In the heart of the Azure Flame Kingdom, the royal capital thrived as a vibrant and bustling city. Its streets were paved with cobblestones, and towering buildings adorned with intricate wooden dragon carvings lined the pathways.
Above, a few transportation boats hovered silently in the sky, their engines emitting a soft hum.
At the center of the capital stood a grand wooden building, one of several traditional wooden palaces with elaborate gold carvings that clearly marked it as part of the royal estate.
This particular palace belonged to Princess Aleriana Vandreat, a member of the royal family.
Throughout the royal city, also known as the capital, houses assigned to various officials and hires were scattered across the vast area.
Surprisingly, Princess Aleriana's palace was located close to the main royal palace, despite her not having a particularly strong family background. This was unusual, as one might expect her residence to be farther away.
However, this specific palace, which would typically belong to someone of greater influence, was granted to Aleriana due to her clever request. On the occasion of her coming-of-age ceremony, she had asked the Emperor for this palace as a gift.
Her choice demonstrated her wit, as the palace's proximity to the Emperor's main residence ensured higher security measures without her having to spend any of the pocket money allotted to all the royal heirs.
Inside the palace, a woman draped in a black pencil skirt and a white shirt—a blend of traditional and modern themes—moved swiftly across the training ground's platform.
The sound of clashing swords echoed through the open area.
Despite the palace's vast size, the noise of her rigorous training could be heard clearly, and even from above, her figure was evident as she engaged in a duel on the training ground.
"Sword form, third move: Celestial pull." Her body swirled, twisting in mid-air, her hair crisply dropping around her shoulders. Her sharp sapphire eyes fixed on another woman in a short black skirt, wielding short swords.
The moment those words left her lips, a magnetic-like force pulled the other woman directly toward her.
The pointed sword of the woman mid-air came forward, creating a clear scene where she hovered due to the recoil from the short-dressed woman, who now seemed to be pulled by a magnetic field, her body hurled uncontrollably toward the sword in the mid-air woman's hand.
Clank!
The sound of metal clashing rang out as the woman who found herself being pulled swiftly drew both her small swords, forming an axe to divert the long sword held by her opponent.
Both of them landed directly on the training platform, instantly breaking the flooring beneath them into small particles.
The force of their impact caused cracks to spread like spiderwebs before the fragments scattered.
"Haah... Princess, you could have killed me, you know?" Olea narrowed her eyes, her black face mask clearly showing the sharpness in her gaze. She felt how the movement the princess used at the last moment was lethal, even though the main motive for their training was simply to practice.
"If you died by just that, wouldn't the name 'Ghost Blade' be wasted on you?" Princess Aleriana replied, her eyes fixed on the sword, which now bore several marks in a single spot.
No matter how many times they fought, she could clearly see that Olea had targeted and attacked just one point on the blade, regardless of her position.
"A sullied name is much better than death," Olea stated as she placed both daggers behind her back. As she did, the sound of a crystal falling to the floor caught both of their attention.
They looked down to see an amethyst crystal shattered like glass.
"So, Ghost Blade even wants to leave her mark here too," the Princess said with a calm smile, turning as a maid approached with a towel. She handed her sword to another maid, who, the moment she held it, saw the blade break into pieces, as if it had only been held together by the Princess's grip.
"I don't have any control over it," Olea stated, recalling how, since her childhood, whenever her emotions manifested, these purple crystals formed around her.
Her crimson eyes and white hair, like a ghost's, earned her the nickname, but the crystals falling from her body were more like deep amethyst, glimmering like rubies yet shattering like glass, rendering them worthless.
"Kyle Arcutus is in the fourth layer of the Ember Ignition stage with the Inferno Phoenix bloodline? Isn't he better than a few legitimate heirs?" The Princess looked at the paper handed to her by Aulia, amused to see that Kyle, the illegitimate son of the Duke, whom she had selected as her fiancé to secure the northern territories, possessed a much stronger cultivation stage than other legitimate heirs.
Naturally, considering the announcement of her marriage, her enemies—who would not want her to gain such support—would likely try to kill Kyle. Indirectly, this would secure her the northern territory as a widow, without her needing to make a move herself.
Not that it mattered; it was inevitable. She might even kill him once the marriage formalities were complete.
"Indeed, I had to recheck it with the Beggar Sect and the Information Guild to confirm it," Olea said, tilting her head as she recalled how, even as the head of the assassination clan, she had to personally gather this information after finding it hard to believe.
