Another chaos - II

-12 days ago-

"I heard his royal highness was looking for the emissaries who went missing recently."

The murmurs were barely audible amidst the crowd on the street under the faint sunrays during the sunset. The group of four people walked past the people who were having that talk.

That place was nowhere else but within the Sabbianyth Empire. The sandstone decorated each and every corner of that place as if it were a common thing.

"What exactly are we going to do now that we've managed to sneak in here?"

The uneasiness in the woman's tone of speaking was valid, given who the person she was travelling with was. Her green eyes faintly shook when she spoke.

Her white robe covered her blonde hair under the hood very well. The woman walking in front of her was a ticking time bomb that could explode at any time.

As crazy as it sounded, the group had sneaked inside the Sabbianyth Empire without any permit. In simple words, they were nothing but intruders.

All of that was done because of the plan the troublesome woman had made. She never explained it to anyone in detail and only told them to sneak inside the empire with her.

That's why it was even more risky to move around with that woman. Who knows what more absurd tasks she asks them to tag her along with? Wait. That was beyond absurd.

"We have a role in the play about to start."

A faint smile surfaced on her lips when she said that. Her red cheeks twitched firmly before that smile faded away. She was soon facing the woman behind her.

Her pink eyes tried to discern something while she glared at the woman holding the child's hand. Those two people were walking a bit away from them.

'She will be useful here, I suppose...'

She thought while placing her thumb and index finger on her chin. The black robe and hood on her body covered her eyes, filled with nothing but excitement. Those eyes of her calmly shifted to the first woman.

No expression was on her lips at that moment. Despite that, no one had a slight idea that she was already plotting something even more ridiculous.

-[Claire, I have a bad feeling.]

The voice in Claire's head was so sudden that Claire flinched at it. It remained silent in most situations, but this time it had spoken to her.

Sigh

Claire could feel her energy draining even though she knew that Aliana had something else planned. Uncertain of what would happen going forward, she pressed her palm gently on her eyes.

There might be some trouble brewing soon. That was the feeling she had been getting for a while. And the voice in her mind only affirmed that.

-[Lady Aliana is too cunning... Keep your guard up.]

'I know. I know. Just stop talking for a moment...'

Claire glanced at Rudia and Melanie as they caught up with them. Her lips gapped when she saw Melanie take a look at her surroundings. Maybe she found everything there fascinating.

Swooshhh

The hood covering Claire's head slowly slipped off with the gentle breeze that just blew. Slowly, she walked close to Melanie and patted her head.

Her worries were washed away after looking at Melanie's astonishment-filled face. After travelling for three days, they managed to enter the Sabbianyth Empire. That was the reason Claire was feeling out of it.

Rudia, unlike Melanie and Claire, was alert about her surroundings. She was keeping an eye on every movement that people made. There was a chance that some uncalled trouble might walk in their way.

Aliana saw the three of them acting like that from a distance. She was still standing in her spot when that scene unfolded. And then a thought emerged in her mind.

'All characters have gathered... The next step will be...'

Tap tap tap

She didn't spare a glance before walking away. Claire and the other two followed her naturally without speaking a word since they were used to it.

At that moment, there was no certain way of knowing what would happen in the near future. Yet Claire could feel an eerie feeling in her heart.

"You guys can take it easy for today."

Hearing Aliana's words, Claire felt a bit of relief. She could see Aliana's back as they continued to walk inside an inn. She smiled bitterly at herself.

'It will be fine... right?'

-------------------------

-5 days later-

'How did it come to this...?'

The sublime pain spread through the area of her lips, which she was biting into. The woman was feeling an overwhelming sense of burden on her shoulders as she kneeled on her right knee.

Her gaze fixed on the red carpet covering the floor, she could feel the cold air clearly. She wasn't really the type to get nervous that easily, but that situation was surely dire.

"Your majesty, I am Aliana, emissary of the Aranthia Kingdom."

