Jeremiah’s home was away from the city, behind the mansion, deeper into the forest. It was in total seclusion. Iris sighed as she laid her eye on the abode. She should get used to seeing grand and over-the-top homes. She ignored it and turned her attention to Diantha, sitting opposite her.

“Is Felix alright?” Iris asked.

“He has physically healed; as for his mind, I do not know. Today, I’ll see him for the first time since the opening ceremony."

“I hope he’s fine,” Iris noted, Diantha’s fist shuffling and clenching. “Are you worried?”

“I am. Felix has not met Jeremiah once, and neither did Jeremiah care to take any interest. Felix has lived most of his life in Sangfroid and then at my home. It is concerning that Jeremiah took him in now when Felix is at his worst."

“What kind of man is Jeremiah?"

“Ambitious, he cared little for the world as long as he climbed the ladder to reach higher. He has been trying to make me agree to a marriage with him and, in due time, take the seat in the Court of Laks for himself. But he has the strength, so I cannot throw him away. That was the case, but if he fails to recover from this incident, he can bet I will transfer him to the frontline, where he can hope to find peace, let alone power." Diantha stated—nonchalantly.

“I thought you showed kindness to everyone." Even someone like her, but she did not say that part.

“I’m this empire’s worst noble—my hands are muddy in the blood of more nobles than anyone in history. I am not as kind as you may think, neither am I kind to everyone. He is not deserving of any kindness. The only reason he lives is because he is strong, otherwise, I would have his head.”

“What has he done?"

“You shouldn’t know, but his action left too many people in a tragic state. What is it? I hope you do not find it. You will heed my advice, will you not?"

Iris nodded. She could keep her mind away from one more mess, especially when she would be useless in any situation. “What does he hope to gain from Felix?"

“If I had to make a guess... Have him court someone of the royal lineage. If not, then I am as lost as you are."

The carriage stopped, and a young man greeted them. Diantha climbed down the Carriage. Iris walked behind Diantha. It was a chalky, empty hall where they were left to stand.

“Please wait here, Lady Lancaster. Lord Jeremiah will be here in a minute."

In silence, Iris couldn’t help but wonder: What was she thinking, coming here without any guards? At least Iris herself was with her.

After another minute, Iris yawned. She was still exhausted. “He is slow,"

“He is doing it intentionally to show us he can do whatever he wants,” Diantha mused, and he adjusted to a more comfortable position.

“Doesn’t that mean he has healed?"

“It seems so,” Diantha turned to her, “or his pride bars him from comprehending his predicament."

“Either way, I feel good about spitting on him,” Iris smiled. Now, the situation felt hilarious, even if a little dishonest.

“You did what?” Diantha asked, her brows reaching for her hair. A smile spread on her masked face.

“I was trying to spit on the unassuming boy, but it landed on this guy,” Iris said, looking at Jeremiah, who tried to squeeze through the small door on the opposite side of where they came in. The first level 6 that she has ever met. Iris wondered how strong she was in comparison to this man. She patted Winny on her head. Yeah, she was not interested.

“Haha,” Diantha said, covering her mouth, but it escaped, filling the

Jeremiah walked in, his chest puffed, his face forming an aggravated expression, and his lips muttering ever so lightly. Words failed to reach her ears. “Greetings, Miss Diantha,” he said as his giant stature plopped on the chair that weirdly failed to shatter under his weight. Jeremiah was huge, both in height and width.

He did not give her even a passing glance. Diantha’s lips twitched, but she held back. “Greetings. Where is Felix?” She asked, her eyes narrowing.

“He is busy with his training; I have left that worthless fool unattended for far too long—about time, he learns how to maintain his face,” he said proudly. His unattended blonde hair stuck wetly to his face.

“Still, tell him I’m here to see him. I will confirm his condition with my own eyes." Diantha straightened, folding her arms.

“I’m afraid that is not possible." He smirked as if asking what could she do to tell him otherwise.

“You’re pushing your luck, Jeremiah." Diantha let out a breath. She was responding to his taunts.

“Am I?”

“Are you not grateful? If not for me, you would be dead,” Iris intoned, a little curious about what he thought of that situation. He finally glanced at her, his frown deepened, and then he sighed.

