In the Empire of Demor.
"The war supplies must already have been sent, Elara. You can't keep delaying this matter."
"But Caelia says we should wait to hear from them before rushing into anything."
"The people…" Rosalind whispered.
"We sent enough food. Midvern has no idea we're surrounding them," Elara added.
"Don't underestimate them. Just because we have the advantage of surprise doesn't mean they can't strike back," Rosalind warned, turning sharply at the sound of footsteps.
"If you have any problem with my division, you can speak to me directly. Don't intimidate our empress," Caelia declared as she entered the room with an unflappable smile.
"Caelia…" Rosalind hissed through her teeth. "You've been handling everything however you please. You heard Elizabeth before she left: I'm the one in charge."
The smile on the former empress's face widened.
"Oh? She said that? I don't think I heard it." She made a face, pretending to search her memory, then quickly dismissed it and continued as if nothing had happened. "I suppose we'll just have to keep going like this for now. You're far too kind to plan anything that might hurt others, Rosalind. Leave these things to me."
But the minister's expression showed no sign of weakness.
"Caelia, I don't know why you think you know me, but this will be done the way I say."
Elara's gaze kept shifting from one to the other. In part, being ignored gave her a small, unconscious pleasure; but the moment she realized it didn't even come close to a thousandth of the pleasure her master gave her, she quickly returned to reality and intervened:
"I'll remind you that I am the empress! Can you stop acting as if I don't exist or as if I have no power to decide?"
Caelia raised an eyebrow at her and smiled ironically. Rosalind completely ignored her comment and continued addressing Caelia:
"Astrid sent a message from Lucratis. That matter seems to be going well… too well. She had said her mother wouldn't let her take power easily, but ever since she was crowned she's been stealing support from the former empress without much trouble." Rosalind paused for a second, hesitating whether to continue.
Caelia noticed and immediately asked:
"What's wrong? Isn't everything going incredibly well?" A mischievous smile settled on her face and stayed there.
"No. I still think something isn't right. Besides, I can't stop thinking about the places Mina spoke of…"
The former empress shook her head.
"You're overthinking it." She shrugged and went to find a seat, sitting down in a relaxed manner as she ordered, "Rose, can you bring us something to drink?"
Rosalind frowned; hearing her own nickname used to address someone else momentarily confused her. However, she quickly followed Caelia and sat down herself, letting out an exhausted sigh.
Elara was about to follow them when she heard Caelia's voice stop her:
"Don't you still have papers to deal with? Finish everything you have to review, and then you can relax."
The empress put on a defeated expression and returned to her place, facing piles of matters she still had to learn, file, or approve if they were affairs of state. Although Caelia and Rosalind didn't let her touch the latter too much, her teacher, before leaving, had also seemed convinced that she still had a great deal to learn and had increased her training load…
Elara wanted to cry at that moment.
And if she remembered Cassian… he hadn't seemed happy either with how she had acted in front of the "gods." She bit her lip hard and clenched her hands into fists, digging her fingernails into her palms.
"No… when I see him again I have to show him… show him that I can be useful too. Angh… but the look he gave me… as if I were complete trash… Mmmngh… No, no! Focus, Elara."
Not far from there, at the Imperial Academy of Demor.
"I've already offered you too many things, Bethany. I'm your brother—can't you do this one little thing for me?"
"Mina is mine, Elric. Stop insisting."
"This is why no one likes you or pays attention to you, Bethany. You're filth. I wish you weren't my sister; you're a stain."
Bethany bit her lips but turned away, ready to ignore him.
"You'll end up alone. Cassian won't come back, Rosalind is too busy to pay you any attention, and our mother couldn't care less about you. And I don't even need to mention our father, do I?" He raised an eyebrow ironically.
The younger girl covered her ears and began walking faster, moving away from him until she reached her room and slammed the door shut. Even with her hands over her ears and her back pressed against the door, she slowly slid down until she was sitting against it, curled up without lifting her head.
"Miss?" Mina's soft voice was heard, though her eyes showed something far more dangerous.
"What happened? Are you all right?" She approached Bethany and sat beside her. The younger girl took the opportunity to throw herself against her and begin crying in her arms.
"Sob, sob… I miss my brother… What if he forgets I'm here and never comes to get me? I don't think I can stand much more of putting up with Elric, Mina…"
The woman with intense red eyes gently stroked Bethany's pink hair and murmured:
"Miss, what do you think about us going to look for him? It's not as if your sister will miss you—she's far too busy; your parents won't even notice, and as for Elric… he doesn't matter. You don't have to pay him any attention."
The little girl lifted her head, revealing her eyes red and watery from tears.
"Do you think so?"
Mina smiled with hidden intentions.
"I'm sure of it. And the best part is that we can both leave!"
Bethany frowned.
"But the academy…"
"There's nothing they can teach you that I can't," she said confidently.
"But…"
"But nothing. Pack everything you need. I'll take care of one thing and then we'll leave at once." Mina didn't give her time to answer; she opened the door and left the room.
Bethany was left with the arms that had been embracing Mina still hanging in the air and a frozen expression. She lowered her shoulders along with her gaze, clenched a fist, and stood up abruptly to grab a suitcase and begin stuffing everything she needed into it.
Meanwhile, the maid who had left the room now wore a far less flattering or understanding expression. Her steps advanced with firmness and an eerie silence; the smile that had risen on her face warned that what she was about to do was anything but harmless.
Elric was still in the same place where he had parted from Bethany, though now he was with his friends—or rather, fourth-rate sycophants. When he saw Mina appear, his eyes widened in surprise, but a victorious smile betrayed what he was thinking.
Mina stayed in the doorway and gestured for him to come closer. He raised his chin arrogantly to take leave of the people around him and went straight toward her.
"It seems my sister finally gave in."
"How could she not? Your sister adores you," Mina replied indifferently.
"Mmm… come, accompany me to my room. I'll clarify the rules you have to follow as my maid and give you your first task."
Mina didn't answer and simply began following him calmly.
Once the two of them were alone, Mina approached him and smiled innocently. She raised her hand to his face and whispered:
"Young master…~"
Elric smiled victoriously, about to place his hand on the waist of the woman in front of him, but he didn't even have time to understand what had happened before his heart was already in the hand of the woman who was smiling at him with sadistic pleasure.
Mina brought the blood from her hand to her mouth and gave a small lick under his wide-open eyes. But when she tasted the blood, she immediately made a grimace of disgust and instead took out a vial of blood she had kept in her pocket. She took a drop of it; her face immediately flushed with delight and sharp moans escaped her mouth.
"Anngh…!~ The master's has no comparison. The trash I just tasted…" She frowned at the memory and threw the heart to the floor in disgust, at the same time taking out a handkerchief and beginning to wipe the blood from her hand.
Elric, who could finally no longer stay on his feet, fell to the floor with a hand over his chest, dying on his knees before the silver-haired woman.