Closing the chat window, Eblana took another look at her surroundings.
She'd purchased a mid-tier identity card before entering, so the place she now found herself in wasn't exactly opulent, but it certainly spoke of wealth and high status.
The reason she'd spawned here was because, in this setting, she was the illegitimate daughter of the Empire's Emperor—a royal bastard, to put it bluntly.
Her mother's encounter with the Emperor had begun with a lost Bloodline Teigu.
Drinking that blood granted the power of a dragon-kind.
As the most formidable Teigu from the Empire's founding, it should have served as a guardian of the realm, but there was a catch: after consumption, its power could only be passed down through bloodlines, and it weakened with each generation.
Add warfare and treachery to the mix, and eventually, this Teigu was lost completely.
Not long after giving birth to her, Eblana's mother passed away, unable to withstand the strain of the bloodline's power.
But the daughter she left behind was born with dragon horns and a tail—a throwback to ancestral traits.
This strangeness startled the midwife and stunned the Emperor.
From birth, Eblana displayed intellect and physique far beyond an ordinary child.
By three, she could shatter trees with her fists; by six, she could snap steel rods with ease—as if announcing the return of the original, supreme wielder of that Teigu.
Fearing Eblana might threaten her own children, the Empress sought to banish her to some remote corner.
Around that time, the Prime Minister was retiring.
Though Eblana was illegitimate, the old Emperor saw her as a future asset to the Empire—no point in making an enemy.
So he entrusted her to the Prime Minister's care, with instructions to provide well for her. To placate the Empress's resentment, he also stripped Eblana of any claim to the throne.
From then on, though still technically a princess, she was more like a noble without official standing.
Few knew her true identity. Since she lived in the Prime Minister's estate, many assumed she was the old minister's own late-in-life love child.
Twelve years had passed since she first arrived here. In that time, the Emperor had died from overwork, and the empress, heartbroken, followed not long after.
With the Empire's two highest rulers gone in quick succession, a man named Honest helped a young, illegitimate prince ascend the throne with an iron-fisted approach.
The child Emperor then appointed him as Prime Minister, ushering in a reign of cruelty, decadence, and excess.
Anyone who opposed him was framed and killed.
Taxes soared, plunging the nation into misery.
Corruption and crime became routine for officials. The vast Empire changed almost overnight in just two years.
The former Prime Minister, Chouri, had returned to the capital now precisely because he was outraged by Honest's political maneuvers.
And Eblana's arrival coincided with the moment just before his return.
Unlike the basic identity card used by Castorice, the mid-tier card simulated a past history based on the user's personality and behavior, playing it back in her mind like a quick film reel.
If Eblana remembered correctly, this former Prime Minister—her adoptive father—was the character in the original story intercepted and killed on his way back by the Three Beasts.
Not only was he slain, but his daughter, who'd worried for his safety and insisted on serving as his guard, also had her face cruelly flayed and died from the shock and pain during the process.
At that thought, the purple in Eblana's eyes turned utterly cold.
The mid-tier identity card simulated and filled in details based on her behavior and personality.
With Eblana's knowledge of the plot, she had prepared well in advance.
The guards around Chouri might look ordinary, but that was only because the death-flame she'd placed on them hadn't been ignited yet.
The moment they were killed, the death-flame would take over their lives.
Of course, the guards had accepted Eblana's death-flame with full awareness.
Like master, like servant. Chouri had lived a life of integrity and uprightness, and his guards shared those values.
Knowing this journey might be perilous, they were willing to accept the insurance Eblana offered.
Aware of the Three Beasts' threat, she hadn't held back.
She'd given the guard captain strength equivalent to a Teigu user.
Among the Three Beasts, Nyau wasn't much in direct combat; though his Teigu had decent supportive abilities, spirits weren't affected by sound-based controls.
Liver was strong, but there was no water on the return route. Without his Teigu, his threat level dropped significantly.
That left only Daidara for direct confrontation.
In the original story, he was taken out in one move by Bulat, but that didn't mean he was weak.
Anyone chosen by Esdeath as a personal guard couldn't be a pushover—it was just that Bulat was overwhelmingly strong.
The guard captain naturally couldn't match Bulat's level, but with the spirits' undying nature, they could hold their own against someone like Daidara.
As for why Eblana didn't go herself…
In her memories, Chouri had sternly refused to let Eblana accompany him.
Few knew Eblana's true identity, but the Empire's higher-ups were well aware.
With the Empire teetering, many were willing to bet on Eblana, hoping to overthrow the current Emperor and Prime Minister.
Chouri wasn't averse to bloodshed. He knew that sometimes change required blood as its backdrop—but only when there was no other choice.
Without trying other avenues first, he didn't want Eblana's hands stained with blood, nor did he want the Empire to undergo a drastic reshuffling it might not survive.
That's why he'd refused to bring Eblana back to the capital at this time.
In truth, Eblana understood Chouri's thinking, but she knew better than he just how dark the capital had become—several times darker than the Toyokawa family's dealings.
Having been away from the center of power for so long, Chouri's understanding of the Empire's ruling strata was outdated.
If you got in their way, they would really kill you.
Shaking her head, Eblana had fully grasped the situation. Rising from the desk in her bedroom, she walked straight out of the room.
Her guards could hold their own for a while, but prolonged fighting risked complications. Providing support now was the safest move.
This assassination attempt would likely make Chouri realize just how rotten the Empire had become.
Let him see reality clearly—it would also free Eblana to act without restraint.
"Young Mistress."
The maid at the door bowed respectfully.
"Prepare a carriage."
Eblana's stride didn't falter at the maid's voice. Though Chouri had told Eblana to wait patiently at home for news, the maid didn't offer even a word of protest against Eblana's order.
They respected Minister Chouri, and they respected Lady Spear, but after Eblana took over management of the estate and its lands, they had been won over by this second young mistress whose every word and gesture radiated an incredible charisma.
That natural air of a leader, those mysterious methods of revival, combined with merciful yet precise administrative skills—for any servant, such a master was hard to refuse, wasn't she?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.