adow’s lips twitched, and her gaze froze for what felt like a long ti as she stared at the Forgotten Prince.
The news was boggling. Mind-boggling, and it led to a series of massive editing of plans that began within her.
But before any could reach a plausible conclusion, information was needed. A lot of it.
Minutes went by in a flash before she snapped from her shock. Hardening her gaze in the process.
"Are you sure?"
Plum, who had been watching with plain intrigue, arched his brow at her question.
A subtle suspicion lingered in his stare before he turned to Safara while he sat.
"You confird this, right?"
Safara nodded.
"Yes."
Then she took a seat, followed by Ziza, then Ban, who took the last available chair.
The others had begun to depart through a portal, leaving the room of the important figures to discuss at heart.
"I see." adow muttered before glancing away. "That makes sense..."
With a sigh, she folded her arms.
"I appeared at the sa ti as the formation of the Crimson Do?"
"Yes," Plum replied with a straight face.
"So, as difficult as we may have been... and perhaps overboard."
He glanced at Ziza, who bowed slowly.
"...it was necessary to ensure the Prince’s safety and the clandestine knowledge of our Group " She completed his statent.
"I apologize for the harshness, but... these are difficult tis, especially with his passing."
adow’s gaze flared slightly.
"So you’ve heard."
Ziza sat up slowly.
"Who hasn’t?" She said with a solemn tone.
"Raffaelo Jun had been the glue which stuck us together, but with him gone... "
Her brows furrowed as sothing bitter took its place in her expression.
Safara lowered her head while Plum shook his.
Both commorating the emptiness that Raph had left.
Ziza’s shoulders shuddered slightly.
"It would be impertinent of us if we’re incapable of achieving his goal..." Her expression shifted slightly. "...and your goal as well, Princess... and that includes the secret nature of our group."
adow sat, silent.
Observing the trio with probing eyes while the air around them settled.
It seed like she was trying to absorb their words... and perhaps she was.
Of course, the others weren’t aware of this.
After all, the silence to them ant so much more than it did to the Princess.
While she seed understanding at the surface, the trio couldn’t deny within themselves that they may have screwed up.
Still, they awaited her response.
adow tilted her head slightly.
"I can see why you were harsh... I would be too."
A general sigh of relief escaped the people gathered, but adow wasn’t done yet.
"But."
They nearly held their breaths.
"I still feel wronged, and you can not deny that I was wronged." She said with a smirk.
"I had wanted to co to discuss our plans, but with this, I think it would be a lot easier to reach a satisfactory conclusion."
Plum opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then repeated the process.
Only this ti, he had found his words.
"What do you have in mind?"
"That can wait..." She replied. "I’m more interested in this situation at the Castle.
You said the Patriarchs, Matriarchs and the King were captured within it?"
Plum humd slowly.
"Well, yes, from our intel. The Assistants have acted as such, and news has spread far."
He replied.
"With the way things are going, we’re either expecting soone to break through the Do or expect a miracle from one of the Heads of the Great Families... though, both would be miracles in their own right."
adow listened intently to his words.
Withholding the information while it wove into sothing more within her head.
Right now, what went through her mind was a single path– the sa one she had chosen since the Destruction of the Academy.
The only difference? It might be sooner than expected.
"What do you an expect a miracle?"
She asked as her thoughts t a wall, while she assimilated his words.
Ziza replied this ti.
"The Assistant of the rlin Household, and the Tower Master of the Red Tower, Martha rlin, had asured the energy fluctuations."
"Energy? Which of them?"
"It was Dark Mana," Ziza replied. "And a ridiculously large amount."
adow’s brows furrowed. Her confusion was clearly evident.
Why did the amount of mana matter when Kira rlin existed?
"Kira rlin is there, though."
She said,
"That’s what I thought as well," Safara said with a slight chuckle.
"But the energy levels are dangerously close to abysmal. Even the Witch of the West wouldn’t be capable of containing that amount."
Ziza nodded in agreent.
"Not to ntion the implications." She said with a sigh. "Those who are within would have to tread carefully to prevent the dark mana from imploding on itself if they want to escape... After all, just like every mana, it is highly unstable."
adow’s face twisted slightly.
’This is the Academy all over again.’
"What about from outside?"
Ziza snorted.
"If there was anyone capable of dispersing that amount of mana without consequences, that would have been Kira rlin."
adow tilted her head from side to side for a mont.
Her gaze shifted to the ceiling, as if there was so sort of scepticism.
Ziza saw right through her, and frankly, she didn’t welco being doubted.
"Are you uncertain of what I said, Princess?" She asked.
adow nodded imdiately.
"There’s another Mage who is on par with Kira rlin, but not spoken of because of her ambiguous nature."
The trio humd with curiosity.
"Who is it?" Plum asked.
