Chapter 82

At that moment, under Rafael's misty, seductive gaze, Elara saw something sharp and probing hidden deep inside. It was like a snake flicking its tongue, completely different from how he appeared on the surface.

No wonder the back courtyard of her Princess's residence was full of such demons and monsters. If he had truly wanted to come find her, he would have done so days ago.

Why did he choose today, right after she was "assassinated" during the memorial ceremony, to appear? He must be trying to see her real condition. But who does this twisted man really work for?

Whatever his intentions were, Elara didn't have the energy to deal with him now. Her worn-out body was already exhausted.

When she stood up from the bed, her head was spinning. She was only holding herself together and not showing it outwardly. Facing Rafael's questioning, she wasn't afraid.

She looked down at him coldly and said, "Since you know I've been summoning others lately, then you should understand I'm already tired of you. I just want to try something new."

"When I used to favor you, no one else dared to question my choices. But now, you actually dare to talk back?"

Her stare turned even colder. "Have I been too good to you? Have you forgotten your place?"

Rafael stayed silent for several seconds before slowly lowering his face. His voice still carried that seductive tone, and though his lowered lids hid his eyes, Elara caught the faint smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, Princess. I overstepped. I was just too upset from not seeing you for so long. Please forgive me. I will always remember my position."

Only then did Elara let out a short hum and subtly stepped back, leaning against the small table behind her for support. "If you understand, then leave my chamber now. Don't let my opinion of you drop even more."

Rafael lifted his gaze again. The mist in his eyes was gone, replaced by a mixture of complex, unreadable emotions.

After a long pause, he slowly got down from the bed. When he exposed his bare upper body in front of her, Elara finally realized she hadn't imagined those bumps she felt earlier.

His chest and abdomen were covered in all sorts of old and terrifying scars.

Elara frowned in her heart but kept a calm face. Rafael didn't seem to mind showing these marks at all.

Maybe it was because of his twisted nature—maybe he liked these scars. He didn't care if she stared at them.

"If the Princess is tired of me, then I'll wait until you tire of those cold stones too. Then you'll come back and ask for me again."

"I believe I'm the only one who can truly bring you joy."

With that, Rafael casually threw on his robe. He didn't bother fixing the collar properly, leaving most of his chest still exposed. He gave her a final, sultry glance and slowly left the room.

Half a tea's time later, Rafael returned to his own room. After taking off his clothes and stepping into the bath, his body slowly disappeared into the water as the guards outside rotated their shifts.

A few seconds later, another man who looked almost identical to him slid into the tub. His position and posture were exactly the same.

In the capital city of Plumera

Inside a certain inn

Rafael sat lazily in a chair by the window. His handsome features were half-shadowed by the moonlight streaming in.

The charm he had in the Princess's bedroom was now gone. What remained was a sharp, blade-like edge. His long legs stretched out in front of him as he casually looked at the figure hiding in the shadows across the table.

"Based on current information, the Phoenix Star should be within the royal family of Plumera. Most likely, it's that long princess, Elara."

"But the Phoenix Seal has been taken? And you still don't know by who?" the man in the shadows asked slowly as he looked at Rafael.

Rafael nodded without much concern.

The shadowed man thought for a moment, then picked up his teacup. "No matter what, the master sent you here to track the Phoenix Star. You must find out who has it, no matter what it takes."

"If that princess is the most likely candidate, then stay by her side. Please her, earn her trust, and get her to willingly give you a drop of her heart blood. Then trace the Phoenix Star and retrieve the Phoenix Seal."

At some point, a dagger appeared between Rafael's fingers. The blade was already drawn, its sharp tip pointed downward and spinning on his fingertip.

It was something that could kill easily, but in his hands, it twirled like a toy.

"So once I get the heart blood, find the Phoenix Star, and retrieve the seal, I can kill her?"

The man in the shadows nodded. "As soon as the master has what's inside the seal, she's useless. After that, you can do whatever you want with her."

Rafael's lips curved slightly. He thought about the things that woman had said to him in bed. The dagger in his hand spun even faster, its movements light and cheerful.

"Fine."

At the same time

Princess's residence

Elara had just laid down when she suddenly opened her eyes. She reached under her pillow and pulled out a scented pouch.

Inside the pouch was a special herb wrapped in brocade. It had been prepared by Oswyn after she sensed a "master" had invaded her study.

This wasn't a single or simple scent. It was a blend of many.

On their own, the herbs were common. Even if someone found them, they'd just think she had changed her perfume again.

But once someone picked up the scent left in her study and brought it into her chamber, it would react with the pouch and create a subtle, distinct smell.

That scent was what had woken Elara.

That "master" had returned.

Who was it?

Imani? Scholar Fu? Or... Rafael, who had just left her bed?

