Soleah leaned against the wall and tapped her fingers against her forearm. "So, Shei, Lucia, and Aqua. Since Lira most certainly thinks most of you are dead, you can make a grand entrance when the meeting starts."
The trio of girls who were before her were all to be victims of Lira, yet none of them suffered.
It was a great fortune that even with her position of spymaster, she had lacked many of the spies who were loyal to her in the palace. It was not a secret that she had treated the servants of the palace rather badly.
Someone like that disgusted her; someone who mistreated and abused those under her had a name: tyrants. They were superior only in name and inferior in every other way.
She closed her eyes and exhaled. "I will present the evidence before the witnesses and denounce the council. I assume Lira will use Azure to do something stupid; thus, I am counting on Aqua to help out."
The heroine nodded, "Got it, I will help Azure if she is used." Aqua placed her chin between her fingers and hummed. "Are you sure you are not underestimating Lira? What if her sloppy work was merely a facade?"
"I understand your worry; however, I have spent a long time investigating her and exploring her capabilities." Soleah pushed herself away from the wall and approached the false maid in front of her. "However, unlike with you, Lira would have killed me already if she were capable of it."
"I said I will trust you, so I plan to play along with this plan of yours." Aqua approached her bed and took a seat before quickly being joined by the princess.
Sheira leaned her head on Aqua's shoulder and whistled, "Look at you, trusting my mom~"
"Enough, Shei." Soleah stretched her palm forward.
"Your Majesty, are you sure it's my place to intrude on such an important meeting?"
"Of course it is. You were targeted by Lira, too, even if you weren't the intended victim of her schemes." She stopped for a moment before turning her stare at Shera, "I had told my husband that he shouldn't trust her… as long as he doesn't give her an inkling that he is aware of her treachery, we should be fine."
The three girls nodded in unison.
"I will leave you now and meet with our dear king. Sheira, I believe all of you know where the throne room is."
With those final words, Soleah turned to the exit and disappeared.
"Aye, Mom!" Sheira saluted as she jumped off the bed and grabbed Lucia by her hand. "I will lead this little girl and my Mommy~"
"E…Eh!?" Lucia shouted as the eager princess dragged her out of the bedroom.
Aqua's face turned slightly red, yet she merely sighed and walked behind Sheira. The princess rushed ahead with flustered Lucia, closely followed by Aqua. They were not supposed to be too close to the throne room just yet.
However, Lira had no presence in the Servant's quarters; thus, it was unlikely she would have stumbled upon her, after all, the palace was large, and it took a dozen minutes to go from one side to the other using the main path, and even longer if one was to take a side path.
"Your highness! You should not touch me. What will the queen do if she sees this?" She struggled to keep up, and her face was as red as a tomato as Sheira effortlessly lifted her and put her in a princess carry.
"Hah! She wouldn't care."
Aqua wanted to facepalm at the scene, yet she couldn't help but smile. Adorable.
Soon, the trio reached the intersection that connected the Noble and Servant quarters.
"We just wait here for a bit, then we start heading to the throne room."
"Got it." Aqua crossed her arms and got closer.
"Your highness… could you please… put me down…" Lucia's ears slumped and her face turned even redder as she struggled to escape Sheira's grasp.
"Aww~ And here I thought you would like to be carried by someone as cute as me." With a small sigh, Sheira placed Lucia down and patted down her dress.
"Sheira." Aqua looked up and down over Sheira's form.
"Yes?" Her head tilted slightly.
"You are already back in the dress I gave you?" She couldn't help but grin. It truly made her happy that Sheira liked it.
"Of course! I couldn't wait until it was washed to wear it again. It's incredibly comfortable and very elegant."
Lucia sheepishly raised her hand in the air, "I think it fits your highness very well."
"Hah, thank you, Lucia!" The princess dashed behind the maid and placed her hands on her stomach, "Just as the maid uniform fits you and Aqua."
"Sheira… stop teasing everyone you meet." Aqua exhaled loudly.
"But… mommy! She likes it!" Sheira let go of Lucia and slumped her ears down as she feigned innocence.
