Princess in Hiding (2)

Dull golden eyes scanned over the marble pillars adorned with golden vines. The place exuded with luxury. Perhaps too much luxury. Even the frames of the paintings on the walls are decorated lavishly with ornate designs. This is the imperial palace of the North Kingdom. This is where the Empress is more powerful than the Emperor.

With every step the knight took, eyes moved with astonishment. Other warriors passing by stand in awe when those silver robes flash in front of them. They gulp. They stop. They smile. They were all in surprise. Everyone was too familiar with the knight that possessed the only golden eyes inside the army. It was the Number One Holy Knight.

Cough! Cough!

An old man in his fifties or so walked hastily in front of the knight while coughing.

"Good morning Holy One, welcome back! We thought that you have met some misfortune on the battlefield. Rumors are just rumors, I guess. It's good to have you back."

The knight just looked on coldly on the elder. This man with long white hair and a humped back is the Empress's adviser.

"*Cough cough* I guess you are here to report to the Emperor and Empress. Please follow me." Elder Arod motioned with a hand and the knight followed after the elder.

Their walk to the royal court was exceptionally quiet except for the coughs of the elder every now and then. This made the knight's eyes twitch a little. The last time this knight reported here, the elder was still in good physical condition. Now, he appears to be thinner and has caught some illness.

"We have arrived." The elder in grey robes happily stated. The two guards who were standing by the door moved to give way to them.

Creak.

Before Elder Arod opened the door completely, there was a cold and sinister air emitting from the room. The elder frowned as the air from the royal court invaded his nostrils. "Something must have turned Her Majesty's mood sour," he whispered.

"Greetings Your Majesty. The kingdom's Number one Holy Knight has returned," he announced inside the stifling atmosphere.

"May the Empress know why this knight took a long time to go back to the kingdom? If I must say, you may be colluding with the enemy. Present the Demon King's head to atone for your sins." The Empress's sharp and unmerciful words struck dumb all the other elders and knights present inside the royal court. These knights were all the top ten in the kingdom and they all witnessed the battle between her and the Demon King. They all heard the struggle and had a glimpsed of it through the crack on the ground. Did no one report this to the Empress?

"Tsk. I never thought that the Empress will be unreasonable and selfish." the knight's voice was like silk and yet low and cold. One could hardly distinguish if it belongs to a man or a woman.

The Empress smirked. Elder Arod saw how the beautiful face of the Empress turned into a frown.

"This Empress only needs proof of your loyalty to the kingdom. If you really went to the battlefield, then you would have at least evidence. Instead, you went home long after everyone else headed back to report. I couldn't even feel your level of cultivation. It was as if you didn't experience any fight at all. You should have a raise in your power at least. Did you even fight?" Her eyes turned into slits while looking down at the knight before her.

Then the man in a golden robe beside her started to speak too. Compared to the Empress's domineering and angry tone, the Emperor was aloof and as if uninterested in the scene before him. "This knight sure seems to be audacious as to not kneel before the Majesties in front of him. Hmph."

It was only then that the dull golden eyes of the knight fell upon the man on the throne. "Oh, the Empress has changed her Emperor, again? Your Majesty my Emperor, you're new to the throne and it is more likely that you are not from this kingdom. The ten strongest knights are never to bow down the Emperor and Empress of the North. We are on equal footing with them in power. Haven't your 'Empress' told you about it?"

The Emperor was about to refute and stand up but then the Empress beat him to it.

"Trash! You dare to talk back to the royal family?!" The Empress stood up. Her eyes were bloodshot and her jaw was tense. Damn this brash knight! Those words were written all over her face as she raised her finger and pointed it at the knight's head. "Stupid brat!"

Whoosh!

A red light flashed before the knight's face.

Clunk. The helmet fell off. Luscious red hair fell past the shoulder and continued down to the waist. Who would have thought that the strongest knight in the kingdom is a girl?

Her golden eyes flickered for a moment and the dull color transformed into bloody red. Yllana did not falter under the Empress's attack. She unmasked her voice. She had also reached the time limit for the spell over her eye color.

"A girl? You...how dare you intrude being a knight! Women are forbidden to enter knighthood in the North Kingdom! Guards seize her! We don't know if she is the real Holy One!" The Empress sneered at Yllana. The number one Holy Knight in the whole kingdom is a girl. It was no surprise to the Empress. She knew this beforehand because of the incident in the Sabers.

"So Your Majesty is planning to kill this number one Holy Knight? I have fought for the kingdom, got beaten by the Demon King, and even my life force was depleted into that of trash so my power reduced. And this is all I get from you? Golden eyes or not, I know all of you could recognize me even if you can't see my face." She glanced at the other knights standing at the sides. It was obvious that the Empress already planned to reveal her identity as a girl to get rid of her. "You forgot just one thing Your Majesty," The Empress looked her in the eye. "My life force may have been depleted but...I am still the North Kingdom's number one Knight! I, Yllana Saber, shall make you pay back today what you owe our family a hundredfold more!"

BOOM!

A burst of power erupted from Yllana and forcefully pushed back the Emperor and Empress into their seats. Nine knights in the same silver armor rushed at Yllana's back. They varied in height and body built but all of them exuded an overwhelming aura in the people around them. Elder Arod who was standing next to Yllana fell back and was pulled to the side by the other elders. The nine knights stood with their back against Yllana as if protecting her.

"Your Majesty," Yllana continued with a small smile on her face. "Do I also need to remind you that the ten knights were never under your rule. We only stay here to protect the kingdom and the people. My parents, who are innocent citizens were put into jail just because they couldn't give you the blood drop stone that they have acquired themselves. I am only trying to protect them from this injustice."

The elders and other knights gasped. They all knew their Empress was somewhat rotten and selfish. But never thought that she could be this unreasonable as to imprison innocent people just for a treasure that does not belong to her in the first place.

"Shameless,"

"Unreasonable,"

Whispers buzzed in the air and irritated the Empress all the more.

"Ungrateful brats! That blood drop stone should have been given to me, your Ruler! The stronger your Ruler is, the higher the chances we can conquer other kingdoms, even the Cursed Lands!" The Empress stood back up and drew out a long white sword from her side and pointed it at Yllana.

"Why can't you just say that you are guilty, Your Majesty? Even my comrades think that you are definitely in the wrong this time." Yllana took a step towards the Empress. "Bring out my parents,"

"Huh! And you think this Empress will take orders from you? I hate taking orders from anyone, not even that last stupid emperor of the North Kingdom."

Slash!

The Empress swung her sword at Yllana who was a few meters away from her. The swish sliced through the air and reached Yllana.

Clink.

Her sword glowed a silver light from its edge as the Empress's attack reached her.

"Yllana!" Two different voices called out to her from the door. Two red-haired figures appeared in her line of sight followed by a petite frame with black hair.

"Mother...father..." She recognized her parents who were dressed shabbily and were almost skin and bones.

"Blanche! Stupid girl!" The Empress dashed through Yllana and past the other knights to grasp the black-haired girl.

Blanche, that word froze the elders then someone whispered. "Isn't she the princess from the highest tower?"