The princess un-handed the maid and took a few steps back. To which, Nate roughly grabbed her by her arm and threw her in front of Emperor Isaac and Ephraim. He made sure to hold her down so she couldn’t escape.

The maid sniffled pathetically in a soft tone. She tried to act as small as possible despite being the elephant in the room.

Emperor Isaac stared at her, “What is the maid’s crime, Sir Ephraim?”

“Tampering with her highness, the princess’ medicine,” Ephraim answered, bowing to him. “It seems she sought to get away with poisoning her highness with it through her food.”

Isaac squinted his eyes at her, “Is that so…?”

He directed his attention to Princess Genevieve, “Have you eaten the food that this maid has provided you, princess?”

“No,” she answered him plainly. “I’m not going to eat something when I don’t even have my own food tester.”

Isaac’s eyes went to both Ephraim and Nate. At first, their eyes widened, then they scowled. Nate’s was more visibly sound where Ephraim kept his composure for the most part. It was a good thing that the palace was riddled with anti-magic sigils. If the two of them had it their way, the maid would have turned to ashes already.

“I must have been a neglectful father,” He rested his head against a fist. “To think that a mere maid would have the audacity to poison an imperial princess under my roof.”

Genevieve crossed her arms, walking over to the emperor, “I’ll accept your apology as long as you have this evaluated.”

“So I take it that you’re apologizing? Well, I guess I’ll accept it as long as you do this for me.”

She brought the fork with the piece of steak up to Isaac’s face. The mana suppressant mixed with the gravy dripped on his desk. He was quick to make sure that it didn’t drip on any of the classified documents.

He carefully took it from her hands, “I’ll be sure to have this assessed thoroughly.”

A wide, smug smile appeared on her face, “Many thanks, your majesty!”

She even smiles like her, Isaac thought. It’s such a shame that she looks more like me.

He handed the evidence over to Sir Ephraim, “Hold onto this. We’ll have it examined at one of the laboratories.”

“Of course, your majesty,” Ephraim smiled, taking it from him.

“So, what do we do about this one?” Nate asked, crushing the girl’s arms.

The maid whimpered in pain, pleading, “P-Please spare me. Please… I have two little sisters I-I need to take care of.”

“If you knew you had something to lose, why would you go out of your way to jeopardize it?” Genevieve spat at her. “I will never understand that logic.”

Isaac’s eyes averted to his daughter. She stood up straight, looking down on the helpless maid before her. The tone of voice she used against the maid was one to bring shivers down your spine. This was the same tactic he would use against the nobility when they challenged his right to the throne.

She really is my daughter. He looked away from her.

Genevieve’s words enveloped fear in the maid. She kept her head down to the ground, “Please have mercy…!”

She ignored her, eyeing the emperor, “Father, what are the consequences for attempted murder of a member of the imperial family?”

Isaac closed his eyes, “The perpetrator, along with their family and cohorts, receives a death sentence.”

When the emperor uttered those drastic words, the maid’s sniffling got a little intense, “Please have mercy! My sisters have nothing to do with this!”

Ephraim glared at her, “Our princess said it best. You knew you had a family to lose if you pulled a stunt like this.”

“Please! I’m begging you! Please! Please…!”

The emperor waved his hand, “Take her to the underground prison. Locate her sisters and other possible family members as well.”

“Yes, your majesty!” Nate and Ephraim said in unison.

Nate roughly handled the maid and began dragging her to the doorway. Her pleas grew louder and serious with each step. She knew that once she was in that dungeon, her head was as good as gone. Even though there would be no way of saving herself, she wanted to keep her little sisters from the same fate. They’d have no choice but to fend for themselves, but at least they’ll live to see the sun again.

The pleading cries of the maid made Isaac grimace. He always used force to subject his people to do his bidding. It doesn’t mean that he enjoyed it. In a perfect world, everyone knew their place and wouldn’t want more than what they’ve already been blessed with.

Alas, greedy people exist. That greed is what teetered his position far too many times. The same greed that put his empire, let alone the world, in a tumultuous situation regarding the gates.

And it was the same greed that almost killed his daughter.

The same daughter who stretched her arm out to Nate, panicking. “STOP!”

—

Veronica was tired of the pleading maid who begged for her life. It was too late to beg for mercy and she had none left. But when Emperor Isaac said that not only her head, but the heads of the rest of the maid’s innocent family would also get chopped off, she slightly bit her bottom lip.

I don’t think that’s fair… Veronica thought.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Still, the guilt of possibly killing off two young children along with their sister kept eating away at her. The sniffling girl wailed to keep her sisters out of this whole situation, and Veronica couldn’t help but agree.

But Ephraim repeated Veronica’s words but revised it as a comeback. She couldn’t help but tighten her fists.

That’s…not what I meant… Her eyes faced the floor.

When she said those words, she meant the life of one person. She didn’t mean the life of innocents. It would be better if only her head was in jeopardy.

As Veronica pondered, the system appeared before her with a message that made her heart jump.

Quick Time Event!

You only got 20 seconds!

Your actions have consequences! Emperor Isaac’s decree will kill off three innocents!

If you don’t stop the decree, a penalty shall be issued!

Penalty

+3,000,000 lives to total goal

WHAT?!

17 seconds!

Her heart thumped hard in her chest as the emperor ordered the maid to get taken away and her sisters to get found immediately.

10 seconds!

No fucking way…!

There was slight hesitation as Nate was dragging her away. If she leaves through that door, the decree will be set in stone.

Are you fucking kidding me right now?!

4 seconds!

She lunged forward, stretching her arm out to Nate, “STOP!”

All eyes were now on the fake princess, shocked yet confused on why she ordered a halt. Her eyes landed on the timer. It was stuck at two seconds. It was almost as if her halt caused the timer to pause.

“Princess,” Emperor Isaac called out to her.

Veronica was pulled out from her racing thoughts. She brought her arm down and turned to the emperor, “It should be me who issues a punishment, should it not?”

He raised an eyebrow, “Did you not drag this maid, by her follicles, to my doorstep in order for me to punish her?”

“I only wanted you to know so you can issue an investigation. Since when did I say that you should punish her as well, father?”

They had another staring match, one that determined whose words were law. Veronica knew the implications of going against a sovereign but there’s no helping it.

That’s three million extra people that will get added to her total goal.

She’s already skeptical about saving one hundred million people. Adding more to the total is absolutely out of the question until she finds out how saving them will count towards it.

Isaac soon realized that she wasn’t backing down, “And how will you punish her for her insolence, princess?”

She turned away from Isaac and looked at Nate, “Keep her in the dungeon for now. Until the investigation concludes, don’t do anything to her.”

She turned to Ephraim next, “If she has associates to this particular case, bring them down to the dungeon as well. As for her family, bring them directly to my floor.”

Ephraim and Nate looked at each other before looking at the emperor. They were waiting for his approval of Veronica’s orders.

Isaac sighed, “If that’s how you want it, then so be it. No further action shall be taken until the investigation concludes.”

The thumping in her chest calmed down a little, “A thousand pardons, your majesty.”

“There’s no need to apologize.” He held a small smile. “You’re simply exercising your right as an imperial princess.”

The maid, who was on her knees, sobbed hard, “Thank you, Princess Genevieve! Your benevolence knows no bounds! Thank you!”

Her face showed irritation, “Don’t think you’re getting away without punishment. Wait in your cell until I find out what to do with you.”