“Your daughter left the capital despite the king pursuing her until at the very last gate. How will we gain control over the throne if our trump card is now gone?” one of the ministers asked. They were all in the royal court upon hearing the news about the queen. They were all anxious in their places as they waited for the king’s arrival. The prime minister glared at the minister beside him and it was enough for him to shut him up even without saying anything. “I already sent people to go after her. She will not be leaving without doing helpful at all,” Prime Minister Korun stated. When they saw the king by the entrance, they bowed their heads and greeted him as he went towards the throne. His expression was just as indifferent as it used to be but his aura said otherwise as it was cold and dangerous, making every minister in the room never dare speak a word. Finally seated on his throne, the king rested his chin on the back of his hand. “Bring the maidservant in,” he ordered. L
The king grabbed the handle and saw that it was a dagger exquisitely made. The tip of the handle was a mixture of silver and gold seemingly woven over each other. Between the handle and the blade was a dark grey gemstone shaped like a shield and its crossguard and quillon were shaped like that of a wave. Securing the dark grey gemstone, two silver and gold snakes crossed over each other with their tails ending at the edge of the crossguard. The blade itself was also carved with the gold and silver wave until it reached the tip. It was a dagger he had never seen before so he could not pinpoint the place where it could have been made. Staring at it lifted the curiosity of the king about the queen. With Prime Minister Korun not visiting her even once before their marriage, he suspected that there was something Emery was hiding from him as well as from her father. Keeping the dagger underneath the long sleeves of his clothes, he left the chambers of the queen and asked for the blacksmith
After their bath, the three assassins went to the dining hall where Jadeite was already gobbling up some food in her mouth. The long, wooden table was filled with different dishes as if they were celebrating the king’s birthday. Holding a chicken leg in one hand, she waved at them. “You are all taking too long to finish bathing so I went ahead and ate first. Help yourselves with the feast.” “Are we the only one summoned?” Emery asked as she sat just across Jadeite. Jadeite simply nodded in response. She cupped her bowl with both hands and sipped the soup, making a loud slurping sound and catching everyone’s attention in the room. When she was done, she just gave them a wink before turning her attention back to her chicken. “The others are too far away to be summoned and cannot leave their posts so only the four of us are available. But I wonder what it was all about,” Cataleena stated. “It’s all about the revolt of the people at the western border of Silex Kingdom. Perhaps, Her Hi
Before midnight, the four assassins-Emery, Jadeite, Secora, and Cataleena- were all ready to depart from the headquarters after briefing themselves on the plan they had to follow. Each of them was wearing their identical combat apparel with their faces covered with a mask and was equipped with their weapons before they got on each horse. It was rather chillier that midnight compared to the other nights, but Emery thought it was just probably her feeling that way. She had gone through many missions before but this time, she felt like something bad was going to happen… something that she was not expecting. The moon was full that night, making their travel a bit easier but they also needed to be more cautious of being seen. This was their first group mission after years of doing solo missions so they felt kind of uncomfortable, especially since it was their very first time working with each other. “I want to remind all of you to just gather information and help the families in leaving
Seeing the face of the general, Jadeite also knew that they had to tread more carefully now that they bumped into one of the best generals in the kingdom. Meanwhile, General Kyan was a bit suspicious of the two women, especially since they were covering half of their faces as if they were hiding from someone. Besides, seeing them in such a place was suspicious enough. He sent the groups of guards away to start their tasks before facing Jadeite and Emery. “What are you here for?” he asked. “As travelers, we are used to stopping by this village,” Jadeite replied. Still suspicious of them, he stared at Emery who dared gaze back at him as if her fear of getting caught never existed. There was a moment of silence between them and Jadeite could feel the tension between the two. She wanted to intervene but somehow, her amusement with the situation got the better of her so she simply stood at the side and watched them, waiting for what shall happen next. “I want to make sure you are not o
Upon reaching the village of Tramiane, the four assassins brought the survivors under the care of head Amirah’s team to help them start anew. It may take a while but it was much better that way rather than handing them over to the royal guards who will surely torture them. “This mission is one of the easiest ones I finished. Kinda boring since we just had to run away.” Secora sighed as she laid her head on top of the table. She kind of felt disappointed because she was expecting more action especially since there were four of them gathered together for that particular mission. But only running away from the royal guards, just did not meet her expectation of thrill so the disappointment was very much evident in her facial expression. “At least we managed to gather the information we needed. But to think that the king wanted to be a tyrant after two years of being dormant, it just feels like a huge red flag,” Catalenna commented. They were in the kitchen of the small tavern having th
