CHAPTER 77: RIANA THOUGHTS

(Third Person POV)

Alice opened her tightly shut eyes, removed her hands from her ears, and looked at Tiran, who was standing there with a cheerful smile on his face.

"What did you do now, Uncle Tiran?"

She sat upright on the couch and looked at Tiran, who stood there innocently as if he hadn’t done anything at all.

"What? I just wanted to shut that woman up who doesn’t know her place. It’s not like I did anything wrong."

Tiran spoke carelessly, shrugging his shoulders as he sat down on a couch across from Alice.

"Sigh ,I’ll tell Lax when we get back. He’ll deal with you. We need to move now—we’ve wasted too much time here."

"Hahaha, fine, wait for me a minute."

Tiran got up from the couch and went somewhere Alice didn’t recognize.

A few minutes later, he returned, and next to him was the second princess, holding his hand with a bright, happy smile on her face.

"Let’s go."

Alice crossed her arms in front of her chest, a vein bulging on her forehead as she looked at this scene.

"What is this?"

"What is what, little Alice?"

Confusion was clearly visible on Tiran’s face as he heard Alice’s question.

"I’m asking, what is that woman doing? Are you saying she’s coming with us?"

Alice pointed at her with her right hand to clarify what she meant to Tiran.

"Isn’t it obvious? Do you think I’m a man who shirks responsibility? You’ve disappointed me. Sigh"

"There’s no need for that, my dear. Children are like that—they don’t understand until they grow up."

The second princess and Tiran looked at each other tenderly, completely absorbed in their own world.

On the other side, Alice was throwing up inside as she watched the scene.

"Blegh! I think I’m gonna puke."

Alice ran off quickly toward the bathroom.

"So disgusting! Do I really have to put up with these two on my mission? Now I’m starting to understand Lax’s feelings when he has to work with people he doesn’t like. Damn it, I just want to go home."

She washed her face with cold water to calm herself and then left the bathroom.

"Alright, let’s go. We’re heading to the location of the fourth prince. You insect, get up and follow us."

Prince Lucas stood up from the ground, his legs trembling from kneeling for too long.

Everyone moved and left the second princess’s palace, heading to their next destination.

On the other side, in the Tirshtain Empire’s capital—

Inside the imperial palace, Riana was sitting at her desk, handling her tasks.

"This is so boring. I want to do something fun."

She sighed, pushing the documents aside carelessly and laying her head on the desk with her eyes closed.

"When will everyone come back? I’m all alone in this empty palace. Sigh"

Because both Orlax and Elena had left to build a shield to protect the cities, they wouldn’t return until midnight—exhausted, they would sleep immediately, then get back to work early in the morning.

That left only two people in the palace, both bored.

"I miss Papa."

A small blue-haired girl spoke quietly as she sat on Riana’s desk.

"Right? I miss him too. It seems like he’s been neglecting us, Sera. We should punish him later."

Since Riana was the only one in the palace, taking care of Sera naturally became her responsibility.

"Focus on your work and stop thinking about silly things like that."

This voice didn’t come from Riana or Sera but from a small figure floating in the air with red hair and golden eyes.

"Yes, yes, you’re such a boring person who only cares about work."

"Your way of speaking is terrible. You should talk in a manner worthy of your status."

The Sword Spirit sat on Riana’s shoulder, crossing her arms in irritation.

"Sigh ,You always say stuff like that. I’m tired of it."

Riana sat up straight in her chair, lifted Sera from the desk, and placed her on her lap.

"That thing you told me earlier... will it really happen in the future?"

Riana had a strange expression that made it hard to tell what she was thinking.

"Yes. A great evil is lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to emerge. And when it does, even those at the Grandmaster level will be forced to kneel before its overwhelming power."

The Sword Spirit’s body trembled slightly as she recalled those ominous memories.

"Even Orlax won’t be able to defeat him?"

"Riana, a thousand years ago, I was at an incredibly powerful level—much stronger than Orlax is now. Even then, I was defeated in a single strike by him. That’s why I ended up like this—just a spirit lingering in this world."

The Sword Spirit floated in front of Riana’s face, looking her directly in the eyes to show how serious she was.

"That’s why I wanted you to become the Empress. I want you to build a force strong enough to face him. Gather powerful individuals who can help you in this fight."

