After completing the warning mission, Loka Le quickly untied her silver robe and returned to the center square of Dorun City.
After a few ascents and descents, she entered a lounge inside the Adventurers’ Guild building, which was originally intended for branch leaders’ meetings.
Princess Lisette, who had ordered her to keep an eye on the outside situation, was resting in this room.
“Your Highness, just now…”
Entering the room, she saw the princess leaning on a chaise lounge, staring directly into a mirror.
Without hesitation, she began her report.
“Relax. You don’t need to say it aloud.”
Lisette successfully silenced her.
Rather than verbal reports, the princess was already accustomed to receiving information directly through mental communication.
Once she quickly understood what had just happened, she closed her eyes and stopped looking at her.
Seeing this, Loka Le decisively stepped out of the room, where another colleague stood guard by the door.
“You acted just now, didn’t you? Given how well I know you, I shouldn’t be mistaken, right?”
No sooner had the door closed than Liz struck up a conversation with her.
Loka Le nodded but didn’t reveal the details of what had just happened, merely replying simply: “Someone was spreading rumors harmful to the harmony between humans and demons. I just dealt with it.”
Upon hearing this, Liz did not ask further.
It had been a hundred years since the war between the Empire and the Demon Kingdom had ceased.
Both rulers openly strived to maintain this rare peace, while also constantly wary and suspicious of each other.
The current emperor and the nobles were full of ambition.
The Empire needed more territory to grant fiefdoms to the new nobility, while the Demon Kingdom faced continuous reports of natural disasters, uprisings, and rebellions.
It was undeniably a tense time.
Any unfortunate incident could trigger a chain reaction that they, the royal family’s loyal hawks, dared not even imagine.
No one wanted war, even if it brought significant benefits.
They all preferred to see more places like Dorun City, where people united to face giant beasts together, rather than fighting amongst themselves.
Being able to serve by Her Highness’s side was precisely because they shared this hope, and Lisette held a similar expectation.
However, living long in the palace, they had heard some troubling news.
It seemed that the emperor and Lisette’s several elder brothers might be planning something, possibly using her to achieve their own dark ambitions.
Thus, they fully understood the immense pressure the princess currently bore, and hoped that this trip to Dorun City for the banquet would grant her a brief respite.
Yet things were more complicated than expected.
Not long ago, when Moria met with Lisette, they stood nearby and naturally were aware of the strange cooperation that the ambitious duke’s eldest daughter had reached with the princess.
The Empire’s greatest duke’s eldest daughter wanted the imperial crown prince to help her sneak an unidentified girl—soon to be elevated to nobility—into the Royal Magic Academy?
Honestly, at first they were worried.
This girl had drawn the emperor’s suspicion and many nobles’ attention, and the duchess’s special invitation to the princess to discuss cooperation raised alarms.
But no one could have guessed that the huge effort was just for such a trivial matter.
The Royal Magic Academy was indeed the Empire’s top institution, but admission was easy enough with enough money and a noble’s recommendation.
Moria could have easily gotten that girl named Flora Emerald into the academy herself, so why drag the princess into this?
It made no sense.
After much thought, their conclusion was that Moria was deliberately indebting herself to the princess to use it as a pretext for taking sides.
But Lisette’s future as heir to the throne was already set in stone.
Did the duchess really need to do this?
As palace guards, they couldn’t figure it out.
Still, they said little about it, as the princess had given no explicit instructions on the matter.
“The time is nearly right. Let’s go.”
Lisette didn’t let them linger at the door.
After gathering her thoughts, she pushed it open and headed toward the hall.
Liz and Loka Le hurried to follow, but as they walked, one of them naturally melted into the shadows until only one remained in the open.
“You both seem very concerned about my interactions with Lady Yare. Are you worried about something?”
Before entering the hall, Lisette paused and asked.
This sudden question stunned the two palace guards.
Liz, in the open, quickly responded: “Your Majesty, to protect your safety, if you intend to take action, we must prepare and assess all possible situations promptly…”
“Be honest. To be frank, no matter what cooperation she has with me, at least when she asked me for this favor, she already showed a friendly attitude. I know what you’re worried about. Rest assured, the reason I chose you as my guards is because we are compatible and suited to a master-servant relationship.”
“I accept my fault.”
Under this blunt reprimand, Liz immediately admitted her mistake.
Lisette did not blame her but added: “Loka Le, tonight you don’t need to pay too much attention to Miss Flora. She might not like you, especially since you dealt with that coachman. Whatever the reason, your hands are stained with blood.”
And it was the person Flora had just saved. Lisette knew Flora would dislike seeing her attendant.
“Understood.”
Faint sounds drifted from an unknown direction as Lisette finally stepped into the hall.
Her appearance instantly drew the gaze of nearly all the attending nobles.
“Your Highness Princess, welcome!”
Lisette showed no special expression, merely nodding slightly to the crowd.
“You all needn’t mind me. It’s a banquet after all, so naturally, everyone should relax and enjoy themselves.”
The attendees were all young nobles who usually had casual interactions with the princess.
With this, the banquet quickly returned to its lively mood.
The children of several high-ranking nobles brought their wine cups to greet and toast the princess.
At just sixteen years old, Lisette did not return their toasts but used royal politeness to respond briefly before quickly making her way to the center of the hall, directly in front of Moria, who was chatting cheerfully.
“Oh? Your Highness wants a private meeting with me?”
“Could you please stop using such strange expressions?”
Lisette restrained herself from calling this fake-smiling woman a “dead woman” and ignored those who had hastily avoided her approach after chatting with Moria.
Instead, she glanced toward the main hall entrance.
“The star of tonight’s show—how do you plan to make her entrance?”
“When will she arrive? Shouldn’t Your Highness know that already? Hehe…”
Moria smiled at her, and seeing Lisette’s expressionless gaze, continued: “I haven’t prepared how she’ll appear. After all, someone truly eye-catching doesn’t need flowers or decorations to stand out. When she arrives, all eyes will be on her—just like on our respected princess here…”
“You think I can’t hear? ‘The princess is about to arrive,’ right?”
Lisette gritted her teeth.
“I warn you, no matter what plans you have, there are boundaries you must not cross. As for the demons, after the banquet ends, you must give me an explanation.”
Hearing this, Moria’s expression turned serious.
She put away her usual frivolity and whispered: “I don’t know what’s going on either. Our mage, Miss Elka, was very angry and left to find out who caused that accident. I’m also very worried about dear Flora and my own sister. Your Highness, can you tell me if they’re hurt?”
“Tch.”
Lisette rolled her eyes with no royal grace at this blatantly rhetorical question, just as the lively noise in the hall abruptly fell silent.
“Oh, our star has arrived. She looks truly beautiful tonight.”
Moria’s joyful exclamation instinctively drew Lisette’s gaze to the entrance.
She couldn’t deny it.
The blue-haired girl who walked through the main door was indeed beautiful.
Her carefully styled appearance perfectly accentuated her charm, instantly making her the center of attention.
Even the princess herself found it hard to look away.