Morning
Krosmetics Headquarters
"Here you go, Miss Kro."
Karina placed the cup of hot tea carefully on Kro's desk, exactly the way she had been instructed. Her hand was steady.
Everything else inside her was not.
"Thank you," Kro said without looking up.
Karina turned and walked back to her desk.
From there, she kept stealing glances at Kro from a distance, anxiety chewing straight through her composure. Her lower lip was already sore from how hard she had been biting it. She waited.
And waited.
Kro lifted the cup and took a long sip.
Nothing happened.
Not immediately.
Then Kro's face shifted into a slight frown of disgust. She lowered the cup, brought it closer to her nose, and sniffed. The scent was normal. The tea looked normal.
How strange.
"Karina," Kro said, setting the cup down, "where did you get this tea?"
"The food pantry, boss," Karina answered.
Her eyes were just a little too wide.
"What brand?"
"Prism."
Kro looked back at the cup.
"That's odd. It's the same brand we always use, but it tastes off today. Did you check the expiration date?"
"Yes, boss," Karina said quickly. "It's still good."
Kro nodded, though she wasn't fully convinced. Still, there was no point grilling Karina over tea she hadn't produced herself.
The pantry staff were more worth questioning than the messenger.
So Kro let it go.
For now.
...
AZARADAN
Night at Pix
Kro stepped out of the bath, shivering as the cold air hit her skin. Her wet hair clung to her back as she hurried toward her room, already imagining the warmth of her blankets.
She pushed the door open and froze for a second.
Kenna was lying comfortably on her bed, already dressed in her sleeping robe.
She had clearly been waiting.
Kro smiled faintly. She had actually planned to go sleep in Kenna's room after dressing up, but this made things easier.
"Cold, cold, cold!" Kro muttered, jumping onto the bed and wrapping a blanket tightly around herself.
Kenna laughed softly.
"How long has it been since you had a nice, warm shower like that?"
Kro shot her a look.
"You do realize soldiers shower too, right?"
Kenna crossed her arms.
"But you're a female soldier. You need to shower."
Kro raised an eyebrow.
"I do shower."
"Yeah, okay," Kenna said skeptically.
Kro slid deeper into the blankets beside her.
"So," Kenna said, turning toward her with excitement, "tell me the truth. Why did the crown prince let you go?"
Kro shrugged casually. "I just asked for my old life back. He granted it. Easy."
Kenna narrowed her eyes.
"There's definitely a catch."
Kro hesitated slightly before answering. "He just wants us to be friends. That's all."
A faint blush slowly crept across her cheeks.
Kenna immediately noticed.
"Friends?" she scoffed. "He's a man. In the end he only wants to sleep with you."
Kro rolled her eyes.
"That's crazy," she said calmly. "I want the same thing."
Kenna burst into laughter.
She quickly covered her mouth with both hands to keep the noise from carrying outside the room.
After calming down, she suddenly sat upright and grabbed Kro's hands beneath the blanket.
"Do you actually like him?" Kenna asked excitedly. "Your face is completely red!"
Her curiosity exploded.
"Tell me about him. Is he tall? Strong? Funny?"
Kro smiled quietly.
"You've already seen him before. We even had lunch with him."
Kenna blinked.
Then her eyes widened.
"Wait… ATTA?!"
Kro nodded, chuckling.
Kenna immediately collapsed face-first onto the pillow in embarrassment.
"Kro!" she groaned. "Why didn't you stop me from saying all those things?"
Kro laughed. "Why do you think Poqo shoved a grape in your mouth?"
Before Kenna could respond, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Both sisters froze.
"Who is it?" Kro asked.
"Me," a deep voice answered.
Kenna sat up instantly.
General Qin.
Kro hurried to grab her sleeping robe while Kenna straightened herself. A moment later they both stood respectfully near the door.
"Come in," Kro said.
The door opened.
General Qin stepped inside.
His hands were clasped behind his back, and his expression was tight and severe. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto Kro.
"What are you doing here?" his deep voice thundered.
"I'm home," Kro replied calmly. "Resting for the day."
She waited, hoping to see even the slightest warmth on his face.
But none came.
"Aren't you supposed to be guarding the crown prince right now?" he demanded.
"Well… he decided to—"
"Why?"
"I don't know," Kro said carefully. "I'm not supposed to question his orders."
Qin's gaze hardened.
"I heard the crown prince disappeared yesterday," he said slowly. "And when you went to search for him… you disappeared too."
The room felt colder.
"Any explanation for why you didn't report this to me?"
Kro felt the warmth drain from her body. She had sworn to keep that incident secret. At least until the time was right.
Keeping her head lowered, she answered carefully.
"I found him returning to his chambers very late at night. He asked me to leave because he wanted to be alone."
Qin's eyes narrowed.
