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"Hey, did you forget that the Head Maid informed us that new maids will be doing the cleaning from now on?" the other guard nudged, then looked back at the maids. "Are you the new ones who are supposed to start from today?"

"Yes, sir," replied one of the maids in a bubbly voice.

The other maid kept her silence, clutching her broom like it was a sword and she was about to duel the marble floors.

The guards exchanged a look that could only be described as "eh, whatever," and nodded.

"Alright, get on with it. But make it quick. You two are late. There is only one hour till the court begins its session," the first guard muttered, swinging open the heavy doors to reveal the imperial court—a hall so grand and empty it could double as a ballroom for ghosts.

Marble floors stretched out beneath a ceiling painted with enough gold leaf to bankrupt a small kingdom. At the far end was the emperor\'s throne where the quiet maid\'s eyes were trained on.

One of the guards followed them in with a casual hand on his sheathed sword. "I will be keeping an eye on you," he warned.

Nodding, the maids shuffled forward. It quickly became apparent that one of them—specifically the bubbly one—was absolutely terrible at their job. Her broom seemed to have a vendetta against the floor, scattering dust more enthusiastically than gathering it.

The guard\'s frown deepened. "Hey, you!" he barked. "Clean properly, or you will still be here by the time the court session begins!"

"Okay, okay!" the fumbling maid yelped, adjusting her grip on the broom with all the skill of a newborn baby.

Her frantic sweeping only made things worse, dust flying everywhere. The other maid shot her a venomous look and scolded, \'What is wrong with you? Can\'t you clean properly, you dumbass?\'

The clumsy maid—none other than Clyde in disguise—straightened up, glaring at the other maid—Vyan. \'Forgive me, my lord. Unlike you, I have never held a freaking broom in my entire life!\'

Vyan rolled his eyes, lips twitching with barely concealed annoyance. \'Tch, spoiled noble kid.\'

\'Please, as if you wouldn\'t have grown up ten times more spoiled had you not gotten separated from your family,\' Clyde shot back.

\'Careful, Clyde. I have this mop in my hand, and I am not afraid to use it as a weapon. So, just quietly do your job.\'

Clyde puffed out his chest, attempting to look busy while his broom flailed uselessly around. \'I can\'t do the job, that\'s the issue! Perhaps, you should have taken the time to have Maya teach me how to be a proper maid.\'

\'Oh, Goddess. You know what? Just create a distraction already,\' Vyan replied dryly. \'I am going to check behind the curtain.\'

\'Creating distraction? Now that\'s a job I can do.\'

Vyan\'s gaze locked on the heavy fabric that hung behind the throne. \'Just make it believable and try not to get us caught.\'

A grin spread across Clyde\'s face, a mischievous spark lighting up his eyes. \'Don\'t worry, I got this.\'

Clyde glanced down at the bucket of water beside him. Fishing into his apron pocket, he pulled out a small packet of red chili spices. With a quick glance at Vyan, who was inching toward the heavy curtains behind the throne, Clyde dumped the entire packet into the bucket, giving it a good stir with the mop.

"Alright, time to work some magic," Clyde muttered to himself, swinging the mop around with exaggerated finesse. He made sure to swish it with gusto, sending droplets of spicy water flying in every direction.

Predictably, a few splashes landed right in the guard\'s eyes.

At first, the guard scowled in annoyance. "Can\'t you be more graceful with that—" Then came the burning sensation in his eyes. He yelped. "Argh! What the hell was in that water? My eyes are burning!" He rubbed his face furiously, blinking profusely.

Clyde feigned innocence, leaning on his mop with an amused expression. "Oh, my. I forgot the water had some cleaning herbs mixed in it."

"Are herbs supposed to burn like this?" the guard spluttered, his eyes still watering as he stumbled backward. "And if they do, why do you use them?!"

"Well, perhaps, because you know," Clyde continued, "they say cleanliness is next to godliness, and we have to use dangerous herbs to clean to our best."

The guard\'s face turned crimson as the pain in his eyes continued to get worse. Clyde grinned since he had gotten the spiciest powder from their chef back home.

Meanwhile, Vyan rolled his eyes at the ridiculous exchange but seized the opportunity created by Clyde\'s antics.

He slipped behind the curtain and scanned the area. Well, obviously, he didn\'t yet expect Aster to be here right now. But he needed to see something else.

The space was cramped, just enough to squeeze in a few people, but something caught his eye—wheelchair tracks leading to a white door at the far end that was barely visible with the white-painted walls.

As expected, this hidden place wasn\'t cleaned well. Clearly, because they couldn\'t risk anyone going in through that door.

With a quick glance to make sure he wasn\'t being watched, Vyan approached the door and gingerly turned the handle. It creaked open, revealing a narrow, dimly lit path leading down.

