"You really put on a show; I thought you were going to kill the royal guard," Velryna said as she held Ziriel's arms.
"Oh, please, I'm not that talented of an actress," she replied with a calm smile. She had enjoyed acting like a tyrant for a few minutes.
"Hehe," Velryna smiled, holding Ziriel's arm closer to her chest. Ziriel, on the other hand, was almost having a breakdown... despite the body, she was still a man at heart.
As they reached the palace entrance, they finally separated. Ziriel noticed it was because of the entrance; probably on the other side, many palace staff would be waiting for the Princess to enter. As thought, Ziriel stayed behind Velryna, while she was the first to enter with Simon by her side, as the designated bodyguard who should always be with her.
"Welcome, Your Majesty, the Princess," the head maid appeared in the midst, and about twelve Imperial Palace staff bowed in reverence around her.
"It's good to see you in good health, Governess Carmila," Velryna said, and Carmila nodded, showing that their relationship was very deep.
"Please prepare a bath for me and for this young lady, as well as comfortable clothes for her. If possible, use ones from my personal wardrobe. Treat her with respect and honor; she is a guest and a friend. Additionally, prepare the guest room for her to settle in," Velryna said enthusiastically.
The staff's eyes met, as if they had never seen Velryna so excited before; she seemed to shine in their eyes.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Carmila replied and clapped her hands for the staff to start mobilizing, while Ziriel and Simon waited. Velryna headed up to her room.
Ziriel, who was sitting on a couch facing Simon, who was waiting for the maids to arrange their rooms, questioned:
"Do they still use that stupid talent assessment device?" Ziriel said, surprising Simon with the question.
"No, the witches developed with the Eastern continent a new nomenclature for power levels, something like cultivation," he said, affirming: "The levels were confusing, but Alice developed them correctly when she changed part of the magic. It seems she understood more about the core." Simon confirmed, and Ziriel was satisfied. She had already expected something like that to happen.
"The era change prophesied by the Elven Queen really resulted in an overall strength increase."
"Yes, a lot has changed since my master passed away. A lot of power started to be concentrated," he replied. This conversation came out of nowhere, but he managed to keep up and understand where Ziriel was getting at.
"If you're asking about your current level, you're nothing more than a Beginner in core cultivation," he said. "Nevertheless, your martial skills are almost Master level."
"Ha~" Ziriel sighed. "I need to get stronger quickly. Don't tell Velryna, but I intend to kill her brother," Ziriel said, and Simon wasn't surprised.
"I think the same. He has already taken over the Emperor's power, but has not been officially crowned yet. When that happens, this place will become chaos. We have to fear for the lives of the citizens of this city," Simon said. His concern was justified, although he did not know about the experiments Ethan has been conducting with a Dragon.
It was likely that his greed would cause the ruin of this place.
"I found Valentina's Shadow that was in this city," Ziriel said, and Simon immediately arched his eyebrows, looking closely at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I used a code I had. She didn't fully recognize my identity, but she can recognize me as someone important. She's working to find out information about the future emperor," Ziriel commented as she crossed her legs.
"Keep Velryna focused only on dethroning. I will regain my power gradually and kill him," Ziriel said in a somber tone, which left Simon intrigued. Of course, it was part of Ziriel's plan to pique Simon's curiosity about her and tell the truth.
"I understand. We'll follow your plan then," Simon confirmed. 'Regain? You were strong before... Foreigner my foot, you know damn well the current situation,' he thought. Once again, Ziriel was winning this game of lies against Simon.
"Miss," Ziriel turned, seeing a maid with brown hair and eyes, very natural. "Your bath has been prepared," she said and bowed.
"Oh, alright. We'll talk later, Simon," Ziriel said and walked away, expecting the maid to accompany her.
Following the maid, Ziriel went to one of the grand rooms. Its door was ivory with various golden carvings. Again, she thought it was a waste of money.
"The Princess warned us not to enter your room, as you are not from this continent and could be frightened or uncomfortable with the way baths are done in noble houses. As soon as you finish your bath, just call at the door and we will help you get ready," the maid said, bowing gently. Unlike the others, who seemed afraid of Ziriel when she appeared alongside Velryna, this one was quite friendly.