Emery’s stomach started to growl but she could not bring herself to sip her tea or even take one single bite of the snack for her. Her curiosity about Lady Mica’s knowledge about the Arcana just worried her. Plus, she could not interpret what she had in mind because just like the king, she often wore an indifferent expression. Lady Mica, on the other hand, was a bit amused at the puzzled look of the queen. Setting her tea aside, she met her gaze and smiled. “I would gladly answer if you tell me about your relationship with my son,” she said. “She is like some other mothers who like to dote on their son’s romantic relationship.” That thought lingered in Emery’s mind and she could not help but tell herself to be open about her real relationship with the king. Besides, if she tells her what she wanted to hear, she would be able to get the chance to know how she knew the Arcana. “Well,” she started. “We are like any couples out there.” Lady Mica nodded and waited for additional infor
All throughout her travel, Emery was not able to get any sleep as she prepared herself for what was to come when she shows up. Breathing in and out, she braced herself as they finally enter the very first gate. The windows of the carriage were all open on both sides but were covered by the curtains. However, just by seeing the flag attached to the corner of the carriage, the people thought that the previous queen was the one inside. Thus, one guard hurried to the palace to inform the king about the arrival of his mother. Princess Garnet who was about to head back to the Vesuvia Kingdom that day once again had to postpone her leave so she could greet her mother whose arrival was so abrupt it caused an uproar. She did not receive any notice about her mother coming back to the capital so she was puzzled. As far as she knew, the previous queen did not want to return so she was curious about what had changed her mind. The king and the princess, together with the other ministers and maidse
It was already night time but the grandest brothel house here in the Realgar Kingdom was very much alive like it was the peak of the day. Noblemen continued to enter with much anticipation but I cannot truly tell if it was because they were planning to rise against the king or if it was for the women who will soon serve them or probably both. It was a huge party to cover up the noblemen’s real purpose of gathering here in this pleasure house. Thus, it was also a chance for me to test my girls’ ability to gather intelligence without getting caught. Beneath the main brothel, I gathered the 10 ladies I had been training for four years now for their briefing before they would go out there and do their very first mission. “I am reminding you again that all you have to accomplish this night is to gather information regarding the supposed rebellion. Serve the guests with food, wine, sweet talks, lip service, and whatnot but never engage in sexual activities. I forbid you to be in that kind
Emery, then, turned on her heels and started to away. Taking only a few steps, the king finally spoke. “Your accusations against them will be considered treason. To add up to that, you are still the prime suspect in killing the royal concubine. If you turn your back now without proving your innocence, you won’t be able to leave this place alive.” The assassin did not bother listening to whatever he had to say and still continued to leave. With her position as queen taken away from her, she had to pretend to leave the kingdom. She also needed to speak with the Arcana Heads to ask what shall be her next move with all the situations going beyond her control. “Your stubbornness annoys the hell out of me.” King Lawson, whose patience just snapped a few moments ago, grabbed Emery by the arm and dragged her into the tent. He strictly instructed the royal soldiers to make sure that no one would ever dare step inside the tent until he says so. Upon entering, Emery was a bit taken aback when
After the sudden appearance of the queen and Lady Mica, they met with King Lawson inside the tent, and even though he never said a word, his icy gaze said it all. He was not at all pleased with their visit as if this was some kind of vacation trip. “Your Majesty, I apologize for not telling you ahead of time about our arrival. I was simply worried about what was going on in here so I came,” Queen Natalia stated. Clearing her throat, Lady Mica intercepted since she noticed that her son was not convinced of the queen’s reason. “Lawson, that is not the way to treat your new queen. The two of you just got married and did not even spend your honeymoon in peace. At least, appreciate her efforts.” Clicking his tongue, the king shifted his attention back to the reports and said, “Mother, would you step out for a while? I need to speak with Natalia alone.” Lady Mica was about to negate but the queen gave her a reassuring look that everything would be just fine. Thus, the king’s mother left
