The Imperial Palace.

“Has everything been arranged?”

“Yes, your majesty. All that’s left is for the Crown Prince to arrange the banquet.”

“I see…”

The one standing at the highest point of the continent. Emperor Arrasene Langston. Just like his name, he was a ruler with a gentle temperament. Unlike his counterpart, the Emperor is more known as the mage who united the people. Their angel.

The servant beside him had bowed so low it was hardly a bow anymore and resembled groveling. This action was deemed common in the palace of Trevino. All servants were required to deeply bow to signify their respect to the monarch.

If an action similar to meeting their eyes were caught, they would immediately be punished to beatings.

Contrary to popular belief, although the Emperor was known for his gentle temperament by the common people, it wasn’t the same inside the palace. It was all a facade to stabilize his position as the Emperor.

Overlooking the grounds of the palace, there was a serene smile on his face as he dismissed the servant.

As of now, he still hadn't forgotten his end of the deal. There was a war brewing in the palace and yet, all of the people were celebrating the annual Mars.

“Ha… How amusing.”

After inquiring some people for information in the outer edges of the city, Ethel chanced upon a bar that sold information for a certain price. Luckily for her, she lacked anything but money.

Walking inside the bar, it wasn’t as luxurious as her Delor Bar, but it would do. There were private rooms everywhere and at the front desk, it was barred off to prevent intruders from stealing.

“I’d like to inquire about the Imperial Palace.”

The clerk, whose entire figure was shrouded in darkness, put a key in the tray in front of her. “100 gold for the fee. You will still be charged by our informants depending on the type of information you need.”

She nodded and walked up the stairs. The hallways were long and winding that it took a while to find the room where the key matched. Inside the room, there was nothing but a small screen partition and the faint scent of incense.

“What information do you seek?” A woman’s voice spoke through the other side of the screen.

Ethel sat down.

“Do you know who is the sister of the Empress?”

No matter how much she dug around for information, there was hardly any information about the sister of the Empress. If anything, it was like she never existed. The Empress was already old. Any evidence leading to her sister’s existence would’ve long been erased. Nothing could escape the ravages of time.

The other side went silent. She had already been an informant for 3 decades. As for knowledge regarding the early reign of the current ruler, there were things she knew that would never reach the eyes and ears of the people. Wretched things nobody would be willing to believe.

“Ellis Vandenberg.”

“Why can’t I find any information about her in the entire empire?”

There was something sinister going on. How could someone who was closely related to the Empress die and be forgotten so easily? To cover up the death of one of the highest noble families, it was hard to shed their suspicions.

The informant sighed. “3,000 gold.”

“Pardon?”

“Add 3,000 more and I will tell you the rest. That is the cheapest I can go.”

Ethel dug into her satchel and placed three large pouches of gold at the side of the partition. “There, is that enough?”

A hand reached out to take it and just as quickly did the informant continue her story. “The death of Duchess Ellis started a small ripple that prompted the Werdolf Empire to start a war with a neighbouring country. She was the flower of high society and was adored by the common people. Her would-be husband was the brother of the Emperor.”

“Would-be?”

“The elder brother of the Emperor was assassinated.”

Now this was interesting. Ethel continued to listen thoughtfully.

“When the Emperor’s brother died, it broke the Duchess’ sanity. Out of anger, she led a group of rebels to storm the palace of Trevino during the night of the Emperor’s coronation. Of course, it failed. Out of consideration as the Empress’ sister, the Emperor sentenced her to death by guillotine.

No one but the royal family knew of her traitorous acts. When she died, the Empress declared that her sister died of poisoning and made Vandenberg's youngest son as the heir to the Duke. All information about her was kept under wraps and mentions of her in history books were banned.”

She held her breath.

Everything about this was completely out of her expectations. Ethel lost the smile on her face as she realized that she hit a dead-end yet again. Though that information was worth noting.

As for such a low price regarding this series of events, Ethel only had to guess that the reason why the informant offered a low price is because of its word of mouth. It was up to you to believe them and there was no evidence to support that information. A rumor was nothing but a rumor.

Unfortunately for them, rumors had to start somewhere. And Ethel refused to believe that everything the informant said was a lie. After all, why would you lie about something that happened nearly 3 decades ago?

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

She left the room and thanked the bar again for their services. Walking out of the empty alley, her thoughts were all jumbled that she hadn’t noticed the person she was about to collide with.

“Oh I’m very sorry I-”

“Are you okay?”

Looking up, Ethel had to reign in her shock.

What was the empire’s crown prince doing in such a deserted alley? Not expecting to meet any civilians, he shushed the person and smiled.

“You didn’t see anything, okay?”

Ethel was suspicious but nevertheless nodded. It was none of her business. She should atleast be thankful that he didn't find her suspicious.