In the capital of new Thusia, a castle with seven massive, round towers had been built on various tactical spots for an ideal defense that stood majestically. Each tower was tall enough to touch the clouds. They were connected by high, wide walls made of white stone. Stylish windows scattered thinly around the walls in seemingly perfect symmetry, along with same-sized holes for archers and artillery.

A great gate with giant metal doors and archer holes guarded the castle. Several groups of heavily armored soldiers guarded the bridge across the moat. The bridge was the only way to get inside the castle by the ground. Every inch of the castle was protected by powerful arrays and runes. Various large houses were scattered outside the castle gates, surprisingly, the rich were comfortable with living outside the gates as well. This castle was relatively new, but so far, it stood its ground with ease, and it'd likely do so for ages to come. Nonetheless, the castle was still in the early stages of construction. There were still many things left to build. The royal family of Thusia aimed to make the castle the biggest and the grandest castle in the entire world. They wanted to rival the castle of Awor empress herself. Even in the early stages, the castle made many castles in the world look pale in comparison. The sheer size of the castle would terrify anyone. The castle was at least ten times bigger than a typical castle in the world. The falling snow added an extra layer of charm to the already imposing castle.

King Maxim was generous with the soldiers guarding the castle. On top of soldiers patrolling the castle grounds, soldiers were flying above the castle with a shoot to kill anyone who entered the airspace of the castle order.

The castle was just as grand inside as it was on the outside. Huge braziers hanging from each of the twelve ivory columns lit up the lower levels of the throne hall. They engulfed everything in a flickering radiance. The gemmed runes on the layered ceiling danced in the flickering light while sculptures and marble icons looked down upon the mosaic floor of this imposing hall.

A turquoise rug ran down from the throne and marked the closest spot people could stand when they addressed the royal highness. Forked banners with emblazoned sides drooped from the walls. Between each banner sat a small altar full of candles. A few of them had been lit and, in turn, illuminated the paintings of previous kings and queens of Thusia below them. Hefty, stained glass windows of mesmerizing mosaics were concealed by draperies colored the same turquoise as the crimson-red banners. The curtains had been adorned with fancy tassels and impressive needlework.

At the end of the hall was a towering throne made of various rare and expensive metals on a higher platform. There were at least twenty to thirty steps between the throne hall and the throne. The throne was built to resemble a crown. It was adjoined by two equally impressive thrones for the queen and the princess. Every inch of the throne was covered in intricate marks, and a sapphire lantern was fixed on each of the elegant armrests. The fluffy pillows were a dark lavender adorned with gilded tracery.

Those seeking the wisdom of their royal highness could do so on the several long and rather bulky granite benches, all facing the throne in a half circle. Those of higher standing could instead take seats in the specially decorated mezzanines facing the throne.

At the moment, several people occupied the throne hall. They all had dark lines on their forehead. One of them was a tall knight armed to the teeth. He was facing King Maxim, Queen Valeria, and Princess Victoria on one knee. The man had a scar running across his left cheek. It made him look somewhat scary and villainous.

He was the General of Thusia, Booth Felion, the man who slaughtered the sanctuary and killed Abras. In addition to General Booth, Edith sat on the decorated bench along with Lailah Alden herself.

"I am disappointed in you, Booth," said Maxim. The disappointment was obvious on his face.

"Let's hear how he is going to fix the situation," Queen Valeria said, gently squeezing Maxim's hands. She had known Booth since she was little. He was the most loyal man in the entire Thusia. As far as she was concerned, one mistake was not enough for them to punish the man who's been risking his life every day for the betterment of Thusia.

"I have sent my best men. They will finish their task," said Booth.

Lailah's eyes glimmered with anger. But she remained calm for the sake of her sister. Although Lailah and Edith were sisters, they didn't share a strong familial bond. Only a few in this world knew that Edith was not Lailah's biological sister. Lailah was born to the first wife of Lord Norbert Alden, and Edith was born to his second wife. Almost after twenty-five years, Norbert married Edith's mother, and she was born a year later. By that time, Lailah had already left her homeland and secluded herself from the outside world. Yet, despite everything, Lailah did love Edith. That was the only reason she agreed to come to Thusia when Victoria called for her. On one hand, Lailah had to think about Edith and save her. On the other hand, she had Ghost, the father of her spirit child to think about.