Riana gently patted Sera’s head as she considered those words.

"But you idiot... you turned Elena, who could’ve been a great ally because of her talent, into an enemy from the start. It’s like I was talking to a wall!"

The Sword Spirit struck the air in frustration to vent her anger.

"Alright, alright, what was I supposed to do? I was jealous of her."

"Sigh ,Forget it. Just focus on building a good relationship with her now, even if I don’t have much hope for it."

The Sword Spirit sat on the table and stared sharply at Sera.

"That girl looks a lot like you. Are you sure she’s not your real daughter?"

"What?! How do we look alike? Even her hair color is different. Don’t spout nonsense like that!"

Riana lifted Sera closer to her face to show the Sword Spirit the difference between them.

"Well, she looks like you did when you were a small child. Your facial features are very similar."

"Wait a minute—are you saying you’ve been with me since I was a child?"

Riana placed Sera back on her lap and shifted her focus to a different subject.

"Of course. I’ve been with you since the day your mother gave birth to you."

The Sword Spirit pounded her chest with pride.

"So you were with me all that time without me seeing you? I guess I never had any privacy. But why couldn’t I see you until recently?"

"You had to reach the Graduated Level to be able to see me. But I’ve been with you long before that."

The Sword Spirit waved her hand casually as she said that.

"So that’s why you used to communicate with me through those screens... I thought you were just shy and didn’t want to show yourself."

"Pffff, shy? I’m more shameless than you, girl. But I’ve learned to control myself."

The Sword Spirit let out a soft laugh before floating in the air again.

"Even though I don’t remember much before my death, not even my name, I clearly remember the terror I felt before I died. Stay focused, Riana, and never get lazy."

"Laziness is not one of my traits. Don’t worry about that."

The Sword Spirit

nodded and sat back on Riana’s shoulder in silence.

Riana returned to her work, reading the documents on her desk.

After several hours, she finished all the papers, left the office, and went to her room.

She took a short bath, washed and cleaned Sera thoroughly, then dried both of their hair.

She lay down on the bed while holding her phone.

"Thank you. If you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have built a good relationship with Orlax or let go of my hatred toward him."

"Me? I didn’t do anything like that. You’re the one who let go of your hatred. I just showed you how that hatred was blinding you."

Riana closed her eyes as she lay in bed, remembering what happened when they returned to the capital by car.

In the hotel, after Orlax suddenly kissed her and left the room—

She was sitting on the bed, thinking about what had just happened, feeling slightly disgusted.

"Damn it! How am I supposed to live with him from now on?"

She held her head, frustrated by what the future held.

"Why? I don’t see any issue with how he acts. On the contrary, he treats you kindly and respectfully. I don’t think living with him would be a problem."

"I really hate him. I can’t even look at his face without thinking about tearing him apart."

Riana clenched her fist tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"Why do you hate him so much? I don’t see a reason for it."

The Sword Spirit shrugged, genuinely confused by Riana’s intense hatred.

"Because of him, my face is disfigured."

"Well, he married you, so you don’t need to worry about that anymore."

The Sword Spirit floated in the air and stared at Riana sharply.

"He killed all my comrades."

"He told you he was under the effect of a curse. And even if he wasn’t telling the truth, you were all at his house trying to harm him. Naturally, he would defend himself. You would’ve done the same in his place."

Riana furiously rubbed her hair, enraged by the Sword Spirit’s words.

"Ugh, I hate him anyway. He was the reason for my suffering all these years. And why are you even defending him like this?"

"I’m not defending him. I just want you to ease up on your hatred. He will be a great help to you. If you keep hating him, he won’t help you either."

The Sword Spirit sat at the edge of the bed, massaging her own temples from her headache.

"And he’s not a bad person. He didn’t punish you even though you tried to assassinate him at the coronation. If he were anyone else, you’d probably be dead already. I wouldn’t keep someone who’s a threat close to me."

"That’s what puzzles me too. Why didn’t he do anything to me back then? It’s foolish to leave an enemy like that unharmed."

Riana lay down on the bed, covering her eyes as she got lost in thought.

"I’ll try to do what you’re saying, but I can’t forget my hatred for him so easily."

Back to the present—

Riana lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling with a soft smile on her face.

"Well then... let’s see what other surprises fate has in store for me."