"All done, Your Highness. I've finished reading."
Elara turned around like nothing had happened, her eyes still lingering on Imani with a teasing look. Her voice was low and soft.
"So? Is there a problem with my identity?"
Imani blushed and shook his head. "You're the most noble lady in the Plumera State. No one would dare pretend to be you."
Elara's smile deepened. She adjusted her royal robe and walked toward the door.
"Good. Then come with me now to report back to Lord Gregory."
Imani was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed. "Yes, Your Highness."
Outside the hall, Lord Gregory sipped his wine and glanced sideways at Imani, who had followed Elara out. "Well?"
The redness on Imani's face had faded a little, but it was clear he had just been thoroughly "played with."
"Her Highness is truly of noble birth. No one would dare to impersonate her."
Lord Gregory set down his cup and walked out of the hall, seeming to lose interest.
When he reached Elara, he suddenly stopped. His narrow eyes looked at her.
"Your Highness, Damon was punished for offending you the other day. But the assassin who dared attack an official should be returned now, if you're done playing."
Elara let out a soft "ah" as if she just remembered something. She shrugged lightly at Lord Gregory.
"There's no need, Lord Gregory. That assassin didn't just attack an official. He nearly shot me too. For such a crime, how could I have let him live? He was already dead by the night I brought him back. Killed in the dungeon under my residence. By now, his body's probably dumped in the pile outside the city. If you want, I can send someone to dig through the bodies and deliver it to you."
She paused, then added, "Of course, that's only if the body hasn't been eaten by wild dogs."
Lord Gregory let out a cold laugh. He didn't reply. Instead, with a flick of his sleeve, he strode out of the palace without another word.
Outside the palace.
Once he passed the gates, Lord Gregory ordered the carriage to stop. He lifted the curtain and looked back at the chilly, imposing palace.
"Someone, come here."
A black-clad guard immediately stepped forward.
"Go check outside the city for that assassin's body. Make sure you clean the face completely before checking. I want to confirm there's no disguise."
"Yes."
"And also," Lord Gregory's face darkened, "still no one has broken through the defenses of the Princess's residence?"
The guard lowered his voice. "No, Lord Gregory."
"Useless!" Lord Gregory snapped.
He never saw Elara and Benedict as true threats. But both of them had a secret group of elite guards passed down from the late emperor.
These two squads were skilled in both martial arts and inner strength. Even the lowest-ranked members could fight ten at once. The higher-ranked ones were as powerful as the top swordsmen in the land.
One squad surrounded the Princess's residence. The other guarded the palace. They only took orders from Elara and Benedict. That had caused endless headaches for Lord Gregory.
He had even hired famous assassins from the martial world, only to waste money without results. Not one assassin had even gotten past the gate. These years, he couldn't even get a single spy inside. He had to rely on Elara and Benedict's interest in beauty to sneak people in.
But those beauties were merely playthings. Because of the siblings' cruel temper, many of them were tortured to death. That had angered Lord Gregory several times.
If not for these two secret squads, he would have moved into the palace long ago, bringing his wives and concubines with him.
But even after all these years, the secret guards still blocked his path. That made it hard to fully control Elara and Benedict while the Regent was still a threat.
After a while, Lord Gregory forced himself to calm down and said coldly:
"Send for more from the Blood Robe House. And investigate that traitor, the so-called 'Thousand Faces' inside the Princess's residence. See if she's really crippled like she claims."
"Yes."
Inside the Summer Palace.
After Lord Gregory left, Elara told Imani that Benedict was still drunk and had him wait in the carriage.
She then supported the half-awake Benedict, who clung to her tightly, and headed to the inner sleeping chambers.
As they passed the desk, Elara picked up the empty jade box Benedict had eaten from and examined the powder left at the bottom. As expected, it was just numbing powder.
Lord Gregory didn't dare harm her for now, and the same applied to Benedict.
Still, overuse of such things could be damaging. They could also lead to hallucination addiction. They had no place here.
