Thinking of this, she slowly spoke the final step of the ritual, which was the wish she desired to fulfill.
"Please help me kill a human named Lynn Bartleion."
a chilling and evil power suddenly descended, and the green candles arranged on the ground flared up, casting the entire room in an eerie green glow.
The lady in the black veil looked on in terror at the scene before her, not understanding what was happening.
The next second, a bat-like shadow silently descended, appearing behind her.
It drooled stinking saliva from its mouth, speaking human language in a muddled way, as if engaged in some poor imitation.
Yet even so, the lady in the black veil could still hear the hatred and intent to kill hidden in its words.
"Tell me... where... he is..."
Compared to the award ceremony in the Council Hall, at this moment, Hillena's residence lacked a bit of the sternness and chill.
Instead, the atmosphere was filled with warmth and the cheerful chatter of young ladies.
This was a private masquerade party, so most of the attendees were daughters from the noble families of Glostit, with women making up the majority.
Of course, it was not entirely women.
To liven up the mood and to broaden the horizons of these rarely-out-of-home girls, Hillena had also invited many best-selling authors, performers, and painters who were revered in high society, to discuss everyday sights or share creative ideas with the young ladies.
From time to time, exclamations of amazement arose from groups of people here and there.
All in all, the atmosphere was cheerful.
However, the hostess of the evening's banquet was at this moment very low-profile, standing among the crowd with an angel mask adorned with white feathers covering her face.
Hillena silently observed the scene before her, her mind a mystery.
However, from the glances she occasionally cast toward the entrance, it was probably safe to deduce that she was waiting for someone.
"Your Highness, are you sure Tiya will also come?"
Xiya's voice came from beside her.
Hearing this, Hillena came back to her senses, looking at him with a touch of surprise, "Didn't she inform you?"
The girls with twirling skirts around them wore masks of various designs, rendering it impossible to discern their true appearances.
And Tiya's figure... unlike Hillena's voluptuous goddess-like presence, wasn't easily distinguishable either.
Xiya felt somewhat frustrated as he lowered his head to drink, declining invitations from several unfamiliar women.
The relationship between him and Tiya was supposed to be one of complete transparency and closeness.
But for some reason, lately, he felt as if she was hiding something from him.
Like today's banquet.
If it wasn't for Hillena's casual mention, he wouldn't even have known about it.
Thus, to uncover the truth, he decided to come alone and secretly observe to see what Tiya was really up to.
Endowed with the blessing of the Bright Moon Goddess, she couldn't have any physical contact with any male.
And according to her personality, she should have been staying devoutly in the Church, serving the Goddess with all her heart.
As Xiya was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed the brightening of Hillena's eyes.
Following her gaze towards the entrance, he instantly recognized two familiar figures.
One of them brought him an intense feeling of revulsion.
This allowed Xiya to instantly discern their identities.
The Princess had actually invited them too?
Xiya's heart felt a pang of discomfort and he instinctively looked toward the Great Imperial Princess Hillena standing beside him.
Noticing her subordinate's look, Hillena felt somewhat guilty.
However, this was a task given to her by Saint Laurent VI, related to a part of the King's election scoring.
To narrow the gap with the Second Prince, Felit, she had to seize every opportunity.
Nonetheless, Hillena did harbor fond feelings for Xiya.
After all, in such desperate circumstances back then, if it hadn't been for his life-risking effort to rescue her from danger, leaving a knife wound on his back that couldn't heal, Hillena would likely have already become fodder for the Demon Clan.
With these thoughts in mind, she unexpectedly reached out, gently pinching Xiya's fingertips.
Even though her face was hidden behind a mask, after saying these words, Hillena instinctively turned her head, seemingly trying to conceal her current lapse in composure.
Even though she generally maintained the dignity of an Imperial Princess, she had never made such a gesture toward any man.
Looking at the slightly reddening tips of Hillena's ears, Xiya's heart rate quickened slightly.
He subconsciously wanted to reach for her hand, but Hillena moved away from his side first, heading toward the entrance.
Meanwhile, her gaze unintentionally lingered on that young man.
Everyone thought she sent out invitations to invite Ivyst.
However, the truth was not so.
Her actual target was the boy who was inseparable from Ivyst, to fulfill the trust of Saint Laurent VI and unearth the secrets hidden within him.
Sadly, Xiya was unaware of all this.
Watching Hillena's stunning figure gracefully moving away, a faint sense of regret stirred in his heart.
But overall, it was still sweet.
Perhaps before long, the relationship between him and the Princess could take a step further.