The empress frowned at the metal gates looming over her. Behind her, there was a road speckled with houses alongside of it. She scratched her head before knocking on the gates, the clanging of chains echoing through the air. A few moments of silence followed, the empress unmoving, her expression unchanging. Another moment of silence passed, and she drew her sword while slashing outwards at the same time. The chains holding the gates together fell to the ground, and the empress pushed her way into the courtyard of the mansion. “So troublesome,” she muttered as she walked up to the door of the mansion. With the hilt of her sword, she knocked on the wooden door, dull thumping sounds resounding through the air.

The door creaked open, a man dressed in a suit on the other side. “Do you have any idea what time it is? There are still a few hours before the sun starts to rise!”

“I’m looking for Grand Duchess Apollonia’s northernmost fortress,” the empress said. The butler hadn’t recognized her due to the cloak and lack of lighting. “Which way do I go?”

“The northernmost fortress?” The butler’s eyes narrowed into slits as he took a step back, reaching towards a decorative sword that was hanging on the wall. “Who are you? What business do you have there? You say you’re looking for the northernmost fortress, but you’re as far south as you could possibly be in the grand duchess’s lands. Any more and you’ll be in Duke Taver’s territory.”

“That’s odd,” the empress muttered while furrowing her brow. “I followed that hunter’s words perfectly except for a few diversions to eat. How did I end up even further south?” She raised her head, meeting the butler’s eyes. His hand was firmly wrapped around the hilt of the sword on the wall, just one motion needed to swing it at her. “Which way’s north?”

The butler pointed in the opposite direction that the empress had been traveling the whole time. “Why do you want to go to the northern fortress. It’s not a good place to go for a woman like yourself. If you need anything, shall I ask the grand duchess to provide it to you?”

“Ask the grand duchess?” the empress asked, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”

“Grand Duchess Apollonia is in her study at this very moment,” the butler said. “She hasn’t slept tonight, saying things needed to be done. If you’re nobility, shall I bring you to her? What is your family name?”

“Scathir.”

“Lady Sca—” The butler froze mid-sentence. “D-did you say … Scathir…?”

The empress nodded. “Yes.”

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty…?”

The empress nodded again. “Yes. That’s me.”

The butler’s hand slipped off of the decorative sword’s hilt as he dropped to his knees. He landed with a loud thunk, but he didn’t even notice the pain shooting into his legs. “Your Imperial Majesty, forgive this servant for not recognizing Your Imperial Majesty’s face! I’ll notify the grand duchess right away!”

The empress didn’t move as the butler scrambled away, falling down a few times as he ran down the hall and into the living room. She waited until he was out of sight before entering the mansion, making herself at home on a plush couch made of tiger fur. She clasped her hands and placed them onto her lap, waiting with stiff posture, not even bothering to look at the numerous paintings and decorations in the room. Her eyes closed as she fell into meditation, reviewing her sword strikes and stances in her mind.

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A short while later, a flustered woman with golden hair, Apollonia, appeared by the stairs leading into the living room. She gripped the handrail while biting her lower lip, unsure of how to approach. In her moment of hesitation, the empress’ eyes opened, and she turned her head to face the grand duchess, the rest of her body remaining as still as a statue. “Apollonia, we meet again.”

“Weren’t you going to kill the devil, Your Imperial Majesty?” Apollonia asked, her voice shaky as she released her grip on the handrail and strode over to the couch across from the empress. She sat down and took in a deep breath.

“Yes,” the empress said. “I got lost and decided to ask the nearest noble for directions. Here I am.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?” Apollonia asked, clenching her fists.

“Yes.”

“You said you were going to my northernmost fortress to slay the devil that was summoned, but instead, you came down to the southernmost region of my territory and found my exact location,” Apollonia said as she ground her teeth. “I’ve lost. I’ve clearly underestimated you. No wonder why you surpassed all of your siblings to claim the throne.”

The empress tilted her head. “Does this mean you won’t tell me the way to the northernmost fortress?”

“…There’s no need to go there anymore after having found me, is there?”

“I told you I came to ask for directions.”

Apollonia knit her brow. “You were being serious?”

“Yes.”

“You ended up at my secret mansion by complete accident?”

“Yes.”

“By accident, do you mean the same kind of accident that happened when you killed your brother that I was supporting?”

The empress blinked. “Which brother was that?”

“Edgar.”

“I’m not sure how Edgar died,” the empress said, her expression unchanging. “My sister gifted me a bottle of genie tears, but Edgar stole it from me before I could drink it. That’s my last memory of him. The next day, he was found dead in his bed, and everyone accused me of his death.”

“Edgar was poisoned.”

The empress’ eyes lit up as if a lightbulb had appeared inside of her head. “Is that so? I understand now. I have to thank him for saving me when I meet him again after I die.”

Apollonia tapped her finger against her knee. “My nephew told me he saw you kill Boris in the garden.”

“That was an accident,” the empress said, lowering her head. “Quite unfortunate, really. I was practicing my sword swings, and he walked into its path. It was just a nick, but due to the properties of my sword, he lost all his blood and died on the spot.”

Apollonia’s face paled. “You’re a devil,” she said. “How can you lie with such a straight face? It’s almost as if you sincerely believe their deaths were by accident.”

The empress sighed. “Those are the same words my eldest brother said to me while he was lying on his deathbed. I didn’t come here to talk about my past. Which way do I go to get to the northernmost fortress?”

Apollonia sank back into her chair, her expression unreadable. “Shall I have someone guide you there?”

The empress shook her head. “I’ve been told I walk too fast. Even the people who are supposed to be guarding me from the shadows can’t keep up. A guide won’t work.”

“Have you considered walking slower…?”

The empress blinked twice. “I’ve never considered it, no.” She paused, a wrinkle appearing on her forehead. “I’ve considered it now. I don’t want to. More time spent traveling means I have less time to train.”

Apollonia sighed. “You can wait in my residence. I’ll have the devil come here. Would that be alright, Your Imperial Majesty? It shouldn’t take longer than a week.”

The empress bit her lower lip. “Okay. Let me walk back to the palace to bring my towels and toothbrush first.”

“Don’t. You’ll get lost,” Apollonia said, her eye twitching. “I’ll provide you those.”

“My mother once told me to never share towels and toothbrushes with other people.”

Apollonia sighed. “I’ll provide you with new and unused ones.”

“Okay.” The empress nodded. “Then I’ll be imposing on you.”