"What... what will become of us now?"
The common folk were anxious and praying, merely hoping that the Empire could withstand this chaos and return to its past strength and tranquility.
But the situation was becoming increasingly tense, causing persistent confusion in the Imperial Palace, with no reason forthcoming to this day.
Indeed, some had reached out to Pope Yule, asking him to come and remove the curse from the Emperor, but Yule had not yet responded. It was unclear whether he was still considering it or whether the message was intercepted by someone with an agenda, never reaching Yule's hands.
Harvis had also not been released from house arrest, under the pretext that the nobles of the Imperial Concubine's faction were vehemently against it, believing that the suspicions of the Prince colluding with the enemy and treason had not been completely cleared and such a person should not be allowed to act as Regent in the Emperor's stead.
The proposal to select a new Emperor likewise came to nothing.
A strategy that could convince and be agreed upon by everyone had never surfaced.
In this way, the chaos of the Empire continued for several days.
Until one day, an invigorating piece of news finally spread through the Imperial City.
"Lady Cappelen has returned with the Broken Blade Knights!"
"Our Valkyrie has come back!"
"The long-lost Second Princess has finally returned!"
On this day, such news spread rapidly through the streets and alleys of the Imperial City.
The citizens were excited.
Many common folk were excited too.
The return of a legitimate member of the Royal Family, and moreover the Empire's Second Princess whom everyone admired, injected a powerful dose of encouragement into the fearful and anxious Imperial people.
The chaos of the Empire, at this moment, was somewhat alleviated.
Imperial City, Bigusler Family.
After several days of dog eat dog struggles, although Harvis had not been released from house arrest, Rocque, through his own prestige and power, had managed to achieve some results, and all those members of the Bigusler Family who had been detained were allowed to return.
Thanks to this, the Bigusler Family was no longer as it had been before; instead of just a group of servants, there were now fully armed Knights standing guard and patrolling all over the residence, making the entire estate finally seem majestic and grand.
At this time, the Bigusler Family truly looked like the Empire's First Knight Family, exuding an atmosphere of sternness, fortitude, seriousness, and strength, making it hard to believe that a few days prior, they had been down on their luck and bullied by the Renitra Family, as well as under the surveillance of numerous Noble Families.
Although there were still numerous spies watching over them, they no longer dared to be as bold as before, hiding their forms very cautiously for fear of being discovered.
Under such circumstances, on this day, visitors came to this place.
Tilly herself came over to inform Shane of this.
"There is someone who wants to see you."
Tilly stood at the door of Shane's room, looking at him as he played with Lilith, her expression quite complicated.
Because Shane had not put on a cloak in the room, he had exposed his true face completely in front of Tilly.
Seeing the true face of this mysterious and powerful figure who was only in his twenties, younger even than herself, who had not only repelled the Renitra Family but also annihilated the entire Lefirut Family, Tilly felt truly conflicted.
He was indeed younger than her.
At the same time, Tilly finally learned of Shane's identity.
The Count of Beizut from the Mitra Kingdom.
Fiancé of the Kingdom Treasure.
He who tamed a dragon, conquered the Old Demon Clan Faction, amazed the Kingdom, supported by both the Demon Clan and the Divine Race, backed by the Dragon Demon and the existence of the strongest Evil God.
This individual, who had suddenly emerged and caused a sensation throughout the Human Realm and even the whole of Omni Potanssen, now appeared here, creating a notorious reputation in the Empire.
Knowing all this, Tilly's emotions became even more complex.
Unfortunately, Shane paid her no heed.
"It's about time they came."
Shane seemed to know who Tilly was referring to, muttering to himself while he handed Lilith over to Tielle, who was standing by.
Tielle, still cloaked in black with her hood up, had no intention of revealing her face and stood there indifferently.
Lilith chose not to stay with Tielle.
Compared to Tielle, the innocent little girl preferred to be with Lasha.
So, Lilith ran to Lasha, who was taking care of Lani, squeezed into her embrace, and received a head pat in return.
Laischa had disappeared, with no clue as to where she had gone, coming and going without a trace.
Tilly, of course, witnessed all these scenes.
Two things chiefly caught her attention.
For one, who was the little girl lying unconscious on the bed?
And for another, who was that young girl in black, exuding danger?
The presence of both these figures was new to Tilly.
Though Tilly was curious, she knew that asking would be futile, considering the dismissive attitude of her father and Shane.
If they wanted to share, they would speak up naturally.
If they didn't wish to say anything, no amount of questioning would provoke more than a condescending disregard from them.
It must be said, after a "thrashing" by Shane, Tilly seemed to have matured quite a bit, learning to think for herself.
Now, Tilly no longer carried her previous pride and arrogance, but had lowered her stature somewhat.
"Shall we go, Lord Bezut?"
Tilly spoke with a complicated tone in her voice.
As if oblivious, Shane casually nodded his head.
"Let's meet them," Shane turned toward Tielle's direction, asking, "Do you want to come with me?"
Tielle did not immediately consent.
"If it's about discussing how to deal with Moro, then I'll go," Tielle conveyed.
Shane was more straightforward, simply telling Tielle that the person he intended to meet was indeed there for the purpose of confronting Moro.
Wordlessly, Tielle stood up to follow Shane without uttering a single comment.
"Business as usual here, Lasha,"
Shane glanced at Lasha and commanded.
Lasha responded in a muted tone.
Lilith gave Shane a look, then glanced at Lasha, appeared conflicted for a moment, but ultimately left Lasha's embrace and ran toward Shane.
Shane didn't seem inclined for a fight, and Lilith probably wouldn't understand their conversation, but she still wanted to follow Shane.
Even if she wasn't as clingy as before, there was no doubt Lilith was closest to Shane.
Naturally, Shane wouldn't refuse, chuckling as he picked up the little girl again, holding Tielle's hand as they left the room.
Watching this scene, Tilly couldn't help but mutter to herself.
"Always with one in each arm..."
This Kingdom Count really was like a dissolute young master.
She couldn't fathom how he had managed to reach the Legendary realm at such a young age.
As she grumbled these thoughts, Tilly followed them out.
The group then left the room and headed for the meeting hall of the Bigusler Family.
After several days of repair, the ceiling of the meeting hall, which had been damaged by the fierce battle between Rocque and Sarilo, had been restored, giving the place back its original appearance.
With the help of magic, such minor damage was quickly amendable.
At this time, numerous figures had gathered in the meeting hall.
Women knights, cloaked in armor with longswords at their waists, looked valiant as they stood in various corners, giving the meeting hall an atmosphere of strict vigilance.
Rocque was seated on a sofa, head slightly bowed in respect towards the person opposite him.
And opposite of Rocque sat a princess, dressed in knight armor, wearing light armor, beautiful and gallant in appearance.
Led by Tilly, Shane and his group entered.
Holding Lilith in one arm and leading Tielle with the other, Shane greeted the princess with a smile.
"Welcome back, our valkyrie."
The one in question was none other than Lady Cappelen.