A few moments after that awkward incident, Serelith and Evander chose to remain silent with their own thoughts. Occasionally, the girl with her arms crossed stole glances at the prince from the corner of her eye.
But the man still refused to look her way and seemed to be rubbing his "treasured part" several times. Serelith couldn't help but wonder—did it really hurt that much? But there's no way she could ask something like that out loud, right?
Feeling awkward and a little guilty, Serelith finally gathered the courage to clear her throat. "I—I'm sorry about earlier. That must've been really painful, but I truly didn't mean to do it. So if possible, please forgive me."
For a moment, Evander gave no reply. Of course, that made Serelith anxious. If she had offended the prince now, that would clearly not end well in the future.
But then, Evander suddenly smiled widely at her. "It's just a small matter. Besides, I can recover from that quickly, so don't worry."
Oh, come on. Why did Serelith feel like this conversation was getting weird? But even so, her body responded differently from what she was thinking. Her head just moved up and down in a nod, completely out of her control.
"And don't worry. I won't neglect such a beautiful lady like you just because of what you did." He suddenly leaned closer to Serelith, their faces less than a handspan apart. "But it won't be for free, Miss—"
"Serelith, Your Highness."
A bright grin formed clearly on the face of the man wearing the golden crown.
"Don't worry, you'll be treated well in the palace later," said Evander.
At that moment, once again, Serelith could only put on a smile to cover all her strange feelings. She lowered her gaze and whispered inwardly, "Treated well, my foot. If they knew what I'm planning to do to you, they'd have my head chopped off."
Serelith hated being faced with the current reality. Even though she was now an assassin, she used to be a mage. She only operated from afar, never taking direct action like this.
But well, what else could she do? She had to accept her new life—at least until she figured out what had happened to this game and why she couldn't wake up.
Eventually, that day, the carriage sped along the narrow road toward a grand palace in the center of the city. And of course, the entire way, Serelith kept cursing herself under her breath.
Until sometime later, the carriage they were riding began to slow down. As a prince, Evander immediately shouted to the coachman in front. "What's going on? Why are we slowing down? Has something happened?"
"Apologies, Your Highness. Some people have formed a crowd. If we move too fast, it won't be safe for the citizens," replied the coachman.
Curious, Serelith finally dared to lift the curtain and peek outside. The girl looked a bit surprised to see so many people gathered, each belonging to a different class. "Your Highness, do you know what this is? Are they holding some kind of competition?"
Hearing that question, Evander also poked his head out from his side window. He saw the people gathered, holding flyers in their hands. "Ah, this is the annual tournament. Adventurers come here to take the exam before starting their missions in the Quest Tower. Honestly, I don't really know the details of this tournament. As a Crown Prince, I don't handle such minor affairs."
The corners of Serelith's lips lifted slightly at his answer as she muttered inwardly, "Not handling small affairs, or just never interested in state matters?"
But then suddenly, a light bulb went off in her mind. "System, if I sign up for the tournament, maybe I could find a few people suitable to form a party with, right?"
[You could try—if they're willing to accept someone at level 1.]
Serelith wanted nothing more than to tear apart that voice only she could hear. It was true, of course, but couldn't that system hide the facts a little and make her feel happier?
Ugh, so annoying!
A few moments passed until the carriage stopped somewhere. When Serelith stepped out, how astonished she was to see a magnificent and sturdy building standing before her.
A place that, throughout her entire life, she had never once seen before. Well, Serelith had often traveled and discovered castles within the game before this.
It's just that the beauty and grandeur of this castle felt different. Everything sparkled as if it were made of diamonds. Even the courtyard itself looked like it was made of gemstones.
Once again, let her clarify— it was made of gemstones!
"Hey, are you okay?"
Serelith's daze snapped when a hand waved right in front of her face. Embarrassment rushed through her as she realized Evander had been trying for some time to pull her out of her thoughts.
Then, for who knows how many times, Serelith could only smile gracefully while scratching the back of her head that wasn't even itchy. "Yes, Your Highness. Sorry, I was just a little mesmerized by this magnificent castle. I've never seen anything like it before."
Evander only nodded repeatedly. Then he spoke, "Welcome to Goldhaven Castle, where the entire castle is made of gold and jewels. So I'm not surprised that you were so fascinated you couldn't even respond."
With pride, Evander introduced the castle to Serelith. Then the man suddenly realized something and looked at her with a puzzled expression. "There's no way you don't know about this Kingdom, right? Don't you also live here?"
"Ah, that…" Serelith trailed off. Now she was confused about what reasonable excuse she could give.
"I'm a new resident here. I'm looking for someone," Serelith continued. Luckily, she remembered that she had received a mission to form a party, so she wouldn't be accused of lying for saying something random.
After all, Serelith really was looking for people to join her party.
"Looking for someone? You can tell me, I'll definitely help you."
"Ah, no need. I'm sure I can find them myself. If you really want to help me, you should just lie down in bed and let me handle the rest," said Serelith, still flashing her row of teeth and narrowing her eyes.
Of course, what Evander had in mind was entirely different from what Serelith meant. The man immediately smiled warmly, his face turning red— apparently embarrassed.
"Ah, you… now you're making me shy. I should've been the one to say that to you," said Evander. Now it was his turn to scratch the back of his own head.
For a moment, Serelith still maintained her smile. Then her eyes widened perfectly when she saw Evander's expression.
"Wait, did I say something wrong? Does he know I'm going to kill him?" Serelith muttered inwardly.
Meanwhile, the system that had been floating in front of Serelith for who knows how long could only slap its round forehead with one hand.
