Juliana strode toward the council chamber. Outside, a long line of towering guards stood in full military uniform, their weapons at the ready. Sam followed behind the princess like a shadow, his face devoid of any expression.

  “Only the Princess may enter. The Guardian stays outside,” the Captain of the Guard announced, stepping directly in front of Juliana.

  The princess glanced back at Sam. Taking the hint, he stepped aside to stand among the tall, cold sentries.

  The massive wooden doors were intricately carved with the image of a pig-warrior, shield and sword in hand, trampling the corpses of demons beneath a rising sun. It was an ancient tale depicting the "Day the Darkness Receded," recorded in the chronicles of the Great Earth.

  Looking at the creature—half-spider above, half-serpent below—Sam no longer doubted they were products of mere imagination. Through his experiences in this world 1,000 years into the future, he was gradually learning to accept things he once would have deemed absurd.

  Standing outside the hall, Sam gazed at the capital of the Tahi Empire, his mind in turmoil. He was struggling to suppress the emotions threatening to spill over. Beneath his icy exterior lay a profound fear—a relentless struggle between logic and emotion.

  “It’s exhausting and terrifying... but death is even more terrifying,” Sam whispered to the AI.

  Sam had become cold not because he lacked feeling, but because if he allowed his emotions to show, fear would be the first thing to erupt. It was a bottomless fear, as stagnant as a swamp; the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.

  He craved life! Not a noble or decent life—just to breathe for one more day. But in this world, humans were on par with livestock; they could be dragged away, butchered, or discarded at any moment without reason. He trembled at the thought of becoming like the humans caged on the Wrath: fearful, despairing. The tragedy, however, was that he recognized that fear and despair, while they did not—theirs was merely a mindless instinct.

  That reality tore him in two: one part clinging to life through base instinct, the other trembling at the price paid for every breath. He feared death because it was the end, but he also feared life, for every second of existence was merely a moment delaying the path to the grave. Between the two, Sam chose to freeze himself—cold, emotionless—as the only way to keep from screaming, to keep from collapsing, and to continue existing in a world that no longer belonged to humanity.

  Sam thought of the man he had to strike down, then of the pig-soldier who died under the Guardian’s gun. He even thought of Director Adtech. His emotions were a tangled mess of disgust and a strange, stimulating excitement. Which feeling did Sam actually want? He didn’t know, and he didn’t want to know. If the livestock and pets of the past had feelings, would they have felt like he did now?

  Inside the palace, Juliana walked slowly toward the throne. Her footsteps echoed through the hall—heavy, cold, and lonely. Seated there was a familiar figure: the Queen of Tahi, Juliana’s mother. The vast palace held only the two of them.

  The Queen was a stout woman, draped in a magnificent gown encrusted with sparkling diamonds, her head bearing a gold crown set with priceless gems. She exuded an aura of absolute power that commanded the room.

  “Long live the Queen!” Juliana called out, bowing slightly as she reached the steps of the throne.

  The Queen looked down at her only daughter with a cold gaze, maintaining it for a long moment. Juliana raised her head and looked back at the Queen, showing no signs of anxiety or fear.

  “Well done!” the Queen said, her voice laced with anger.

  “I apologize, Royal Mother,” Juliana said, though her voice held no trace of remorse.

  The Queen narrowed her eyes. “Forging a royal edict. You are bold indeed. To go so far as to arrest someone during a War Institute meeting and allow a Guardian to kill a guard... tell me, how am I supposed to handle this?”

  “The matter was urgent. Had I requested an order, you certainly would not have agreed,” Juliana countered.

  “And so you acted on your own, disregarding me entirely?”

  “There are things that, if not acted upon immediately, leave no second chance,” Juliana replied.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Silence! Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused? As a fleet commander, you should know the power the War Institute holds. Even as Queen, I must yield to Thomas occasionally! Yet you dared to let a Guardian point a gun at him. Fine, you arrested Adtech and shot a guard—but aiming a weapon at one of the Empire’s Elders? Speak...” The Queen’s voice grew harsh, and she nearly rose from her throne in fury.

  Juliana remained silent. She, too, felt that letting the "Sea God" point a gun at the Director of the War Institute was an extreme necessity. But without doing so, she might never have caught Adtech.

  “Jul! Tell me,” the Queen lowered her volume but kept her voice stern, “did you intentionally set the Mpire and Lourd families against each other?”

  “No. But he would have stood in the way. He was very fond of that Director.”

  “Stop causing trouble. You must learn to restrain yourself. You are my only daughter, the one who will rule Tahi. Did Petr deliver my message?”

  Juliana remembered Petr’s words in the car. She nodded.

