"He gave us exactly what we needed," Leon corrected her keeping his voice low. "The Chamberlain’s forged decree is useless without the imperial seal. But if this black ledger contains proof of his Syndicate ties the neutral noble houses will string him up in the courtyard."
"And where do we find a mythical black ledger?" she asked glancing at him.
"Beneath the market of stolen sins," Leon quoted offering a dark confident smirk. "I know exactly who has it. We need to pay another visit to Lady Valeriana’s underground web."
The rabbit hole was opening wide beneath their feet and Leon was more than ready to drag the entire capital down into the dirt.
They just had to navigate the political landmines waiting outside the throne room first.
The bright mid-morning sun felt jarring after the suffocating gloom of the Emperor’s throne room.
Leon and Seraphina stepped out of the inner keep breathing in the fresh air of the sprawling palace gardens.
The manicured lawns and pristine white marble fountains formed a beautiful maze designed for noble courtiers to gossip and scheme. But today the gardens were tense.
The sudden movement of the Imperial Executioners had put the entire capital elite on edge.
Seraphina walked with a brisk aggressive pace her mind racing with the implications of the Emperor’s cryptic ramblings.
The burden of saving her family and stopping a civil war weighed heavily on her shoulders.
"We need to gather Beatrice and Elara," Seraphina planned aloud her boots clicking sharply on the stone path. "If we are diving back into the underground market we need a coordinated strike team. We cannot trust anyone else."
"We will move tonight," Leon agreed scanning the manicured hedges for hidden threats.
As they rounded a large crystal fountain their path was abruptly blocked by a contingent of heavily armed knights.
The soldiers wore bright green tabards over polished steel armor.
Standing at the front of the formation was Isolde Vane. The Emerald Knight looked immaculate her vibrant green hair tied back in a strict military braid.
She was currently lecturing a terrified palace bureaucrat pointing a gloved finger at his chest.
Isolde stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the silver-haired noblewoman and the towering dark-suited warden stepping onto the path.
Her bright green eyes widened in genuine shock as she realized where they had just come from.
"You were inside the inner keep," Isolde stated abandoning the bureaucrat and stepping forward. Her hand rested instinctively on the jeweled hilt of her rapier. "The Chamberlain declared a strict quarantine. No one is allowed past those gates."
"We do not answer to bureaucratic rats Isolde," Seraphina replied coldly her Grandmaster aura flaring just enough to make the lesser emerald knights step backward in fear. "The Emperor summoned us."
Isolde frowned her sharp mind rapidly calculating the political fallout.
If House Sterling had direct access to the throne the power dynamic in the capital was about to violently flip.
She turned her intense gaze toward Leon analyzing his calm relaxed posture. The memory of him standing bleeding and victorious in the fighting pit was permanently burned into her mind.
A confusing mixture of bitter rivalry and deep unspoken attraction stirred in her chest.
"You must enjoy dragging your feral guard dog into places he does not belong," Isolde mocked trying to maintain her haughty aristocratic facade.
The system chimed playfully in Leon’s mind dropping a new glowing interface over the flowing crystal fountain.
[New Quest: The Flustered Knight]
[Objective: The Emerald Knight hides her curiosity behind insults. Step past Seraphina, reach out and casually adjust the crooked silver pin on Isolde’s green collar to fluster her.]
[Reward: +20 Agility, 450 Shameless Points.]
[Penalty: A localized sensory curse causing your ears to ring with the sound of breaking glass for twelve hours.]
Leon chuckled softly stepping forward before Seraphina could launch a verbal counterattack.
He moved with a smooth predatory grace bypassing the rival knight’s personal boundaries before her military reflexes could even register the intrusion.
He reached out with his large calloused hand. Isolde flinched slightly expecting an attack but he simply brushed his fingers against her vibrant green uniform.
He casually straightened a small silver military pin attached to her crisp collar.
"Green is a lovely color Isolde," Leon murmured his deep voice dropping to a register meant only for her ears. "You can’t insult me while being this flustered by my touch."
Isolde gasped sharply her pale cheeks rapidly burning with a brilliant furious red flush.
Her passive magical defenses completely short-circuited under the sheer audacity of his intimate touch. She swatted his hand away taking a rapid step backward to put distance between them.
"Do not touch me you arrogant brute!" Isolde hissed her voice trembling with a chaotic blend of anger and breathless heat.
[Quest Complete. Rewards Distributed.]
A refreshing surge of speed flooded Leon’s muscles pushing his Agility to an incredible two hundred and sixty-five points.
He offered her a devastating confident smile resting his hands casually in his pockets.
"We have urgent business to attend to Lady Isolde," Leon stated smoothly returning to Seraphina’s side. "Feel free to keep interrogating the local bureaucrats. I am sure they have fascinating stories to tell."
Seraphina shot the flustered emerald knight a triumphant mocking smirk before continuing down the marble path.
She did not question Leon’s actions fully trusting his ability to mentally unbalance their political rivals.
Isolde stood frozen near the crystal fountain watching his broad muscular back disappear into the bustling palace crowds. She rubbed her chest trying to calm her frantically racing heart.
The terrifying warden of House Sterling was playing a dangerous game and she was furiously realizing she wanted to know the rules.
Leon walked beside his silver goddess his mind already shifting to the upcoming night.
The Emperor’s cryptic riddle pointed directly to Valeriana.
The beautiful information broker was hiding the black ledger and Leon fully intended to charm or force those secrets out of her grasping hands.
The real war for the capital was just getting started.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter