She smiled behind her black veil as she flipped the pages of the Golden Empire book. 

Irelina wondered if starting a new life in Hēnte with Ella was possible. A simple life outside the palace will feed her curiosity about how it differs from Mercius—to live in peace without monsters, without the shadow demons. Regardless of how it will turn out, in her heart, she still wishes to rebuild the small country that her father once created. 

For her, there were no impossible things. If you were willing to put all your heart into it, it would be given to you in no harm. This is what Irelina believes in. She wanted a life without hiding. She wanted to be free and broaden her horizon—to live and die without misery. 

After reflecting on what her heart truly desires, Irelina returned all the books she read to their rightful place and left the empty food tray behind. 

She brought one novel to read for the night to keep her mind appeased. Irelina looked around again, smelling the freshly cleaned books piled neatly in all corners of the library, hearing her footsteps sound like a ticking clock. But when she opened the door, she unexpectedly ran into the concubines, Dianthus “Dianne” Aechmā, Amelia Fritzky, Samantha Galuz and Lily Matteus. They were surprised to see her, too.

Irelina knew that no one was allowed on the second floor until 3:00, but she wondered why these four concubines were barging into the library like it was their own. 

Dianthus crossed her arms, “Well, well, what an unexpected coincidence. We finally meet, 9th Concubine Irelina Mercius.” she smirked. 

Standing behind Dianthus, Lily naively tilted her head to peek. Her curiosity grew towards Irelina while Amelia and Samantha raised their eyebrows. 

“Why are you here? I was informed that no one is allowed on this floor until 3:00,” Irelina said brazenly.

“What are you trying to imply? This is the regent’s palace, and we are the emperor’s concubines. Therefore, we are allowed to come here whenever we want.” Dianthus’s tone was caustic.

“Then I should ask the regent herself why you’re here. Please excuse me,” she said and strolled through them in hate. 

“Stop right there!” Dianthus yelled at her, annoyed. 

Irelina stopped as her gaze averted to the right side of her shoulder. 

“Do you even know who we are?! You’re just a merchant’s daughter with a ruined face with no place in this palace. Ha! You should be grateful for the regent’s kindness in allowing you to live here.” 

Dianthus tried to humiliate her while the other concubines watched. 

Yet, Irelina confronted them, her siren eyes radiating perilously in contrast to her calm demeanor. “I know who you are. You’re Dianthus Aechmā of the West, the first concubine of Emperor Zeddrick Apeus Verticulas. The other three concubines behind you are Amelia Fritzky, Samantha Galuz of the West, and Lily Matteus of the North.”

Lily looked curious as she thought, Woah, she knew us all along. She’s a smart lady. 

“So, you’re not stupid,” Dianthus said.

“However—” Irelina fiercely gazed at her and said, “Aren’t you ludicrous, too?” 

Dianthus was disgruntled. “What did you just—” 

“It’s true that I am just a merchant’s daughter,” Irelina cut her off. “ Whose deceased father established a small country that we called our own. Truly, I’m grateful for the regent’s kindness. And, whether my face is ruined or not, it’s none of your business,” she said courageously with firm composure.

Dianthus clenched her fist as she wavered in anger. However, Irelina’s displeased tone did not stop there.

“I heard that the first concubine was known for her healing power and a sophisticated beauty that cannot be compared. But I guess it’s only a pretense.” 

Dianthus got irritated and shouted, “You! You better shut your—” 

“What is going on here?!” The regent intervened as she approached them, and her servants followed her.

The regent looked at Irelina and moved her gaze to Dianthus and the other concubines. 

“Dianthus Aechmā, Amelia Fritzky, Samantha Galuz, and Lily Matteus, why are you here?” Her tone was stern.

They nodded shamefully for being caught in the act. 

“Have you not received my letter that you can’t visit my palace during this time? Are you disobeying my orders?” the regent said. 

They were silent for doing the wrong thing. They acted foolishly.

Dianthus disobeyed the regent’s order out of curiosity, thinking she could control and manipulate Irelina. 

The regent strolled towards Irelina, who stood still and stared at them. The sparkle in her golden eyes became calmer. She politely bowed to the regent, who looked back at the concubines. 

“Now, return to your palace and come tomorrow for your class. This is the last time I will warn you to follow my orders strictly.” 

All they can do is nod while Amelia anxiously bit her lips, thinking, I don’t care. His Majesty doesn’t care either if he finds out what happened today.

The regent gently grabbed Irelina’s left arm, and she was surprised. 

“Come this way, my child. Did you get the book that you like?” Regent Robina asked as they walked away.

“Yes, thank you for letting me go to the library.” 

“Anytime, my child. Whenever you need anything, just let me know.” She smiled. 

Irelina secretly glanced back. Seeing the trace of anger on their faces made Irelina wonder why they acted rudely towards her. 

Are they thinking that I’m a threat to them? But why? I want to live a quiet life while staying here at my Father’s request. Irelina sighed.

Dianthus felt humiliated, while the other concubines felt annoyed by Irelina’s audacity. She wounded her right palm from clenching its fingernails. She would not let Irelina escape the shame she caused and would again use the dark magic, the dilitírio thanátou of Phosporos, in no time.

The concubines have their palaces from the third concubine to the seventh concubine. But Dianthus and Yzabelle have the most enormous palace, which His Majesty gifted them. They were showered with expensive jewels, luxury brands of dresses, loyal servants, and private guards to protect them during the night. 

But Dianthus never felt satisfied. It was not enough to fill her greedy ego. 

***

In the meantime, Apollis, the Archmage of Aechmā, had been focusing on completing the new spells for the barrier. He had embedded unique formulas to make the barrier more potent. His mages assisted him by sharing their manas, allowing him to maintain his power without destroying the foundation of the crystal golden heart. The new barrier would be completed a month before His Majesty’s special celebration. 

Castaeus Coldēus of the North and Cī’er Vincentus of the South focused on strengthening their comrades' agility, endurance, and swordsmanship by sparring them according to their class strength and mana power. Meanwhile, the Empire of Īsern was making a more powerful arsenal mixed with the Atropa belladonna potion from the Empire of Aechmā.   

While Zeddrick was preoccupied with all the paperwork, he could still manage his time, nurturing his firepower and creating a unique spell from within. He wanted his power to be omnipotent to kill more shadow demons. 

According to the report he received from the North and other regions of Hente, the shadow demons had increased their population from 100 to 200, and they were dispersed everywhere to invade and destroy small rural areas. Zeddrick stomach would churn when he read a detailed report about how the shadow demons skinned the flesh of dead humans, ate their meats like cannibals, and used its skin as their camouflage to interact with other humans. 

On the other hand, Regent Robina was busy preparing for his upcoming birthday, including invitations made of scented parchment, ballroom arrangements with expensive decorations of flowers and garlands, and menus—from entrées to mains to desserts to be prepared by well-known chefs of the empire.

She also assigned the concubines to distribute the invitations, music arrangements of waltz and ballads, and expensive gifts to ensure that everything was impeccable. 

And one invitation was on the way to Helleus.

Empire of Horos, Helleus

In the indoor glasshouse garden of the Empire of Horos, Emperor Sidañian Neus Horos sat on the futon sofa bed, showered with red and white rose petals. Two concubines were beside him, caressing his toned chest while he drank wine from a silver cup. A third concubine was seated on a furry velvet carpet pile, snuggling her head on his toned right thigh. They wore long, nude-like chiton garments as they enjoyed their lecherous act. 

One of the emperor’s servants entered the glasshouse.  

The Emperor Sidañian glanced over, and the servant bowed and handed him the envelope. He recognized the seal wax stamped from Hēnte and grinned. He wagged his left hand to the concubines as they stood and left the glasshouse. He opened the glasshouse, read the letter's content, and laughed out loud. The Emperor was surprised yet keen to know why Hēnte had requested his presence. 

“After all these years, now they need my help. Isn’t it interesting?” He cackled, covering his face with a fierce gothic look, and said, “They’d better be ready for what I am about to ask in return.” 

He stood and crumpled the invitation, threw it, and walked away with a wicked eye.