Although Cassian’s confidence made her feel small, and that air surrounding him left no doubt that he was in control, Eleanor put on a sarcastic expression to reply.

"Yes, problems. Don’t tell me you came here to help me? If Rosalind thinks you can do something, it seems she forgot what kind of person you are."

Cassian raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what kind of person am I?"

Eleanor shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to answer.

She had always believed she knew her "stepson," but his real behavior always left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Five minutes, Eleanor. That’s all I’ll give you to explain what kind of help you need and for me to decide whether to give it to you before concluding that this is a waste of time that not even my regard for Rosalind justifies."

Eleanor clenched her fist, but she remembered her parents.

If there was even the slightest chance that the man in front of her could help her, no matter how much she hated him... a decisive expression filled her face.

"The County of Montclair imposed an impossible fine on my parents. If they don’t pay it, they will take everything they have there."

My face showed total boredom at the supposed inconvenience that had brought her to this state; I suppose my "stepmother" had always been this insecure.

"And didn’t you think of appealing? Rosalind, with her power as a minister, might have been able to help."

She shot me a furious look: "If it were that easy, I would have done it long ago. By the time this reaches an imperial court, my parents will already be out on the street."

Mmm... it’s not that I can’t imagine there’s a reason, but still, how annoying.

Clearly this wouldn’t be resolved easily with just money, and I really hate using mental manipulation techniques to end this quickly... although I could consider killing them.

But a figure came to mind; perhaps it wouldn’t be necessary for me to be the one to do it.

I observed her in silence for a while.

Eleanor seemed uncomfortable at my lack of response.

After a few minutes like that, I finally stood up and looked at her to say dryly:

"It will be resolved in a few days. Don’t bother Rosalind again."

She opened her mouth, ready to let out some provocative or contemptuous comment, but since we were at it, I decided to uphold the old customs: I froze her in place while giving her a sly smile.

This time the situation didn’t catch her by surprise; although she had come to think that the last time had been a dream, having it happen again left her submerged in terror.

And although enjoying Eleanor’s internal chaos for a little longer would have been fun, I disappeared from the room to head somewhere else.

...

Adela had been visiting Elizabeth quite frequently lately.

When her master returned and the first thing he did was call for Elara, she knew something was wrong.

As his maid, she understood that this kind of "relief" wasn’t exactly what would truly help her master.

Elizabeth and Adela were in a carriage, heading to an unknown place.

They looked at each other with uncomfortable glances, but a hint of complicity floated in the air.

"I can’t believe you convinced me to do this."

Adela raised her eyebrows at Elizabeth’s sudden comment.

"You don’t see it every day. This is really necessary, Elizabeth... for the master," she finished saying with fire in her eyes.

"For the master," Elizabeth murmured, uncertain but trusting in Adela’s instinct.

...

Elizabeth’s office was always a place I liked to visit, although she didn’t seem to be there.

I headed toward the chair in front of her desk, sat down and scanned the papers scattered across it: some reports from Beaumont, income from potions or pills, and reports on Nexus’s growth in other empires.

After a long while, the person I had come to see entered through the door. It wasn’t Elizabeth I was looking for, but the woman who, since she appeared in my life, had been stuck to the violet-haired woman like her subordinate.

Thalassa Serenia gave a jump, surprised to see me there.

She looked around with doubt before approaching to greet me.

"Elizabeth sent me to fetch some papers," she said nervously, as if she had to justify her presence.

I suppose that, considering what she did at the beginning, trust is something I still don’t have completely with her; although it’s not like I have it with too many people anyway.

"I have a task for you," I said coldly, without expecting any contradiction.

"A task? What do you want me to do that you can’t do yourself?"

"You will go to the County of Montclair. Ask Elizabeth to tell the counts there to receive you; once that’s done, I want you to hypnotize Countess Lissandre so she leaves Eleanor and her family alone."

"Eleanor?" She frowned; she seemed to recognize that it was my "stepmother."

"You have two days."

"Wait, wait... you already promised to help me. I’m not your subordinate or anything like that."

I raised an eyebrow.

"But Elizabeth is, and it doesn’t seem to bother you to work for her. So it won’t bother you to run this little ’errand’ for me."

My words didn’t seem to convince her completely.

"You seem different," she murmured, although I heard her perfectly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I narrowed my eyes at her comment. A smile rose to my lips and I stood up to start approaching her.

"Why do you say that?" my smile grew bigger. "Am I treating you better?"

When I was inches away from her, I leaned my head close to her ear, so she could feel my breath and my presence.

It was then that I told her: "If you do this well..." I paused to savor the words, "there might be a reward afterward."

I pulled away; not so much as to seem abrupt, but enough to see her face.

Although she didn’t seem to understand completely, when she saw me so close her face blushed; she put a hand on my chest and pushed me away, uncomfortable.

It was then that I started laughing. She frowned and said, annoyed:

"Now I understand why Miss Elizabeth has that kind of relationship with you. You really are shameless."

I smiled ironically, enjoying the interaction.

...

In the land of the elves, the princess went to visit the fairy who had been staying with them during this time.

But when she opened the door and saw no one, fear hit her immediately.

The elders had asked her to take care of Xingyue, and now she had disappeared.

She searched the entire room for any trace, but could find nothing.

And Xingyue would not return there; at least not until several weeks after what happened in space.

Feeling her master, even for a brief moment, caused Xingyue to begin a desperate search on her own.

She traveled continent after continent until she reached her current situation.

Xingyue looked around to check where she was: a desolate land with a gloomy air.

The Demonic Continent.

A man, along with his entourage, was passing by at that exact moment.

The young man, who seemed to hold an important position, looked with surprise at the woman who had suddenly appeared, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

Xingyue observed the people in front of her: "I’m looking for my master, have you seen him?"

An old man behind the young man frowned before answering: "I don’t know who your master is, miss, but we haven’t seen anyone else here for a long time."

Xingyue clenched her fist.

Her anger was such that she began to mobilize the power of the stars to unleash it against the ground to one side.

A huge crater and a rumble made those present lose their balance.

When they finally understood what had happened, the woman had already disappeared.

The young master looked at the place, incredulous.

Then he turned his gaze to the old man who had spoken and ordered: "Find that woman. I want her as my wife. No matter what you have to do."

The old man, with a trembling voice, replied: "But, Prince..."

The young man’s expression darkened: "I remind you that I recently took the place of my useless father. Now I am the Demon Emperor to you, not a prince."

The old man did not dare to answer, remembering that the person in front of him was not only a genius, but a cruel person capable of killing his own family for power.