7th Muriel, 1093

Amidst cheers from an excited populous, the royal caravan leisurely trotted along the road, flanked on either side by terrifying, raptor-like mana beasts. These beasts, which were twice the height of a regular human, possessed robust bodies, protected by tough scales, and black bony appendages that made them a nightmare when they chose to ram into anything.

Riding these beasts were the Royal Guard in intimidating full plated armor that made it near impossible to guess the identity of the individual. If it were not for a few individuals whose racial genes were so strong that their legs retained the tell-tale incline at the knees, it would also have been impossible to guess their races.

However, neither the fanfare nor the imposing guards managed to draw King Vermillion's attention. Instead, it was captured by the oddly comfortable road on which the carriages traveled. His eyes portrayed slight interest as he marveled at the interlocking stones joined together by thinly laid dark grey materials. "So this is the asphalt I have heard so much about. Exclusive to Serisis."

To his side, Princess Chu Ming revealed a wry smile. "This one must really be lacking, for His Majesty to find more interest in pebbles and stones."

"Ah, my apologies," King Vermillion apologized with a guilty smile. "I admit I am a bit tongue-tied. Your Grace's beauty puts the heavens to shame."

"Ara, it would seem Your Majesty is well versed in flattery," Princess Ming praised with a light chuckle, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Her voice was like a timeless classic symphony, soft and unhurried, gently caressing the ears of its listeners. "I am a tad bit jealous of Rosendun's fair maidens who get to enjoy such flattery daily."

"Haha, were it only so, Your Grace," King Vermillion teased. "Alas, my chamberlain and mirror are the sole portents of my flattery."

"Oh?" Princess Ming's brow rose. "How about the fair lady you arrived with? I daresay a thousand beautiful poems wouldn't do her justice."

"Ms. Lightwood? Indeed, Your Grace is right. A thousand poems would not do her justice. On the contrary, one single word describes her in entirety."

Princess Ming's hand, which had kept waving to the crowd, faltered for a second, her eyes revealing her increased intrigue. "Oh? What word is this, pray tell?"

"Competent," King Vermillion replied with a firm grin. "She is competent to the degree it is scary. I would happily sell my entire court for her permanent services."

Princess Ming covered her mouth with a fan, but her eyes exposed her shock. "Is she that good?"

"Ah," King Vermillion affirmed. "Were it she was just good." He paused as a nostalgic memory flitted across his mind. "Do you remember Ms. Frackt?"

Princess Ming chuckled behind her fan. "I recall she spanked your bare bottom for stealing into the ladies' dressing room."

Ms. Frackt was the former Royal Nanny of the Rosendun kingdom. She was a wizened halben who had watched over the growth of the previous king and all his children. She was a scary woman who was well versed in politics, linguistics, swordplay, magic, archery.

If there were something the royal brats did not understand, Ms. Frackt would solve it. Unfortunately, she perished along with the royal family during the drakul's raid.

"Fu..." King Vermillion let out an embarrassed chuckle. "Why was that the memory you picked?"

"What can I say, it isn't every day a lady gets to witness a prince's spanking. Leaves an impression."

King Vermillion shook his head in defeat. "My embarrassing episode aside, you recall how no one cared about whether she was ugly or not. Nor did anyone mid the scar down her face. That was a result of competence that puts beauty to the back seat." His expression adopted mock fear as he gazed into Princess Ming's eyes with an exaggeratedly grave gaze and whispered. "I did not say this, but Ms. Lightwood is ten times scarier than Ms. Frackt. Do you still think I would dare flatter her?"

"Pu!" Caught off-guard, Princess Chu Ming could not hold the laughter that bubbled up her throat. Thankfully she had the fan to cover her lips. Else she might have shown the people an unsightly expression.