Elara pressed her palm to Benedict, who was clinging to her and murmuring. Then she looked up at the beams of the hall and called out.
"Servant One."
A tall, lean figure appeared in front of her, kneeling respectfully.
Like her own "Guard" squad, Benedict also had a "Servant" squad that stayed hidden around him at all times.
These squads were passed down by the ancestors of the royal family, stronger than normal guards. They protected Elara and Benedict, the last remaining bloodline of Plumera.
Though each squad served only one master, the two siblings were close enough to command both in some ways. Each was like the second master of the other's guard.
Now, Elara tossed the jade box to Servant One. "Go get some rice powder. If anyone tries to give things like this to the Emperor again, replace all the white powder with rice flour."
"Yes."
"From now on, report everything that happens in the palace. Especially anything involving the Gregory family."
"Yes." Servant One bowed again. When Elara had nothing more to say, he vanished like a shadow.
Now only Elara and Benedict were left.
Elara looked down at the drunken young emperor in her arms. She stared at his absurd yet pitiful face for a while, then carried him to the bed.
She called for warm water, helped him change into clean clothes, fed him some sobering soup, and finally left.
Inside the Princess's residence.
Elara brought Imani straight to her personal chambers.
As soon as they stepped inside, they saw Mathias waiting quietly by the door.
"Out," Elara said, tilting her chin.
Mathias turned the moment he heard the door open. When he saw Imani behind her, his deep green eyes lowered, his face as calm as always. "Yes."
He stepped aside without complaint and slowly walked out of the chamber.
Since entering the residence, Imani had been secretly observing everything. The luxurious decorations pleased him. He had hoped to catch a glimpse of Elara's famous male companions, but had seen none.
Now, finally, he saw one. And not just anyone, but one waiting at her bedchamber.
Imani couldn't help comparing himself to the man. He looked Mathias up and down thoroughly, then curled his lips.
He had heard of this man's beauty and fame. Said to be unmatched in both looks and talent.
But in Imani's eyes, he was unimpressive. His face was nice, but there was no powder at all. His clothes were plain. His pale and weak appearance didn't look favored at all. Maybe he didn't know how to please Elara and had angered her. That would explain why he looked so mistreated.
Thinking this, Imani ranked himself above Mathias. He figured Mathias would soon fall out of favor and be tossed aside.
"Elara, why are you just standing there? Come in already."
Her teasing voice came from within the chamber. Imani snapped out of his thoughts and quickly stepped inside, pressing his lips together.
Elara was already standing by the bed. She stared at Imani without blinking.
Imani's cheeks flushed again under her gaze. But he knew he couldn't show weakness. He had to perform well so Elara would be pleased and remember him.
He took a quiet breath, stepped forward, and slowly took off his outer robe. Beneath it was a special underlayer he had carefully chosen.
Lowering his gaze, he walked up to her and reached out to help remove her clothing.
"Your Highness, may I help undress you now?"
His pale fingers reached her collar, but before he could untie the knot, Elara grabbed his wrist again.
His lashes trembled. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "No rush. Didn't I say? Taking off my clothes comes with a price."
Imani thought she wanted to play some kind of game with him. He held back his nervousness and shyness and slowly raised his head. "P-princess, what kind of price do you want me to pay... I can give you anything..."
But before he could finish the second half of his sentence, which sounded like something from a romantic drama, he looked up and saw the noble and stunning girl slowly pick up a whip from beside the bed.
The whip was covered in terrifying cold spikes and gave off a chilling glint in the dimly lit chamber after the candles had been blown out.
Imani froze. He stared blankly at the whip and at the girl holding it, who stepped forward and pushed him onto the bed.
Her beautiful and delicate face was still dazzling and charming, but the curve of her lips began to show a demonic smile. Her voice was as cold as a ghost from hell.
"Imani, have you really never heard? The men who lie in this princess's bed, do you know how they're favored by me?"
"Now, I'll let you experience it."