"Can you guys explain to me what happened here?" Ziriel asked. Two hours had passed, and it was almost sunset. Velryna and Simon had already recovered reasonably well and were now getting ready to head to the Imperial Castle.
"A little while after we left you, we were traveling peacefully for just a few minutes when I felt a Mage watching us from afar. I stayed alert, but within seconds... The knights were all killed," revealed Simon as he hid his face with his hand. "They must have cleared the streets by now... it was so sudden that I didn't have time to protect them with magic...
If only I had warned them earlier..." He muttered, upset. Lives always mattered, even though they had only known each other for a short time. Unlike monsters, Simon still valued life, and he knew that the deaths of those knights were one of his failures. He had made a mistake, and their deaths weighed heavily on him.
"Alright, unfortunately, it was a great loss for us, but they knew the risk," said Velryna. Of course, she wasn't that insensitive, but at the moment, she couldn't act like a child. Although she wanted to avenge the deaths of those knights, she knew that a long journey would need to be undertaken. A path that involved too much blood, and she couldn't follow it without power.
"Compensate their families when you ascend to the throne. We don't have time for this nonsense and lamentations; these men were here for you, so honor their families by showing that their sacrifice was not in vain," said Ziriel as she sheathed her sword. The entire place was already clean, but unfortunately, even the owner was killed during the attack.
"What did you say?" stuttered Velryna, surprised. Ziriel had said something she never expected to hear.
"You heard me. I have scores to settle with your rotten little brother. He will not be the Emperor," affirmed Ziriel, turning to face her. More people she had met had died. It was a short time, but she liked them, even though they had barely had contact. It was fun being with that group, but she would never see them again.
"I won't stand still after what happened today," said Ziriel, rising with a slightly strong aura that left Velryna shrinking.
"Do you want to be the Empress?" Ziriel questioned Velryna, who couldn't answer. She didn't want to be the Empress, but she also didn't want Ethan to be the Emperor.
"I don't want to, but I can't let Ethan become Emperor. He will destroy this kingdom with his cruel ambitions," said Velryna, in a sigh of exhaustion and despair for what might happen.
Ziriel had already questioned whether her revenge would really be worth it at this point. A decade had passed, and they could have changed, learned from their mistakes. Everything could be different, but that was impossible. With the information she had at this moment, it was likely that they had worsened, as they were now considered heroes.
"I understand. That's good enough," said Ziriel, looking at Velryna, who had a worried look on her face, as did Simon, who seemed somewhat suspicious.
"What do you mean by 'settling scores' with him, Lady Ziriel?" questioned Simon, in a serious tone.
"I have more than special business with Ethan Smith, and even if I explained, you would call me crazy or not believe me," replied Ziriel sincerely.
"I see. That being said, aren't you a fugitive from the Eastern Empire?" asked Simon. Ziriel just smiled. "I can't answer that. After all, as you can see, I have oriental features, don't I?" Ziriel asked, pointing to the corners of her eyes. Simon just smiled, understanding that she didn't want to talk about it.
"We have to go, it can get dangerous," said Ziriel, seeing that the sun was starting to set. During the night, it would be more complicated to deal with assassins, especially those who attacked. They seemed weak to Ziriel, but for Velryna, it could be the end.
Ziriel, Velryna, and Simon left the establishment, which was broken inside after the fight and flawless on the outside... Well, at least it was as it was before, right? Nothing was broken... not that it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
They took a carriage and headed for the Imperial Castle. On the way, a conversation started.
"How are we going to get me into the castle? Even though I am now a knight, I find it difficult to enter normally," asked Ziriel. Velryna and Simon looked at each other.
"Lady Ziriel... who am I?" questioned Velryna. Ziriel didn't understand the question. "The Princess?" Ziriel replied.
"Yes. I am the Princess, I rule everything," said Velryna, looking at Ziriel, who seemed shocked.
"I-I thought you had no power within the Palace," said Ziriel, and Velryna stared at her. "I indeed don't have power, but I am still the princess. Anything related to this title, I just have to order," said Velryna calmly.
"Has she always been like this?" Ziriel asked Simon, who nodded quietly. "I can see why you're following her, even though I don't think it suits you," Ziriel said.
"I'm on duty," said Simon. "Don't come with that, you liked her personality as much as I did," retorted Ziriel, and he became slightly quiet. "Fufufu, caught the old man red-handed," Ziriel said laughing.
"You seem older than me. How old are you really?" questioned Simon. "I don't know what you're talking about!" said Ziriel. "Besides, be more of a gentleman! You shouldn't ask a lady like me for her age!" Ziriel lightly shouted, pointing at Simon with a mischievous smile.
The carriage fell silent for a moment, but a muffled laugh started to come from Ziriel's right side.
pfff
It didn't take long for Velryna to no longer be able to hold back her laughter, and she started laughing uncontrollably at the scene she had just witnessed. The mighty Simon Cloht was losing a verbal duel to a girl who wasn't even thirty years old. At least, that's what she thought.
"Hahahaha, I needed that," said Velryna as she grabbed Ziriel's hand and leaned her head on the white-haired girl's shoulder, closing her eyes.
"Thank you for finding us and helping us. Maybe I wouldn't even be alive if you hadn't shown up at that moment," said Velryna, squeezing Ziriel's hands deeply.
'I feel guilty for not being able to say what I'm going to do with your brother, and even more guilty for not being truly myself here...' Ziriel thought slowly, as she felt the warm body of the girl beside her. Memories of her life as Dante haunted her slowly every second, mainly because she didn't trust to tell Simon, a great friend who had helped her a lot before, about her true self.
"I had an idea," said Ziriel to Velryna, who opened her eyes and looked at her, waiting for her words. Ziriel, however, pondered slightly about what she was going to suggest, but again, she didn't have many choices.
"Announce me as a Lady-in-Waiting of the Princess and hide that I am a knight. That way, I can walk with you through the Palace and protect you if something happens. Also... the Emperor will try everything to get what he wants. If that's the case, I wouldn't doubt he could approach me to try to kill you, and that's when we catch him," presented Ziriel her plan.
It was simple and unplanned, but it wasn't a total failure.
"You can't wield swords being a Lady-in-Waiting, Ziriel," said Simon, looking at her, who was confused.
"Since when did I say I don't know martial arts? I can defend myself and Lady Velryna very well," Ziriel replied with a smile on her face.
"But Ziriel... Do you know what a Lady-in-Waiting is, don't you? You'll have to infiltrate high society," said Velryna.
"Oh, that's really a problem... Since I'm not from this Kingdom, I could be a servant... but I wouldn't be able to follow you in banquets..." pondered Ziriel about the options she could follow, but none came to her mind.
"Be my Handmaid, my personal assistant. It'll be easier that way; you could assist me with everyday tasks and practical matters. That way, you'd be closer to me while trying to get into Ethan's eyes. It'll be easier that way," suggested Velryna. For a second, Ziriel thought about giving up, as she had never been through such a thing, but she didn't hesitate and nodded to Velryna.
"Then you'll have to change your clothes... How about we go to a boutique, Sir Simon? You wouldn't mind waiting a bit to enter the snake's nest, would you? We need to make Ziriel a true Lady," said Velryna, seeming excited...
"Where did I get myself into? Why did I have to have this... sexy body! I can't stand walking around with these balloons for much longer! Please give me back my red hair and my aesthetically perfect chest! I miss being Dante Scarlet!!!!" Ziriel screamed inside as she was propelled by Velryna's pushes into a clothing boutique.