Well, luckily, that system could only be seen by Serelith. Otherwise, it would've been troublesome for the girl to come up with another excuse about what and who the system was.
But even in that chaotic moment, Serelith found a good idea. She smiled as she imagined the brilliant plan she had just come up with.
Quietly, Serelith looked at the system and spoke to it in her mind, "System, if I get a chance to be alone with the Prince, wouldn't that be advantageous? I could kill him without anyone suspecting."
[What's wrong with you? If it's just the two of you, it'll be easier for others to suspect. Because you'd be the last person seen with him before his death!]
"You don't understand. Do you think I'd act recklessly? Of course, I'll do it quietly so no one will even realize I was the last person with him. System, do you know? A man's weakness is always his lust. And from what I can tell, this Prince is quite the pervert. It shouldn't be hard to lure him somewhere secluded with just the two of us."
Well, it couldn't be denied that Serelith was a clever girl. No one would doubt her when she said she had finished the game dozens of times.
At that moment, Evander finally led Serelith into the castle. The girl continued to observe her surroundings— not out of awe this time, but to look for weaknesses and memorize the structure and layout of the place.
As her gaze darted here and there, she unintentionally passed by a hall. There, she could clearly hear a conversation between someone she assumed was the King and some man standing before him.
"Your Majesty, we have no choice but to strike back. Even though their kingdom is vast and has many troops, we cannot remain silent when the lands that should belong to us are forcefully seized by them."
That was, at least, what Serelith could vaguely hear. Out of curiosity, she let Evander walk ahead, leaving herself hidden behind a winged horse statue to eavesdrop further.
[Why are you standing here? Evander already left. You're supposed to stay with him until your mission is complete.]
"Shh!" Serelith pressed her index finger against her lips. "I think there's something important here I can do to make my mission easier."
Then Serelith sharpened her hearing again to catch their conversation more clearly. She glanced left and right to make sure her position was safe.
When she realized there wasn't a single guard around, that was when Serelith furrowed her brows. "Strange, shouldn't a castle this big have several guards? Why is a hall this large left completely empty? This is too quiet for the center of a kingdom."
Even so, Serelith refocused on the conversation between the two people inside the glittering hall.
"It's not easy being a King, especially when it comes to maintaining something. I only wish to avoid conflict and keep the people safe. No matter what, war will only harm the citizens," said the King with his head bowed.
Bowed? A King?
The man before him could only stare sharply at the King. "But if this continues, the people will eventually suffer as well. Their homes are being torn down, their lands taken away. You may be thinking about their safety, but you forget that lives can be taken without weapons or bloodshed. If they lose their only source of income, then there's no point in holding back this war any longer."
"Then what do you want? To start a war? We've already signed an agreement that there will be no more bloodshed."
"They're the ones who started it, not us."
"Started what? They didn't raise weapons or kill our people. They traded while slowly infiltrating our lands and taking them little by little. Even our own citizens are willingly giving them away. Tell me, can that be called a crime? Or can that be called plundering?"
Both hands of the man in the black cloak were clearly clenched into fists, and even from her current position, Serelith could still see it clearly — though only his back, not his face.
The girl could only swallow hard as she saw how veiny the man's fingers were.
"But that wasn't the agreement, Father. We promised not to interfere with each other, not to steal the advantage through deceitful means!"
Father?
Ah, now Serelith knew that the man speaking with the King was his son. But which son? His appearance didn't resemble that of a prince at all; he was only wearing simple clothes like a knight.
Wait! Was that man a knight?
"System, wouldn't it be great if I could invite him to join my party?" Serelith asked inwardly.
[It depends.]
"Depends on what? Just by looking at his posture, I'm sure this Prince is strong and reliable. No— I'm certain he's extremely strong."
[It depends on whether or not he wants to join you.]
"Why? Because I'm a woman?"
[Because you're still only level 1.]
Serelith's mouth fell wide open upon hearing that. She hadn't expected such a cruel statement to reach her ears. She felt an urge to tear apart the round system floating before her.
Still busy eavesdropping, suddenly— she didn't even know when— Evander was already standing behind her and touched her shoulder, startling her.
"Oh my gosh! What are you doing here?" Serelith shouted a little in surprise.
Hearing that, it was now Evander's turn to furrow his brows in confusion. "Shouldn't I be the one asking that? Why are you here, eavesdropping on my father and brother's conversation? Are you perhaps a messenger from the enemy kingdom?"
At that moment, Serelith's feelings became a tangled mess. Her heartbeat went wild, and cold sweat began to trickle down her face.
Her eyes darted here and there, desperately searching for a good excuse. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if her real intention was exposed before she even began anything?
"Come on, say something that makes sense or they'll cut your head off," Serelith muttered in her mind.
"Ah, of course not! Do you think I could ever do something that cruel with such an adorable and charming face like this?" Okay, that sounded ridiculous.
But in reality, Serelith was blinking rapidly while putting on her cutest face possible. Honestly, she didn't like acting this way— unfortunately, she had no other choice.
There was a moment of hesitation in Serelith's heart when she saw Evander's unmoving response. But when the man finally smiled widely, Serelith let out a relieved breath.
"Of course not. But you know, a beautiful girl can be dangerous too." He paused for a moment, then leaned closer to Serelith's ear and whispered, "In a different context."
Oh, every hair on Serelith's body stood on end when she heard that whisper.
To keep the situation under control, Serelith could only nod awkwardly. But once again, it seemed like Serelith could never truly be safe— not even since her arrival here.
Because right beside her now, the knight in the black cloak was already standing, clearing his throat while watching the two of them closely.
"Were you eavesdropping?"