Chapter 632: The Legendary Rock
Ah.
So this is what treason would look like in real time.
He may not have known it, nor had he intended it. But to the watching woman, considering what the chipmunk meant to her son, such careless audacity could only be branded as treason.
Empress Gisella’s eyes narrowed, sharp as blades, her whole aura thrumming with murderous disbelief.
Of all the treacherous, foolhardy things she had ever seen—and she had lived through coups, assassination plots, and full-scale Federation infiltration—this one somehow felt more alarming.
Because right in front of her, some man, some attendant with dark hair and more gall than brains, was attempting to flirt with her son’s beloved.
Her lips curled into a brittle smile.
In a way, she almost admired him. Almost.
That was a bold choice. Wrong choice, but bold.
But then again, if more and more people had this level of audacity, the Empire of Solaris would have collapsed long ago.
Her broken stylus, already snapped clean in half, began to crumble further under her fingers until dust spilled between her gloves.
The leak of spiritual energy made Luca turn his head. His golden eyes blinked curiously at her.
Caught.
Gisella’s expression melted in an instant into one of cheerful sweetness, as if she had never dreamed of eviscerating anyone in her life. She even waved lightly.
Luca tilted his head with a gentle smile, and the two exchanged cordial greetings as their eyes met.
Sensing his chance slipping, the attendant—with hair waxed so high it practically counted as stolen inches—leaned in closer.
"My Lord, it seems I haven’t seen you in the capital before," the man said, voice dripping with false casualness.
"Oh, mister. That’s understandable," Luca replied politely. "There are so many people, after all."
The attendant chuckled, ignoring the fact that his carefully curated self was called a ’mister.’ But even with his liver aching, he pressed on. He even chose his best angle and squinted his eyes in a practiced manner before dropping a solid attack.
"It’s not really like that. You’re so striking... it would be difficult to forget such a face."
Luca blinked before momentarily panicking as he thought about bounties and wanted posters. "Mister, I swear I’m a law-abiding citizen!"
"!!!"
Did—did he just say that?!
The Empress nearly choked.
She had expected and prepared to rush over, maybe even pretend to trip over that man, before sending him to another planet, but what was this? Did she really hear correctly?!
The attendant faltered but pushed the tablet closer, desperation creeping in. "Y-you’re really funny, aren’t you, My Lord? If you keep at it, you’ll end up tired from running through my mind all day."
"Huh?" Luca frowned gently, thinking about how they had been travelling since earlier. "But, mister, we’ve been flying all day?"
The Empress slapped her knee before catching herself.
She heard correctly!!!
She really did!
She looked away quickly, her shoulders shaking as if she was coughing, but her ears wanted to clap on their own.
The attendant tried again, swallowing hard while trying to hold that smile that couldn’t stop twitching. "You’re a funny one! I-it’s a compliment! Like... if beauty were a crime, you’d be serving a life sentence."
Golden eyes widened in horror, remembering all those caged guides. "I—I don’t think the Imperial family would ever pass such a law!"
Gisella actually wheezed, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth as though holding back a laugh—or maybe a scream.
Yes! Thank you! They would never! Though maybe it wasn’t too late to make stricter laws when it came to cradle robbers!
The flirt, red to the ears, scrambled for one last attempt. "You take my breath away."
This time, it was literal.
His own breath stuttered, his head throbbed. Could it be? Was this kind-looking beauty toying with him?!
No... those eyes. They were too clear. Too guileless.
Impossible.
Had he actually encountered a legendary rock? One that could not be swayed by his alluring beauty, charm, or desperate pick-up lines.
Oh, but apparently, it could still be worse—
The attendant watched, as if in slow motion, as the heir to House Kyros immediately leaned forward, alarm written across his innocent face.
"I swear I didn’t do anything this time! Do you need help? I’ll call someone over!"
He looked around, earnestly searching for aid as if the poor soul beside him truly was in danger of respiratory failure.
And that was when Gisella rose to her feet.
As if she had been waiting for this moment her entire life, practically appearing as though she would pop out from the shadows if anyone blinked. Well, after all, she really could do that.
Her smile was dazzling. Radiant. Terrifying.
"Allow me," she said sweetly, already striding over. "I would be delighted to... help."
The flirt paled. Luca brightened. And the Empress—oh, the Empress was more than ready to deal with the cleanup.
What could be better than taking care of things up close and personal?
Nothing.
Nothing beats being this close to one’s enemies.
Well, maybe save for watching proudly as someone else dealt with them in a way that she had never expected.
The Empress’s lips curved into a serene smile as she stepped forward. "Allow me. I’ll take care of him."
Her eyes flicked, sharp and predatory, toward the badge pinned crookedly to the man’s chest.
Renard Dreel.
Of course, even this one had a name. Unfortunately, he was giving others of the same name a bad reputation.
She feigned a quick glance around, pretending to seek assistance, before tilting her chin slightly toward a security camera. A subtle signal. Because surely, even if this whole mission was a haphazard mess, they wouldn’t be outside without proper safeguards; they owed that much to their children at the very least.
Her eyes did not turn murderous, though. How could they, when such sweetness drifted over her shoulder?
"Miss, thank you for offering to help," Luca said earnestly, smiling at her with genuine warmth.
Her heart nearly melted into a puddle. Miss. He had called her Miss.
Ah, so he thought she was still young and beautiful. The disguised Empress preened, her cheeks lifting in a radiant smile. Luca, delighted by the kindness of someone who looked so pleasant, returned it with his own innocent beam. In his mind, beautiful people like his husband must surely be kind.
And so, two suns shone at each other while poor Renard Dreel withered in between.