King Vermillion's expression relaxed at the lady's shaking shoulders. "I must say, I am delighted to finally witness Your Grace's true smile, if only for a second." He shook his head as Princess Chu Ming suddenly flinched, her smile once more coming under control. "I remember, as children, your laugh was like an ocean, capable of soothing even the hottest of hearts."

Princess Chu Ming's smile never broke as she replied, "Your Majesty embarrasses this one. I am afraid that was but the rambunctiousness of ignorant youth. I implore your Majesty to please toss away such useless memories."

King Vermillion felt his heart sink at the renewed, controlled smile. If you asked ten men, eleven would proclaim her smile, the most beautiful thing they and ever seen. But alas, to him who had seen the real deal, this controlled version just felt lacking. Sighing heavily, King Vermillion lamented the sacrifices of those in the royal family. "I understand. We both have the expectations of countries on our shoulders, and hence every move has to be a calculated one. We cannot laugh, cry, or show any emotion which does not serve a particular purpose."

"This one feels such a trifle level of sacrifice is only fair considering the vast favor we receive from the people, and thus our duty to them."

King Vermillion's eyes lit up with a pleased expression. "I see that part of you has not changed. Your Grace still holds the people dear to her heart." With a slight shake of the head, he continued, "But maybe it is because I spent so many years away from the court; I often find myself yearning for the few moments when I can let loose and be myself." He searched her eyes for any reaction as he asked, "Does Your Grace ever feel the same?"

Princess Chu Ming's eyes betrayed nothing as she calmly refuted, "Unfortunately, this one has never felt discomfort in carrying out her duty."

"Haha," King Vermillion laughed heartily at her response. "I suppose then that Your Grace is a much better person than I am."

Princess Chu Ming shook her head with a wry smile hidden behind her fan. "This one does not agree with that statement." At King Vermillion's raised brow, she explained, "At the very least, this one does not have the confidence to continue working for a cause even through discomfort. In that, I truly admire Your Majesty, who can earnestly work for his people even though you suffer by yourself. At least, in that, of the people this one knows, only my sister and father have those kinds of convictions as rulers."

"Ho... and as always, Little Ming sells herself short."

Princess Chu Ming's eyes flashed with a rare hint of defiance. "This one does not think that is appropriate."

"Why not?" King Vermillion chuckled, enjoying the Princess's reaction. "If everything goes as planned, then Little Ming and I will be married shortly." He leaned closer with a teasing tone. "Don't you think it's a little distant to be using polite speech at this point?"

Princess Chu Ming rolled her eyes. "It is as Your Majesty said: If everything goes as planned. We have yet even to be engaged. It would not do to appear too close at this moment. A level of decorum must be maintained."

"Haha, it feels like becoming a king was worth it if I get to listen to Little Ming's lectures." He pretended not to notice Princess Chu Ming's glare. "We can let those stuffy adults sort out politics. We don't have to be embroiled in that, do we?"

"May I remind Your Majesty that you are now one of those stuffy adults," Princess Chu Ming countered with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Ack!" King Vermillion touched his face with abject horror in his eyes. "Me? This handsome me is now a stuffy adult?" He let out a defeated sigh, but then his eyes brightened. "Hey, if I'm now one of those stuffy adults, isn't it fine for me to call you Little Ming?"

"This one sees His Majesty is determined to do away with formal speech even if it means spouting nonsense."

King Vermillion chuckled. "Careful Little Ming, you slipped at the end of that one."

Princess Chu Ming shot him a reproachful glare but then sighed in defeat. "Fine, as long as we are not in public, I will loosen my attitude. Is that fine... Parissius-sama?"

Paris grinned, enjoying his small victory. "While I would prefer you drop the sius-sama, I suppose Jatakem wasn't built in a day. I look forward to working with you, Little Ming."

Chu Ming frowned. "At the very least, please call me Chu Ming."

"De-nied."

