"Leaving? What are you on about?! You can leave if you are afraid!" Yurik shouted angrily as he stood before Sentios.

  "It is your choice if you want to stay and die. But I'm leaving." Sentios repeated, not even flinching.

  "I now see why they are calling you a coward." He spat at his foot, but Sentios just looked over the others, finally settling his sight on Astair. "The operation is a complete failure. They are onto us; carrying it out is no longer feasible. We greatly underestimated the validity of the rumors and paid too little attention to the younger generation when pnning this mission. The fault lies with me." He said calmly, mostly speaking to Astair.

  "I think you overestimate them." Yurik ughed, feeling a bit happy as he could finally rise over Sentios. "Also, when we return, I'll report your attack on me to the King! Don't you think you can do this even if you are his hound?!"

  "You won't be able to report back if you stay here." Sentios finally looked at him, "She is maddened by her love for my nephew; this is already a trap, and we are caught in it."

  "Hah. Coward!"

  "I'm going back with you," Astair replied suddenly.

  "You-" Yurik turned around, fbbergasted.

  "I'm weak, Uncle. I would be in your way anyway." He said calmly, while Sentios simply nodded and left right that night with Astair, leaving the few Naulin experts who were not trying to infiltrate the General's mansion with Yurik.

  "We still miss Feyn. He has not come back yet," one of the followers came up, reporting to Yurik, his voice nervous.

  "Mmm… he may have been captured." Yurik thought for a moment, tapping on the table next to him, being in a good mood for the first time since they arrived here. "This is good. We can use it to our advantage! One of us went missing; we can drum up a great outrage and command an investigation. It would be best if we find him in the hands of that bitch of a sister of mine…." He ughed as he pnned what to do next. At the same time, Astair was following Sentios on the road, already far away from the capital, speaking only when the sun finally had come up.

  "You really think they will die?" Astair asked, with apparent doubt in his voice.

  "They are already dead; they just don't know it yet." Sentios nodded. "An opponent like that girl is dangerous. You can predict how others will react based on their social status, rank, or other position in society. But…”

  "But?"

  "I saw someone once who ignores it and does whatever he feels like. You can't predict people like him... in this case, her. Plus, she has the power to back it up. There is a difference between people who act like this, relying on their own power, and between the so-called silk pants you are familiar with back home. Take away their influence or background powers, and they will turn from tigers to cats. But someone who has power, you can't turn them harmless… only if…."

  "Only if they… die?"

  "Or you cripple them. Break them. Or you get stronger."

  "You have a pn?" Astair looked up at him, raising his eyebrow.

  "Not yet. I need to consult with the King." He shook his head, "Let's hurry back and report everything. That girl must be put on our priority list to deal with, or she will be more dangerous than Aerthus in the early days of the Kingdom."

  …….…..

  "So he is our surprise guest?" Ren ughed as she walked into one of the guest bedrooms, where one of the Naulin experts was tied to a chair, still numb, as electricity ran through his body at set intervals, clearly the work of Xendar.

  "Yes, Young Lady." Hal smiled as only they were present now.

  "Is he conscious?"

  "Yes, the Lord's powers only prevent him from moving his muscles."

  "Let's take it off!" Ren cpped with a smile.

  "Young Lady?" Hal looked at her, a bit unsure.

  "Rex, he is not a match for me." She walked up to him, poking the man's chest as her father's energies flowed out, forming a blue ball in her hand that she had simply absorbed into herself.

  As Feyn regained control over his body, he looked at Ren with an expression that could eat her alive.

  "What, no fighting back?" Ren asked, provoking him a little.

  "I'm not stupid; your father must be near, even if I fight back. I would be at a disadvantage."

  "True." Ren nodded, "But you could cause a ruckus, drawing attention, and make something up."

  "I don't want to die yet."

  "Ahahaha, you are really not as stupid as that Uncle of mine."

  "What do you want?" Feyn asked, averting his eyes from Ren's gaze.

  "Hey, that's my question!" She ughed again, grabbing a chair and sitting in front of him. "But if you wish to know, I want the technique you guys used and the one that managed to mess up a little orphan's mind."

  "..." Feyn looked on without any change in his expression, but deep inside, he already cursed his companion for not disposing of the body like they usually did to be a hundred percent sure.

  "Don't py stupid. I know it was one of you!" She smiled, licking her lips. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way. I recommend you work with me, and then it will be over in a jiffy, and you can be on your way!"

  "..."

