Unholy Player

Chapter 459: Power Struggles Within Royal Families

"I’m just a little confused about one thing."

Vesha pressed down her excitement and rising anxiety with a couple of deep breaths, feeling her chest tighten and loosen with each inhale. When her heartbeat slowed, she drew her shoulders back, slipped into her household-lady demeanor, and voiced the question that had been bothering her.

"What is my mission here? By meeting his family, what exactly do you expect from me?"

She was not naive. There was no doubt that this invitation was not for a casual friendly meal.

The people involved had the highest status in Human society. Henry Bates alone was proof of that, but even putting him aside, Adyr’s mother and sister were among the very top of their royalty, people whose names could sway decisions and whose presence could change the atmosphere, at least in Vesha’s thoughts.

She did not think the point was simply political either. If it were purely political, they would have called her King Vale or even one of their Practitioners, not her.

For a brief moment, Kara took her eyes off the road and glanced at the fair-faced blond girl beside her. In Vesha’s ice-blue eyes, she could clearly see keen intelligence and quiet calculation.

Then she simply followed her instructions and began to explain what Henry Bates had told her to say in case Vesha asked this question.

"As I mentioned, Young Master Adyr’s mother and sister are mortals who came to this region for a vacation. Since you, Lady Vesha, are his most trusted friend, we thought you would be the best person from this land to accompany them."

Hearing the reason, Vesha tilted her head slightly in a small, elegant motion. Though she liked the idea of being regarded as his trusted friend, doubt persisted beneath it. "Is that so?"

On the surface, the explanation sounded perfectly logical. Yet her instincts pushed against it. It would not be this simple. Situations involving people at this level rarely are simple.

Is there a power struggle among nobles or within their families?

The thought rose on its own, but she kept it locked inside, letting her gaze drift back to the road stretching ahead instead of to Kara’s face.

Asking further would not change the fact that she was already in the vehicle, already on the way.

As someone raised in a big, powerful household, Vesha had seen more than enough of such drama. Even among the Velari, a race praised for being good-natured, things were not as clean as they looked.

Behind polite greetings and gentle smiles, she had watched political struggles, power conflicts, old grudges, and quiet tensions flare between the lords of the kingdom. People’s good nature never prevented them from taking advantage of one another.

Therefore, the idea that Humans could be using her to exert pressure on Adyr did not seem unusual at all. If anything, it felt familiar.

Is it really a good thing that I accepted their invitation? He wouldn’t be upset, right?

The question slipped out of her mind and settled there like a heavy weight. A quiet guilt pricked at her, but by then it was already too late. The hummer was slowing, and when she looked up, they were in front of the biggest building in the entire city.

"We’ve arrived." Kara’s voice broke through her thoughts.

She got out of the driver’s seat and walked around to the passenger side, then opened the heavy door with a solid sound. She unbuckled Vesha’s seatbelt and extended her hand, helping her down from the tall step of the hummer so the short girl would not stumble on the unfamiliar height.

After she got out of the vehicle, Vesha looked up at the massive building and froze, staring at it in silence.

The building in front of her swallowed everything else. Whatever had been clouding her mind a heartbeat ago slipped quietly into the background. It was her first time seeing a structure like this, one that filled her mind and vision like a dark cliff.

It was so large that it was even bigger than the palace in their kingdom where their protector, Liora Virell, lived. The palace back home had always felt like a symbol of safety and tradition. This place, by contrast, felt like power carved straight into the world.

The whole structure looked like a single colossal stone pillar driven into the sky, entirely matte black, its surface swallowing most of the light that touched it. There was not even the smallest opening for a window or a balcony. As she studied those unbroken walls, she found herself wondering how many torches it would take to light such a huge, windowless building.

And it was not just the building that left her in awe.

There were many soldiers scattered around the front square, all wearing uniforms similar to Kara’s.

Some stood in perfectly straight formation in front of the entrance, not moving an inch, while others walked slow, measured routes around the area, their boots striking the ground with the same steady rhythm as they constantly watched their surroundings.

They looked even more intimidating than Kara.

Every one of them was wearing a strange mask that completely obscured their faces, transforming them into faceless figures with eyes she couldn’t meet.

The masks had sharp, unsettling shapes that most people would find frightening, and the large metal weapons in their hands only made their presence even more intimidating.

Vesha did not know what those weapons were called, but even without knowing their names, the cold, angular lines and solid build made it clear how lethal they were meant to be.

"This way, Lady Vesha." Kara addressed the short girl, pointing toward the wide steps leading up to the entrance of the headquarters.

Vesha adjusted her grip on her dress, following with small, controlled steps, her shoes tapping softly against the stone. As they neared the wide glass doors, they slid open on their own in a smooth, quiet motion.

Even that was enough to catch her off guard. Doors that moved on their own, without a single person touching them, would have been a marvel back in her kingdom.

But what waited inside went far beyond that.

The moment she crossed the threshold, a different kind of air touched her face. It was cooler and lighter than outside, without the dust or lingering smells of the city.

A sweet, pleasant scent washed over her nose, something faintly floral mixed with the clean smell of polished floors and cooled stone.

Did I just pass through a door to another dimension or something?

The thought came naturally as her eyes widened and tried to take in everything at once.

The interior was, just as she had suspected, even more magical than the exterior.

The entrance hall was wide, so wide that the ceiling seemed to stretch endlessly above her, giving the place a quiet, open feeling, as if it had been built to make its visitors feel small.

Directly ahead, a massive aquarium was set into the wall, its thick glass panel almost as tall as a house. Inside, the water sparkled, and a lot of fish swam in slow, flowing patterns. Their fins and scales caught the fake lights and made them flash with color.