After a few days of travel along with a few royal soldiers, King Lawson was able to reach the western border. Just like what Vasmir reported, the planes that used to be ablaze were now only covered with the remnants of the war. He could see some of the soldiers cleaning up and gathering the dead bodies but before he could go and see what was going on beyond the borders, he headed to the campsite of the general. Seeing the king wearing his armor, all the royal soldiers got on their knees and lowered their heads. King Lawson simply passed them by and came face to face with General Kyan. Getting off his horse, he entered the tent and the general followed. “I have always regarded you as one of the greatest soldiers that the kingdom could offer. But hearing that you forbid the soldiers to fight alongside the people of the Thorine Kingdom changed my mind. You are nothing but a coward,” the king commented as he took his seat and his chin leaning on the back of his hand. Instead of getting
Emery did not want to force General Kyan into her plan but she had no plans of staying put either. Stepping out of the tent, she walked towards the battlefield but when she felt that the soldiers whom she just led a few hours ago, she stopped in her tracks and faced them. “Our mission is considered as a failure and I apologize for dragging you into a decision I made for myself. But I won’t be apologizing for the decision I made. Our mission has ended, thus, I am no longer your leader so wait for the general’s further instructions.” After saying that, she turned on her heels and scanned the vicinity, hoping to locate where the general of the Damas Kingdom was. It was not hard to spot him despite the wide horizon as her eyes reflected their group backing away with their weapons raised above their heads. The royal soldiers, however, were a bit puzzled at the sudden change of mind of their enemies. And for the ceasefire to be led by the well-known undefeatable general, they found it rat
Emery still did not budge and was on the verge of shooting the arrow right in the face of the general. However, she clicked her tongue when he managed to push away the royal soldiers surrounding him. With a thunderous roar, he claimed, “You will never win this war! The soldiers of the Thorine Kingdom shall back us up and your kingdom shall be eaten by fire!” Emery cocked her head and slowly dropped her weapon. She, then, walked towards the general with a crease on her forehead. “With what you said, am I right if I say that you are associated with the Thorine Kingdom? But how could that be possible now that Princess Natalia just became the queen of our kingdom?” Instead of getting a decent answer from him, Emery twitched as the laughter of the general rang in her ears. It was a burst of laughter to mock her as if she was the craziest woman in front of him. “She married him to kill your king and conquer Silex with our help!” This time, it was the general and the soldiers’ turn to l
When the night embraced the land, Emery briefed the soldiers first on what they should do upon arriving at the site of their ambush. Though, she started to feel a bit uncomfortable as she felt their stares at her as if they were becoming more and more suspicious of who she was. Her heart almost skipped a beat when one of them took the courage to ask about her identity since it seemed like it was their first time to see her. And to avoid that topic, she simply stated that it was not the right time to know her since they were about to do something important that could either give their side an advantage or not. She even almost got busted when a few of them claimed that she looked familiar. If she were to be too defensive, it would make them more suspicious. “Captain, the general of the enemies had arrived in their camp,” the scout came to report, helping Emery get out of the tight situation. She stood from her seat and grabbed her spear. “Everyone, in your positions. At exact midnight
Emery stared at the royal physician who was on his knees right in front of her. She did not know what it was all about but since he dragged her into an empty room, she thought that there was something going on. However, she never dared speak up and ask about it as she still felt a bit discouraged to do anything after witnessing the king getting married to another woman. “Your Highness, please forgive me. I… I know what I did is something unforgivable and I deserve to lose my head for lying but… Your Highness, I beg for your mercy,” he pleaded. He bowed to her until his forehead touched the cold floor. His lips quivered as he anticipated the reply of the queen who still remained quiet after a few minutes of silence. “I am no longer the queen of this kingdom so do not act so formal. But that aside, what lie are you saying?” The royal physician gulped. He could feel the tips of his fingers growing cold but this could only be the last chance he had to redeem himself so he had to speak
Not wanting to be recognized, Emery immediately turned away, swinging her sword towards an enemy. She did not dare look back because she just saw a glint of shock in the general’s eyes despite the few seconds of looking into his very eyes. With a grunt escaping her mouth, she lunged towards another enemy and swung her weapon down to injure his leg. Her enemy fell to his knees, giving Emery the chance to slit his throat and end his life. She kept chanting in her mind not to pay much attention to what she just saw but her anxious heart was unsettled. The thought of her getting arrested at that very moment was not just the best idea. Just then, she felt someone behind her but before she could turn on her heels to see who it was, the general spoke. “What did you come here for?” he asked just loud enough for her to hear. Emery was able to feel a bit relieved when she heard his voice without even a hint of threat. She simply hoped that he would not turn her into the king, at least, not f