The guests of Barix arrived into the newly constructed guest quarters a bit far away from the Imperial Area. It was equally extravagant but certainly a notch lower in importance.
While the members of any Province would be happy upon such treatment, members of Barix thought that Centaurus was trying to show them their 'place'.
"That old man's ego, just like himself, refuses to die." Jorand, the Lord of Barix, sneered with a disdainful smile.
No one in the room, including the Great Admiral and the Chief Counsellor uttered a word in response.
Jorand wasn't asking for a conversation, he only needed obedient listeners.
A still silence occupied the meeting room in the large guest palace until the doors slowly creaked open.
Except for Lord Jorand, everyone looked on in startled surprise.
A woman with features that couldn't be more ordinary and a presence that could never stand out in a crowd walked towards the large table with confident strides and reached an empty chair.
"It's dangerous to appear here at this moment. All it'll achieve is raise suspicion." Lord Jorand looked at her from his grand seat on the other end of the table.
"I've been here for decades. I can cover this small thing without an issue." Akira said in a leisurely tone and slid into the chair in a smooth motion.
Crossing her legs, she put her elbow on the precious gemstone table and supported her chin with her hand.
For a moment, she looked like the witch who read the crystal balls and predicted the future.
"There is a variable in the plan." Contrary to her posture, her voice was bone-chillingly cold.
The Lord of Barix raised an eyebrow and clapped. "Everyone, leave."
"Constantine or whatever his real name is." Akira's fingertips dug into her cheek and blood splashed on her nails. Her calm eyes were now blazing with volcanic fury. "He broke out of control. If I harm him, he'll reveal the truth to that old bastard."
Jorand's gaze sank and a hologram of Varian in his current disguise appeared. The Lord of Barix started at the young face intently, as if burning that face into his memory.
Then, he turned to Akira with a calm face. "When the Duke is gone, so will he. Until then, don't touch him."
"So, are the preparations complete?" Akira's fury cooled down and her voice grew calmer.
Lord Jorand's lips curled up and that answered everything. "I'm looking forward to that old bastard's face when he learns that I'm his nephew and the son of his real blood sister."
"And learning that his trusted subordinate betrayed him," Akira's eyes were glittering as they imagined the dazzling future. "Will he be able to bear the truth? That the daughter of his once closest teammate hates him so much that she'd rather burn down the entire Duchy just to see him cry."
Jorand and Akira laughed and laughed. But their eyes were icy and their hearts were filled with fire.
— — — —
"You aren't allowed inside, Mr.Constantine." The two rank 1 guards blocked Varian at the main entrance of a manor.
The manor was rather isolated and at the edge of the guest residence area. There were only a few gardens nearby and a small lake with invisible fishes.
"No one can stop me from meeting my brother," Varian said in an impassioned tone and his gaze grew cold. "Especially not when I am the benefactor who helped the Duke himself."
The guards looked at each other with conflicted expressions. They were told by Chief Akira to bar this guy from any entry just a few hours ago and now they're going to fail even that simple task.
"This is between me and her. You might let her spare you if you plead, but I am not so merciful." Varian gave them a distorted smile. "I wouldn't even blink when I twist your necks off and tear apart your limbs."
As if his weird smile wasn't enough, a thick killing intent enveloped and suffocated them. The two gasped as they tried to breathe and failed. They wrapped their arms around themselves and squatted down unconsciously, as their bodies tried to protect themselves from the great danger.
Without any warning, the killing intent vanished.
"Get out of here. Don't make trouble." Varian said and walked into the manor with grace.
The guards collapsed on the floor and looked at the sky with blank expressions. Their bodies shivered without them meaning to. Only when Varian's footsteps fade did their shivering stop and their bodies returned to their control. They scrambled back to their feet and fled.
A big ripple spread in the nearby lake as Princess Catherine slowly got up. Just like the invisible fishes the lake was filled with, she too couldn't be seen. Her clothes weren't wet and her aura was concealed. Everyone thought she was resting in her palace, but she managed to sneak out.
With a chest that burned with anticipation, she scurried into the manor but quickly froze.
·ƈθm "Y-You…" Her invisibility faded away and she stared blankly at the young man sitting beside Varian.
Theoron stood up in shock and looked at Varian with fear. He 'fooled' Varian into taking him in, but now his identity was going to be revealed.
What to do? What can he do?
"As promised, I got him in. What you do next is none of my business. So, keep your end of the bargain." Varian clapped his hands and said with a business smile.
"H-Huh? W-Wait, YOU got me in? Bargain?" Theoron blanked out for a second and couldn't understand what was going on.
Catherine turned her gaze to Varian and gave him a hexagonal crystal with a determined expression.
Not caring the slightest about Theoron's intense internal conflict, Varian whistled and left with a cheerful expression.
Ignoring him, Catherine started at Theoron intensely. Theoron's eyes shook under her stare and he stammered. "C-Cath—"
Paaa!
A sharp pain stung his cheek as the teary-eyed Princess withdrew her hand. "You bastard! Why? Just why?!"