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While King Vermillion and the first Princess Chu Ming further acquainted themselves, Leila absentmindedly scratched a content Hogosha behind his ears as she observed the passing scenery. Her gaze traveled from the interlocked tiles on the road to the clay and brick buildings. The reason why she was so shocked was that between the bricks, she could see the tell-tale grey where cement was used to hold the individual bricks together, and the asphalt shingles which were used as the roof for most of these buildings.

From the poorly finished works, Leila surmised these were all handmade, a conclusion that left her even more perplexed. To the best of her knowledge, most commoners' homes in other countries were also handmade, with the stark difference being that they were usually either made from straw or wattle and daub, with thatched roofs. Most major constructions were done through Gerber, with the evidence of his expertise being the complete lack of cracks in the projects he created (except explicitly requested by the craftsman).

Leila could not help but find a newfound respect for the people of Serisis. Within a few decades, they would most likely be the country to boost the industrial sector, similar to London in the 1800s. Her only cause for concern was if Serisis had naturally occurring asphalt deposits or if its citizens had somehow found a way to refine petroleum. The former would come up in the negotiations if so, but the latter was utterly terrifying. That would mean these people were too far ahead in civilization compared to the other countries.

But then Leila shook her head. If these people had such an ability, grass or not, they would never have fallen into such a deplorable state. So it was safe to assume they had natural bitumen (asphalt) deposits, and quite sizable ones at that if they were freely used to pave roads and in the construction of commoners' homes. Leila sank into her thoughts as buildings gently passed her by.

From what she could gather, the people of Serisis must have been too poor to hire those magic craftsmen who could call on Gerber. When even a guild like the Hopeful Maggots, while funded by the Royal Crown, could barely afford a few dozen, it could be imagined how impossible it would have been for the people of Serisis to afford them. To prevent themselves from ending up in the stomachs of those mana beasts, the Serians could only blindly fumble their way through and advance their construction methods without the aid of Gerber.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

It just seemed like the rest of the continent had not noticed the value in this. Well, Leila could not blame them. Since they could hire artisans to summon Gerber, why would they pay attention to manual workers?

Leila's eyes flashed as she worked out various ways to make this work to Rosendun's favor. Okay, first she needed to find out the size of their deposits and what other natural deposits they had. She knew the style of game developers. They would never make a specific place entirely without value, especially not an area the size of a country.

Serisis was a hidden gem, and it was Leila’s job now to carefully brush away the layers of stone and dust to find the true beauty hidden within.

The Vice-Guild Master of the Hopeful Maggots could not help but reveal a smile as renewed enthusiasm sparked her eyes. It seemed this trip would be much more fun than she had initially anticipated. Either way, it was early Sunday morning in the real world, so she had approximately five days before she had to log-off and prepare for school.

Leila decided.

Within five days, she would devour this nation.

At this point, Leila felt the carriage come to a stop. Only then did she realize she had drifted off and wondered how much time had passed. She lifted the curtains on her window and could not help but raise a brow in surprise.

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of an impressive three-story manor that reminded her of old British buildings. The estate was shaped in a horizontal 'I——I' formation with a massive clock tower towering over the south-west wing. What further threw her was that this building was handmade, and the walls were lime-washed with a humble dark grey coating.

A chamberlain garbed in deerskin opened the carriage door with a proud expression. "Welcome, Ms. Lightwood, to Redmont Citadel, home to the Esteemed Royal Family."

Ms. Lightwood did a double-take as she stepped down from the carriage, her eyes staring in disbelief at the chamberlain.

The chamberlain seemed to be used to this reaction as he proclaimed, "For generations, the Chu Family has inhabited this humble manor to remind themselves that no matter how high they may fly, they are originally creatures of the earth, and hence should not forget those who grant them the winds their wings beat upon."

Ms. Lightwood nodded in appreciation even though she heavily disagreed in her heart. In her mind, the leader of the people needed to be an unreachable existence almost akin to a god as only a mixed blend of fear and respect can guarantee a stable rule. If one or the other were missing, the nation would inevitably crumble.

