Leona knitted her brows. It was back—the inexplicably appearing text.
The same thing had happened when she checked the rules last time. Thinking carefully, there was no need for the Main God to convey instance rules through a diary; it could simply paint the rules out of thin air just like when she first entered the instance.
Could it be that the contents in the diary were not information provided to her by the Main God? But if not the Main God, who else could it be?
Leona shook her head. Whatever the case, the diary's content was ultimately to her benefit.
However, there was a troubling issue now. She had not obtained the authority the King wanted, so how was she going to report back?
Moreover, when she had questioned Anna yesterday, Anna's answer was that Breya had left nothing for her.
Besides, even if Anna knew, Leona could not possibly hand it over to the King.
As things stood, there were three main obstacles preventing her from completing her mission: the Queen, the King, and the outsiders.
"Only seven days left," Leona muttered.
The princess would soon depart for another kingdom, and she did not believe the Queen would refrain from making another move over the next few days.
Although she had not asked the Magic Mirror, the Magic Mirror's very first words had already revealed to her that the Queen needed the princess's heart.
Could she ensure the princess's safety over the next seven days relying solely on Shapeshift?
The answer was no.
She lacked any offensive means, and even defensive measures were difficult for her to pull off; all Shapeshift could do was muddy the waters.
Yet that was clearly not enough.
Where was the key to breaking this deadlock?
The King's scepter!
A stroke of inspiration suddenly struck Leona's mind, and an absurd plan surfaced in her head.
When was the palace safest? At night, of course. As long as she could evade those Shadows, obtain the King's scepter, and gain its power, she might actually forge a path to survival.
A glimmer of hope shined in Leona's eyes once more.
She slowly removed her cloak, closed the diary, and hid it under her skirt. With a slight shimmer of her form, the mirror reflected the back of Anna's figure, and the sealed room door was opened once again.
As soon as Leona stepped out of the room, Figreno rushed forward, beating Croll to her.
"My adorable daughter, I wonder if you found what you were looking for?" she asked with feigned concern.
It appeared Figreno was already aware of the King's motive for giving Leona free rein.
Leona smiled faintly. "No, I didn't. I suppose some thief might have stolen it."
"This is my bedchamber! What thief would dare be so bold?" Figreno said, filled with rage. Leona was clearly intending to use the guards to convey to the King that Figreno had taken what he wanted.
She felt she had somewhat underestimated this motherless little girl; she had not expected her mind to be so vicious.
"Who knows?" Leona shrugged. "The palace is so heavily guarded, yet didn't an assassin still manage to break in?"
She turned her head to look at the guard beside her. "Do I need to report this to my father?"
Only now did she notice the guard's appearance. He was a blond man with handsome features; if not for his attire, she truly would not have been able to tell he was a guard.
The blond man shook his head and forced a professional smile.
"That won't be necessary, Your Highness. You only need to look into my eyes and tell me whether you found what Queen Breya left behind."
What did that mean? He wanted her to look into his eyes—were his eyes that good-looking?
Leona raised her head and looked into his eyes. Like hers, they were golden, but somewhat dull, nowhere near as dazzling as Leona's.
"I did not find what Mother left behind."
The blond man looked at Leona, his smile stiffening for a moment before relaxing again.
"Understood. Your Highness, we shall take our leave. With her at your side, I trust there won't be much danger on your way back."
The blond man glanced at Croll, whose hands rested on her thighs.
"Yes, Croll is always reassuring."
"Then I shall not disturb the Queen and Your Highness any further." The blond man and his accompanying guards bowed respectfully to the two before heading toward the main hall.
"Well then, Your Majesty the Queen, I shall take my leave as well," Leona said coldly. She gave a mock curtsy and pulled Croll along, walking away without looking back.
Figreno watched Anna's departing back, her hands clenching into fists.
"Rest assured, my adorable daughter. Your heart will be mine very soon... very soon."
...
The Main Hall.
Milan kept the entire royal palace in meticulous order, bringing the spring cleaning to its conclusion even under these circumstances.
"Milan." Theran, captain of the guards on patrol, happened to pass by. He dismissed his accompanying guards, straightened his attire, and stepped forward.
"My, isn't this the youngest and handsomest captain of the guards in our Kingdom of Ferent, Theran? What brings you strolling around here today? Have you made any progress regarding the assassin?"
Milan bantered without reservation.
The two maids nearby exchanged glances, flashed meaningful smiles, and tactfully moved elsewhere to clean.
Theran patted his head. "Sigh, hearing you say that makes my head ache again. You saw it yesterday too—not only is this assassin cunning, but their methods are extremely brutal. First a maid, then the princess, and next they targeted a cook."
Seeing that no one was around, Theran continued, "At first I thought the Queen was making a move against the princess, but thinking back, this doesn't seem to be aimed at the princess either. Could it be from another country, trying to undermine the Kingdom of Ferent from within?"
It was no wonder Theran thought so; both Leona and the Queen possessed more intelligence and a broader vision than he did.
"Yesterday?" Milan frowned. She hadn't laid eyes on Theran once yesterday, so what did he mean by saying she saw it yesterday too?
"Yeah, yesterday. Didn't you join me in the back kitchen and see the horrific state of that cook? What, traumatized? I told you it was best if you didn't look."
"I yes—" Just as Milan was about to speak, Anna's words flashed through her mind once more.
Please believe me, okay, Milan?
"What about yesterday?" Theran asked, seeing Milan hesitate.
"Nothing. You're right, I really shouldn't have looked; it truly scared me." Milan lowered her head and answered, her mind filled with a surge of thoughts.
Your Highness, what on earth is going on here?
"Theran, if the cook died in the kitchen, could it be that the assassin intends to tamper with the princess's food?"
These words enlightened Theran in an instant.
"Oh no, how could I forget about that?" he said nervously. "I have something urgent to handle, so I'll take my leave first, Milan."
With that, Milan watched as Theran hurried away.
It looked like he was heading off to check Anna's lunch.
However, there was actually no need to worry about this. Leona could use the rules to test for poison, so they weren't concerned about food tampering.
Milan stared blankly in the direction of the princess's room, muttering to herself.
"Your Highness, if someone by your side can alter their appearance... I wonder if they could rescue Grant."
Rate on N.U.
