Rulu rose to his feet. The Suzaku Guard Captain opened the door and led him out of the room. The moment the two stepped outside, a middle-aged woman with golden hair emerged from behind a folding screen at the back of the room. Lord Euphemia turned and looked at her with an inquiring gaze. "Lady Jessica," she said, "you heard everything Mr. Qin just said, didn't you? What do you make of it?"
Lady Jessica adjusted her glasses and said pensively, "The young man is certainly gifted with both wisdom and ability. His proposal is indeed worth trying. However, he comes from outside the Sanctuary, and we have yet to confirm his identity — I can't quite bring myself to fully trust him."
Euphemia said, "I find Mr. Qin rather reassuring, actually. He was the one who saved us before. I don't think he would do anything to harm me."
Lady Jessica said, "You make a fair point, Lord Euphemia. The other imperial family members are pressing us hard, and I've heard that His Majesty the Emperor is watching this matter as well. We have no time to spare. If there's no better option, we'll have no choice but to follow what that fellow suggested."
A few mornings later, in Euphemia's study, four people had gathered: Euphemia, the Suzaku Guard Captain, Lady Jessica, and Rulu. Euphemia still sat at her desk, hunched forward with one hand propping the side of her face, lost in thought, a look of deep worry etched across her expression.
The Suzaku Guard Captain, Rulu, and Lady Jessica stood to one side. Rulu's appearance was particularly striking — he was dressed in a black uniform, holding a silver staff, wearing a pointed tall hat, and sporting a pair of black-framed glasses.
Lady Jessica addressed Rulu with grave seriousness: "Mr. Qin, in a moment you will attend the meeting alongside the Suzaku Guard Captain, both of you acting as attendants to Lord Euphemia. Your only task is to identify the one behind the scenes. Do not get involved in anything else whatsoever. Is that understood?"
"Of course I understand — you've said all this many times already," Rulu replied, and whether it was intentional or not, his tone carried a noticeably casual air.
Lady Jessica felt that Rulu's attitude was insufficiently serious, and she pressed him with a firmer voice: "You must be careful, Mr. Qin. Everyone attending this meeting is an imperial family member of the Sanctuary — princes and princesses, essentially all of them. When you meet them shortly, you must remain composed and respectful at all times, or you could face severe punishment."
Rulu still wore that nonchalant expression as he replied, "What does it matter? These so-called princes and princesses are here to seize Lord Euphemia's domain. The mastermind behind the Hydra is likely hiding among them. They are enemies of Lord Euphemia — there's no need to stand on ceremony with people like that."
Lady Jessica was momentarily taken aback. Though she felt Rulu had a point, she kept her expression stern and scolded him: "Mr. Qin Lulu, we are attending this meeting as representatives of Lord Euphemia. Our every word and action reflects on Lord Euphemia's standing within the Sanctuary. A single misspoken word could cause her serious harm. I expect you to keep your conduct in check, or you will not be permitted to attend."
At that, Rulu became a touch more serious. He dropped the careless smile from his face and said in a calm, measured tone: "Rest assured, Lady Jessica. I would do nothing to harm Lord Euphemia. I am attending this meeting to find the one responsible for the Hydra incident and help Lord Euphemia out of this crisis. Everything I do will be guided by that purpose."
Only then did Lady Jessica seem somewhat satisfied. She gave a nod and said, "Good. I hope you keep those words in mind."
After a short while, Lady Jessica felt the time had come. She stepped before Euphemia and bowed. "Lord Euphemia, the meeting is about to begin. The guests should all be seated by now. We ought to set off."
"Ah — it's time already." Euphemia seemed to snap out of a daze and slowly rose to her feet, her expression a little unfocused, visibly tense.
Lady Jessica noticed that Euphemia seemed out of sorts and quickly said in a gentle voice, "Please don't worry too much, Lord Euphemia. You must stay calm. I will help you take care of everything."
"I understand." Euphemia said, walking slowly toward the door. Then, as if something had just come to her, she stopped and asked: "Has my sister arrived? Will she be attending the meeting?"
Lady Jessica said, "According to the information I just received, Lord Cornelia is still away from the Sanctuary on business. It appears she will not be attending."
"I see…" A look of disappointment crossed Lord Euphemia's face. The four of them then left the study together, making their way through the palace until they arrived at a spacious, well-lit conference room.
By then, some thirty to forty people were already seated along the long conference table — men and women, young and old alike. As Euphemia and her party entered, every pair of eyes in the room turned immediately toward the four newcomers.
Suddenly, a man at the table rose from his seat and walked toward Euphemia at an unhurried pace. Rulu studied him: the man had refined, handsome features, and appeared to be around forty years of age. He wore white from head to toe and had a head of curling, pale golden hair. He carried an elegant smile as he came to a stop before Euphemia.
At his arrival, Lady Jessica and the Suzaku Guard Captain quickly bowed in greeting. Euphemia's face broke into a bright smile. "Prince Shunaizel," she said to the man, "I didn't expect you to come to this meeting — what a surprise."
Shunaizel's smile was warm and easy, his voice bright and clear. "It's been a long time, Euphemia. I heard you had some trouble here recently, so I came to see for myself. You look far more worn out than before — you must have been exhausted lately. Please do take care of yourself."
"Thank you for your concern, brother. I'm fine — please don't worry about me."
Shunaizel gave a nod. Then he sensed someone staring at him and shifted his gaze past Euphemia to a young man standing behind her, wearing black-framed glasses. Something about the way this young man was looking at him felt strange. With a mild smile, Shunaizel said, "Euphemia, this attendant of yours looks quite young. Is he a newly taken-on aide?"
Euphemia was slightly caught off guard. Lady Jessica noticed that Rulu's gaze toward Shunaizel had been rather impolite, and she quickly stepped in with an apologetic smile: "We are terribly sorry. His name is Qin Lulu — he only recently entered Lord Euphemia's service and is not yet acquainted with Your Highness Prince Shunaizel."
Having said this, she immediately leaned close to Rulu's ear and whispered hurriedly: "Quickly — apologize to His Highness Prince Shunaizel."
Rulu, however, seemed not to have heard her. A peculiar smile spread across his face as he said to Shunaizel: "His Highness Prince Shunaizel, the 206th imperial prince — what a fortune to meet you here. You are, after all, the prince most favored by the Sanctuary's Emperor at present — one might say the second most powerful person in the Sanctuary after the Emperor himself."
Shunaizel blinked. An attendant beside him, sensing a mocking undertone in Rulu's words, shot Rulu a sharp glare and snapped: "Insolence! How dare you show such disrespect to His Highness Prince Shunaizel!"
Shunaizel waved a hand, signaling his subordinate to be quiet. He studied Rulu carefully, puzzled as to how a mere attendant could have the audacity to speak to him so flippantly. He had half a mind to put this presumptuous young man in his place — yet something about Rulu's appearance nagged at him, as though he had seen this face somewhere before, though he could not for the life of him recall where.