"Huh? This is..." Liliana muttered as she narrowed her eyes, opened the letter, and began to read.
While perusing the letter's contents, her countenance shifted to one of sullenness.
"This woman wants to visit here in a month? What does she mean, and what is her purpose?" Liliana closed the letter, asking herself inwardly with annoyance as she pondered its implications.
A hint of hatred and anger crept onto her face, emotions she made no effort to conceal after finishing reading the contents of the letter.
However, her anger was only momentary. She quickly regained her composure, rubbing her temples together and closing her eyes for a moment.
After a minute, she reopened her eyes, and her cold and indifferent expression reappeared on her face.
"Huh! No matter what, I'll discern this woman's purpose later. I hope she won't stir trouble upon entering the territory of my Demon race," she muttered, her tone laced with cold disdain, before finally rising to her feet from her chair.
She slowly walked over to the window and looked at the clear sky outside with a calm demeanor.
"Heidel!" Liliana called out in an indifferent tone.
Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, a middle-aged man in butler's attire appeared behind her, respectfully bowing his head towards her.
"Is there anything I can assist you with, Your Majesty?" The middle-aged man, Heidel, asked respectfully.
"Heidel, are there any signs of activity from the Holy Orthodox troops at the border?" Liliana inquired indifferently, turning her back on him.
"Report to Your Majesty! There is no sign of an attack from the Holy Orthodox side, and our intelligence at the border reported that the Holy Orthodox troops are being pulled back," Heildel replied calmly before proceeding to explain the current situation at the border in detail.
During his explanation, shock and astonishment dawned on Liliana's face.
Turning her body to face him, she gazed at him with confusion and asked, "Are you certain about the Holy Orthodox withdrawing their troops?"
She remained skeptical of the news, finding it hard to believe.
Having already considered several battle scenarios involving the Holy Orthodox, none of which materialized, she felt that her vigilance had been somewhat futile.
"That's correct, Your Majesty. This news is highly accurate and aligns with the intelligence we received," Heidel replied firmly, finally convincing Liliana.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Liliana's face showed a slight sense of relief as she could finally relax a little.
"Very well, you may return," Liliana said, dismissing Heidel after hearing the news and no longer holding him back.
"In that case, I respectfully request permission to take a leave first, Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor," Heidel said, bowing his head once more before preparing to depart.
However, all of a sudden, a slight frown appeared on his face, signaling to Liliana that something had crossed his mind.
"Do you have something to say?" Liliana asked calmly, observing him closely.
"That's right, Your Majesty. I have a question regarding the man you brought..." Heidel began, but before he could finish, Liliana raised her right hand, cutting him off abruptly.
"You need not worry about that. I have my own conditions and methods," Liliana replied firmly, causing Heidel to fall silent and nod in understanding.
"If Your Majesty insists, I won't inquire further," Heidel responded before vanishing from his position like a shadow, leaving Liliana alone in her workspace.
As she watched him depart, Liliana sighed and turned to gaze at the blue sky outside the window, her expression tinged with complexity.
"I hope I made the right choice..."
...
Meanwhile, inside a vast hall with towering pillars that seemed to stretch toward the sky, Leon stood with a composed expression on his face.
"Well, am I truly lost now?" He muttered in surprise, casting a glance at his completely unfamiliar surroundings.
He hadn't anticipated getting lost while searching for the garden where Fiona awaited him!
"I've been wandering around for ten minutes, and I've managed to get lost in this enormous hall," Leon murmured with a slight shake of his head, feeling helpless.
The palace was indeed vast, with its numerous branching hallways leaving Leon disoriented.
Instead of finding his way to the garden, he found himself lost in this grand hall.
Of course, another reason was that he had lost his hero power at the moment, rendering him unable to use his magic or teleportation abilities.
As a result, he found himself walking and searching like a fool in this big palace.
"Tsk! Is a palace this big lacking any servants or guards to ask for directions?" Leon clucked his tongue, grumbling inwardly as he walked slowly.
Having become lost, he decided it was best to focus on finding an exit first.
While walking, he scanned his surroundings curiously.
The vastness of the hall made Leon feel minuscule in comparison.
Just as he was observing his surroundings, his steps suddenly halted as his gaze landed on a massive painting adorning the right wall.
"A painting?" Leon blinked in surprise and slowly approached the artwork.
With each step closer, his expression grew increasingly astonished.
The painting depicted an extraordinarily beautiful and enchanting woman with bloodshot eyes—none other than Liliana!
"The woman in this painting... Liliana!?" Leon exclaimed, unable to contain his surprise as he scrutinized the artwork closely.
In the painting, Liliana's expression remained indifferent and cold, yet there was a faint but strong aura emanating from her, almost as if the painting itself were alive.
"How can there be a painting of Liliana in this hall? Is this some sort of cult hall?" Leon wondered aloud, rubbing his chin in curiosity.
As his gaze shifted to the side of Liliana's painting, he noticed another artwork, depicting a handsome man exuding a cold aura.
Upon seeing the face of the man in the painting, Leon nearly jumped out of his place.
"Damn! Isn't this man Gerald Crimson, the Demon Emperor from a hundred years ago!?" Leon couldn't help but widen his eyes, feeling his heart race with astonishment.
As the hero of this generation, Leon had already immersed himself in countless history books detailing the previous Demon Emperors and the three heroes of humanity.
Consequently, he was familiar with the faces of the past Demon Emperors to some extent!
"Liliana Crimson, the current Demon Emperor, and Gerald Crimson, the previous Demon Emperor..." Leon whispered in a hushed voice, pointing at each painting as if he were piecing together a puzzle.
Until suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, causing his breath to catch.
"This hall... isn't it..." Leon frowned, taking a few steps back, his gaze still fixed on the two paintings.
Soon, as he retreated a little further, something in his vision changed.
He discovered another large painting lined up beside Gerald Crimson's, extending to the end of the hall.
Upon this realization, Leon's surprised expression transformed into a small smile, as if his suspicions had been confirmed.
"This hall... could it be the famous Hall of Glory?"