The Empror's Trap

Originally meant for palace servants, these quarters—though designated for staff—were still luxurious by any standard. The Royal Guards found them quite comfortable. Thus, the Royal Guards found themselves sleeping quite comfortably there as well.

"Let a few people follow me out," he said briskly to the guards inside.

At that moment, several Royal Guards were leisurely playing cards. Since there were Vishi Empire soldiers guarding outside Thelia Palace and Royal Guards were on duty in shifts near Her Majesty's bedroom, these guards were quite relaxed. They had reached a point where they were idly playing cards to pass the time.

When the Grand Marshal called them, the Royal Guards stood up respectfully. However, they did not immediately follow Kenji's orders.

"Grand Marshal, may I ask what task you need us for?" one of the Royal Guards asked.

"To protect Her Majesty," Kenji replied tersely.

"But Her Majesty is already protected by Commander Sonya."

"Her protection is indeed there, but we shouldn't rely solely on passive protection of Her Majesty."

"Hmm, Grand Marshal, can there be such a thing as active protection?" another Royal Guard asked; it was the first time he had heard of active protection. What could active protection mean? Could it be that the Grand Marshal wants to directly raid the hideout of those assassins?

"You can't do that, Grand Marshal; those assassins are local powerhouses. You know what they say—don't poke the hornet's nest"

"Active protection means we need to proactively strike and actively seek necessary information from those who make moves against us."

After saying this, Kenji stopped explaining further. However, the others had a rough idea of what Kenji intended to do.

"Hell yeah! I'm in!"

The Royal Guards were already very displeased about the previous assassination attempts. Faced with a task that could potentially help solve Her Majesty's security issues, they naturally wouldn't miss it.

Another part of the reason is that some among those people were actually Kenji's own people whom he had assigned to the Royal Guards. These insiders naturally responded first and thus brought along the emotions of those around them. Influenced by this sentiment, everyone agreed.

Of course, among them were Royal Guards loyal to Her Majesty. However, Kenji did mention that this was related to Pluvia's safety. Moreover, the Royal Guards not following Kenji's orders would not violate the law. If Kenji actually intended to make a move against Her Majesty, they could turn against him on the spot.

Honestly, Kenji would've sighed if he knew their thoughts, Royal Guards are all brawn, no brains. If I wanted to harm Pluvia, I wouldn't need to manipulate you lot.

In any case, six Royal Guards were thus lured away by him to follow Pluvia.

As soon as they changed into casual clothes and followed behind Pluvia, Sonya noticed it.

However, she truly did not understand what those guys were planning.

What the hell are these idiots doing?

She couldn't voice her suspicions to Pluvia—not without proof. If she raised false alarms, the Emperor might punish them unfairly. So she stayed alert, escorting Pluvia into the White Cat Restaurant while keeping an eye on her team.

Goddammit. Trouble on both fronts!

"Commander, what are you thinking about?" Pluvia asked suspiciously.

"Ah—it's nothing, Your Majesty," Sonya replied with an awkward smile. It was only then that she noticed that Pluvia had already sat down at a table.

"Join me."

"Your servant dares not."

"Sit. Drop the formalities here." Pluvia waved dismissively.

Sonya had no choice but to obediently sit down opposite Pluvia.

"What do you want to eat? I heard that something called a grilled salted meat bread here is very delicious. What do you want?"

At that moment, Sonya caught sight of one of her Royal Guards.

The guy was pretending to read a newspaper while leaning against a tree across the street.

Pretending to be a newspaper-reading passerby is a good method.

But these idiots who didn't understand Vishi language, if you do not understand Vishi language, aren't you supposed to read the pictures? The newspaper is upside down! And the hat you're wearing is a Western ladies' hat! Do you still think you look quite handsome while wearing it?

Pluvia, who was busy ordering food, looked up and saw Sonya's ashen face. She was puzzled—what happened to her today? She seemed a bit... uncomfortable.

Or was she dissatisfied with the dish ordered?

"Sonya?" Pluvia called her by her name.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"I already said, outside there is no need for such formalities," Pluvia quickly said, "Today there is no distinction between monarch and subject for us two, just relax and have a good time."

My dear Majesty, this servant is the Chief Guard of Royal Guards. Do you not know what I do? If there's no distinction between monarch and subject today, and if something goes wrong, this servant would definitely lose her head.

I am the chief bodyguard of the Great Camelot Empire Emperor and someone who can indeed kill without blinking. My reputation is well known everywhere. If there is any mistake leading to her Majesty being made vulnerable right under my eyes, it would mean my physical and mental demise.

So she responded, but still had to answer on the surface.

"Understood,"

Pluvia ordered a modest amount of food because she usually did not eat much. A piece of fragrant bread, sandwiched with a slice of roasted meat specifically made to be crispy and salty. Serving on the bread's surface was baked along with an egg wash coating, making its aroma irresistibly appealing.

Pluvia leisurely picked up the bread, took a bite, and immediately felt the sweetness of the bread and the salty flavor of the roasted meat blend together, filling her mouth with a wonderful taste.

It was indeed good. Although she usually ate many delicacies, such food filled with the flavor of everyday life could sometimes give people a great sense of novelty.

Quickly, Sonya's order was served.

She ordered a very straightforward dish: fried beef. The high-quality beef was lightly fried on a griddle and seasoned with spices for serving.

However, when the beef was served, Sonya Song couldn't hold back anymore.

She could clearly feel that this thing...

was not completely cooked.

"Sonya, you... like to eat this?"

Seeing the pink cross-section where Sonya sliced through the beef, Pluvia found it hard to understand.

Her Guard liked raw meat so much? No wonder her combat strength was so high. Respected and adored.

However, what Pluvia didn't know was that Sonya herself wanted to curse. She did not expect that the dish would be undercooked. When ordering, she just casually picked it, thinking that beef should not be fried so poorly...

Indeed, cultural differences are indeed a chasm