"So you left?" he asked sharply. "Where did you go? Because you certainly weren't at the camp."
"I walked around the palace grounds."
"Why didn't you report this to me?" Qin snapped. "How dare you lie to me?"
"Father—"
"Do you remember what I told you when I allowed you to do this?"
Kro nodded slowly, her heart pounding.
Qin raised a finger.
It was a gesture he always used before emphasizing something important.
"I hope it stayed in your head."
His voice exploded like thunder.
"DON'T! I REPEAT, DON'T GET ANY STUPID IDEAS!"
His eyes burned with anger.
"This is not the path I paved for you."
Kro lowered her gaze.
"I hear you, Father."
Without another word, General Qin stormed out of the room.
The door slammed behind him.
Silence followed.
Kro remained staring at the door, confused. Her father had always been strict. But this felt different. The man who had just shouted at her felt almost like a stranger.
Kenna broke the silence with a quiet chuckle.
"General Moody is back." She stretched lazily. "It's been so long since we saw him like that I almost forgot he existed."
She smiled playfully.
"Now… can we get back to what we were talking about?"
Kro didn't smile.
"Kenna," she said quietly, "I think I need to rest tonight."
Kenna immediately noticed the change in her sister's mood.
"Alright," she said gently as she stood up. "Get some sleep."
She squeezed Kro's shoulder softly.
"And don't let his words crush your spirit."
Kenna quietly left the room.
Kro remained alone in the silence.
...
Present
MD's Office
"You wanted to talk to me?"
Kro entered Sue's office as soon as she saw the message.
The tone of it had sounded urgent enough to leave her own work immediately. Sue was not the sort of woman who summoned the president casually.
Sue drew a long breath.
"I'm sorry for asking you to come here. It's just… what I need to say is confidential."
Kro sat down.
"I know. If I'd called you into my office and asked my PA to leave, that would have looked suspicious. So I came here instead. Now tell me."
Sue swallowed.
"It's about Zoe."
Kro's attention sharpened instantly.
"I want to bring her home," Sue said. "Yesterday I called Leo and asked for spies. He told me it would be expensive. Then he said I should come to you first and hear what you think, in case there's an easier way."
Kro nodded slowly.
"He's right. That operation would be expensive. Very expensive. And risky too."
Sue's eyes filled.
"What should I do? I'm dying at this rate without seeing my daughter. I keep having these nightmares—Zoe is crying, reaching for me, and no matter how hard I try I can't get to her." Her voice broke. "If I can't save her, I'll kill myself."
The tears were already there by then.
Sue hated crying in front of people. Hated it. But the grief was bigger than her dignity now.
Kro leaned back and watched her for a second.
Then she smiled.
"Tomorrow is Saturday, right?"
Sue blinked.
"Yes."
"Good," Kro said. "Then I think I need to pay a visit to the monster-in-law."
Sue stared.
"You know where she lives?"
"No."
"Then send her phone number to Leo. Tell him I told you to. He'll know what to do next."
Hope flooded Sue's face so quickly it almost hurt to see.
"I will. I'll send it right now."
Kro nodded.
"I don't know what you expect to happen from this meeting," Sue admitted, "but I trust you."
"You should."
She rose.
"Now dry your eyes and drink some tea."
Then she paused.
"Speaking of tea—did you taste it this morning?"
Sue blinked at the sudden turn. "Yes. About an hour ago."
"How did it taste?"
"Normal. Why?"
Kro frowned faintly.
"Maybe my taste buds are just having a strange day."
Then she collected herself.
"Anyway. I should get back to work."
"Thank you," Sue whispered.
"Anytime."
Kro left the office, and for the first time in weeks, Sue felt hope expanding through her chest faster than fear.
...
Rooftop
If there were ever a contest for the most confused and terrified person in the world, Karina would easily win first place.
She paced nervously across the empty rooftop, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. The other hand kept running through her hair as anxiety twisted inside her chest.
The rooftop was completely deserted.
No employees.
No security.
Just the wind and the sound of her footsteps.
She had chosen the place carefully.
She needed absolute privacy.
The phone rang once more in her ear before the call was finally answered.
Karina immediately straightened, forcing herself to focus.
"Boss… I did what you asked," she whispered urgently. "I put the poison in her tea."
Just saying it out loud made her stomach twist.
Her voice trembled.
"Yes. The same poison—the one that killed that man in three seconds."
She stopped pacing.
Her breathing became uneven.
"But she just… took a sip," Karina continued, panic rising in her voice. "She said it tasted weird, that's all. Nothing else happened. She just continued working like nothing was wrong."
Karina pressed her hand against her forehead.
Her body began to shake.
"Boss… she's immortal."
Her voice cracked.
"If that poison didn't kill her…"
She swallowed hard.
"…then I'm afraid nothing will."
***