  "The silent treatment, huh?" Ren sighed after waiting for a minute. "Okay. Uncle Hal. Please... leave."

  "As you wish, Young Lady." Hal nodded as he went out, and soon the room fell into darkness as it became covered in a prison of earth, covering the walls, ceiling, and floor, locking the two in without any escape.

  The darkness was suffocating, with no light from anywhere, plunging it into a silent abyss. It stayed that way for a long minute before a humming, buzzing sound filled the room, raising Feyn's hair on his body towards the ceiling. A second ter, violet electricity started to flicker and fsh before him as Ren's figure became visible again, outlined by flickering lightning bolts that swirled and snaked around her, reflecting brightly in her eyes.

  "You know, I healed the girl. Overwrote your technique..." Ren said with a whisper, "Still… I'm gd I have a living guinea pig to py with now. I don't need to be as careful with you as I was with her. And just so you know… I like it rough." She licked her lips, walking closer and finally sitting in his p. Feyn had never felt this kind of fear before, yet he was a battlefield veteran... He tried to resist, but he found he couldn't gather his energy... at all...

  "W-what are you doing? I… I am a member of the royal family! You can't do anything to me!"

  "Royal family? You are mistaken." Ren chuckled, "You are my prisoner now. Only my test subject... Nothing more. You came here, hurt our people, and looked at them as disposable tools? It's a worse offense than trying to insult me or pnning to assassinate my friends. At least we could fight back! But ying your hands on people and children without cultivation? You are just scum hiding behind your so-called bloodline. Don't worry! I'll help my mother cleanse my family's bloodline. Starting with you..." She gradually leaned closer as she was speaking, right until their noses almost touched.

  "D-demon… you are a demon… a mad demon!" Feyn tried to scream, but he felt numbed by only being in close contact with Ren and her powers, as electric snakes bit onto his flesh, burrowing themselves under his skin.

  "Yeah, once I was called that… now that you mention it…." Ren giggled as she pced her fingers on his head, making him squirm and grit his teeth as stinging electricity flowed into his brain. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle. I want you to enjoy it... Oh, and it's my first time doing this~! But I'll get the hang of it quick, promise~! Now relish this feeling; you will never forget it, I guarantee you that!"

  …….…..

  Hours ter, Hal felt a tapping on the wall that he recognized as Ren's signal. He quickly drew back his earthly prison, letting her out. When Ren walked out of the room, she was wet with perspiration, her silver hair was messy, sticking together, and her clothes were almost transparent from her sweat. Looking into the room, Feyn was sitting on the chair, leaning back; his body was soft and limp, and his head was tilting sideways, eyes wide open, while drool dripped from his open mouth onto the floor. His lungs were letting out whistling sounds from his throat every time he breathed, but... he was still alive. He was clearly struggling with it, though, while his skin still released white smoke, occasionally fshing with electricity, coming from most of his pores.

  "Thankfully, he was a Harmon-level Expert." Ren stretched, taking a towel from Hal and wiping her face.

  "Did the Young Lady learn anything?" Hal asked with a smiling face.

  "A few things. Their energy point in their head has mutated, affecting their brains and eyes."

  "Mutated?" He asked with a thoughtful expression.

  "Mutated may be the wrong word." Ren murmured to herself, "It's modified. Cultivated with a special technique, I guess. He must be someone unimportant, because the change is... not that major. He must not be proficient with it, marking him as a branch-family member... It's an interesting concept, but I'll need to study it further to understand its functions and how to replicate it. I need a main member... Also, I'll need to cultivate now; I'll probe my own head, see the simirities and differences, and try to work on it myself."

  "Please be careful, Young Lady."

  "I'll be." She giggled, "As for him, he will probably be out for a few days. Still, please watch over him; I'd be sad if my new friend here wanders off to meet his dead ancestors."

  "Of course." Hal smiled, bowing to her.

  "How're the others?"

  "Prince Leinor went back to see his father and check on the Third Prince." Hal reported, "The Lady is out with the Lord; they should be back tomorrow only."

  "Good, Mother needs some downtime; she has been on edge since those idiots arrived here. What about Niji and Emi?"

  "Ambassador Niji is meeting with the Emperor and going over the contracts that arrived already."

  "Huh, he really takes this ambassador title of his seriously."

  "Emissary Emi is out with Poli," Hal added quickly, smiling to himself.

  "Again? I hope they aren't fighting or something."

  "If I heard correctly, they are competing in different skills; today is… fishing?"

  "Tsk… and they didn't ask me to be the judge?" She snorted, crossing her arms, "I'll have a talk with him soon~!"

