The three participants in the negotiation exited the room, and from the look on General Hale's face, it was clear that some of the terms were giving her difficulty. Stephanie understood why she felt that way, but once Hale completed the initial assignments, Stephanie planned to grant her access to select intelligence and privileges. With that insight, the more challenging terms would no longer seem so incomprehensible. For now, however, General Hale needed to prove her competence—her value. As for the idea of turning herself in to the intelligence community and exposing the Malick family as Hydra—unthinkable. Not only could she not be certain which members of those agencies were secretly Hydra, but even if the military did uncover Hydra within its own ranks, it would handle the matter internally rather than risk alerting the other intelligence services.
Ruby gave a particularly warm "cheek kiss" when saying goodbye—at least Stephanie hoped it was just a cheek kiss. Otherwise, she might have to confirm whether their Sovereign harbored any interest in young girls. Especially now that Whitehall had guaranteed Ruby's fertility; her uterus was an optimal breeding ground, with extraordinary reproductive potential. Stephanie's greatest fear was her own inability to conceive. Judging by her observations, under Solomon's astonishing charm offensive, Ruby would likely jump at the chance to engage in intimacy with the Sovereign. Worse yet, Ruby wasn't wearing the same clothes she'd had on when she left Hydra's training facility.
Putting herself in Ruby's shoes, Stephanie was sure she wouldn't have refused either. That was enough to instill a deep sense of anxiety.
"I hope I get to see you again," Ruby said eagerly, her voice full of anticipation. She clutched the gifts Solomon had given her—a beautifully crafted folding hunting knife and a pistol—like precious treasures. "I still want to go skydiving one more time."
"Your wish will be granted, Ruby," Solomon replied affectionately. He understood how deeply General Hale cherished her daughter. Controlling Ruby meant controlling Hale. There had been suitors for General Hale within Hydra, but in order to keep Ruby's existence secret, she had turned them all away—proof of how much Ruby meant to her. Solomon didn't need to do much—just show a bit of affection. After bidding farewell to each person, he turned and walked into the pitch-black corridor, with the golden-armored giant silently trailing behind him. With a flicker of orange-red sparks, the sorcerer and the golden warrior vanished through a portal.
"What a surreal experience. I thought I knew quite a lot, but now I realize I never had a clue about the secrets this world hides," General Hale said, pulling her gaze away from the corridor and back to the Malicks. The negotiation had left her with much to reflect upon, and she suspected the Malick family had aligned with that man for similar reasons. She still had no idea what his name was. Even when given time to ask Ruby, her daughter didn't know either. All she remembered was his awe-inspiring entrance and formidable combat power.
"I didn't even know when you stopped being Hydra."
"We've always been Hydra, General Hale," Stephanie answered on behalf of her father. "It's just that now Hydra serves him—and always will. The stronger he becomes, the stronger Hydra becomes. I believe we can now discuss some of the finer terms, can't we?"
General Hale keenly sensed that Stephanie seemed to outrank her own father, the Malick patriarch. She began to piece together what must have changed within the family. Casting a glance at her daughter, Hale saw that Ruby was still wistfully staring at where Solomon had disappeared. Her daughter's heart had already been taken. It was a testament to Hale's discipline—and Hydra's training methods—that Ruby hadn't leapt into the portal after him.
"I'd like to talk about Ruby first," she said. "If what he promised is true."
"The Sovereign's promise is law—it cannot be broken," Stephanie replied with a warm smile. "But beyond the contract you signed, we can always reach further consensus. Come, let's enjoy a proper dinner and revisit this matter afterward."
"My lord, is this really necessary?" Even inside the witch's apartment study, Constantine hadn't removed his helmet. "Once the Royal Guard reaches full strength, no civilization in the galaxy could rival us. Is it truly worth our time to focus on a U.S. general with no real authority?"
"Perhaps you could take on armies alone, but do you have any idea how much the Immortal City sacrificed to make you what you are?" Solomon countered. He removed his suit jacket, and Constantine carefully hung it in the wardrobe. Dana's eyes widened—she hadn't expected the Royal Guard to steal her job. "The Time Stone, the Silver Key, rare alchemical ingredients, taboo biological experiments, and a custom gene sequence containing the DNA of all Byzantine emperors. All that combined to give you your resistance to magic and peerless physical power." Solomon returned to his chair in the study. "The price was steep. It will be some time before we can make another Royal Guard."
"But it was worth it," Constantine replied.
"We still need mortal soldiers, Constantine. Not every war can be fought by superhumans. This is a mission for all of humanity—we need everyone." The sorcerer waved a hand. "Don't underestimate mortals. General Hale's potential far exceeds what you imagine. She won't just help recruit retired veterans or place agents inside the U.S. Department of Defense—she can gather trained officers and soldiers and build a complete combat system from scratch using new equipment. That's what we're missing: the organizational structure of a mortal army."
Solomon accepted the steaming cup of tea Dana handed him.
"Your name comes from the first Byzantine emperor—Constantine. In Latin, that's Constantinopolis. In Greek, it's Κωνσταντινοπολις. I chose that name for you deliberately. It signifies not just your lineage, but your mission. Go study, Augustus. Your body has been tempered, but your soul has not. Teaching machines can't provide you with all the wisdom you need—you must keep learning, and keep fighting."
"I'll begin by conducting a security sweep," the Royal Guard replied.
Dana shot him a deadly glare. "The Sisterhood is more than capable of protecting the Sovereign's safety," she said. "We'd give our lives for him."
"Lives are not enough. Your lives don't compare to the risk of the Sovereign getting injured." Constantine's voice, muffled through the helmet speaker, was heavy, but still aggravating. Solomon even saw a bit of his own adolescent arrogance reflected in him. Constantine turned to Dana. "Can you guarantee absolute safety?"
Dana knew she couldn't refute that, but as Solomon's personal assistant, she still had a voice in such matters.
With the Royal Guard understaffed, the Sisterhood remained the primary authority on security. Constantine didn't push the argument further. After a few rounds of back-and-forth, he agreed to Dana's arrangement and joined the Sisterhood's security team for joint patrol duty. The sorcerer quickly realized that this had been Constantine's goal all along: to propose something unacceptable to the Sisterhood, then follow up with a "compromise" that concealed his real intention—to quietly study their methods and assess weaknesses in their protocols.
The Royal Guard was his template for the perfect human. That Constantine possessed such intelligence was no surprise, but his intuitive grasp of human behavior gave Solomon a new framework for evaluating his future abilities in governance and personnel coordination. Constantine was the first of the Royal Guard, and Solomon had high hopes for him. The responsibilities on his shoulders went far beyond ensuring Solomon's personal safety.
Solomon even granted Constantine access to his private library of magical texts—a privilege unparalleled, not even afforded to his fellow sorcerers at Kamar-Taj.
(End of Chapter)
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