Chapter 620: Chapter-620
.
.
.
Half an hour later, the sun had fully set, and Heena was standing completely alone in the middle of the chaotic, bustling South Side Market.
She let out a long, deeply irritated sigh.
The Emperor, in all his infinite, tyrannical wisdom, apparently only knew how to forcefully abduct people in the shadows. He had absolutely zero concept of how to return them safely. After she took the scroll, he had simply waved his hand dismissively and told her that since she was such a fiercely independent woman, she could walk herself home.
So, there she was, the fearsome Vanguard Madam, dodging drunken merchants and stray chickens in a cheap alleyway.
"Host!"
’Stop shouting, you idiot,’ Heena grumbled telepathically, pulling her navy blue cloak tighter around her shoulders to avoid the evening chill.
"Host, have you actually gone crazy?!" the System screeched, its glowing blue form violently glitching as it floated beside her head. "Signing an open-ended agreement with the Emperor?! You know that bastard is a ruthless cheater! What if he kills you? What if he kills your family the second you outlive your usefulness? What if he just goes back on his promise?!"
Heena carefully side-stepped a puddle of questionable market sludge.
’So what exactly did you want me to do?’ Heena asked dryly.
"Just... don’t sign an agreement with him! Say no!" the System argued.
Heena shot the floating lion a look that clearly questioned its basic artificial intelligence.
’Do you honestly think I was called there for a casual chat?’ Heena scoffed. ’I literally had a black-steel sword pressed against my throat, and you are talking about me just rejecting him?’
"Don’t you also have your own knives?" the System countered defensively. "You are the Vanguard Madam! Fight back!"
Heena rolled her eyes so hard they almost ached.
’If I dared to point my blade toward the Emperor, I wouldn’t even make it out of that room,’ Heena explained coldly. ’And even if I did, the first people to slaughter my family wouldn’t be the Black Feathers—it would be the Imperial Censors. They would immediately plaster the capital with edicts declaring the Vanguard family as traitors trying to usurp the throne. Do you want me and my grandfather to die so badly?’
She navigated through a crowd of loud gamblers, entirely unnoticed in her dark cloak.
’Those shadow guards are crazy bastards. They would have chopped me into pieces if I dared to say no,’ she continued. ’Do you seriously think the Emperor would reveal his grandest, most secretive political purge to me, and then just let an idiot who rejected him walk out alive to tell the tale?’
"Wow," the System paused, blinking its large pixelated eyes. "You are actually accepting that you are an idiot?"
Heena’s footsteps stopped. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. ’Did you just say something?’
"No! No! I didn’t say anything!" the System frantically backpedaled, waving its paws in the air. "I was just asking... what if the Emperor goes back on his word after you do the work? What do we do then?"
Heena resumed walking, her expression returning to its usual, terrifyingly calm baseline.
’That is exactly why I forced him to put all five of those conditions in writing,’ Heena stated. ’An Emperor’s word is cheap, but an Imperial Decree stamped with the royal seal is absolute law. And anyway, the corrupt officials he wants me to take out are already a massive pain in my neck. They are stealing from my grandfather’s army. I would have killed them eventually regardless. So, let’s just get it done.’
The System floated down, resting lightly on her shoulder. The frantic panic in its digital voice faded, replaced by a quiet, genuine sadness.
"But... what about you?" the System asked softly. "If you take on this mission, you are walking straight into a political bloodbath. What if you do all this work... and you die?"
Heena stepped out of the crowded market and onto the quiet, cobblestone street leading toward the aristocratic district. She looked up at the cold, pale moon hanging over the capital.
’I am already dying,’ Heena replied, her internal voice completely devoid of fear, pity, or hesitation.
The System fell silent.
’Even if the Emperor didn’t order me to do anything...’ Heena mused, a dark, cynical smile touching her lips. ’Even if I went to the temple, shaved my head, and sat in front of the Buddha praying every single day, I would still die when my time runs out. The blood clot in my brain is a ticking clock. Do you really think I am going to miraculously survive?’
She adjusted the heavy broadsword at her waist, her posture straightening as the Vanguard estate finally came into view in the distance.
’If I have to die,’ Heena concluded, her eyes flashing with a ruthless, brilliant light. ’Would it not be so much nicer to die a spectacular death where the entire empire thinks I sacrificed myself to protect them? I would rather die a legendary martyr for my family than die pathetically from a random brain injury.’
.
.
.
.
An hour later ....
The Vanguard estate was heavily guarded, surrounded by towering stone walls and patrolled by elite military veterans who could spot a leaf falling from fifty yards away.
For Heena, a highly trained general, sneaking past them should have been completely effortless.
Unfortunately, her waist was still screaming in absolute agony from Samuel’s "medicinal treatment" the night before. As she gripped the top of the outer courtyard wall and hauled herself over, a sharp spike of pain shot through her lower back.
’Damn that scholar to the deepest pits of the underworld,’ Heena cursed inwardly, landing on the soft grass with a muffled, ungraceful thud.
"Host, you literally asked for it," the System pointed out unhelpfully from the safety of her mind. "You initiated the attack on his masculinity. You reap what you sow."
’Mute yourself,’ Heena snapped.
She dusted off her navy blue cloak and quietly slipped through the shadows of the courtyard, actively avoiding the main gates. If her grandfather caught her sneaking back into the manor this late, he would instantly deploy the entire Vanguard army assuming she had been kidnapped, and she was far too exhausted to explain her secret alliance with the Emperor.
She reached her private bedchamber, gently pushed the lattice window open, and gracefully vaulted inside.
The room was pitch black. Quiet. Peaceful.
Heena let out a quiet sigh of relief, turning around to close the window.
Flick.
A sudden, sharp spark of flint echoed in the dark.
Heena froze.
The soft, warm glow of a lantern slowly bloomed to life in the corner of the room, casting long, flickering shadows across the mahogany furniture.
Sitting at the tea table, illuminated by the golden light, was Samuel.
He was dressed in loose, dark silk inner robes, his long hair cascading freely over his shoulders. He was holding a freshly poured cup of tea, his posture incredibly relaxed. But his golden eyes were entirely devoid of warmth. They locked onto his wife with the dark, heavy intensity of an apex predator waiting for its prey to step into the trap.
"I was under the impression," Samuel murmured, his voice completely smooth but laced with a terrifying, razor-sharp edge, "that the Vanguard Madam was on strict medical leave due to a severe, debilitating chill."
He took a slow sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving hers.
"And yet, here she is, vaulting through windows in the dead of night. Did your waist miraculously heal, Wife? Or did you simply find someone else’s company more entertaining than your sickbed?"
Hovering near the ceiling, the System immediately summoned a digital bucket of popcorn. "Oh, you are so dead. The scholar is actually mad."
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