On Kyon's order, Juno said politely that she needed a few days to think about it.

The envoys agreed and went away. They didn't seem to be going to invite anyone else to join their sects. When it became obvious, the royal representative came to the center of the arena to give the closing speech, after which the tournament officially came to an end.

At this time, the envoys were impatiently reading Kyon's letters. There was nothing interesting or important in his letters to Nargise, Seva, or FatTso, just a handful of polite expressions, which cannot be said about the message that fell into Fernand's hands...

When he read the first lines, the imperial envoy hastily folded the letter and went to a deserted spot, where he continued reading with a serious face. In short, the letter said that Kyon had no intention of joining any sect or dancing to anyone's tune, risking his freedom, or even his life. He was interested in eventual stable relations with the imperial authority with consequent benefits for both sides. By "imperial authority," Kyon meant the 0th general, which could be inferred from complicated details of the elaborately composed text. Kyon wrote that he would prove his indispensability, after which he would find ways of working together. He also suggested visiting the dwarves' factory in Boston.

Fernand was impressed. The G.o.ddess's messenger was a 15-year-old who knew how to compose letters with hidden meaning and had the secret information about the 0-th general. He was incredibly ambitious and managed to escape the arena as if disappearing off the face of the earth. It seemed really curious. Benefits for both sides? Well, first of all, Fernand was going to visit the dwarves' factory...

Vlada took Kara's letter away, leaving her pout and grumble, and glanced over it with a thoughtful frown on her face. Besides the expected declarations of love for her daughter, Kyon also showed his concern for Juno, asking Kara to give her an escort to bring her to the palace. He added that he couldn't wait until the moment Kara returned to her chambers... It sounds rather strange as if he had everything under control, but... Where did he go? Was he kidnapped? The queen would be disappointed if he was.

Anyway, Kara was going to escort Juno to the palace without Kyon's request. It was high time she used Sunflower Ra. Why else would she have wasted so much money?

The princess was about to leave, but she heard her mother's voice resound in her mind.

«What? You won't let me accompany her?!» – Kara was fuming.

«Is Elsa here?!» – Kara perked up at once and stared at her mother with wide, unblinking eyes.

Vlada could easily feel an extremely cultivated soul among two hundred thousand people. Taking a closer look, she noticed an outrageously beautiful blonde, the one her daughter desired so pa.s.sionately. Why not take advantage of Kara's weakness if things turned out so well?

«Mother, please! I beg you! I will be a good girl! I will do whatever you say just tell me where she is!» – Kara was on the brink of tears. She had a little less att.i.tude now.

Vlada smiled. It was so easy to put pressure on her dear silly one...

Soon, the royal convoy approached the Stones' platform with an order from Her Majesty to deliver Juno to the palace. Bai was worried, but he realized that his granddaughter would be safe there.

Before she left, Bai asked Juno about her plans for the future, a.s.suring her that he would support her in anything she decided to do. Juno could no longer stay at home. She couldn't miss a chance like this! Once, Elsa had rejected all offers because her devotion to her dad was fanatical, but Juno was different! Besides, the Stones simply didn't have the necessary resources for her further cultivation.

Guided by Kyon's orders, Juno offered her grandad to have this conversation another time.

Bai promised to drop in tomorrow and talk about it with her in private.

It was two in the morning when Juno was escorted to the palace, where she was allocated luxurious rooms on the top floor. The downpour hadn't stopped, soaking the late pa.s.sers-by to the bone.

Juno had a dull, extremely unpleasant pain in the ribs area. If not for pure energy, it would be unbearable. In theory, it would take her a couple of days to fully recover, but Juno knew that she would be alright in the morning.

Vlada returned to the palace. Two dozen servants obsequiously escorted Her Majesty to the sixth of the eight floors and gave way to the ladies-in waiting. They couldn't go any further. The two top floors were open only for superior servants and invited guests of the royal family. Juno's rooms were on the 7th floor.

Vlada entered the bathroom and spread her arms imperiously. Five beautiful ladies-in-waiting immediately helped her to remove the annoying black clothes, exposing her gorgeous body.

The queen plunged into a hot tub that looked like a little pool. It was a perfect way to end this strange day full of incredible events.

Several beautiful girls gently washed the velvet skin of their queen, who had incomparable power over Boston. It was a great honor to serve Her Majesty. They held on to their position at all costs

Suddenly, one of the ladies-in-waiting received a mental order. Without a second thought, she dived straight to the queen's spread legs...