"What is your name?" Ziriel questioned, showing a certain lack of delicacy, which left the maid startled. "M-my name is Yutan, just Yutan," she stammered, visibly embarrassed. However, a smile appeared on Ziriel's face. "Fufu, don't worry, dear. I'm only interested in knowing your name for when the Princess asks me about the hospitality here. I'll recommend you for a bonus.
Relax, and thank you for your service." With that, Ziriel entered the room.
"Is she an angel?" Yutan wondered, still paralyzed, with Ziriel's words echoing in her mind, especially the mention of the "bonus." She knew she needed money...
On the other hand, on the other side of the door, Ziriel smiled, feeling like a great manipulator. After all, her plan was beginning to unfold.
"First, we need to earn the trust of the maids." This was the first step. With Ziriel's kindness and Yutan's innocence, who was in charge of her, soon the reputation of Ziriel's kindness and humility would spread. This could lead the other maids to trust her more.
"Let's find out who's spying on Velryna first, and then we'll move on to the next step," said Ziriel as she undressed and headed towards the bathtub, which looked more like a hot tub.
Next to the hot tub, there was a bottle of red wine, scented soaps, and aromatic candles - things the rich truly appreciated.
"So much pomp. I'd be content with a simple shower, but this is surreal," commented Ziriel as she lay in the hot water, her white hair submerged and her eyes closed, feeling a deep tranquility.
"Has she awakened?" Ziriel asked, and two Dragons appeared in front of her. It was unnecessary to say who they were.
"She wants to speak with you," said Voralith, transforming into his humanoid form.
The baby dragon began to glow slowly, initiating its metamorphosis to alternate between its draconian and human form.
Ziriel watched with admiration. Unlike Voralith, who changed instantly, this little dragon was transitioning slowly and carefully, as if adapting to the magic. This made Ziriel very interested, especially because she wished to regain her Dante form.
When she blinked, a little girl appeared in front of her. She was about three years old, wearing a black dress embroidered with ruffles and a small crown on her long black hair. Her piercing green eyes stared at Ziriel.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" the nameless girl asked. Ziriel only responded with another question: "Why would a demon be afraid of a child?" The girl looked confused, unable to fully understand the words but seeking to comprehend. Ziriel noticed this and looked at her.
"Everyone is afraid of Eldrax. Everyone tries to hurt Eldrax. Everyone hits Eldrax!" the girl said, sounding like an ordinary child.
"Come closer," invited Ziriel, and the girl hesitated a bit before approaching. The bathtub was higher than her, so Ziriel dried her off with a towel and reached out to Eldrax.
This scared the girl, who quickly backed away, trembling with fear.
"You see? The child is afraid of the demon, but the demon is not afraid of the child," declared Ziriel, and this made sense to Eldrax.
"How did you end up here, Eldrax?" Ziriel asked, but the little girl was still wary and refused to speak, looking directly at Voralith.
"It's alright, child. This... creature is good. She will be like us in the future," explained Voralith. "Is this a dragon?" Eldrax asked, and Voralith just smiled. "Who knows, one day he might leave behind this demon thing," she said.
"Eldrax was born in darkness," explained Eldrax. Ziriel didn't immediately understand. "What do you mean, in darkness?"
"Eldrax was born in mommy's dead pain. Eldrax was captured and imprisoned in darkness. Eldrax lost mommy," explained Eldrax, her eyes starting to well up and her breathing becoming tense.
"Calm down. Do you remember what happened?" asked Ziriel, and Eldrax shrank slightly.
"A man with golden hair... killed mommy Eldrax," she said, confused and shocked, clearly distraught by everything.
"I see. A bad man killed mommy Eldrax, and that bad man has golden hair," affirmed Ziriel, trying to speak in the same manner as Eldrax.
"I think you should rest, child. Focus on recovering," suggested Voralith, and Eldrax agreed before disappearing.
"What do you think?" Ziriel asked Voralith, who sat in one of the chairs still in his humanoid form.
"I tried to read her memories, but the little girl is strong. I believe her mother used draconian language to apply a protection against brainwashing, and since I am not yet completely a physical existence, using runes is impossible," explained Voralith.