Vyan\'s mind raced. This must lead to the tunnel, he thought. So, it\'s just a regular thing to bring Ash from the solitary cell here for the mana transfer. And the wheelchair must be to keep him unconscious the entire time so that he doesn\'t make any noise.

His fists clenched. It made Vyan angry to think that they were using a human being as some sort of mana-manufacturing machine.

I swear if I don\'t give the emperor the most painful death ever… He took a few deep breaths. Okay, bigger picture first, Vyan. First priority is to get Ash out.

Returning his focus to the hall, Vyan peeked back through the curtain to see Clyde still dramatically engaging the guard, who was now in a full-on argument, his face streaked with tears from the chili-laced water.

"Listen, I swear to all the gods above, if I can\'t see again because of your stupid cleaning herbs—"

"Oh, don\'t you worry, sir. Nothing will happen to your pretty almond-like eyes. They will be perfectly fine. I vouch for it!" Clyde consoled, his tone exaggerated.

While the guard flailed in pain, Vyan slipped out from behind the curtain, giving Clyde a sharp nod.

Clyde caught the signal and said, "Anyway, it looks like our job here is done, sir! Sparkling clean floors and all."

The guard was now red-eyed and exhausted from the unexpected spice assault, so he muttered, "Just get out of here before I toss you both into the dungeon for incompetence."

"Right away, sir!" Clyde chirped, dropping a curtsy. His fake maid attire swished comically around him. With that, he and Vyan quickly headed toward the grand doors of the imperial court.

Once they were a safe distance away, Clyde and Vyan ducked into a secluded corner. With a flick of their wrists, their disguises melted away, revealing their true forms.

Clyde ruffled his hair, shaking off the last remnants of his maid persona. "Seriously, I hate how weird it feels to transform into a woman."

"Hey, I am not a fan of it, either." Vyan rolled his eyes.

"So, what did you find? It better be worth it."

"Well, you can say I confirmed it that whenever the emperor is in the court, Ash is right behind him every time. And the tunnel that I got knocked out yesterday? One of its entrances is connected right in that place."

"Just like you predicted," Clyde nodded, impressed.

"Yep. Now all that is left is…" An unsure expression crossed Vyan.

Clyde smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You got this."

Vyan nodded and forced a smile on his face. "It\'s just…"

"I know." Clyde gave him a reassuring look. "It will be okay."

Vyan took a deep breath. "I am going to pay a visit to my aunt. I have to tell her sorry about that night."

"Okay, but first of all, let\'s get out of the Diamond Palace unnoticed."

"Oh, that\'s easy." Vyan smirked.

"Please, not again," Clyde groaned. "I don\'t want to be a woman."

"You got no choice, my friend."

———

"Vee," Celeste called out softly, stepping into the pavilion, her silhouette framed by the dim morning light filtering through the trees. Vyan was already there, his back turned, his stance relaxed. "What brings you here so early? You should have caught some rest after what happened to you two nights ago."

He turned slowly, his smile a touch too bright against the stillness of the morning. "Well, I thought I shouldn\'t delay in apologizing to you. I shouldn\'t have sneaked out behind you when you were lecturing me that day."

She shook her head, a small, exasperated sigh escaping her lips. "See what happens when you don\'t listen to me? I had forbidden you to go into that tunnel. Look what you got yourself into."

Vyan chuckled lightly and turned slightly, his gaze drifting to the dahlias swaying gently in the breeze. "Don\'t worry. They didn\'t even do anything to me."

"You must have gotten hit pretty bad in the head. Don\'t tell me not to worry," she admonished.

Vyan waved a hand dismissively, a careless grin spreading across his face. "Eh, it was worth it. I found Ash in the end."

Celeste\'s breath hitched, her eyes widening. "You... you found someone who has been dead for sixteen years?"

"Yes," Vyan confirmed, nodding eagerly. "Ash is alive, and he is right here in the imperial grounds."

"You are certain of this?"

"Absolutely," Vyan said confidently.

Celeste\'s smile wavered, her eyes clouding with a complicated mix of emotions. "Vee... you shouldn\'t have—"

"I had to, Tia," he interrupted softly. "He is my brother. I couldn\'t ignore him. Unlike a certain someone."

"Family can be a difficult thing, Vee," she whispered, her voice suddenly distant, almost hollow. "Sometimes... we have to make hard choices."

Suddenly, there was a glint of silver as Celeste\'s fingers wrapped around a dagger she pulled from her sleeve. Without hesitation, she aimed the sharp knife at Vyan\'s back.

But Vyan didn\'t flinch. With an almost inhuman quickness, his hand shot out and gripped the blade with his bare hand.

Blood began to seep between his fingers, droplets of red liquid landing on the floor.