A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night

"Then who can you contact that's trusted, powerful, and won't immediately go yelling to Amanda or the rest?"

Shiera's lips thinned thoughtfully, then she answered with conviction. "My second eldest sister."

"Second sister?" Kael echoed in surprise.

Shiera nodded, eyes locked on the statue. "Because of the martial law, she's currently acting commander of the city. Her authority is just below Her Majesty, with the force of the entire royal knights under her. She doesn't need to report to anyone. Not even the Prime Minister."

Alice frowned at those words.

Shiera, meanwhile, continued. "She can ask Saintess Searvale to come here directly."

The moment the name escaped her lips, Alice stiffened, almost imperceptibly.

Kael noticed. So did Shiera.

Her gaze sharpened. "You seem nervous. Why?"

Alice forced a weak chuckle, brushing her hair behind her ear. "N-No… I mean… It's just that I've problems with the elves."

Shiera didn't reply immediately. She kept watching Alice in silence for a beat longer than necessary.

Kael felt the tension creeping back in. "Well," he broke in, "if anyone can figure this statue out without blowing us up, it's her. She is a demigod, after all."

Alice looked away slightly.

Shiera gave a half-smile. "Let's just hope whatever secrets this statue hides... It's not tied to anyone here." She glanced at Alice.

Alice didn't respond to that.

The night wind blew again, colder than before.

With a curt nod, Shiera then stepped a few paces back and took out the communication scroll from her storage ring.

With her mana pouring into the scroll, she spoke in a low, respectful tone, and the words automatically appeared on the parchment.

"Second Sister. This is Shiera. Requesting urgent assistance from the Saintess. Location: Graveyard, North Hill district, The town of Deliora, located 300 kilometers away in the northeast of Everlight City's main gate. Found an anomalous soul-sealing artifact, an involvement of a grandlich. Please pass this message directly to the Saintess. Keep this a secret until we figure out what's happening here."

There was silence for a breath as the words disappeared from the parchment, and a few moments later, new words appeared, followed by a calm, graceful voice that replied on the other end: "Acknowledged. I will arrive there and inspect it in person. Keep an eye on it, until then. Maintain distance and ensure no citizen approaches."

Shiera closed the connection and turned to the others. "She's coming. Told us to wait and make sure no one gets close."

"Your sister is coming, and not the Saintess?" Kael's frown deepened.

Half an hour later;

The three of them sat in tense silence within the graveyard, the air unnaturally still. A faint glow from the fire pit cast flickering shadows across the ancient tombstones and the eerily motionless statue in their midst.

The minutes ticked by slowly.

Kael fed a few more twigs into the fire. The atmosphere was heavy, not because of the trapped souls in the statue, but from the unspoken tension between the women.

Shiera sat with her arms crossed, eyes occasionally drifting toward Alice, who had her knees drawn up to her chest, chin resting atop them.

After the fight, neither of them talked to each other.

Eventually, Shiera broke the silence. "According to the message, she's on her way. Shouldn't be long. She's Tier-9… If anyone can deal with something like this, it's her."

At that, Alice let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness it is her, and not the demigod."

Shiera immediately turned her gaze toward her. "Why?"

Alice blinked and looked at her, startled. Then smiled weakly. "Nothing. I told you before, right? I'm not comfortable around elves."

Shiera's frown deepened. "Why?"

Alice's lips tightened, the flickering firelight reflecting in her blue eyes. "Everyone has stories they'd rather not talk about."

The air went still again.

Kael, seeing the tension thicken like smoke, quickly stepped in. "Shiera… let it go. Don't stress her over it."

Shiera turned to look at him. Her expression was unreadable for a moment. Then her eyes slowly narrowed. "Fine," she said finally, curtly.

Alice said nothing.

Two more hours passed, and it's almost 2 in the morning. The three of them sat in a semicircle, with no one talking. Alice seems like she was dozing off to sleep every now and then, but became alert while Shiera continued to stay awake. Kael wanted to speak something. His mouth opened every once in a while, but no words came out; every single time, he just swallowed it.

But in the end, he decided to break the silence this time for sure.

"Say, Shiera. How long does it take for the second princess to get here?" He asked her. "Can you contact her again about her location status?"

Shiera didn't even look at him as she answered.

"The Imperial City is 2,500 kilometers away, Kael. Even flying nonstop, it'll take at least 8 to 10 hours," she said flatly.

Alice groaned softly at that. "That long? Why didn't you mention it before? You said it shouldn't be long. I thought she would be here in a few hours. There's no point waiting here like this. We should camp just outside the graveyard instead. It's so eerie, disgusting here."

Shiera scowled in response to her reaction. "No. We're staying here. If someone comes and either completes whatever ritual this is—or worse, manages to steal the statue—then all of this was a waste."

Kael raised a hand calmly, trying to mediate. "Actually… camping outside does make sense. If the grandlich does return, we'll have a better shot at catching them in the act if we're watching from the outside. More visibility. We won't get caught in another trap."

Alice smiled and reached out to him, wrapping her hands over his arm. "See? You really do understand my thoughts." His elbow just brushes off one of her mounds, flustering Kael for a moment.

"Wha… what are you doing?"

"It's too cold in this place." She tugged his arm even closer, placing it between her mounds this time.

"Umm… Umm…" As a faint blush crept to Kael's ears, Alice gazed at Shiera, who was staring at them with her eyes narrowed. A smirk appeared on Alice's lips.

"You…"

Shiera stomped her foot in clear irritation and turned away sharply, storming off a few paces with her back to both of them.

"Camp outside or here. Do whatever you want. I don't care," she snapped.

Kael and Alice watched her back in silence.

Then Alice quietly asked, voice tinged with genuine confusion, "What's her problem, Kael? She really seems to hate me."

Kael let out a small sigh, scratching the back of his neck. "Shiera can… be a bit harsh, but she's not a bad person. Deep down, she's got a good heart. She's just… seventeen. Don't hold it against her, for my sake."

Alice looked at him for a long moment and smiled gently, her face leaning to his, her chin resting on his shoulder. "I won't take it to heart. You're my friend, after all."

As her breath blew to his neck, Kael felt heat in his body. His lust levels shot up for a moment, but with a deep breath, he tried his best to crush it again.