Along with helping them gain access to the biggest casino, Wilfred also sent over some clothes to help them fit in with everyone else there. Ed was wearing a tightly fitted black tuxedo with a dark red dress shirt, while Zara was wearing a floor-length evening gown with a thigh slit that was of the same shade of red.

Sitting in the car, the two would chat about some things, but most of the time was spent in comfortable silence enjoying each other’s company. Zara was still worried about Ed after what happened yesterday, he seemed to be doing fine now, but she still wanted to keep an eye on him just in case.

The car was heading to the palace instead of to the usual teleportation hub. The palace had a teleporter that was directly linked up to the casino. Not only would it save them time, but it was also a mark of their status. Very few people would be able to match them if they went through the palace’s teleporter.

After a while, the car parked itself in front of Elaine’s palace and the two got out. A servant came to pick them up and lead them to the teleporter. The palace was so big, and its layout was so confusing that Ed still hadn’t managed to fully wrap his head around it.

Under the guidance of the servant, the two passed by Elaine’s throne room on their way to the main palace. Just as they walked past, the door opened and out stepped Elaine, Lola, and Wilfred.

“Perfect timing,” Elaine said to Ed. “Come with us please. There will be a slight delay in your plans, but it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Oh?” Ed and Zara were both a bit surprised, but fell in naturally behind them. They had all day to spend at the casino. Losing a couple minutes in the morning wouldn’t affect them at all.

“May we know what you need us for, your Majesty?” Ed asked, hoping to prepare himself for whatever it was and roughly gauge how long it would take.

“We’re going to meet my father,” she said simply, but the words left Ed and Zara stunned.

What? Ed was completely shocked. He was even frozen in place for a moment, with the rest of the group going on without him. He shook his head and quickly caught up with them, but was still unable to believe it.

He never expected that he would meet her father at all. He was someone whose position, power, and status was so far removed from Ed’s that it didn’t seem possible for Ed to meet him at all. Yes, Ed worked for Lord Superbia’s daughter, so there was a chance of something like that happening, but it was still far too sensational for Ed to believe it.

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

Why would he be allowed to step foot in a room with someone who was essentially the god of pride. He honestly thought Elaine would have him thrown out of the estate temporarily just to appease her father.

As they got closer and closer to the main throne room, his head was filled with worries. Zara was also nervous too, but not as much as him. Ed was worried that he would get caught. He wasn’t dead like every other human. Lord Superbia might just kill him on the spot and banish his soul for all eternity.

Each step forward felt like he was marching closer to his death. He had no way to stand up to a god. He knew that very well. He had met two other gods before, Urdhuri, and Ira. And both of them were terrifying. The only reason he could talk with them was because they were being friendly and were actively holding back, otherwise just being in their presence would’ve turned his soul to dust. They were also both very kind and amicable. They were nice to talk to.

But what about Lord Superbia? Would he hold back? Ed seriously doubted it. He had a feeling he was going to die here. His eyes darted over to Zara, worried that she would get killed too. I can’t let that happen.

He took a moment to calm himself down, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, before beckoning the strings of fate to show themselves to him. It felt like he hadn’t done this in so long. The two lifetimes he went through in Sloth still present in his mind. But at the same time, it still came to him completely naturally.

In fact, it felt a bit easier than before. His brain wasn’t hurting despite the fact he was in a room with so many people. Had his time in Sloth strengthened his soul? That was the only reason he could think of as to why it didn’t hurt.

Checking his soul, he could confirm that this was true. A bit of the black had now lightened into a dark red. There wasn’t much of a difference in the colour, but the change was still evident. He had grown stronger. That’s definitely something I could make use of. If I can survive past today.

He turned his attention back outward to the strings of fate, focusing immediately on Zara’s. He searched through her potential near-futures, and found that she was still alive in them. That allowed him to breathe out in relief and calm down a little. He continued searching carefully, but he didn’t find anything strange or dangerous. It looked completely normal.

What is happening? It showed them entering the throne room, watching everyone else from a distance, bowing to Lord Superbia, then leaving. They continued on their day and even had a fantastic time at the casino.

There were some slight differences between the futures he saw. After all, they couldn’t all be the exact same. There were also one’s where they had to head home early because they got sick from eating too much food. Or there was something else that happened. There were some where they won big, and others where they lost a lot of money.

But their meeting with Lord Superbia was just a minor footnote without any problems.