The Empror's Trap

Sorry for the earlier mistakes; all previous chapters have now been corrected.

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This usually bustling street seemed as if everyone had evaporated into thin air. Not a single person was in sight, with only a few cats, dogs, and sparrows searching for food on the street.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Uheya's body.

She sensed something wasn't right.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats came from the distance, followed by a team of gray-clothed riders appearing in her vision.

The moment these gray-clothed people appeared, one could feel the oppression they brought. They weren't galloping down the street, just making their horses walk at a quick pace. Yet each hoof beat and their complete silence as they marched in formation made people want to avoid them at all costs.

What was happening?

Soon, these gray-clothed individuals arrived at the gate of her residence. The leader glanced at her.

"You are... the one with the Grand Marshal..."

Uheya was about to say the person's name but suddenly hesitated and quickly shut her mouth—she wasn't sure if she should reveal the person's identity at this moment. From their demeanor, they clearly weren't here with good intentions.

"Lina, Your Highness. Duke Anos is my young master," Lina said without dismounting, merely nodding slightly to her from atop the horse, which counted as a greeting.

"Is the city under martial law today?"

Uheya didn't ask what they were going to do, only inquired about the martial law.

"Yes, by order of Her Majesty and the Grand Marshal, we will be conducting investigations in Luminara City for the next three days. The entire city is under martial law during this period. Unless permitted, no one is allowed on the streets."

Lina's tone was as calm as ever, like an emotionless killing machine.

"I see." Uheya breathed a sigh of relief. From the looks of it, this matter shouldn't have anything to do with her. She just couldn't go out for a few days, which wasn't a big problem.

"By the way, my young master asked me to remind you not to step outside your gate these days. We're being vigilant toward foreigners, and if any foreigner is found wandering around, they might be questioned by our people."

"Alright, I understand." Uheya nodded, then hesitated for a moment. "How is Kenji doing?"

From what Lina had said, this martial law seemed to be Kenji's responsibility. With such a major event, had Kenji encountered some trouble?

"Thank you for your concern. Don't worry, there's no impact on the young master," Lina said, showing a rare smile. "Even if there were, I wouldn't let it happen. Farewell."

The team rode off toward the other end of the street.

Watching them leave, Uheya let out a long sigh and turned back to her residence.

Comparing oneself to others was truly frustrating. They'd all been children once, so how had she ended up in such a situation...

With this thought, Uheya returned to her room, sat down, and recorded her recent encounter exactly as it had happened.

Of course, she wasn't a spy, nor did she have the ability to gather intelligence. There were Camelot's informants among her guards, so she couldn't possibly transmit any information outside.

Besides, she really didn't feel like sending any intelligence to her simple-minded, foolish brother who wouldn't know how to use it anyway.

She merely recorded the events happening in Camelot's capital, hoping that if she were fortunate enough to return to her country one day, she might learn from some of Camelot's practices.

....................

Four Seas Hall. This open cultural exchange hall had once been a place where countless domestic and foreign celebrities made friends and shared various cultures and languages.

Initially, Camelot viewed it as a gateway for opening up and establishing communication, but now some ill-intentioned individuals had infiltrated it.

The scale guards dismounted and completely sealed off the Four Seas Hall.

None of the official documents here could be sent out—because the decision to send the scale guards to make arrests was made by the Emperor and Grand Marshal alone, and the head of Gray Scales Division had only informed the guards the day before. It could be said that even if there were moles within Gray Scales Division, they wouldn't have had time or opportunity to leak the information.

"What are you doing?! This is the Four Seas Hall! Even the previous emperor wouldn't have used force here. Are you defying heaven?!"

The owner of the Four Seas Hall, who was also a merchant trading with foreign countries, blocked everyone's path, shouting in an attempt to prevent them from entering.

"We're here on orders to make arrests. This is Her Majesty's decree. Manager Liu, do you wish to defy an imperial order?"

"Her Majesty's decree... Her Majesty... There's a lot of money from foreign merchants and officials stored here, and there are foreigners residing inside. These people are either wealthy or noble. If you just rush in like this, the impact will be enormous!" The owner wiped the sweat from his face and tried to persuade them.

"They're exactly who we're investigating," said Deputy Commander Leo

, who stood beside Lina, with a cold smile. "By the way, Manager Liu, a word of warning: we know why you're blocking us here. You can continue to stall us now. But if we search and find any evidence or documents that have been hastily destroyed, you won't keep your head today."

Upon hearing this, Manager Liu was so frightened that he froze in place.

Seeing that he no longer dared to argue, Lina gave Leo a look. The latter understood and raised his knife, loading an arrow into his crossbow. "Search thoroughly! Arrest everyone inside! I don't care which country they're from or whose son they are. Even if they're relatives of Her Majesty, arrest them without exception—Her Majesty said so herself, understand?"

"Yes Sir!"

The scale guards responded in unison. Then they quickly rushed into the Four Seas Hall and began turning everything upside down, not even sparing the wooden floorboards beneath the carpets.

Lina stepped into the Four Seas Hall. As she passed by Manager Liu, she gently patted his shoulder.

The girl's soft palm landed on his shoulder, but Manager Liu, who was usually so lecherous that beautiful women had drained him of energy, now felt that gentle hand like a steel hook coming to claim his life.

"Manager Liu, let's hope your head stays on those shoulders a while longer."