Game Time: 12:05 AM
Southeast Continent, Violet Empire, Royal Capital, Saramun
Outside Purple Juniper Hall, Royal District
A young woman with ice-blue hair stopped. She took off the ornamental sword at her waist and handed it to a simple-looking, simply-dressed gray-robed elder behind her, saying softly, “Please wait for me here, Deke.”
The elder took the sword with both hands and bowed slightly.
Aimilin frustratingly smoothed her hair, then raised her hand and mumbled something. Soon, a completely azure water-element mirror appeared half a meter in front of her…
Aimilin carefully examined herself in the mirror. Her long hair was neatly arranged, her large silver cloak was spotless, the tight, gilded formal dress she wore looked appropriate, and her face, though not exceptionally beautiful, was quite heroic and satisfactory. Even her obsidian high heels…
No, she absolutely couldn't tolerate these!
She stomped her foot, breaking the heel of the shoes she hadn't worn in years, and looked much more satisfied.
Aimilin, appearing in the Royal District’s sensitive area, wore no family crests or items proving her identity, but Emperor Kleiver’s personal guard clearly hadn't forgotten the youngest female Grand Duke in history. Therefore, she encountered no obstacles along the way, not even seeing a single person.
“But if it were someone else here, they’d probably have been torn to shreds by those shadow guards…”
Aimilin Wolfkristo turned to the somewhat bitter faced old butler and gave a mischievous smile, then gently placed her right hand on the door of Purple Juniper Hall. With a pleasant chime, the door slowly opened.
She walked in, through a long corridor lined with murals, and soon arrived in a spacious hall. There were no overly complex decorations, only a long white table of unknown material in the center, with only one empty seat left.
Aimilin predictably found that she was indeed the last to arrive, but she didn't mind too much. She simply bowed to the elder facing her and said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, Grand Duke Crystal Wolf, Aimilin Wolfkristo has arrived as requested.”
“Thank you for coming, my dear Ami.” Emperor Kleiwo Bracern, the current head of the Violet Royal Family, smiled gently from the main seat, “If possible, I’d prefer you call me Uncle Kleivore.”
Aimilin smiled slightly, “If Your Majesty plans to invite me for a casual meal at the Tricolor Courtyard later and catch up with Aunt Susan, then I will call you that.”
Kleivore blinked affectionately, “I would be delighted.”
“Cough cough~”
A middle-aged man at the long table suddenly coughed lightly. He glanced at Aimilin, then impatiently tapped the table. “You’re late, Grand Duke Crystal Wolf, so could you please return to your seat quickly? We don’t have much time to waste, do we?”
Aimilin certainly knew this thin, sharp-tongued man with a large aquiline nose. His name was Scorpi Hussein, one of the Violet Empire’s nine Grand Lords, Duke Hussein, who ruled the Hussein Territory, which bordered the Crystal Wolf Territory.
Although she had only met Duke Hussein a few times, Aimilin couldn't help but dislike him. This man was greedy, cunning, and harsh, never showing any concern for his own people (except when collecting taxes, grain, and soldiers). Scorpi was a very rich man; he became richer every second, and even the Grand Duke Crystal Wolf, who strongly disliked him, had to admit that Scorpi Hussein was indeed skilled at accumulating wealth. His inherited capital, his power, his military might, combined with his unscrupulous nature, made him unstoppable. This fellow, after inheriting the family, made Hussein the wealthiest surname in the Violet Empire in just a few decades, without a doubt…
However, only the Hussein ‘family’ was wealthy. As Aimilin knew, among the Violet Empire’s nine territories, including the Royal Family, the people of the Hussein Territory were the poorest, the reason for which was self-evident.
“I arrived in Saramun within the time His Majesty requested.” Aimilin didn’t obediently return to her seat. She merely looked at Scorpi mockingly and said coldly, “I also arrived at Purple Juniper Hall within the specified time. Of course, if your definition of ‘late’ means ‘last to arrive,’ then I’d be happy to accept that responsibility, because someone always has to be ‘late,’ don’t they, Hussein?”
