Our carriages rolled down a wide street. The impressive escort we had cleared the road rather effectively. I could see some curious onlookers on the side. I wondered if the Empire had announced that foreign delegations were arriving. The buildings we passed were made of bricks, wood and stone. They looked relatively nice but our route took us through the wealthier parts of the city.

It was late afternoon when we arrived at the palace. We passed through a gate and a small garden before arriving at a massive square. There was a lovely fountain in front of a truly magnificent building. The looks reminded me of gothic style architecture. It was very ornate with pointed arches and featured gargoyles as decorations. I wondered if those were magical. They could be golems used for defence. I could also see large stained glass windows.

A lot of staff and guards were assembled in front of the palace. Even some trumpets sounded as we arrived. It looked like they had gone all out for our arrival. They had a personal butler for each carriage. I watched as a man approached our ride and opened the door. He bowed and welcomed us to the palace. Behind him were three maids who were introduced as our personal servants during our stay. I could see the ornate slave collars they wore. Unfortunately I would not be able to free them. In the Empire my power was just not big enough to get away with that.

We were led to our quarters through a large hallway. Pictures decorated the walls showing scenes of battles. I wondered if they told the tale of the Empire’s past conquest. An interesting choice of decoration for a guest wing. Our quarters were rather massive. We had a section for our guards, a section for our maids and of course private rooms for Lucy, Loriel, Elnora and myself. They even came with their own bathrooms. There was a living room with a fireplace and bar area. We had a kitchen with a dinner table for ten and a balcony overseeing one of the palace gardens. Our quarters were on the first floor.

We started by thoroughly searching our accommodations for any surprises. Elnora pulled several tools from her storage and went to work. Meanwhile I used the spell true sight, it should be even more powerful then my Eyes of the Fey. Interestingly we did not find anything. Loriel, Lucy and myself met in the living room after our search.

“Do you think they found a way to listen to us that we can’t detect?” I asked Loriel.

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“Doubtful. We can pierce the illusions of an archmage. I think the carriage might have been a test. They had an easy excuse ready, calling it a messaging spell. They could have also blamed it on a local official being nosy. Since they did not get away with it they did not bother with our rooms. But the maids and butler they offered us are certainly going to report everything they hear. That is also why their maids share quarters with our maids I assume.”

“But the maids are slaves.” Lucy pointed out. “They might be forced to report things but most likely they won’t be in favour of the Empire. That makes them somewhat unreliable as spies, does it not?”

“It depends on how much they fear punishment. Or how much they have been brainwashed. If they were enslaved young they might have been raised under the impression that their masters are superior beings and must be obeyed.” Loriel explained.

That was a valid point unfortunately. One should never underestimate the power of brainwashing. After some thought I covered us in a privacy spell. “How soundproof are the walls? Aside from magic they could still spy the old fashioned way. They could even have secret passages behind the walls to listen in. There are ways to magically enhance your hearing too.”

“You make an excellent point.” Loriel said. “Good thinking with the privacy spell. We should try to not discuss anything too vital without it. Elnora will lead the true investigation. You two can be a distraction. Walk around openly, ask annoying questions and stick your noses into everything without causing a true incident. I expect that we will be here for at least a week. They will start with a welcoming party tonight. The Emperor is unlikely to even show up today. They will also try to meet with the delegations separately before any real talks start. Playing politics is my role so you can send them to me.”

“So we are the loud distraction, you are the diplomat and Elnora is handling the sneaky stuff.” Lucy confirmed.

Loriel looked thoughtful. “Try not to be too loud…”

I smiled. “No worries, we got this.”

Now Loriel looked a bit concerned. I had no intention of starting a true fight. I wondered if the Empire would try to provoke us though.

“Shall we explore the palace? Or wait till tomorrow?” I wondered.

“I expect that they will invite us to a welcoming party soon. You should have more time for exploration tomorrow.” Loriel said.

“Let’s wait for the party then. Meanwhile, I will search this kitchen for snacks.” I noticed earlier that our kitchen came stocked. It even had a magical fridge.

“You are supposed to have the maids bring the food to you.” Loriel pointed out. She still followed me though.

So the three of us ended up in the kitchen with me preparing sandwiches. I dropped the privacy spell and we had a more mundane conversation. We were still in the kitchen when the invite to the party arrived.