CHAPTER 282: THE QUEEN’S OBSESSION

Ah... he understood now.

A barrier.

And not just any barrier, it was a very advanced one.

It blocked every trace of thought perfectly.

That explained why he hadn’t been able to sense Dominic before.

Whoever had cast the spell was an extremely formidable opponent.

He still had no idea how they had done it, but judging from the sheer force leaking from that woman earlier, this enemy possessed a terrifying level of magical power.

When the woman reappeared, Shiao Yi carefully followed her telepathically.

Luckily, there was no risk of losing her, her thoughts shone in his mind like neon lights in the night sky, it was loud and dazzling as fireworks.

It seemed that the woman was, in fact, the queen of this country.

At the moment, she was in her office, handling government affairs.

Together with several aides, she worked through the endless stream of documents being delivered to her desk.

It appeared that in every nation, those who held supreme power were always busy.

She was probably sorting the paperwork among her subordinates, but in the end, all final decisions had to be made by the ruler herself.

Centralized authority made control easier, but it also placed a tremendous burden on one person’s shoulders.

Right now, the kingdom wasn’t very large, so it was still manageable.

But once its territory expanded and its influence spread, it would become impossible for one ruler to oversee everything alone.

Eventually, politics would have to shift toward a system of divided powers.

Because the queen’s office was a public area, Shiao Yi had no trouble locating it.

He was now hiding in the ceiling above, waiting for the queen to leave and go see Dominic.

There was another way he could use telepathy to nudge her thoughts and make her remember Dominic’s location but the queen’s intuition was far too sharp.

He couldn’t risk being discovered.

For now, he would have to be patient and wait.

"Your Majesty, your hand has stopped again," an older man reminded her.

The man who is likely her chancellor spoke with a tired but respectful tone.

His hair was more white than gray, his frame thin and his face lined with exhaustion.

He probably carried many worries.

Shiao Yi learned that his name was Micah.

The dark circles under his eyes looked painful and the stack of documents on his desk was three times taller than the queen’s.

"Ah... I see. Forgive me," the queen said softly.

Prompted by his words, she turned her attention back to the documents but after reading only a few lines, her thoughts drifted off again.

Shiao Yi didn’t even need telepathy to know where her mind had gone.

Her thoughts leaked out freely: Dominic. Dominic.

I want to see Dominic’s face. I want to speak with him. My Dominic is so beautiful, so manly.

Shiao Yi sighed inwardly. Well, I can agree with your opinion about him. Dominic really is a remarkable man. But seriously, are you some lovestruck schoolgirl?

A grown woman sighing like that isn’t exactly charming. How obsessed with him can you get? Even that old man just told you, stop sighing and get back to work.

And then he remembered, the queen had seen Dominic completely naked.

The thought made his stomach twist.

Stop it! he fumed silently. Even in your imagination, don’t you dare touch him. These "mature woman" fantasies of yours are disgusting.

Feeling overwhelmed, Shiao Yi curled up mentally like a snail retreating into its shell.

"Your Majesty," came Yorum’s voice again, "how is progress on that matter we discussed?"

At that, Shiao Yi peeked one of his invisible "antennae" out of his mental shell, listening closely.

"It is proceeding as planned," the queen said. "We’ve gained a powerful new source of magical energy. The long held dream of Solmaria will soon come true."

Shiao Yi mentally stretched out a few more antennae, intrigued.

"Are you heading out for lunch again?" Micah asked cautiously. "You’ve gone every day lately. Could it be someone is waiting for you?"

"Don’t worry," the queen replied with a faint smile. "Soon enough, I’ll introduce that person to you as well."

Shiao Yi sensed the queen standing and leaving her office.

He shook off the mental image of being a curled-up snail and began to follow her silently, moving along the ceiling beams above.

She was surely heading toward Dominic.

The queen walked through a long corridor that connected the main government hall, the tallest building in the palace, the very one whose roof Shiao Yi had spent the night upon.

She crossed a covered walkway, passed a pond and continued deeper into the palace grounds until she reached a slightly larger building.

Its tiled roof, red pillars, and gold-edged decorations looked almost identical to the others around it.

From the roof, to the underside of the corridor floors, to the shadows of the garden, Shiao Yi followed carefully, making sure to remain unseen.

The woman’s deep crimson hair was tied high in an elaborate knot and she wore a brilliant front-wrapped robe embroidered with gold thread.

Every step she took carried the weight and dignity of a queen.

Her facial features were sharp and striking. She’s truly a beautiful woman.

A single maid followed behind her while pushing a wooden cart laden with lunch.

Two armed guards trailed after them.

Judging by their posture and presence, they were not ordinary soldiers but highly skilled swordsmen.

Their alert eyes swept every direction without pause.

If Shiao Yi had possessed any trace of magical power like the people of this world, no amount of stealth would have hidden him from their senses.

The small group entered the building.

Moments later, the maid and guards came back out and took positions at the entrance, standing watch.

Once again, Shiao Yi had no choice but to wait.

There was no need to rush, he had already found where Dominic was being held.

He studied the guards standing perfectly still at the door connecting the corridors between the buildings and silently offered them a bit of respect.