As the shadow guards and their victims were removed from their locations, Aiko had an air of calmness around her, even though she was in shackles.
It was so abnormal that she ended up getting stares of admiration from some sane guards who were helping with the cleanup process.
Something they would soon regret.
...
In her cell, Aiko was again, lost in thought.
'Though the outcome is good, it takes too long to take effect.'
From her experience, she calculated that two days had passed since her capture—a feat she achieved by counting her heartbeats and doing the maths for 56 hrs straight... without pause or rest.
During that time, nothing that was done to her mattered. She only focused on two things: seeing the signs of a lustful beast and keeping track of time.
Her endurance paid off when she noticed the first signs of abnormality among the guards. But deep inside, she knew these guards probably weren't the first victims.
But then again, sometimes any result is better than nothing.
After all, even her 56-hour deduction had a 2-hour margin of error to account for variables that could affect her judgment.
The most important thing was that the experience deepened her understanding of the [Flower of Evil] attribute.
'Is it because they just saw my hands and face... or could it be because I'm in the real world? Or...' she kept pondering, unfazed by the dwindling chaos.
...
During the next few days of the first week, no similar widescale incident occurred in the upper palace confines... but things were different inside the supermax.
Frustrated, the Queen loomed over the lacking guards and royal investigators with her short temper, turning the palace atmosphere very jumpy.
In just a span of three days, over 50% of the royal servants gained a palm imprint on their cheeks.
Some... even two.
And the general in charge at the time no longer had a recognisable face.
Fearing for their lives, resources were mobilised, turning the palace upside down, with no stone unturned.
After narrowing down thousands of suspects and theories, only one person stood out.
The new female prisoner.
They tracked her trail and discovered that every infected person had at least come in close range with the prisoner.
When they revealed their findings to the Queen, enforcers from across the kingdom's prisons were gathered and brought in to torture her.
The goal. To find a cure for those infected and stop the ongoing outbreak.
But surprisingly, she also gave them another order.
"No matter what, don't kill her, or ruin her dignity as a woman."
Confused and surprised, some began speculating that she had some relationship with the Queen's household.
And, not wanting to be on the wrong side of some powerful Favourite, they conducted their own covert research and uncovered juicy rumours.
...
But when all of that was done, and the moment to begin her torture arrived, a new problem emerged.
Each of them had a different opinion on the cause of infection and denied the other enforcers' methods and theories.
As a result, there was constant interference, with little progress being made.
"Maybe she has something with her, a strong Favourite artifact, that can bypass the flame's sealing properties?"
"No!" another enforcer would shout with visible frustration.
"She must have taken a heaven-defying aphrodisiac that can affect those around her, while leaving her sane."
"Having us here is a waste of time. We should all sign a petition to the Queen, and demand the alchemists' consultations."
"No!.."
The arguments kept going on, without a consensus.
They would spend about three hours torturing her, and when they realised nothing worked, they would spend the next seven hours arguing again.
....
'What a bunch of amateurs,' Aiko would scoff occasionally.
She could tell from their body language and visible frustration that they were trying their best, without resorting to methods that could ruin her dignity.
Something that she was greatly glad about.
But she was still disappointed because she expected some challenge. After all, there were many ways to break someone's psychological resistance.
And the things that they did to her, though very painful, they never made her question, hesitate, or regret her silence.
'Either something is holding them back, or they just suck at this field.'
'If something is holding them back, then is it fear of the unknown... that I might have a backup measure if cornered too much? Or is it someone they fear to offend deeply?' Her sixth sense, something she had developed during her spy training back on Earth, told her there was more to the situation than what they let on.
She tried to remember Tsunami's experience and all the information he had learnt in the real world, forming a giant puzzle in her mind.
'One of the things that kept bothering me at the time was how the original Tsunami was assassinated, yet no one from his household paid the palace a visit afterwards.'
'Then he was attacked in the dungeon, yet his household remained silent again. This repetitive abandonment doesn't align with his former talents.'
'If he was so talented, then lost all his powers overnight, someone should have definitely come knocking on the palace doors... and I don't believe they lack spies within the palace.'
'Even if he wasn't popular in his household, the higher-ups are supposed to be very protective of him. Since they haven't yet responded, it means they are either too far away and require some time to arrive, or they are waiting orders from the one in charge.'
Testing her theories, she spoke to the nearby enforcers for the first time.
"Is this how you treat a Crown Prince's woman? I wonder... what will happen when his household gets wind of my existence and your actions?"
Hearing her words, the nearby enforcer halted in shock, his expression reading something like 'How does she know?'
Though the surprised look was only for a moment, it didn't go unnoticed by Aiko's sharp senses.
'So, they are coming after all.'
...
At the end of the week, things changed when the kingdom's highest-ranking oracle gave them orders to cover the entirety of Aiko's body through a communication jade.
She never told them why, nor did she get a chance to explain, for when a palace attendant was sent to her residence for further details, she was already dead.
Her eyes, gouged out and bleeding—the rest of her body, covered in worms.
Her death caused shockwaves across the Kingdom, with the Queen even experiencing episodes of depression. Nevertheless, despite their shock and confusion, they took her dying advice and covered Aiko.
Surprised and terrified to the core by the results. Everyone in the loop connected the Oracle's death with Aiko.
Soon, rumours of the witch began spreading across the kingdom.
***
Back to the present.
The team captain stood before the palace general, let go of the essence cuffs he had been holding, and stepped aside.
"She is all yours, General."
"You have done well." General Kristoff responded with a nod of approval.
Although the palace and shadow guards were unsure about Kristoff's command, surely the general wasn't an idiot to try anything funny, at the cost of his life.
After all, a prisoner walking out of the supermax was unprecedented, but so were the crimes the woman was accused of.
In the shadows, movement seemed ready to intercept the general, but it was soon stopped when Kristoff revealed a royal command medallion.
Something that could only be issued by the queen.
The general then grabbed the prisoner and began dragging her out of the dungeon, leaving the guards with dazed expressions.
'Just what is that woman's identity?'
'What powerful background does she have?'
'Will we ever get to avenge our fallen brothers and sisters?'
They sighed.
...
When the general and Aiko reached the ground surface, a maid rushed in their direction, snapping her fingers in quick succession.
The rugs and bags that covered Aiko were replaced with a fresh set of clothes, gloves, and a mask that covered her body almost entirely, leaving only her blue eyes and silver hair visible.
After the maid was done, she bowed before General Kristoff and gestured for them to follow her.
As the trio approached a separate, smaller library, the general spoke to the prisoner in a solemn tone through divine sense.
'Just because you come from the Cream Pie Kingdom, and your household is super strong, don't think your past actions won't have consequences.'
'Even if it won't be in my hands, you will definitely face retribution for what you have done in my kingdom.'
Aiko, not giving a damn about the concerns of the weak, just focused on the most critical information.
'So, they have finally discovered my identity in this world.'
'The Cream Pie Kingdom, huh!... interesting!'