Chapter 3: Greetings

"Phew." 

Nice and neat, Ett is done with her packing. Just a small bag with her undergarments, and most were pieces of jewelry and money. She got only an ordinary dress to spare if something went out of the way. Ett looked at the sky, and it was closely turning to midnight. Surely, they would be here. 

"System? System." 

Where are thou, my golden finger? My legendary cheat I'm waiting online. I beseech thee.

"..." 

Ett had never heard the crickets as loudly as it is now. 

Yeah, she really doesn't have a System like any other ancestors. How sad. She isn't part of that group. What a life. This was her last attempt to call whoever abiotic thing it is, but oh well. 

Next! 

Where was she again? 

Oh. 

Right. 

The maids wouldn't come unless you rang the bell, and when she did, they all looked down, not meeting her eyes even though they were permitted to do so. The servants would send her meals on time and fast at that. The food wasn't stipulated like she expected, as it looked like she was an abandoned Dowager sent to the cold palace. Oh yeah, they 'are' the Cold Palace themselves. 

Ett had a brief talk with one of the two maids directly serving her. So far, she learned that these two maids, who are old enough to be called grandma, had been with her since she was a child. It was a quick and terse reply whenever she asked; most of the times, they stayed silent.

After they bathed and prepped her, the two maids bowed and exited. Ett kind of feels a slight pity seeing the old nannies work for her. They should retire and have Medcera Part A and Part B or Medicade. 

Well, that's fine. When she escapes, these elders won't have to take care of her anymore. No, they might die when she isn't found out— a straight shortcut to their resting place. 

"Istandar." 

As she looked at the map, it was befitting enough that she could hide in this place. The destination had been located, but going through that place would take her months. Much so that the features making her an Adiand Empire royalty shouldn't be disclosed. 

Ett frowned.

Right, she should make a scene first in her chamber. Ett nearly forget about it and trotted back to her room. 

She turned to Eru, "Tell Xiwen there will be assassins too." 

"Yes." 

Telling Xiwen is just an additional backup plan to prolong her escapade. You see, this event would be the cause of Guren having an injury, causing him to have a hard time wielding a sword as he was injured through this encounter. 

This should have happened when Ett returned from being swept away from the river. Now it's really speeding up following the Side story's plotline. More so, if it happens, Guren needs to swallow a pill to nullify the pain if he wants to swing his sword extensively, even to the point of being extreme. No one knows this but the readers, as he had it deeply covered. 

Maybe if he could wield any weapon in his hands, his death wouldn't come faster than what was written for him. 

"Hahaha, what am I thinking?"

That guy doesn't want to live anymore but felt it's better to die in someone's hand than killing himself.

As she stared at the wide window, waiting for Eru to arrive in her chamber, she intentionally unlocked the window for the assassin to come and messed with the bed and some papers that were regular documents scattered around. Intelligence? Bah! They would all be killed. Ett was sure of that. She also made sure that some were crumpled. Ett's extra stashed money and coins hidden in her secret drawer were opened while some fell on the royal carpet. 

"I think this is enough." 

Something falling or glass breaking doesn't need to be done.

"Done." 

Eru returned.

"Okay." 

Opening the door and letting it halfway closed, Ett followed Eru who is currently her navigator. They walked in a rushed but silent manner, going to another hallway. It was in the Emperor's Wing. A place where you pass by the paintings of all the old Emperors, the first Emperor being the closest near the emperor's bedroom and the farthest being the current. 

Ett stared at the current ruler of the Empire. When the crowned prince became the Emperor, the Royal Painter would immediately draw them. As of now, the person in the picture is a nine-year-old Guren. He was sitting on the Imperial Throne with Adiand's signature indifferent expression.

Just staring at it yet, still evoking a powerful aura of a ruler as if he were alive, staring back at you like a pest. The painter did an excellent job attaining similarity with modern realism. That person must have been sweating buckets as he painted Guren. 

After glancing at Guren's portrait, Ett hurriedly runs to the end of the hallway a hundred meters away from Guren's chamber. This was the seventh ruler of the Empire. In the novel, he is the only one who is with his wife and son in the portrait of the emperors. His child's eyes and hair with the same Veridian color ever present to all pure-blood royalties. There were no smiles on their faces, just plain without any warmth. 

Even her blonde mother is no exception. 

All three of them were sitting, his son being the middle, holding a horse toy in his hand, the emperor holding a scepter while the Empress sat regally, poised and unbending with nothing in her head, silently clasping her hand the top hand where her ring has been situated. 

The background made Ett feel eerie. There's nothing but darkness, yet the more she stares at it, it's as if there is a human-shaped skull on the background covered in darker values by the painter. Her neck hurts from craning too much. Looking down at their shoes, like they were stepping on something unknown. Above all, she stared at the boy holding the toy, it may be crazy for her to say this, but the painter entirely made it detailed how the boy holds the toy tightly. There's a thin vein popping out as he clasped his toy.