  “Then release Adtech immediately, go apologize to Thomas, and kill that Guardian.” The Queen’s command was ice-cold.

  “Why?” Juliana nearly shouted.

  “Why? Half of Tahi’s military strength has been deployed to the war with the Sun Empire. Thomas is leading that war. Do you understand? Though he opposed this war, he eventually gave a reluctant nod. You cannot treat Thomas this way. Do not provoke him.”

  “Adtech is dead, and I will not kill my Guardian,” Juliana stated firmly.

  “What? Adtech is dead? You killed him?” the Queen asked, startled.

  Juliana said nothing. She pulled out a recorder and pressed play. On the recording, Adtech’s screaming voice revealed things that left the Queen in shock.

  The words caused the Queen to freeze. Her face turned pale, and her body trembled beneath her finery. Her hands gripped the throne as if fearing it might vanish.

  “How? How could he say such things?” It took a moment for the Queen to regain her composure.

  “I let the Guardian torture him. A general’s pride was his undoing,” Juliana replied.

  The Queen fell silent, her mind racing. If those words were true, the royal family was facing a horrific conspiracy. She looked intently at Juliana. According to Adtech’s words, both she and Juliana were in grave danger.

  “Adtech was Thomas’s confidant. If you wish, Royal Mother, I will arrest him as well,” Juliana proposed, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

  “No!” the Queen waved her hand, her face still clouded with thought.

  Juliana stiffened at the rejection.

  “Thomas is not Adtech. One does not simply arrest him; there must be clear evidence. Furthermore, I do not believe he is behind this. The Lourd family has always been absolutely loyal to the Mpire.”

  “Not to me!” Juliana said coldly, her voice thick with unspoken bitterness.

  A flash of fear crossed the Queen’s face at those words. She looked at Juliana with the eyes of a grieving mother, as if wanting to rush down and embrace her only child.

  “Don’t... don’t say that!” she stammered, her regal authority replaced by maternal anguish. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

  “He and the vassal families of Tahi may be loyal to the Mpire house, but they will never be loyal to me, because I am...”

  “No! Stop!” the Queen screamed, her body shaking.

  “It is the truth, and you must accept it! Look at me, Mother.” Juliana switched from "Royal Mother" to "Mother" as she slowly removed her mask, staring directly at the Queen.

  The Queen watched her daughter in silence, a single tear escaping the corner of her eye. She wiped it away and let out a heavy sigh.

  Juliana looked at the mask in her hand and smiled sadly. “How long has this thing followed me, Mother? And it will follow me for the rest of my life, won’t it? How can I sit where you sit when this is always beside me? My life is out there—on the battlefield—where these days of suffering can end at any moment.”

  The mother’s heart wrenched as if someone were squeezing it. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to hold Juliana and let her cry her heart out, like any normal mother. But she couldn't. She remained as still as a stone statue, bearing the crushing weight of maternal love.

  Juliana put the mask back on and turned toward the door. The Queen watched her go. Suddenly, Juliana stopped.

  “Royal Mother should have Petr investigate those who worship the 'Holy Mother' within the Tahi government. Perhaps we can find a lead on them.”

  “I know,” the Queen replied softly.

  “I will not apologize to Thomas, and I certainly will not deal with my Guardian,” the princess said, then walked away in silence.

  “What do you intend to do?” the Queen called after her.

  “I’m going to sea. Perhaps you should find another successor,” Juliana said quietly.

  As the door closed, the Queen sat in pensive silence. A moment later, an announcement came from the door: “The new Director of the Intelligence Bureau requests an audience!”

  “Enter!” the Queen called out, immediately shifting her posture back into the majestic, cold demeanor of a monarch.

  “Your servant, Petr Hummer, greets the Queen. Long live the Queen,” Petr bowed.

  “Congratulations on your promotion to Director,” the Queen said with a faint smile. “I have a task for you.”

  “Please, command me!”

  “Are you religious?” the Queen scrutinized him.

  “Yes, I am a follower of the Ancient Gods,” Petr replied.

  “Very well. Now, secretly investigate who within the Tahi government follows the 'Holy Mother' religion,” the Queen whispered, only loud enough for the two of them. “Remember, it must be a secret.”

  Petr felt a twinge of curiosity but nodded. “I obey your command, Your Majesty.”

  “One more thing: increase security for Juliana. Protect her at all costs,” the Queen continued, her eyes turning terrifyingly sharp.

  “Please trust in me!” Petr bowed. “Is there anything else you require?”

  “That is all for now. You are a confidant; any movement from the War Institute or any news detrimental to the royal family must be reported directly to me immediately.”

  “I understand, Your Majesty!”

  “Good. You may leave.”

  “I take my leave.” Petr bowed and retreated toward the door.