Early the next morning, inside the Gregory residence, Lord Gregory, who had just about figured everything out, could no longer hold back his anger and shouted at the servant,

"Go! Call Elara into the palace for me!"

But he didn't even need to send the order. Before the servant could use royal authority to summon her, Elara had already gotten up early and entered the palace on her own.

She had System 92 remove the disguise. Her whole body returned to the appearance of being severely injured and beyond saving. After arriving in a carriage, she went straight to see Lord Gregory with a weak and barely breathing look. Before he could lash out, she spoke first,

"Lord Gregory, cough cough… I'm so scared."

Life is tough. Even a CEO has to act sometimes.

Elara did her best to appear weak, injured, and frightened. To make it more realistic, she secretly pinched herself. When she spoke of being scared, her body trembled slightly, and she forced out a few tears.

"I thought I'd never see you again, cough cough… I nearly died… sob cough… Lord Gregory, didn't you say before that in Plumera Kingdom, I could do whatever I wanted and you'd always protect me? You said I'd never need to worry or fear anything. Sob cough cough cough… but Lord Gregory, I almost died yesterday! Lord Gregory!"

Elara looked so pale and weak that she had to be carried in on a wheelchair. She coughed seven or eight times in just one sentence, leaving Lord Gregory too stunned to speak.

In the entire palace, only her voice could be heard trembling with fear, panic, and some faint accusations that Lord Gregory had let her down.

Lord Gregory looked down at her from his high seat. He took in her weak and broken state, and though he felt a little more convinced that her injury was real, his fury had not lessened.

Her crying and blaming wouldn't have any effect on him.

From the throne, he stared at her coldly and said,

"Princess, I haven't even punished you yet, and you're already blaming me? Do you even need me to save you? You already got involved with General Qi and his troops without me even knowing. Hah, you're really something. After dragging General Qi's younger brother into your residence, you still managed to make General Qi risk his life for you. I'm truly amazed."

Before he could finish, Elara quickly cut in with a louder voice,

"Oh Lord Gregory! I won't hide it from you. Good thing I captured General Qi's younger brother earlier and kept him in the residence! Yesterday, before the attack, I used him to threaten General Qi. That's the only reason he agreed to help me!

Otherwise, after I once had feelings for him, then dragged him to my dungeon and tortured him, and even took his grandparents as hostages to force him to obey, how could he ever save me? He must hate me to the bone!"

Lord Gregory listened to her relieved and fearful tone. His face stayed still, but his sharp eyes never left her face, watching every expression.

Everything that happened in the residence, unless kept under tight guard by the Wei family, was mostly known to him.

He already knew about Elara using General Qi's grandparents as hostages. He also knew she had threatened him with his younger brother.

The attack yesterday at the temple was investigated after the ritual ended, though the information came in a little late. He found out everything.

Not only did a suspected force from Regent Martin's side appear, but there were also signs that General Qi's troops had been there too. He couldn't ignore that.

This was what Lord Gregory found most unacceptable after learning the full situation.

Though the Qi family had declined, they still had one hundred thousand loyal troops.

To Lord Gregory, who had been gathering wealth and expanding power for years, they weren't a huge threat but still an uncomfortable thorn. Besides Regent Martin in the north, they were the only force that made him uneasy.

The Qi family had long been famous for their loyalty. Letting Elara abuse their last two heirs was part of the plan. It was meant to grind down General Qi and his brother's loyalty to the Plumera royal family.

Before the temple ritual, Lord Gregory thought everything was going smoothly.

At least one of the two heirs, the younger one, already hated Elara deeply.

General Qi, though older and more experienced in battle, was quiet and hard to read. His emotions were hard to guess.

But with everything Elara had done to him and his family, even a saint would have held a grudge.

He had inherited the Qi family's honor, but his younger brother was taken as a hostage when he was still a child. He was tortured for years.

General Qi himself had also been dragged into the residence. Even his grandparents had been forced in as hostages.

Watching his only remaining family suffer, even if he stayed loyal for the sake of honor, his heart must have already given up on the Plumera royal family.

But even in that situation, he was still willing to secretly work with Elara? He still followed her orders?

The Qi family was known for loyalty, but Elara was only a princess. Even if she was of royal blood, General Qi could have just served Benedict to maintain the family's name.

As for Elara, if she died in front of the city gate, as long as General Qi stayed away, no one would accuse his family of betrayal.

But what happened last night was completely unexpected.

When Lord Gregory got all the reports, the first thing he thought was that Elara had hidden a lot from him. She must have reached out to the Qi family long ago.

Somehow they had secretly joined forces and kept up a fake front to deceive him.

He just couldn't figure out how someone like Elara, who was only known for her indulgent lifestyle, could manage to command General Qi after everything she had done to him.

And now she was speaking so easily about threatening General Qi with his brother.