"May… I ask something?" Lucia spoke in a shaky voice.
"Yes?"
"Why does your highness call, Lady Aqua, mommy? I didn't have a chance to ask before."
"Ah… that's because she saved me, and…" She dramatically pointed at Aqua. "Just look at her, she is the epitome of the word Mommy."
The praise made Aqua turn to the side and fidget with her fingers. "Thank you."
Lucia nodded, despite clearly not understanding everything; she had decided to drop it and inquire later.
"I don't believe I am worthy of speaking this freely around you, your highness."
"Really?" Sheira's lips stretched into a toothy grin as she approached Lucia and placed her hands behind the girl's neck.
Despite being around Sheira quite often, Lucia couldn't help but yelp.
The princess leaned her head against Lucia's and stared into the girl's eyes. "You are incredibly pretty~", before Lucia could even process the words, Sheira let go of her and turned to Aqua.
"We probably should start walking, at this point the council is in the throneroom, together with that snake." Sheira's fists tightened.
"I agree, let's head out." Aqua gestured for them to move, and Sheira rushed ahead.
It did not take them long to arrive near the throne room. The rows of guards lined the halls leading to the entrance, yet the trio did not care. Lira was finished the moment she had dared face both Aqua and Soleah at once.
"Stop right there. The council is convening right now; only authorized personnel is allowed in." One of the guards approached, yet as he recognized who he had stopped, his back straightened. "Forgive me, your highness. We were ordered to let you go through!"
He turned to his colleagues and gestured for them to clear the path for the trio.
"Good, I am surprised people still recognize me with this cute hair color~" Sheira giggled as she approached the entrance of the throne room.
"It's not like your face or body had changed physically, you know?"
"Still, you would think that a different hair color would at least raise some eyebrows?"
"I guess, but it's not as big a deal as you might think."
The trio of girls stopped right in front of the entrance and gestured to the guards to open the door.
With a quick salute, the duo of men leaned against the door and opened it just enough for the girls to pass.
"Thanks, boys, and be ready, you might need to catch someone~" Sheira giggled as they entered the room.
Not many times have I entered this place. She gathered her strength as she took in the scenery.
On the throne were her Mom and Dad. The carpet that led to the throne was lined with people who would act as witnesses; they were nobles and more prominent figures of the kingdom.
Next to the throne, other than her parents, stood five additional figures. They were the Council of Five, and the ones whose word was rather heavy.
One was a woman who wore a simple long white dress and a hood that covered the top part of her face; her long blonde hair flowed underneath it, and she was the Grand Cleric.
Second was a man whose appearance was nothing short of noble; his short white hair was styled and perfected, while his clothing was robes of the finest silk; he was the steward.
The third was a woman with long brown hair and emerald eyes; her expression was soft and kind, and she was the one who sat in the seat of the chairman.
And finally, the marshal was a tall elven male with short white hair and dull blue eyes; other than that, he wore a full general's uniform.
However, there was something they all shared. It was the lifeless expression; they were all under Lira's control.
Mom was right.
As the gathered masses noticed the intruding party, the room fell silent. Nobody spoke a word, yet that very silence was deafening. Lira, one who had so carelessly thought she had won, just had everyone she attempted to get rid of casually walk into the council meeting.
Her hands shook, and her anger was visible on her face.
However, just as she was about to speak, the King raised his hand. "I will now give word to the Queen Soleah of the Elven kingdom."
The quiet chatter erupted before stopping after the queen rose to her feet.
"Ladies and gentlemen of our proud nation. I, the Queen Soleah, have dire news: the Martial Champion, Azure Hallowshield, has disappeared!"
As those words left Soleah's lips, Lira's stance loosened. Perhaps Soleah had learned her place after all.
"The council has been gathered to decide if our most powerful fighter has betrayed us… and…"
She had to be quick. Despite the panicked expressions of everyone gathered, she continued, " However, I have reason to believe it was due to the foul play of someone whom we are supposed to trust with our lives!"
Lira's eyes widened as she slid her hand inside her dress.
"Lira, the Spymaster, and the Council have been compromised and have orchestrated the disappearance of our beloved champion!"