Chapter 396: I Am Listening
"Now?" I asked.
"Now," Edgar confirmed. "Both the General and His Majesty have taken time out of their schedules for you two. They see... potential. The kind that shapes the future of the Empire."
Steve and I exchanged a quick glance. No pressure.
We left immediately, Edgar leading us through the maze-like corridors toward the private audience chambers. The guards at the entrance stepped aside without a word, and we found the Emperor seated at a large table, no formality in his posture this time.
"Come in," he said, waving us closer. "Sit."
We did.
He looked at Edgar and asked, "I thought Billion was supposed to go with General Cassian?"
Edgar nodded and replied, "That was the plan, Your Majesty. But something came up, and the General was occupied."
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed briefly at that, but he only hummed softly in response. Then, turning his gaze back to us, a small smile appeared on his lips when he looked at me.
"You’ve grown stronger again," he said.
I remembered pushing all my stats past the 2000 mark and nodded. "I like pushing myself."
He nodded approvingly. "That’s good. I’ve seen and heard the full account of the battle. Both of you performed beyond expectations. But you, Billion..." His eyes locked on me. "You adapted to fighting a Grandmaster faster than most seasoned veterans could even dream of, and you even learned his law?"
I gave a small nod. "It’s... a trick I have. I saw how it worked and made it my own."
His lips curved into a faint smile. "Dangerous trick, that. And valuable."
Steve stayed quiet, letting the Emperor’s attention shift between us.
We talked for a few more minutes about the situation with the Holt family before the Emperor’s expression darkened. "We have little time to enjoy our victories. War is coming — with the other two worlds. It will be brutal. Cruel. Many of our own will die."
His words made the air in the room feel heavy.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
Without hesitation, I said, "Yes." Steve echoed the same.
"Good." The Emperor leaned back, studying us carefully, as if weighing a decision. Then he glanced at Edgar. "Leave us."
Edgar didn’t question it. He gave us both a nod, then stepped out, closing the door behind him.
The Emperor stood and said, "Come with me. There’s someone you need to meet, and I will need your help as well. Consider this a personal favor I’m asking. I’d be truly grateful."
Those words caught both Steve and me off guard. We exchanged a quick glance, the curiosity sparking in our eyes. A personal favor from the Emperor himself—this was no ordinary request. What could the ruler of the empire want from us?
The Emperor’s words still lingered in my mind as Steve and I followed him through a series of winding corridors deep within the palace. The air grew cooler the further we went, the light dimmer, the silence heavier. Eventually, we reached a massive metal door—its surface dark, almost matte, yet emanating the kind of strength that told me even I would need effort to break it.
Without a word, the Emperor pushed it open and stepped inside. Steve and I followed.
The room beyond was neat, almost too neat. Light blue walls, a flower pot in the corner with blossoms just beginning to bloom. The faint scent of fresh petals filled the air, strangely at odds with the heavy tension that immediately wrapped around us.
She stood by the bed.
Her posture was calm but rigid, her wrists and ankles bound by heavy chains that gleamed faintly under the light.
Her long dark hair was clean, falling over her shoulders in smooth waves. Her gaze, however, was far from gentle. Her eyes moved slowly, deliberately, scanning each of us, the Emperor first, then me, then Steve, before settling back on the Emperor.
The silence stretched for several long seconds. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
The Emperor was the first to break it.
"How are you doing, Hazel?" His voice was calm, almost casual. "I brought guests to meet you."
She scoffed. "Since when did you start caring about how I’m doing? And as for your ’guests’..." Her eyes flicked over Steve and me without the faintest hint of interest. "I don’t care."
Steve shifted his weight uncomfortably beside me. I kept my expression neutral, though the awkwardness in the air was sharp enough to cut through.
The Emperor didn’t flinch. He stepped further into the room, speaking as if her dismissal had rolled right off him.
"Hazel... let me introduce you. This is my sister."
Both Steve and I froze mid-breath, trading quick glances. Sister? Neither of us had heard the Emperor mention family before, let alone someone like her.
She turned away from him, but he continued.
"In the last war," he began, "when our world was invaded by the Abomination and the Peanu at the same time... we lost two continents. We lost more than land, we lost family."
His voice grew quieter. "We lost your husband. My brother-in-law. And your son."
Hazel’s shoulders tensed, but she didn’t speak.
"At that time," the Emperor continued, "you wanted me to lead an all-out assault on the Peanu world. To wipe them out."
"I still do," Hazel said sharply, spinning toward him.
He met her glare without blinking.
"But as Emperor, I couldn’t let personal feelings dictate my decisions. The Holts were already circling, waiting for a chance to strike from within. The Peanu were prepared for retaliation, waiting for us to fall into their trap. If I had declared war then, the Rayleigh family would have been erased from history."
Her lips curled in disgust.
"You were a coward then, and you’re a coward now. We lost so many of our people... our land... and you sat back and did nothing. You are not fit to be Emperor."
I felt the anger in her words, but the Emperor’s expression didn’t change.
He simply said, "When I didn’t take action, my sister decided to take matters into her own hands." His gaze slid briefly toward me and Steve. "She stormed the Peanu world alone. And that is why she is here."
Hazel’s voice was sharp enough to draw blood. "I acted because someone had to. I acted because our people deserved justice."
"And I am telling you," the Emperor said evenly, "that I understand your grief. I share it. But I am not only a brother mourning his family, I am an Emperor. I am responsible for all of our people, not just my own blood."
Her chains clinked softly as she stepped closer to him. "Your people suffer because you lack the will to strike when it matters."
"They survive," he countered. "Because I choose my battles."
The tension between them thickened until it was almost suffocating. I stood silently, glancing at Steve, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Neither of us dared to interrupt. This wasn’t our place.
Hazel let out a bitter laugh, but there was pain in it. "Survive? Is that what you call it? Living in fear of the next war? Losing piece after piece of our home until nothing is left?"
"If that is the price of making sure there is still a home to defend," he said, "then yes."
She stared at him for a long moment, her anger simmering in the air like heat off a forge. The Emperor’s voice cut through the tension. "And I am here, sister, because I have decided to finally do what you’ve always wanted me to."
Her eyes widened slightly, the cold edge in her expression softening just a fraction. "I’m listening."
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