"Leave," Maxim dismissed Booth with a wave of his hand. Since Lailah and some other prominent figures of Thusia were in the hall, he couldn't talk freely with Booth. Victoria waited till General Booth left the hall. Afterward, she turned her gaze toward Lailah.

"Thank you for coming here, Lady Alden,"

"Your actions have put my sister in danger. So yes, I had to come," Lailah's words were cold.

"Lailah," Edith nervously whispered.

"We understand your concern and anger, Lady Alden," said Valeria with a gentle tone.

"But this is not the right time to point fingers. Have you found a cure for Edith?" asked Valeria.

Lailah sighed and slowly shook her head.

"There is nothing I can do for her. He has injected Edith with something new, something I have never seen in my life,"

Everyone was startled by Lailah's words. Silence swept across the hall. Then, after long moments of silence, Victoria's words cut through the silence.

"What about mother?" asked Victoria.

"She's infected too," Lailah's words made Victoria's heart skip a beat. The sound of people gasping in shock resonated in the hall. King Maxim's eyes turned predatory. Dangerous killing intent radiated from his body.

"You are welcome to let the healers, alchemists, and runemasters inspect their bodies. But I doubt many would even find something is wrong with them," said Lailah.

"How is it possible?" mumbled Victoria. Valeria was terrified. She recalled how vividly Victoria described what had happened to Edith. Her hands began to shiver.

None of them had an idea how Ghost poisoned the queen herself. The answer was simple, he didn't. He just sent Aria to Thusia and let Cain guide her. Cain planned the operation just like Michael would have. Queen Valeria was protected by Fusion Stage cultivators. They weren't at the Fusion stage or even remotely had a chance to reach it. But they were loyal to the core. Therefore, King Maxim allowed them inside the secret room where the air was filled with Cosmic energy. As a result, getting near Valeria was impossible, especially for a Core Formation cultivator like Aria.

But fortunately, she didn't have to get close to Valeria. Instead of directly injecting the blood tonic into Valeria, she injected them into meat, vegetables, and ingredients used in the castle. It took Aria to do some research to find where and how these ingredients were getting into the castle. But, with the help of Spyders and drones, the task became easier than she expected.

If it were the normal blood tonic, the alchemists who inspect the ingredients for poison would have detected it. It was not the normal one. Michael turned five million gold coins into badass points and used them to modify the blood tonic using the system. The task was not simple, but it was worth every badass point. He even risked Aria's life to poison Valeria.

"That's for you to find," said Lailah.

"Is there no way to cure them?" asked Victoria. Her heart was clenched by fear. She was afraid for her mother's life.

"There is," instead of Laila, King Maxin answered Victoria's question.

"We kill him," said King Maxim.

"I will personally claim his head and end this threat once and for all," said Maxim. Deep down, he would sacrifice both Edith and Valeria in a heartbeat to achieve his goal, which was to conquer the entire world. Their lives would be the price he had to pay for domination.

"I don't care what you did to him. But he is coming for a payback. I don't want my sister to be here when he does,"

Edith stood from the bench.

"Lailah, I am not a child, and I won't leave Victoria's side. I know how to take care of myself," said Edith.

"Do you?" asked Lailah.

Edith couldn't find words to respond under Lailah's cold gaze. It took Edith a couple of seconds to muster her courage.

"I have full faith in his majesty and the Thusian army. He is just one man," said Edith.

Lailah took a deep breath. During her short time with GHost, she had learned what he was capable of. He wasn't a man who would face the battle head-on without strategies. If he warned Victoria about his arrival, Lailah knew he must have several plans in his mind. He had proved no one was out of his reach. Poisoning Valeria was a statement.

"You have no idea what he's capable of, Edith," said Lailah. She really wanted Edith to get as far as possible from Thusia. But judging by the look in her eyes, unless Lailah dragged her by force, there was no way Edith would leave the kingdom and her best friend.