Normally, for someone illegitimate, their bloodline would be weak or not particularly strong if their maternal side had a weak physique. Yet, Kyle possessed one of the few strong bloodlines.
"Luck is on his side, but not for long. Tell the Ghost Sect to secure his path and ensure no harm comes to him until our marriage," the Princess said, her lips curving into a slight smile as she burned the letter in her hand using her internal energy.
She directed Olea to secure Kyle's path, adding, "After all, I don't want even a scratch to form on my dear husband."
"...I will do this, but those exorcism groups under that old man could be a problem," Olea said, not out of fear but due to the opposing nature of those who practiced exorcism.
It was possible for the prince, who had four strong members from the Exorcism Sect, to detect the presence of the Ghost Sect.
"Then just go yourself. I bet even the clan leader of the Exorcism Sect would find it hard to sense your presence, wouldn't they, Olea?" Aleriana said, her blue eyes holding a mix of amusement and challenge, prompting Olea's eyes to turn cold before she blinked and followed her out of the training ground.
"What will I get for helping you?" Olea inquired as they moved down a eerily empty corridor. The Princess's palace had only four or five maids, as she prioritized using her pocket money efficiently, a trait uncommon among royal heirs.
"Duke Arcutus will not feel anything even if you were to kill Kyle," the Princess said, already aware that Olea's parents, who were also members of the Ghost Sect, had been brutally murdered by the Duke.
He had betrayed them, luring them into a trap under the Emperor's orders. This made it clear that Olea would likely want to kill Kyle to at least take a small piece of revenge to calm her mind.
"It doesn't matter. I want the privilege to kill him myself," Olea firmly declared. Though she and any member of her sect were prepared to die, dying on a mission was one thing; being betrayed and lured into a trap was another.
This was also why she supported Princess Aleriana, who had promised her the head of the current Emperor.
Until she either became the Princess or Olea herself got the chance to reach Duke Arcutus's head, she would feel some relief in at least killing one of his bloodlines—Kyle Arcutus.
"Fine then. Kill him on our wedding night and declare a statement from the Ghost Sect that it was the mistress of the Arcutus Duchy who ordered it," the Princess instructed, her eyes looking downward.
This plan would not only kill the illegitimate son of Duke Arcutus but also frame the mistress of the house, making her the one behind the conspiracy.
"I understand," Olea said, a flicker of surprise crossing her face as she realized the Princess's plan.
Aleriana was using this event not only to gain control over the northern territories but also to execute the mistress of the Arcutus Duchy, who held significant influence over the aristocracy in the Azure Flame Kingdom, second only to the Third Queen.
Anyone would believe the declaration from the Ghost Sect, considering it was the mistress of the Duke's house who had sent the legitimate son to the northern borders—a fact everyone was aware of.
Indirectly, the Princess was not only giving Olea a chance to kill two individuals for her revenge but also making her own profit from the situation.
Once again, Olea was reminded that this was Princess Aleriana Vandreat.
"Also," Princess Aleriana began, her voice smooth and deliberate as she stepped into her private chambers, "when you safely escort him to the capital city, reveal yourself and inform him that it was I, Princess Aleriana, who—out of deep concern—hired you to protect him from harm."
She didn't wait for a response, her fingers already working at the buttons of her white shirt. The fabric slipped from her shoulders, revealing the soft, jade-white curves of her skin, glowing faintly in the dim light of the room.
Her movements were unhurried, almost regal, as if even the act of undressing was a performance.
The black pencil skirt slid down her hips, pooling at her feet, followed by the delicate whisper of her stockings as they fell to the floor.
Behind her, Olea's figure was already fading into the shadows, her white hair the last visible trace of her presence before she vanished entirely.
The faintest shimmer of her crimson eyes lingered for a moment, like embers in the dark, before she disappeared completely.
Princess Aleriana continued, her tone laced with a calculated sweetness as she let the shirt slide down her arms, the fabric catching briefly on the curve of her elbow before falling away.
Her back was a canvas of smooth, unblemished skin, the faintest hint of muscle definition visible beneath the surface, a testament to her rigorous training.
She turned slightly, the light catching the gentle swell of her waist and the subtle arch of her spine as she reached for a robe draped over a nearby chair.
"He must feel fortunate," she murmured, her voice carrying a faint edge of amusement, "to have such a kind and devoted wife as me, don't you think?"