Prince Hephaestus sat in his chair, suddenly looking incredibly awkward. He rubbed the back of his neck again, letting out a very long, very heavy sigh. He didn't look like a proud Prince; he looked like a guy who had just realized he forgot to do his homework.
"Yeah, about that," Hephaestus mumbled, looking down at his grease-stained hands. "My Advisor is... totally unavailable right now."
Hestia frowned sharply. "Unavailable? What could possibly be more important than recovering our stolen points? Call him here immediately!"
"I can't call him," Hephaestus admitted, giving them an incredibly apologetic, exhausted smile. "My Grandmaster is, well, he is a bit of an eccentric genius. Last night, he completely locked himself inside the deepest, most secure underground laboratory of our estate. He is currently conducting deep-focus mechanical research on a new, highly volatile engine core."
Heart, his Vice-Captain, nodded in agreement, taking another sip of her coffee. "Yeah, he welded the doors shut from the inside. He left a note taped to the wall that said if we interrupt his calculations, he will set off an explosion that will blow our entire mansion into the sky. So, we are definitely not knocking on his door today."
Ken burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. The idea of a legendary Royal Advisor locking himself in a basement to play with dangerous toys while his Prince was out trying to win a war was the funniest thing he had heard all week.
"Oh, man, that is amazing!" Ken cheered, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "He sounds like an absolute legend. A man who completely respects his own personal hobbies over politics! I want to be just like him when I grow up!"
Zaima glared at Ken in pure disgust. "You are already a complete joke, peasant. You don't need any more practice."
Princess Iris raised her hand, silencing the arguments before they could start again. She looked at Hephaestus with a reassuring smile.
"It is alright, Brother," Iris said gently. "If your Advisor is occupied, then the burden of the search will fall squarely on the shoulders of Grandmaster Finlay and Grandmaster Yukihime. I am completely confident that the two of them are more than enough to track down the criminals."
Finlay nodded his massive head. "We will find them, Princess. They cannot hide from both of us."
Yukihime simply adjusted the hilt of her katana, her icy blue eyes flashing with silent, deadly promise.
"Then it is settled," Princess Iris announced, standing up from her chair. She looked around the table at her brother and sister. "The three-way alliance is officially active. Our Advisors will track down the 4th party. Once they secure the location of the thieves and the Core of Luminus, they will send a signal. When that signal comes, our three vanguards will mobilize together, strike the target, and take back what belongs to us."
Hephaestus stood up, stretching his sore back with a loud groan. "Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks, Iris. I owe you one."
Hestia stood up gracefully, smoothing her white dress one last time. She didn't say thank you. She just gave Iris a haughty, superior look. "Do not slow my team down when the time comes, Iris. Zaima, we are leaving."
Hestia and her spotless white team marched out of the parlor, completely ignoring everyone else. Hephaestus and Heart offered a friendly wave before heading out the side door to go get some much-needed sleep.
The 13th Unit was left alone in the parlor.
The incredible, unprecedented Royal alliance had actually worked. They had successfully brought three rival families together, completely changing the political landscape of the Succession War in a single afternoon.
Princess Iris let out a massive, relieved breath, her shoulders sagging slightly now that the pressure was off. She turned around and looked at her messy, goofy, slacker servant standing in the corner.
"Well, Ken," Princess Iris smiled, her violet eyes full of genuine warmth. "It seems your ridiculous potato chip logic actually saved the day."
Ken puffed out his chest and offered a lazy, completely relaxed salute.
"I told you, Princess!" Ken bragged happily. "Slacker logic is totally flawless! Let the scary old people do all the tracking work while we go home and take a nap. It is the perfect system!"
Naomi walked over and gently shoved Ken toward the door, though she was smiling widely. "Come on, you idiot. Let's go home. If we are going to fight an entire underground mercenary group tomorrow, I need to make sure you actually know how to tie your own shoelaces first."
"I know how to tie them! I just prefer them loose!" Ken complained loudly, stumbling forward as Naomi playfully pushed him out into the hallway.
The fragile, highly unstable alliance was officially formed, and the fate of the three Royal units was now entirely in the hands of the searching Grandmasters. But for now, Ken was just happy that the meeting was over, and he could finally go back to his incredibly comfortable, completely dusty bed.
----
The strategy room inside the 13th Unit’s estate was an absolute madhouse of stressful energy.
Ever since Princess Iris successfully formed the temporary, three-way alliance with her brother and sister, the entire team had been working in overdrive. Sayma was currently buried behind a massive mountain of maps, frantically trying to predict where the Grandmasters might find the masked thieves. Zinia and Laxmi were in the corner, loudly debating the best combat formations for a city raid. Naomi was sitting at the table, aggressively sharpening her twin daggers with a wet stone, her green eyes completely focused on preparing for the upcoming battle.
Ken Eliot sat in his usual chair at the far end of the table, resting his chin on his hands. He looked left. He looked right. Everyone was incredibly busy, highly motivated, and totally stressed out.
"This is the perfect time to escape," Ken thought to himself, a lazy smile creeping onto his face. "If I sit here for one more minute, Sayma is definitely going to ask me to organize her paperwork. Or worse, Naomi will make me polish the armor. I need to leave the premises immediately."
Moving with the stealth of a professional slacker, Ken slowly slid out of his wooden chair. He kept his shoulders slouched and tip-toed toward the heavy wooden door. He reached for the handle, silently cheering in his head.
"Going somewhere, Ken?" Naomi’s voice cut through the room like a sharp knife.
Ken froze. He slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder. Naomi hadn't even looked up from her daggers, but she somehow knew exactly what he was doing. However, she wasn't glaring at him with pure disgust like she used to. Ever since he had taken that spear for her in the dungeon, she treated him more like a highly annoying, naughty friend who needed constant supervision.
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