Scorpi narrowed his eyes dangerously and asked coldly in his effeminate voice, “Did your deceased father ever tell you to call me Uncle Scorpi?”
“No.” Aimilin shook her head honestly, then blinked as if recalling something, and said leisurely, “However, he seemed to often mention the nickname ‘that cunning old dog.’ Of course, Father didn’t tell me to say that, and I believe one should maintain basic politeness towards elders, so… you wouldn’t mind if I called you by your surname instead of a nickname, would you?”
A dangerous glint flashed in Scorpi’s eyes. His right hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched tightly, as if he intended to teach the defiant young girl in front of him a lesson. But a few seconds later, he merely offered a false smile and shrugged, “I apologize, Aimilin, you may not know, but my territory had a troublesome little problem a while ago. Although it’s already resolved, it’s still quite annoying. Please forgive me~”
“I…”
The young Grand Duke Crystal Wolf was about to say something when she inadvertently caught a glimpse of weariness and helplessness in Emperor Kleiver’s eyes. She subtly, yet clearly, nodded to Kleivore, then turned and smiled at Scorpi, “I was just joking, Uncle Scorpi.”
She then walked to the only empty seat at the long table and sat down.
“Being late is a lady’s privilege.” The square-faced man to Aimilin’s right laughed heartily and winked at her. “Of course, that’s just a metaphor. I know very well you’re not late.”
Aimilin gave the former a sincere smile, “Thank you, Uncle Vernon.”
Grand Duke Vernon Baloka was a tall and robust… at least, a tall and robust Grand Knight in his youth. He was the ruler of the Baloka Territory and one of the few lords Aimilin was relatively close to. However, because their territories were far apart, they didn't meet very often, but their correspondence was quite frequent. Vernon was always very enthusiastic about offering Aimilin some insights on being a lord, all of which were excellent suggestions.
He was a warm, straightforward, just, and kind person. Although Aimilin didn't consider these to be excellent qualities for a lord, they made her feel genuine respect.
The Grand Duke Crystal Wolf surveyed her surroundings, pleased to find that she recognized most of the people there.
Besides Emperor Kleivore, Grand Duke Vernon Baloka, and Duke Scorpi Hussein, Aimilin also saw the white-haired, always smiling Duke Dengtis; the taciturn, barely noticeable, almost racially indistinct Dwarf Grand Duke Gongxin Fernand; the solemn, meticulous Dark Elf Grand Duke Xi Mu Simon; the well-liked, approachable Grand Duke Buffy Marshall; and…
“Who is that?!”
Aimilin looked curiously at the orange-haired girl dozing beside Kleivore. She was petite, wore round, black-rimmed glasses, and appeared to be a low-level mage based on her attire, with no items that would suggest her identity. She seemed to be resting her eyes… provided no one heard the faint, almost imperceptible snores…
“She’s definitely not Xiluo Bloodaxe!”
Aimilin made a decisive judgment in her mind, the reason being simple: although she didn't believe the Fireclaw Duke, whom she had never met, would be eight feet tall, eight feet around the waist, hideous, over three hundred pounds, fond of eating children, and capable of breathing fire as rumored, still…
“The Grand Chieftain of Fire Claw Territory absolutely cannot be less than 1.6 meters tall, and she cannot be a Beastkin!”
The Grand Duke Crystal Wolf scrutinized the sleeping girl with interest, feeling curiosity, admiration, and a sense of closeness. She was curious about the girl’s identity, admired her courage to doze off in Purple Juniper Hall, and as for the sense of closeness… it was simply because the other party was a pretty girl.
However, Aimilin didn’t ponder for too long, because Kleivore had already slowly stood up…
“I am delighted that everyone has the opportunity to gather together. I remember the last time I sat around the same table with eight Grand Dukes was seven years ago.” The monarch of the Violet Empire, Kleivore Bracern, sighed softly, “Actually, I very much hope that you all can meet more often for occasions other than preparing to face threats. Of course, I also know that everyone is very busy…”
Kleivore paused here slightly, giving Scorpi an opportunity to interrupt him.