"Tragic." 

This painter had drawn them too much, releasing a glimpse of their story. 

Well, all Adiand royalties are pitiful. 

Dragging a chair, Ett struggled as her feet dangled on nothingness, pulling herself up with all her might and panting before she could stand up on the chair. She tried to reach the boy's horse toy but could only get to his foot. It was just like a while ago as she tip-toed, yet she could not reach it. 

"Boy was the painting too tall for me." 

Eru just stared at her, rolling his eyes. Ett huffed, "Help me up. Peck that boy's horse toy or push it with your fe--claws." 

Whatever you call it. 

"Alright." 

"Thanks." 

"Welcome." 

Huh. This bird has manners. Who would have thought Ett had taught this bird well? Such a darling. 

They heard something slide on the other side before it turned silent. Carefully, Ett pushed the painting only to realize the texture, "Just…." 

As expected, there was no wall anymore. Jumping down from the chair, Ett went to the side of the portrait's frame. A gush of air passed her, and darkness entered her sight. Putting the frame back, Ett continued going to the emperor's chamber. If she jumped into that empty darkness, she'd surely land on the cobblestone on the other side. 

"Let's leave it here." 

Eru just flapped her wings, landing on her tiny shoulder. T

Ett was feeling another vomit after a long while she coughed on her handkerchief. Coughing to her is like breathing. There's no way she can avoid it, physically avoiding it. Mentally, she'll think of other thoughts lest she feels too stressed. 

After arriving in the first portrait, Ett breathed in relief. So strenuous! Is it like this because she always stayed in her chamber? 

Oh exercise, I don't want to exercise. I'm on energy-saving mode.

"It should be here." 

Ett mumbled, glancing at the red porcelain vase. It was where the assassin hid before jumping off the moment Guren opened the door. The assassin inside this vase sprang up and used powder as a trick and tried to attack him and chased him to this door, thinking it was the final blow. Good thing Xiwen, her ex-butler, saved Guren. However, it was too late to mend his injury. 

"Nod or shake your head if you want to say anything, okay?" 

Ett whispered to Eru, who cocked its head. "Don't let the guards know." 

Eru nodded. 

Ett took out her pouch. Inside it reveals the powder she made without the servants noticing. Something that she got while looking through Ett's cabinet.

"Go ahead, buddy, pour that little powder inside that vase." 

The vase was as big as a human person. 

"Take this." 

After it was done, Eru locked his beak on a breakable glass container, it was small as a thumb light enough to carry for a few minutes. 

"Stay at the top, that part when the black-masked person slips in the vase, then throw this quickly. You know that painting, right? Knock three times, and I'll open it for you." 

Nod. 

"Be careful." 

Nod. 

Ett grabbed her bag, nodding at Eru before walking away. She could already sense the danger approaching. This was always born within her. Ett can't believe she had this kind of instinct even when she came here. The ironic part is it's also why she was stabbed before arriving in this novel. 

The powder is unscented and does not cause harm; however, once the oil is used, it would cause an explosion. Hakkan oil. It was mainly used for smelting but who would have thought, it has materials with trinitrotoluene and was accidentally discovered by the female lead when she visits a blacksmith. This world is weird.

"Anyway, it's advantageous, cough."

Going inside the painting, Ett waited, holding a lamp in her hand. Ett looked at the ground, the same as the novel described. A lever on the far edge could also close the exit so no one from the other side could come through unless they knew this. The Adiand Empire's crumbling was called The Blood-Matted Perished Veridian Arc as it was the end of Adiand's royal bloodline creating a new ruler and an empire in which Adiand was only history. 

Tak. Tak. Tak. 

They're here. They're here, Ett silently thought. 

Indeed, soon enough, she heard an explosion as she heard something crashed. Ett hid, peeking as she heard the resonating sounds of footsteps of what soldiers might be passing by the painting. True enough, Ett saw Xiwen running at the front, wearing a worried expression. Closing the painting, Ett patiently waited for Eru to come. The disturbance would be Eru's cover, distracting them from seeing her moving away. She remained to stare at the dancing flame of the lamp. It should be enough time for Eru to escape. 

Yes, let's just wait for a bit.

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

It's Eru! She always does that whenever Ett closes the window. One pause from the first, two delays, the second Tak, and no break on the last. 

"Eru…Hm?" 

Ett's eyes widened slightly, regaining her usual expression. 

"Guren. Wants. Come." 

On Guren's right palm, Eru was pecking his favorite green grapes. 

"…Oh."

This traitor… how quick are you to sell me out? You were easily bribed! 

"Good evening, mother." 

Right, she didn't 'specifically' tell Eru to avoid being noticed by Guren. Haha. 

Fudge.