In the west of Dragonaria Kingdom lies Agustus Kingdom. Further west is the Sabbianyth Empire. In the north of the Agustus Kingdom is the Elven Forest. Just like that, in the north east of Dragonaria Kingdom, there's a nation called the Aranthia Kingdom.

Seeing Aliana introduce herself as that very kingdom's diplomat left Claire dumbfounded. Let alone be their emissary; they had never even set foot in that kingdom.

But what could she even do? For the past few days, Aliana has let everyone do whatever they wanted. And just a day ago, she asked the three of them to gather to discuss something important.

What currently unfolded was what Aliana had mentioned just a day ago. The act she had put forth was flawless. Claire wouldn't ever dare do such crazy things.

While spending her time in that nation, Claire had gathered a lot of news and important information. Her calculating personality was partly to blame for that. She had a feeling that something bad might happen.

Unlike her, Rudia was as carefree as ever. She did keep her guard up, but she didn't let it show on her face and body language.

"And... why was your arrival delayed?"

The voice was serious and hoarse enough to make one feel intimidated. Claire barely managed to keep herself together. She slowly peered at the man with one eye.

The orange eyes burned brightly like flames while coldly looking down at them. The brown hair darker than his tan-coloured skin, partially wrapped under a white turban.

What attracted the most people's attention were the countless jewels adorning his body. The amber-gold opal attached in the middle of the turban came off as divine.

That person was someone Claire had heard people talk about it a lot. She lowered her gaze before he could've noticed her. There would've been no way to be safe after offending the ruler of the Sabbianyth Empire.

'Kamran Sabbianyth... this man is...'

The richest man throughout the entire Cazanix continent. The emperor of the Sabbianyth Empire. If someone offended him, there was no chance for them to make it out in one piece.

"We were attacked by some bandits during our travels."

And to that very man, Aliana was lying without batting an eye. Claire gulped down her own nervousness at the thought of what would happen if he were to realise the truth.

"Then you must have something to prove your identity, right?"

That question wasn't what Aliana had mentioned while telling them the plan. Melanie was doing her best to keep herself calm. And Claire? She was already preparing for a worst-case scenario.

Rudia smiled to herself lightly. Her hearing focused on the heartbeats of the three people around her. Herself included, only two people had a stable heartbeat.

It was Aliana who was even calmer than Rudia herself. That's what made Rudia calm down a bit too. Aliana must've already thought of an answer.

"About that..."

"Don't tell me that you tried to deceive us."

"Of course not... Actually... our luggage was lost when we tried to escape from them."

Kamran didn't say a word as he sat on his throne with his left knuckle under his jawline. His hostile and wary gaze moved across the three kneeling behind Aliana.

No matter who saw that situation, everything would've looked way too suspicious. He could tell that something was amiss, but when he was about to speak, Aliana interrupted.

"We do have this, though..."

From under her robe, she pulled out a scroll rolled together with a ribbon tied across it. Claire and Rudia both glanced at each other with blank faces. They had no clue where Aliana got it from or what it was.

Snap

Kamran gestured to one of the guards standing below his throne to fetch that scroll for him. Once that scroll fell into his hands, without wasting a moment, he opened it.

His eyes moved from left to right and from up to down. He silently rolled the parchment back into a scroll once he was done reading. The hostility in his gaze had vanished.

"My sincerest apologies for displaying such discourtesy."

"No. It's understandable. We never had our identities verified beforehand, after all."

The innocent smile on Aliana's face made Kamran let his guard down. Thanks to this, Aliana had managed to sneak inside the Sabbianyth Empire and imperial palace without anyone noticing.

That was just the beginning of what she had planned. Claire, Rudia, and Melanie were unaware of her future plans too.

Seeing them rest easy behind her, she couldn't stop smiling at all. Sneaking inside the imperial palace aside, she had successfully fooled the emperor too.

'Now all that's left is to get what I need from here...'