“You are right, Your Majesty.” Duke Hussein stood up, performed a perfunctory bow, then plopped back down, fiddling with an old-looking gold coin. “Everyone is busy, and everyone knows you work the hardest. So, can we please get straight to the point?”
Grand Duke Vernon Baloka glared at him, “Scorpi, you are speaking to the Emperor. You need to correct your attitude. He is our Emperor!”
“He is certainly our Emperor.” Scorpi said slowly, laughing exaggeratedly, though there was no humor in his eyes. “Our Emperor has many matters to handle, and his time is precious. And I am diligently earning money for His Majesty, so my time is also very precious. Your time… I suppose I’ll consider it precious too, which is why I hope His Majesty will get to the point quickly.”
To be honest, if Scorpi were a Grand Duke or Lord of the Shavin Empire, and he dared to speak to William Burke like that, his corpse would probably be cold by now. But this was Violet, a country that, although called an ‘Empire,’ did not have absolute imperial power. That’s why Scorpi Hussein, as one of the eight Grand Dukes, dared to speak to Kleivore in such a manner…
Although he maintained outward respect, his attitude was not that of a subject to a monarch.
Perhaps Scorpi’s behavior was a bit too overt, but among those present, apart from Grand Duke Baloka, including the young Grand Duke Crystal Wolf, there was not much reverence for the Violet Royal Family and Emperor.
In their eyes, everyone was simply fulfilling their respective duties.
Shuang Ye, who was lightly snoring, mumbled, “Hmm, quite disgusting…”
“What did you say?!” Scorpi immediately glared at her, his tone very grim. “Who are you?!”
His response was a loud smacking sound. Shuang Ye mumbled something else vaguely, making everyone feel as if she was eating something delicious in her dream.
“I think she can only be the Fireclaw Duke’s representative.” Grand Duke Simon said flatly, “His Majesty mentioned it in his previous message.”
Buffy Marshall smiled gracefully, “Alright, Scorpi, we already know how terrible your mood is, so please be quiet for a moment and let our Emperor continue.”
Scorpi nodded and indeed said nothing more, but his gaze remained fixed on Shuang Ye.
“Then, Emperor Kleiver.” The benevolent Grand Duke Dengtis smiled, stroking his graying hair, “Can we now discuss that… hmm, that Plague?”
Kleivore nodded amiably, “Of course, old friend, I was just about to say so~”
“Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty.” Grand Duke Fernan pointed to Shuang Ye, who was still dozing, and asked in the Dwarf’s characteristic high-pitched voice, “Should the Fireclaw Duke’s representative not be waking up?”
The next second, Shuang Ye opened her eyes and, looking bright and refreshed, nodded to Fernan, “I’m listening, Lord Mediterranean.”
Grand Duke Fernan was slightly taken aback, “What sea?”
“Mediterranean.” Shuang Ye smiled elegantly, then concisely explained, “It’s the state before balding, mainly referring to the phenomenon where certain areas of the head become bright and smooth, though still some distance from being completely bald. It’s truly enviable.”
Grand Duke Fernan was stunned on the spot.
“Let me introduce.” Kleivore extended his hand towards Shuang Ye, smiling, “This is Shuang Ye, the senior advisor of Fire Claw Territory, and the representative of Grand Duke Fireclaw Xiluo Bloodaxe. It was she who brought us the intelligence about the coming Plague. Miss Shuang Ye… please forgive me, but Miss Shuang Ye herself is also one of the victims of this disaster, so please be more understanding of this brave girl. She has not had formal training in noble etiquette.”
Scorpi’s expression turned somewhat ugly. He knew very well that the young girl not far away had done that on purpose; she definitely wasn’t asleep!
“Yes, please do bear with me.”
Shuang Ye revealed a smile of unknown meaning and took out a thick stack of parchment…
“From all angles~”
Chapter 253: End