Matilda and Gabriel paused their discussion as Jinx approached. She placed the tray on the table, and Matilda raised an eyebrow.
"I'm the only one who needs this. Why did you bring two?" she asked, looking up at Jinx.
"Empress, you and Sir Gabriel have been here for a while. I thought he might also need some water," Jinx replied in a calm tone.
Matilda stared at her for a few moments, then waved her hand dismissively. "Go. Don't disturb us."
Jinx nodded, bowed, and glanced at the tray. "Should I take it with me?"
"No need. Just go."
Jinx nodded again and walked away, heading back to the kitchen:
'Asking to take it away will remove their suspicion about the tray. This way, I can listen to everything,' she thought.
Jinx raised her hand and subtly touched the earpiece hidden in her right ear, completely concealed by her blonde hair.
"Why did you spend so much money? The treasury is now low on funds," Gabriel said coldly, his voice reaching Jinx's earpiece.
Jinx entered the kitchen and surveyed the dirty plates. 'Staying here without doing anything will make me look suspicious. I should wash the plates while I listen,' she thought.
'This guy is the oldest senator in the Star Nation, but that shouldn't give him the confidence to speak to an empress in such a tone. Is something going on between these two?'
Jinx picked up a sponge and started washing the plates, her focus entirely on their conversation.
"I can't just let that God Wolf get the artifact!" Matilda's voice rang out, filled with frustration.
"And why is that?" Gabriel challenged.
"I can't tell you that. I can only tell you it will greatly increase my strength."
Jinx listened intently, waiting for Gabriel's next move.
"So you won't even tell the father of your only daughter?"
".....!?"
Jinx's movements faltered. 'Matilda has a daughter?! And with this old man?!' she thought, utterly stunned.
"Quiet! No one should hear you!" Matilda warned, her voice laced with fury.
"Alright then, what will you do about the item tomorrow?" Gabriel asked, quickly changing the subject.
"It's not needed. I can't leave yet, so after the auction, I'm gone," Matilda said calmly.
"And please, keep my daughter's existence a secret. I have a lot of enemies."
'A lot of enemies? Come on, say more,' Jinx urged in her mind.
"I know that. On the day of the competition, she will make her entrance," Gabriel said.
"About God Wolf... have you sent the spies yet?" Matilda suddenly asked.
"Spies? Yes. They're on their way to Planet Zax. We will get all the information before tomorrow morning," Gabriel answered.
"Good. My gut is telling me that God Wolf is after my seat as the strongest in the galaxy. He already took the title of wealthiest. I can't let him take that, too."
"Why don't you declare war on them?" Gabriel suggested.
"No. I need a valid reason for that. If I suddenly wage war against the Beastify Nation, the other nations won't take it lightly," Matilda explained.
"I got news." Gabriel whispered, instantly piquing Jinx's interest.
"I heard the Three-Eyed Nation is going to attack the Beastify Nation. What if we secretly assist them with foreign forces? That way, we will know the Beastify Nation's strength and how to handle them in the future. If they are weak, the Three-Eyed Nation will wipe them out with our help. That way, we gain a grateful ally and also no God Wolf. Two birds with one stone."
'What a cunning man,' Jinx thought, placing a clean plate aside.
"The Three-Eyed Nation? What's the reason behind their decision? They wouldn't just attack the Beastify Nation without a reason," Matilda stated.
"True. I've sent almost all my spies, but none of them got any news. Whatever made them take this decision must be precious to the Three-Eyed Nation," Gabriel replied.
"If they lose, the Beastify Nation will take over their seat on the ranking board."
"That's why I said we should assist them."
'He needs to know about this. If Matilda agrees to secretly assist the Three-Eyed Nation, we'll have a hard time dealing with them,' Jinx thought, putting another clean plate away.
"Okay... I will think about it," Matilda finally said, standing up.
"Come to my bedroom. I need to calm down." She then yelled, "Joyce!"
Jinx removed the earpiece, stored it in her storage, and quickly rushed out of the kitchen.
_
"Empress!" she bowed.
"Please, take this away. I'm going to bed, and no one is to disturb me or near my room."
"Yes, Empress."
Jinx bowed again and began to slowly gather the items on the tray while Matilda looked at Gabriel and walked upstairs.
___
'How strange. So these two are really... how disgusting,' Jinx thought, placing the tray on a kitchen table.
'Well, I'm not staying to get any more details.'
She took a chip from the silver tray, moved to the side, away from the camera, and with a flick of her finger, sent a small burst of celestial energy that hit the CCTV camera, shutting it down.
"Matilda has four guards. Two are at the entrance, while the other two are in the buildings. I saw them both walking upstairs when I entered. Maybe Matilda asked them to leave her and that old man alone," she muttered in a low voice.
"Now, she's going upstairs, which means they'll come downstairs any second now... Nope, I have to use this time." She quickly transformed into one of Matilda's female guards and walked out of the kitchen.
___
"Why are you outside?" a guard asked in confusion.
"None of your business. I need some fresh air," Jinx replied, walking past the two guards at the door.
"...Huh?" The two guards looked at each other, then at their colleague in confusion.
"Fresh air? What about the Empress's safety?" the guard on the right asked.
"She's sleeping. Besides, you two are here," Jinx said, looking at them over her shoulder.
"Or... Are you two weak?"
The two heavenly rank guards looked at each other and smirked.
"No worries! We can take care of ourselves and the Queen!"
"Yes!"
Jinx nodded and continued walking until she reached the gate.
"Why are you two yelling at night?"
The two men turned to the voice, their eyes widening in shock as they saw their colleague. With a dumbfounded expression, they looked back at the gate, where not a single soul was in sight.
"What?!" she asked, a frown on her face.
"You...? How? We thought you... what just happened?" one of the guards stammered, while the other scratched his head in utter confusion.