"Fiona Jun, the second eldest sister of Raph’s," she replied with a smirk.
"Though, none of that concerns us... what does is what cos after that."
Their curiosity was stretched on.
"Are you not concerned about their well-being? They are the Heads... their strength is necessary in keeping balance."
Ziza asked with curiosity.
"Especially with the Red Peacemakers making havoc.
Albeit this situation was caused by them."
Plum interjected with a nod of agreent.
adow paid no mind to it, though.
"The King, the Heads, the Red Peacemakers... all of them."
She glanced at every person present in the room.
"I don’t give a damn. They could die or kill each other for all I care, what matters is what occurs after, and by that... I an the Throne."
Her voice grew deep with intent, and it pulled the people gathered like ants to sugar.
Because as of that mont, they could feel it in their bones. Their goal was not far.
"This situation is exactly what we needed, and I had wanted to instigate sothing like this... but all that has been narrowed down to the movent– our movent."
She placed her hands on the table.
"And this is why I ca here..."
A sigh escaped her lips, and her thoughts lined up in order.
This was it. The mont she had anticipated all this ti.
A long ti of planning.
If they moved now– acted imdiately after they quelled the current predicant of the Kingdom, then the Rebellion would win with a powerful step.
"The Rebellion shall begin imdiately after the Castle has cald down."
The trio glanced at one another. Most especially at Plum, who was the spearhead of their plans.
"I had anticipated it would co, but I didn’t realise we would do this without Raph."
He said as he adjusted his position on his seat.
"Agreed," Ziza interjected while Safara remained silent.
adow shook her head slowly.
"Firstly, Raph isn’t dead, and secondly, he would be disappointed if he knew an opportunity like this arose and we didn’t take it."
The room stilled.
It felt like every noise– subtle or loud had taken a relatively agreed pause as the room rang in silence.
It was loud. And it was evident.
Eyes bulged wide. Shock, suspicion and unexpected Hope played coy with their frozen hearts.
It stood long. Stretching for what felt like an eternity.
But it wasn’t.
"Wa– wait?! Princess, what did you say?"
Ziza began with a broken, low voice.
She had retrieved most of herself after that revelation and was still in the process of doing so.
"Wh– Who’s alive?"
The hope– Her hope, was obvious.
adow slowly leaned back on her chair.
"I’m not confident in the information, but these were the words of his mate... I do not know if you know of her."
The trio bead like light bulbs.
"Elsie Darkpelt?!"
Ziza asked, her voice rising suddenly with a high pitch.
adow flinched slightly.
Clearly taken aback by her question.
"We– well, since you know her, then you must be aware of her race. She’s a Werewolf, and Raph’s apparent mate."
At this juncture, she had expected they could surmise the rest, but observing them had told her otherwise.
So she continued.
"If you’re not aware, Mates, which is usually a Demi-human thing, can feel their partner’s presence."
Their gazes clicked with understanding.
"Are you saying Lady Elsie can feel his life energy?"
Ziza asked with a curious tone.
adow turned to her. ’Lady?’
She wondered.
"Yes. For now, she’s most likely staying with the Juns so they can keep an eye on her... and as long as she feels his presence, there’s every reason to believe that Raph is alive."
A heavy sigh escaped Ziza’s lips while the others slumped in their seats.
It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from them due to this new piece of important knowledge.
Sothing that may have haunted them without even alerting them.
adow noticed it though, but she couldn’t dwell on it.
"As expected of the Blind Swordsman," Safara said with a wild grin.
"He fails to unimpress every ti."
Plum shook his head in exasperation.
"Says the woman who nearly sold him to Bounty Hunters."
adow and Ban snapped their heads towards her with bewildered expressions.
’Blind Swordsman? Is that Raph?’
Ziza giggled and Safara pald her face while she avoided their gazes.
"Plum, don’t bring back old grievances."
Plum and Ziza laughed out in unison, and adow, who watched with Ban, glanced at each other with the sa expression.
Ban shrugged, and they looked away.
adow noted her words, but decided to throw that at the back of her mind.
After all, it wasn’t the ti to satisfy unnecessary curiosity.
She cleared her throat, pulling the attention of the others and breaking their chatter.
"So, I believe we’ve co to an understanding."
Plum nodded with a smile.
"We have been planning for this... if not now, when else?"
He folded his arms. A clear sign of approval was written on his face.
The others had similar expressions, Ziza, especially, who now seed more buoyant than before.
adow noted that as well.
She stretched her hand across the table.
"Then we shall make our plans in accordance with current affairs."
She narrowed her gaze as her voice grew harsh.
"Be it the King... or the Great Families.
Whoever cos out alive, shall witness the fall of the Kingdom..."
Her lips tugged into a sinister grin.
"... and the genesis of an Empire."
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