Vlada couldn't relax. She couldn't stop thinking of the amazing young man. Or was the thought that she had let him go bugging her… It was her unlucky day, he must have been kidnapped! If only she could get him to the palace so that the imperial envoy wouldn't know anything... Alas, she couldn't deal with it straightforwardly. Otherwise, Fernand would have already appeared at the palace to take Kyon away.

Two ladies-in-waiting dried and combed the queen's long, dark crimson hair. The other three gently wrapped her in soft towels, then dressed her in a silk lace nightgown. They were used to the fact that Her Majesty liked to sleep having barely anything on. Perhaps no man in the world could resist this insidious seductress, especially when she looked like this.

Vlada sent her maids away and went to Kara's chambers, where she stared at the uninvited guest she knew too well who was pa.s.sionately hugging and kissing her daughter's pillow. The queen's looks did not correspond to her high status at all, especially now that her face had lost its usual calm, impa.s.sionate expression.

«How did you get here, Kyon Stone?!» – Vlada asked in a high-pitched, surprised voice.

Kyon reluctantly looked away from the pillow that still smelled of Kara's hair and, with the grace of a lazy cat, climbed out of bed, bending his knee before Vlada in a most courteous manner. – «Your Majesty, I used a secret pa.s.sage…»

Kyon looked up and stared at the queen, lost in contemplation. It was... It was a breathtaking weapon that could easily destroy the self-control of any man. Besides her majestic grandeur and glory, Vlada had an irresistible charm and sensual femininity. She didn't look more than 30, and there was not a single wrinkle on her soft creamy skin. Her enchanting eyes of amazing garnet color looked straight into his soul. Her hair fell like a waterfall over her shoulders, curling seductively over her gorgeous b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were covered with the delicate lace of her indecently short nightie. The demoness wasn't obviously wearing any underwear... How insidious of her! She must be the Demon Emperor's daughter, no less? Why else would her body draw everyone like a powerful magnet? Now it was clear who Kara owed her smoking hot beauty.

Vlada noticed Kyon's fleeting greedy glance at her a.s.sets and winced, visually displeased.

As soon as Kyon felt the queen's depressing aura, he instantly bowed his head. He should keep it together if he wanted his big plans for the demons ever come true.

«Follow me.» – Vlada said shortly.

Kyon followed the queen to the guest quarters. Her seductively swinging hips hypnotized Kyon, making him fix his eyes on her taut bottom. It was some kind of demonic magic, no less.

Kyon knew that the insidious queen was carefully watching his reaction and behavior, so he manned up and did not yield to temptation. Above all, he should stick to the legend about his blind love for Kara...

Vlada took a seat on the leather armchair, gracefully crossing her long slender legs. Funny plush slippers kept her feet warm.

Kyon sat down on the chair opposite her, feeling her intent gaze fixed on his face. He met her eyes and asked absent-mindedly like a fool in love.

«Is your darling daughter coming any time soon?»

«I will ask questions here until I say otherwise.» – Vlada snapped.

Kyon bowed respectively. – «Your wish is my command.»

«How do you know about secret pa.s.sages?»

«My master told me all about them.» – He smiled politely.

Vlada squinted at him. – «What's your master's name?»

«He is a man of many names and faces. Sometimes, he is a gray-haired old man, sometimes he is a handsome young man. He is incomprehensible like the distant stars. Some people call him TsyJi, but I address him as Lovr.» – Kyon proudly finished the well-prepared tirade.

«Are you talking about the legendary TsyJi?»

«Exactly. The one you know from the myths, legends, and tales. His heroic feats will live in the centuries to come. The echo of his great deeds will resound forever.» – Kyon said pompously, using lots of hand gestures.

«I want to see your master. Can you arrange a meeting with him?» – The queen asked una.s.sumingly in a rather playful voice.

Kyon had a vague feeling that he was being tested. Did Vlada smell a rat? The last time he had this feeling was when his master was interrogating him...

«He hasn't been seen for more than a hundred years, living the life of a hermit. I am the only one who has deserved his attention thanks to my immense potential. He generously took me on as a student provided that I won't burden him with any troubles.»

Vlada smiled meaningfully, her closed hand was resting on the cheek, with the index finger pointing upwards. – «I see…»

Her sinister smile made Kyon feel uneasy. Was he missing something?

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