Kaguya was slightly startled and turned her head, only to see a girl with black hair draped over her shoulders standing at the door—it was Kurome.
"What's up?" Kaguya walked over and asked curiously. Wasn't she just surrounded by the three little sisters? How did she escape so quickly?
Kurome turned her eyes to the side, not speaking, only pointing lightly out the window with her finger.
Following the direction of her finger, through the window, a familiar orange-haired girl came into view—Seryu. It was unexpected that she had returned today.
When Kaguya returned earlier, she was somewhat surprised. By rights, Seryu should have returned earlier than her since the distance she needed to travel was shorter. What had taken her so long?
Kaguya was even worried that something had happened to Seryu, causing her delay. She had already planned to send a unit to escort Seryu if she did not return soon. Unexpectedly, Seryu returned shortly after.
"This little girl finally came back." Kaguya chuckled lightly and got up to head outside the room. She wanted to meet Seryu. Although Seryu had returned, something must have happened; otherwise, it wouldn't have taken her so long.
Sayo followed Kaguya out of the room, but as she passed by Kurome, Kurome cast her a disdainful glance, turned her head away, and snorted contemptuously, full of provocation.
Sayo, unwilling to back down, raised her eyebrows, snorted, turned her head, flipped her long black hair with her hand, and left without another glance.
It was unclear when it started, but these two girls seemed to have taken a dislike to each other. Initially, it was just a cold war with them ignoring each other, but it gradually escalated into direct confrontation, like mortal enemies. Every meeting was an occasion for mutual mockery; it was somewhat surprising they hadn't yet come to blows.
Outside the palace, Kaguya walked briskly towards the crowd, where Seryu was already waiting.
"Princess," Seryu slightly bowed when she saw Kaguya approaching, her adorable face adorned with a hint of a smile.
Kaguya was slightly taken aback. What was up with Seryu? Had she taken the wrong medicine, or perhaps not taken any at all?
It should be noted that Seryu used to be quite displeased with her, even downright hostile, especially after the painful experience in the dungeon, where her hatred for Kaguya was palpable. Typically, she'd either show a cold face or avoid her altogether. Even after Seryu's freedom was restored, the situation hadn't improved much.
Yet now, her attitude seemed markedly different. Previously, she'd likely snort arrogantly at most.
"Princess?" Seryu blinked her bright eyes, curiously watching the dazed Kaguya.
"Oh, nothing," Kaguya snapped back to her senses and smiled slightly. "Why are you back so late? Did something happen on the way?"
"No, everything went smoothly," Seryu replied with a squinting smile. "Justice will never fail, and those guys have received their due punishment."
The "due punishment" likely meant death; those guys were probably now inside the little Bii, Kaguya mused.
"Then why return so late? I remember the distance from here to the northern tribes' stronghold isn't very far," Kaguya inquired.
"Oh, well, I saw many Imperial soldiers looting villages on the way, so I killed them," Seryu said matter-of-factly.
"Ah?" Kaguya was slightly stunned. She knew Seryu was once part of the Imperial Army, and her father and mentor were members too, having influenced her to join as well. She had deep feelings for the Imperial Army, so it was unexpected she'd take action against them.
"True justice spares no evildoer, even if they were once part of the righteous," Seryu declared, her face firm.
"Yes, very true." Although Kaguya didn't know what had influenced her, it seemed this change posed no disadvantage to her. "Go wash up and rest. You must be tired."
"Yes, as you command!" Seryu saluted, a bright smile on her face.
As Kaguya predicted, several significant events transpired in the Imperial Capital within a month. First, because the Emperor was still young, Minister Honest was appointed Regent to manage the empire's affairs. It was apparent that, although the Emperor was the nominal ruler, Honest held all the power, effectively making the empire his.
The second was the empire's announcement that, due to Princess Kaguya's alleged collusion with the northern tribes and the revolutionary army, with intentions of rebellion and causing chaos, her title was revoked, her lands confiscated, and her guards declared traitors, with the empire's army set to suppress them.
If the first announcement was met with a mundane reaction, the second caused public uproar. Although the Princess had limited influence in the capital and other areas, her prestige in her domain was unmatched. Many citizens only knew of the Princess and not the Emperor.
This slander was unacceptable to the ordinary citizens who owed their happiness to the Princess. They could not believe the accusations, especially since she had personally led troops to defeat the northern tribes. The idea of her colluding with them was ridiculous, sparking protests.
The third event, known to few, was uncovered by Kaguya's reconnaissance department, who paid a heavy price, including several lives, to obtain this information.
Esdeath had formed an organization called the Jaegers. Though weaker than in the original story due to the absence of Kurome and Seryu, they retained the Three Beasts, who had not yet been killed by Night Raid, somewhat compensating for their lack of strength.
These three developments were unfavorable for Kaguya. If the Empire's primary enemies had been the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid, they were now focusing their efforts on her. A fierce conflict was inevitable.