“Ah, was it you who saved my ass? You've got my gratitude, but your presence is awfully weak. I failed to register you." He said it as an afterthought before his eyes trained on Diantha again.

“Take this as a final chance—I no longer have any use of you, one out-of-line statement, and consider yourself back at Frontline,” Diantha warned, sending a shiver down her spine. It was the first time Iris heard her sound threatening. Iris wished her voice ranged to this degree. The glow in her eyes deepened. Jeremiah’s face flattered for a moment.

“Now, Now, Is this the best card you could find?” Jeremiah sighed as if disappointed. "Here, I was expecting to see the genius of the youngest Grand Duchess of Laks. What a disappointment."

Diantha looked at his performance, unimpressed. “You should attempt at conman, Jeremiah. I have finished my piece. Call in Felix."

“I shall, my lady,” Jeremiah ordered the maid. “What is your expectation of him?” He questioned.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Nothing. If Felix wishes to continue his duties as a knight, I will have him do that; otherwise, he can rest till he is prepared to take the next step of his life."

“So you just want to have a monopoly over him? Name the price. I’ll have him freed of your paws,” Jeremiah worded—tightly, his eye narrowing, his fist clenched.

“I even fail to grasp what you’re saying. You should rest, Jeremiah; perhaps your mind has finally begun to lose hold of reality."

“I will not give you Felix,” Iris could’ve laughed, for he sounded like a whiny little dog. She wondered where his boisterousness went. Was the frontline a labyrinth?

“I am not here to take him. Just to see his condition, but if he wishes to accompany me back, you will not be able to stop him,” Diantha glanced at Iris. She was observing their conversation with interest.

“He will stay—” His rising tone was cut off by a loud thump! As the maid slammed open the door.

The maid walked in, hurried and shaken, a piece of paper clenched in her hand. “Young Master is not in his room, and I found this letter."

Diantha snatched that letter before anyone, unfurled it, and then she looked at Jeremiah. He smirking. “Jeremiah!!”

The sword materialized in his hand, and he swung it in an arc, expecting to take out Diantha and Iris in one swing.

The next moment, blood splattered, staining the room in red, the maid shrieked in horror.

Jeremiah’s body burst into a bloody pulp. A round spinning object continued to hole through the mansion and deep into the forest before bursting, creating a creator with an ear-splitting boom! The forest was dyed in purple as the thunder razed everything around it in dust.

Diantha stood frozen in her place, clutching the now-red letter. Blood dripped off her clothes. Iris sat on the sofa, covered in blood. She saw nothing, her clothes vanished. Iris—the instant felt his mana shift—channelled every ounce of mana she had into Weaver’s orb and shoved it forward like a bullet made of Rend Lightning. She couldn’t control its trajectory, but she was sure it would not meet lifeform in its path.

“What happened?” Diantha mumbled, her eyes narrowing. Her hand clutching as if she was grabbing something.

“He was attempting to kill you—this was the only thing I could do. What happened to Felix?”

“Eight of the Greater Labyrinth, the person invited to Eight of the Greater Labyrinth, took Felix with him."

“Do you know who that was?” Iris asked, wiping off the blood from her face. She felt ugly.

“Of course not; you’re the only one who will tell others about Labyrinth. People always take that secret to the grave,” Diantha sighed.

“Natasha…” Diantha whispered, “Knight!" exclaimed Diantha as she removed her ring. “Find and protect Natasha!” Her voice echoed throughout the city. Followed by every knight on and off duty rushing out.

“Let’s go…” Diantha stared at Iris’s condition, “Can you get me some clothes, and where is the washroom? Natasha is most likely their next candidate,” Diantha sighed.

“Should we not follow them?” Iris asked. Was washing off blood really more important?

“No… she would be gone now if they wished to take her. With Lady Ilona here, they probably planned for this circumstance. And you or me rushing would do no good. Lady Ilona now knows of this incident.”

….

Iris conjured her clothes once she was cleaned. Her vision had returned by the time they reached the washroom. Diantha questioned how she recovered so quickly.

So she explained that she could recover fast naturally, but the mana shoved out of her by use of darkness slowly recovered. It was complicated, but the Darkness element and Mana somehow hated each other.

