the Holy Sword’s protection…”
“But now, it seems those people are in for a big surprise.”
The brief exchange ended, and both Diris and Isadorella fell silent. The hall returned to silence, with only the rustling sounds of adjusting attire. After a long time, the heavy, ancient bell from a distant church awakened everything from its slumber. The silver-haired Princess walked away from the full-length mirror. As she looked at the pitch-black trench coat Diris handed her, a hint of nostalgia flashed in her eyes. She then put it on and turned to leave.
“What’s the situation with the Cultists from the Lost Domain who secretly infiltrated the Empire?” Diris asked, stepping closer, her voice soft. “Those cultists who entered from abroad have been under surveillance by the military and the Directorate.”
“Some are connected to the Oathbound Family and entered through channels controlled by those nobles, but they are all under control.”
“However, they are mostly clustered in the Outer City of the Imperial Capital and have not attempted to actively enter the Inner City where the Imperial Palace is located.”
Since Shaya Egut’s disappearance, Diris had taken over the Sword Holder organization in the Imperial Capital. Because of this, she was privy to every detail of the cult’s activities in recent days.
“I suspect… within the Inner City, perhaps even within the Imperial Palace itself, they have other preparations.”
“It’s just that their communication and contact methods seem to exceed the Empire’s current technological capabilities, and we haven’t been able to pinpoint the targets within the Inner City.”
“It seems that even within the royal family, not everyone is united.”
Isadorella’s lament was subtle, as if she were murmuring to herself. However, to Diris’s ears behind her, the chilling killing intent made the Royal Succubus’s heart tremble. But then, she saw the killing intent and chill in the Second Princess’s eyes completely fade. Isadorella looked at a crystal hair ornament in her hand. For the first time, a rare hint of hesitation appeared in her crimson eyes. After pondering for a long time, she finally inserted it into her hair.
Diris’s eyes widened in surprise. “Your Highness…” From her understanding of the Princess, Isadorella was never one for excessive adornment. Her usual attire was either for court etiquette, or the accessories themselves were crystals of magic and alchemy with practical functions. She never engaged in unnecessary ostentatious displays. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have always been seen in her Black Vulture military uniform. However, this crystal hairpin was unrelated to ceremonial items or alchemy, but was purely an ornament. It was the first time Diris had seen the Princess display such girlish vanity. This Isadorella didn’t resemble a Princess about to ascend the imperial throne; she looked more like a lovestruck maiden, fussing over a few accessories on her vanity, unsure of which to choose.
“For my long-awaited reunion with him, I want to present myself in my most perfect form before him.”
“This is information I received from Miss Sylvia. I think he might prefer this type of hair ornament.” As if sensing Diris’s thoughts, Isadorella said faintly.
Diris was slightly stunned but quickly recovered. She exclaimed with surprise, “Shaya contacted Your Highness?” Having had her secret thoughts exposed by the Princess earlier, Diris no longer bothered to pretend, her joy evident in her voice.
“No, he hasn’t.”
“However, I believe, since he claims to be ‘the hero who will always save you if you cry’…”
The two walked through the silent palace corridors towards the Hall of Thrones.
“Then he certainly won’t be absent from an occasion like today.”
This certainty seemed to have no basis, yet Isadorella believed it unconditionally. Just as a thousand years ago, he had appeared before her like the wind.
PS: Two consecutive updates today.