Ms. Lightwood took a fleeting glance around the compound. As she expected, although the manor itself was small and unassuming, the surroundings were majestically ordained with resplendent statues, fake, but beautiful grass, and shrubbery with tamed mana beasts lazing around under the sun. She could not see the back of the building, but she could imagine there would be even more sights befitting a royal palace there.

However, Ms. Lightwood's thoughts seized when she saw King Chu Tianjo at the manor's main door with King Parissius Vermillion, and Princess Chu Ming engaged in light conversation. She took in the fervent, but forcefully subdued gazes with which the guards and servants regarded these three then shook her head. She had almost forgotten. The house's construction did not matter.

After all, the National Diet Building, White House, and Blue House were not entirely groundbreaking structures. Having them cut off from the public and the figures residing in those buildings was enough to raise their symbolism in the public eye to another level. She supposed in that regard, this building did pass all the qualifications. Even though to her and other city folks, this building was relatively lacking, in the eyes of the citizens, it was a symbol of power and authority.

"A worthy lesson I will endeavor not to forget again," Ms. Lightwood mumbled as she walked up a few steps that preceded the manor doors.

King Chu Tiuanjo smiled at this formidable woman, wondering how such terrible planning could come from a girl so young. "We welcome you to our home. It is late, and we know you must be tired from the journey. The servants will show you to your rooms. It is our wish that you rest. We can begin negotiations tomorrow after you have fully rested." With the king's words, a few servants stepped forward and urged the ministers to follow them.

Simultaneously, a separate regiment showed the Royal Bodyguards to their king's bedroom to conduct a preliminary security sweep. That is except two silent tanned men whose presence was almost difficult to detect, standing just a couple of feet behind the king.

Ms. Lightwood curtsied to King Chu and was about to leave when the king expressed his wishes for her to join them for supper later in the evening. She gave her promise, curtsied once more, then followed a female servant to what was to be her quarters. Along the way, she could not help but marvel at the building's interiors.

Although tapestry was rare, the coating on the floors and walls were really well done, giving the building an archaic yet majestic look that made one feel like they were walking in the halls of ancient gods long since past.

Not to be discouraged by the lack of paper and parchments, the Serians used burnt sand of different colors to enact beautiful stories on the walls and high ceilings, which added an ethereal feel to the building. Leila was sure that in the real world, this building would flourish as a tourist attraction center.

The servant led her up a flight of stairs to the second floor of the west wing. Upon reaching a particular door, she opened it then stepped inside, beckoning Leila to follow. Leila entered the room, briefly taking in the homely atmosphere in the medium-sized room.

The maid showed the bathroom, explaining that if Leila wished for hot water, she could summon a servant, most of whom are at least versed in low-level magic. She then explained that a servant would always be close to Leila's room at all times, so should Leila have any requests, there would always be someone nearby to tend to her.

"Dinner is at seven," the maid explained as she stepped out of the room. "A servant will come and show you to the dining hall. Please rest in the meantime."

Leila waited till the maid shut the door behind her, then exchanged her formal dress for loose-fitting pants and a shirt. She climbed onto the bed, then turned to Hogosha, who sat at the foot and muttered, "Wake me in three hours."

The Nespian tiger sat straight by the bed, eyes fixed on the door. "As you command."

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Three hours later, Leila felt a weight on her face, and lazily opened her eyes. A small smile lit her face when she saw Hogosha staring at her, his paw resting on her face.

"It is time, boss."

"Mm." Leila mumbled as she rose from the bed. She swiped through her inventory, eventually deciding on a light grey gown, with matching elbow-length gloves. Times like these, she just loved that this was a game, and she did not have to go through the stress of putting these on manually. She lightly accessorized with a humble necklace, then strode over to a man-sized mirror to see how she looked.

With a slightly fatigued expression, she mumbled, "Up or down?" as she toyed with her hair.

"If I may, I prefer it when boss lets down her hair."