Right now, they were making way for Natasha’s abode.

“Did Felix leave on his own?" Iris asked.

“Of course, the letter would suggest that. But I know it was Jeremiah’s doing. And that is the least worrying part: Jeremiah is dead. It would be another mess to handle,” Diantha sighed.

The knights were present, with their shoulders slumped. When they climbed off, one of the knights stepped forward and handed Diantha a letter. Diantha read it with a complicated expression, crumpled the letter and threw it down. “She’s gone,” Diantha replied, distant. Her shoulder slumped in defeat.

Iris picked up the letter; it had a single sentence.

I’m going with Felix.

“How did they move so fast?” Unless they knew where Diantha would be and went around her.

Dianthe let out another suffering sigh: “That does it; we cannot find someone who is in Labyrinth. I hope Felix will be fine."

“A hell awaits him. We can only hope that he has the strength to persevere." Iris looked up at the sky. Why did he agree? Did he hope to gain strength? Did he not see her condition, or did he think strength would heal all his wounds? The only respite was that, at least, the one taking him to Labyrinth had a Dias, the artefact that allowed the wanderer to go in and out of Labyrinth and take anyone with them. She fell into the labyrinth by accident. She had no such artefact, so she had to survive inside the hell all these years alone. She received it for defeating Laydell.

They would have food. And rest. Perhaps Felix may even return one day to meet Diantha.

“Let’s go,” Diantha said. “We shall return to the mansion."

After returning to the mansion, Iris went to sleep. She felt exhausted. A week—she would need to recover.

…

Diantha’s mind sagged. She kept her appearance, in front of Iris, but having two of her children vanish just like that was painful. I am tired. She sighed for the hundredth time, it was only half a day. Her destination was her office. She needed to take care of things.

Diantha felt a chill down her spine as she opened the door. A cloaked figure stood in her office, a jester mask on its face. “An envoy of lost Mausies. I take it you’re here for Jasper,” Diantha spoke in a level voice, strode to her seat, and sat on her large, comfortable, yet abhorrent chair.

This envoy was unworthy of her complete attention. She needed to prepare for the meeting with Count Grisha of Emberstone Enclave for supply chains and further establish her business. She needed to go over the proposal. The count will be visiting next week.

“No, he is worthless. We are here for someone else." His voice was gruff. The envoy placed a token on her table. Diantha took a glance at the Sakuragi Empire’s insignia. Iris. “We are here for the Iris, who is carrying our princess’s sword and wearing her clothes."

Diantha sighed—she had already lost count. “You’ve come here, used a mythical artefact to hide your presence, only for something so foolish. This is Gracia, I will not hand over a single child until the day I breathe. Leave.”

“Are you aware of the consequences?” His aura flared—cold. He was an Ice element.

Another sigh.

“I have better use of my time than petty displays. State what you truly want." Diantha stared him down, her voice chilling, a touch colder than his ice.

“The research paper of Dr. Fenroy—we want it. We’ll leave Iris alone if you hand over those,” he said.

A tempting offer.

“No, ask your emperor to give his last daughter’s hand, and I’ll consider giving you those papers,” Diantha spoke and chuckled. She watched. Even below the mask, she could see his expression twisting.

“I have not taken you, Grand Duchess, to be the one to speak so crudely," Envoy whispered, holding back from attacking her.

“I am… vexed,” Diantha sighed, “everything that could go awry—has. Perhaps I, too, am prone to emotions. Regardless, I refuse. If you have nothing else, Leave.”

The shadow vanished, “If that is your final answer. Know that— the choices you make shall return to ask for the price,” leaving behind those words and the insignia carved in a red jade.

A mistake? Diantha chuckled, rang the bell on the table, and Viktor came.

“Ask Ver,” Diantha showed the jade, “to meet me in the compound and prepare a ritual circle to destroy the rune." Viktor nodded and left.

It was most likely a device of some sort, which may record her conversation to spy on her, or worse, a way to compromise the magic circle running beneath the mansion that safeguarded against most problems.

“A mess,” Diantha sighed, her head pounding in pain. I am tired. “I have to look at the meeting document at night." Jade was an immediate problem.