  "You were occupied with the interrogation, Young Lady."

  "Hey, when did you start taking their side?"

  "Just saying, Young Lady." Hal smiled at her warmly.

  "Got it, got it; they can have fun, but if Poli loses, he can look forward to his next training regime..."

  "I'll rey it to him, Young Miss."

  "Thanks! I'll go take a bath and then sleep a little. I'm beat!" Ren shrugged, then waved at him as she strolled down to the bathroom, enjoying the hot water, closing her eyes, and going over the discoveries she made when probing Feyn's mind.

  …….…..

  "Easy, do not hurry... You are not healthy yet." Reignar said as he spoon-fed warm soup to the small girl, who still couldn't hold it by herself, as her hands were trembling uncontrolbly whenever she raised them.

  “T-thank… you…” She murmured in a quiet, weak voice, tears in her eyes, as she savored the rich fvors of the soup.

  "It's unexpected to see you like this!" Leinor sighed as he arrived, standing beside the window, watching his brother take care of the girl with a smile.

  "What kind of image do you have of me?" Reignar asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "A pervert. A fiend. Hunting for girls and boys of all ages."

  His words made the little one tremble, looking at Reignar with a bit rger eyes, but she continued to take the next bite the moment he raised the spoon to her mouth.

  "Don't give her the wrong impression!" Reignar pursed his lips, shaking his head.

  "Ahaha, okay, okay. So, do you remember your name?" Leinor nodded, climbing in through the window, and then turned to the girl, asking with a soft, kind voice, crouching down at her bed.

  "Orsi." She nodded.

  "What is your st memory, Orsi?" Leinor continued while Reignar hand-fed her, gently wiping her mouth.

  "I… I don't know," she shook her head with fear. "It's… everything is so jumbled," she sniffled as she tried to remember, but a searing pain struck her as she grabbed onto her head. "I can't remember anything… only pieces… my name and… not much…."

  "Rex, it's okay!" Reignar put down the food, stroking her head, massaging it, slowly making Orsi's face rex again. "You don't need to think too hard."

  "I… don't?" she asked, fearfully, as she felt that if she didn't answer the thing they wanted to know, she would be thrown out, and it was a gut feeling of hers… to never want to go back to where she came from.

  "Yup. You don't. Just rex; you were… very sick. You need to recover; it will come back to you ter." Reignar calmed her down, speaking very slowly and quietly to ease her pain.

  "Than...thank you… um…”

  "Call me Reignar."

  "B-but… um, this pce looks… expensive, um, you are… nobles?" She asked, a bit unsure.

  "Kinda." Leinor chuckled.

  "T-then I'll call you… Young Master…" she murmured. "I… I'm… poor?" she thought with a confused face for a moment as she didn't remember where she came from, but the feeling she got was as if she were an ant before their presence, yet they were taking care of her.

  "Do as you wish. Don't force anything." Reignar picked up the food again. "Come, let's continue; you need to regain some strength.

  "Mm. I'll go back now and tell Ren everything." Leinor stood up, looking concerned.

  "Did you meet with father?" Reignar asked as Leinor was almost out of the door.

  "No. But I met with my grandfather. He said he would be back to the wedding, but something came up recently."

  "I see. Well, you should be ready!" Reignar shrugged, "After you pce the leash on your neck, there is no turning back."

  "See? I told you he is a freak." Leinor rolled his eyes, looking at Orsi before leaving, while the little girl just blinked her eyes, not really understanding what they meant by that.

  "Don't even listen to him. He will marry soon, losing all of his freedom." Reignar sighed.

  "Marry…? When I grow up, I also want to marry… Why is it bad?" Orsi asked with a confused expression, "It means you have a family… I… I…" She furrowed her brows, looking up at Reignar with innocent eyes and clearly not understanding her own feelings, "I always… wanted a family…?"

  Listening to her, Reignar could only sigh as he stroked her head.

  "Well, if you get better, you can follow me for a time."

  "R-really? Really, really?"

  "Yes. Until your memories are completely back."

  "Thank you, Young Master!" She smiled happily, watching him with never-seen innocence in her eyes, making Reignar feel... feel something he had never felt before.

  "No need to thank me. Come, some soup is still left in this bowl; I won't read you a book if you do not finish it all!"

  "Yes!" she nodded happily as she bit onto the spoon with the happiest expression Reignar ever saw on someone, strengthening that strange feeling deep inside him, to a point where he couldn't push it down anymore.