Leila gazed at Hogosha, then smiled. "Down it is then." She combed her hair to get rid of traces of bed hair then turned to the door as a knock resounded. With a sigh, she placed the comb in her inventory. "You may enter."

The same servant who showed her around in the afternoon once again stepped into the room. The little midi woman froze upon seeing Ms. Lightwood. "M-m-iss." She struggled to get the words out, stunned by the ephemeral beauty before her. She did not know if it was because of the slight traces of sleepiness still apparent in the wisben's demeanor or the traces of vulnerability in her eyes, but it was such a gap from earlier that she could not help but take a second to recollect herself. "Miss, the king requests your presence for dinner."

Leila nodded then closed her eyes. The next time she opened them, all traces of fatigue disappeared from her features, her eyes once more regaining their threatening bite. She patted Hogosha, ruffling his ears a little. "I'll ask them to bring something for you."

Hogosha growled then lay on the floor.

The maid glanced at the sleeping tiger as she led Leila out of the room, wondering just how much meat such a mighty beast would need before it was satisfied.

As Leila followed the midi, her gaze was once again drawn to the murals on the walls and ceilings. The first time around, she was too tired to pay attention. Now, she could appreciate the murals enough to identify them as connecting tales of Serian legends and kings. Unfortunately, she did not have much time to truly study them as the maid maintained a steady pace ahead of her, which she was forced to match.

The maid led them down to the east wing on the first floor, where they stopped in front of rare mahogany doors. The guards at the door nodded, granting permission. The maid pushed the right door open, then stepped aside. She then bowed and announced in a loud voice. "Ms. Leila Lightwood of Rosendun."

Ms. Lightwood stepped into the dining hall, her figure immediately drawing the attention of the people seated around a rectangular table, which could sit eleven people, five-a-side, with only one head.

The dining hall was quite quaint, small even by royal standards, its only source of lighting a pair of candleholders on the dining table and a few lanterns hanging overhead. Coupled with the dark red theme of the curtains, walls, chairs, and tablecloths, the hall had a homely close-knit atmosphere to it.

Ms. Lightwood surmised this must be the private family dinner table. A hypothesis strengthened by the six people seated at the table: His Majesty Chu Tianjo at the head, with King Vermillion to his immediate left, and Princess Chu Ming to his immediate right. The next spaces after both the Princess and King Vermillion were empty, evidently reserved for some guests.

After the empty spaces, the next two at each end were occupied by the Majesty's extended family consisting of his junior brother General Chu Tianku, his wife Chu Xie, and his two sons, thirty-year-old Chu Yao and thirty-five-year-old Chu Wu.

Ms. Lightwood curtsied and offered her greetings, which was warmly welcomed by the king. He immediately invited her to sit next to King Vermillion, which placed her on the same row as General Tianku and his eldest son Chu Wu.

Ms. Lightwood answered some polite questions about her trip and if she rested well, acquainting herself with Chu Xie. Just when she was about to inquire of King Vermillion, whose seat was empty, a chamberlain stepped into the dining room and announced.

"Second Princess Chu Ling!"

Ms. Lightwood's eyes widened as immediately as the entire room seemed to rise a few temperatures. These dignitaries all tensed or flinched in one way or another, including King Vermillion. She could not tear her eyes from the door in amazement at who could cause such a reaction.

She did not have to wait long.

A red-haired beauty clad in rough leather armor that clung to her like a second skin confidently strode into the room; a tattered cape slung around her shoulders. The beauty whose rough, disheveled hair reached the nape of her neck, cast severe, burning gazes at the people gathered in the room.

Dark brown eyes lit up when they landed on King Vermillion. "Heeh? The little brat’s grown into a nice looking King."

While the entire room froze at the contemptuous words, Ms. Lightwood's eyes were drawn to the tail that was perked upwards in excitement. Her eyes widened as she realized this woman was a half-human half-midi hybrid.