Alice's tall stature really stood out amidst the crowd. It turned every head into her direction as she leisurely strode on the main street. Meanwhile, Momo wouldn't stop clinging onto Alice's arm, resting her head on the young demoness's shoulder.
They began to murmur with each other, questioning who the tall and beautiful woman was.
"Is that… Young Lady Alice?" One of the Huntresses recognized Alice's bright red hair and enchanting eyes.
"No, it couldn't be! She is just twelve years old! There's no way that hot and tall succubus is young lady Alice!" One of the succubus Huntresses chimed.
"Sshhh! You better shut your yapper. You do know young lady Alice's true identity. Remember your training." Said the senior Huntress who served under Catharina's direct order.
"A-apologies, senior. I just couldn't help myself…"
The senior nodded. "As the daughter of 'you-know-who', it's not really surprising that young lady Alice would grow into such a fine succubus in a short period of time. Her nature couldn't be comprehended by normal means."
"Y-yes, senior."
Alice tried to act normal while being stared at by so many eyes.
Succubi and Incubi are quite tall on average due to their genetic similarities with Demon Race as the subspecies, around five feet to six feet tall. However, Alicee could easily see the top of their heads as she walked past them.
At this moment, Alice just realized that Momo had also grown up. She was a few inches shorter than Alice, but it made her very perfect for hugging and fluffing her fox ears.
Granted, the regular visitors and the female beast folks who worked in Alice's company were very familiar with the shorter fox lady. They soon recognized Alice's bright red hair. After a while, the employees finally recognised the tall succubus as Alice.
She was quite surprised by the number of humans and Beastfolks who were interacting with each other during the evening.
"Is it just me or the village is getting merrier than the last I saw."
"It's definitely busier than the last time." Momo chuckled lightly. "As the Wedding Festival is around the corner, more and more nobles from various Kingdoms of the Central Alliances have shown their support to the Duchy of Tusa and Arlenheim Kingdom by allowing us to buy their goods at discounted price. These people are here to enjoy our entertainment.
Alice could guess how the proxy war was going to play out for the Arlenheim Kingdom. "These cowards only cared about the profits from the war in the long run yet they were unwilling to send their official armies to garrison our forts?"
"Sadly so, Alice. They were reluctant to lend their troops due to our odds against the Romanov Empire. Furthermore, if the empire finds the actual proof that we were being helped by the Central Alliance…"
"This regional conflict would turn into an actual world war… Worse, the Holy Church would eventually send the Heavenly Army to calm things down."
"Indeed… Apart from that, building the army force and training the soldiers is very expensive after all. Nobody would be willing to spend their military force without something in return."
Alice halted her footsteps, looking at Momo scrutinizingly. "That would change today."
Before long, Alice and Momo had reached the underground hall. She could hear loud arguments between men in the auditorium. She changed her course, standing before the huge double doors. They were guarded by two burly incubi.
"Open the doors, please." Alice said calmly.
One of the guards gripped his polearms a bit tighter. "Authorized members only."
"I said, open the doors." Alice's rounded wide.
They immediately stepped aside upon sensing Alice's oppressive aura.
"Our utmost apologies, young lady. We failed to recognize your graceful presence." Both guards slide the lock sideways and promptly opened the doors
Inside the hall, dozens of human men and the Beastkind Chieftains were sitting at the long table, trying to validate their arguments loudly regarding the upcoming war. Meanwhile, Duchess Andariel was sitting calmly on the far end with a cheek resting on her knuckles behind Queen Freya who was moderating the meeting.
The Queen stammered, still couldn't believe who she saw as Alice strode in.
However, their heated debate was short lived the moment Alice and Momo made their entrance. Everybody was stunned upon witnessing the otherworldly beauty. Alice's presence was neither overbearing or haughty. But it's undeniably that her mere aura alone made these men think about worshiping her.
On the other hand, the duchess stood upright. She smiled as welcomed Alice into a big hug. The duchess now looked much shorter than the young demoness, but enough to tuck Alice's shoulder under her chin.
"Alice…" Andariel couldn't be prouder when reaching out her slender fingers onto Alice's cheeks after peeling herself away. "You have completed your training, I take it?"
"Yes I did. It was hellish. But it's worth the while." Alice smiled. "Oh, I am terribly sorry, did I interrupt the meeting?"
"Not at all. It's just a mundane matter that needs to be attended to such as supplies and manpower."
Granted, the noblemen were intrigued by the tall lady's identity. A haughty looking nobleman stood up and muttered.
"Excuse me, young lady. But who are you again? We are in the middle of important discussions right now. I would ask you to leave this instant."
"Who's asking?" Alice glanced at the man over her shoulder. Scrutinizing his lack of courtesy.
The round bodied man stammered. Overwhelmed by Alice's cold gaze. But he eventually gets hold of himself. He straightened his back and lifted his chin high despite his short stature. "I am Archduke Baratheon of Albion Kingdom! High Rank Member of Central Alliance. I am here on behalf of King Leonhart!"
Alice rolled her eyes lazily for a moment, hardly noticed by them. But she remained calm and collected.
"Name's Alice… As for who I am and my rank, it doesn't really matter. However, I am really disappointed with how the discussion is going. The Wedding Festival is nigh yet you all are still worrying about profiting from the war? How shameless of you."
The noblemen collectively glanced at the Queen and her Duchess alternately, demanding an explanation.
Queen Freya smiled and chuckled wryly. She couldn't possibly disclose Alice's identity as Andariel's daughter in front of them. Luckily, Andariel raised her voice to clear the tension that lingered in the room.
"She's one of my most trusted succubi… But I shall warn you about this; do not mess with her for I myself couldn't even tell what she might do if being pissed off at this point."
The men gradually calmed down and refocused on the topic at hand.
"If supplies of raw materials and manpower are the main issue, then I might have the solution for that…"
Queen Freya smirked from ear to ear. "Please elaborate, young lady."