Once I made up my mind, I spent the day at the temple planning everything and informing people about my "planned absence" to avoid raising suspicion.
I was dead serious about breaking into the emperor's home tonight. And no ... it wasn't a joke.
The imperial fortress stood in the northern part of the capital, Belgrad.
To get there faster, I used one of the teleportation gates connecting the temple and the city.
Wearing plain black clothes, I moved through the capital's early-morning streets.
Infiltrating the emperor's estate at dawn…
Yeah. I was definitely losing my mind.
But I had no other options.
The capital was vast and advanced, far more so than anywhere else I'd been.
It took nearly an hour to reach the Valerion family's private sector.
From a hilltop, I finally saw it ... the view I'd once written about myself.
The wonder of House Valerion.
Unlike other noble territories, the Crownlands were home to towering castles that looked like they belonged to another era.
Among them stood three particularly grand palaces ... one to the west, one to the east, and one to the north.
But the real spectacle was the climate.
The western palace was buried in snow year-round, locked in an eternal winter.
The eastern one basked under scorching heat, like summer never ended.
And the northern one? Calm and temperate.
Despite being just a few hundred meters apart.
They said the land had been this way for centuries ... ever since a battle between monstrous Awakened scarred the earth so deeply, the effects never faded.
My destination was the snow-covered western palace ... Moon Palace, Sansa's residence.
All I could do was pray I wouldn't be struck down the moment I got close.
Moving quickly, I approached the front gates.
The place looked more like a military base than a residence. No one was even allowed near it.
Standing before the massive gates were two towering guards radiating raw, explosive aura.
If these were just the gatekeepers, it was clear how overwhelming the Valerions really were.
And here I was, knocking on their front door.
It reminded me of the vision I'd seen of my father storming House Starlight. The only difference… was that I didn't have the power to stand before giants like Maekar.
As I got closer, one of the guards flared his aura ... an instant warning.
"Turn back, boy. You're trespassing on royal grounds."
And this wasn't even the inner courtyard.
I raised my hands in surrender and gave a sheepish grin.
"My apologies—I'm Frey Starlight!. A friend of the princess."
I spoke confidently as the guards exchanged looks at my words.
"The princess withdrew from the temple without any warning, so I came to check on her. As her friend, I mean no harm."
I was gambling on my status as a young lord of a noble house carrying some weight.
But of course…
"Turn back. Even if you're the young lord of House Starlight, this is the Emperor's land. Your status means nothing here."
Stubborn to the core.
"Are you sure about that? What do you think the princess will say when she finds out you kicked her only friend off her doorstep?"
I tried every approach I could think of, but nothing worked. And worse ... this was the only path I could take.
The royal estate was protected by a celestial dome similar to the one above the temple. That gate was my only way in.
I hoped that a more assertive tone might make them reconsider, but all I got in return were their raised spears.
"One last warning. Turn around yourself, or we'll make you. The choice is yours."
I'd hit a wall with these damn guards.
They weren't budging, no matter what I said.
"No other way, huh…"
I sighed, annoyed .. then the air around us shifted.
"Come, Balerion."
Some people only understand the language of force.
The two guards were probably A+ rank. Strong for gatekeepers, sure ...but that didn't mean much to me.
With a single step, I was already between them.
"What the—?!"
A teenager not even half their age brushing past them like it was nothing .. it was enough to make them realize how serious this was. One instantly cloaked his spear in flames. The other conjured light.
They both thrust at me, but only hit the afterimage I left behind after leaping into the air.
With a single dark slash, I unleashed a wave of aura that engulfed them both, knocking them out cold.
I made sure to hit them hard enough to knock them unconscious and save myself the time.
The moment they fell, I dashed inside at full speed, summoning the Dark Sister to boost my aura and push my speed to insane levels.
Like a shadow, I passed unseen through the royal grounds .. one building after the next.
No one even noticed me.
I wished it would stay that way, especially as I reached the snow-covered palace ahead.
"I have to see her today."
The system's advice demanded I meet the princess for 15 days in a row.
If I failed today, I wouldn't have enough days left to complete it.
I prayed my full strength would be enough.
Snow flew past me as I surged forward, wrapped in black light. But the deeper I went, the stronger that suffocating pressure became.
I could feel eyes watching me from the shadows ... many of them.
Not one or two, but so many powerful presences that it genuinely made my skin crawl.
But for some reason, none of them attacked. And that… let me keep moving forward.
There was no turning back now.
After piercing through the final stretch, it finally came into view ...
Moon Palace, blanketed in eternal snow.
It towered ominously before me, radiating such a sinister aura that I instinctively wanted to retreat.
But that place was my target.
With one leap, I launched myself toward one of the open windows up high, successfully infiltrating Moon Palace.
The place I had only seen through the old Frey's memories .. here I was, stepping inside with my own feet.
As soon as I entered, I dismissed Dark Sister and was about to do the same with Balerion—my goal had been achieved, after all.
The palace was silent, desolate… as if everyone had abandoned it.
I took a step into the dim hallway ..
And froze.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine. Every hair on my body stood on end.
A killing intent ... so dense and heavy, it nearly crushed me on the spot.
It was like thousands of worms crawling across my skin, threatening to devour me whole.
I couldn't move. Not even a twitch.
"You might be just a brat barely out of childhood… but you've got some sense."
Most rookies would've lunged at him on sight ... unable to even sense or comprehend the murderous aura pressing down on them.
With half a smile, still paralyzed, I slowly responded—my eyes shifting to the corner of my left vision.
"Of course. I'm not exactly eager to die today."
Only an idiot would pick a fight with the Grand Warden himself—Oliver Khan.
He drew his daggers, the blades glowing faintly in the gloom of the empty palace.
"Unfortunately, you are going to die. Right here. Right now."
CLANG!
Steel clashed in a flash.
I barely managed to intercept his strike with Balerion, but the impact alone sent me flying across the hallway and slamming into a wall.
Just one strike ... and he wasn't even serious.
But my arm felt like it had been shattered.
"Shit…"
I'd really found myself the worst possible opponent.
Now I understood why none of the other strong auras had moved earlier.
They didn't have to.
Because he was here.
And Oliver Khan… was more than enough to handle any intruder.
His crimson eyes gleamed at me in the dark.
And I knew—he wouldn't be holding back anymore.