Chapter 199: Chapter-199

Elara lined them up on her desk—all damaged beyond function now, thanks to judicious application of heavy objects. Three small mechanical cockroaches that had been watching, listening, recording everything.

“Someone spent at least fifteen hundred gold on surveillance,” Elara said quietly. “Minimum. Possibly more depending on enchantment quality and recording capacity.”

“That’s a lot of money just to spy on you,” the System said.

“No. That’s a reasonable investment in intelligence gathering.” Elara studied the devices. “Fifteen hundred gold to potentially learn my strategies, my alliances, my vulnerabilities? That’s incredibly cost-effective. Whoever commissioned these understood return on investment.”

She picked up one of the destroyed constructs, examining its internal mechanisms. “The question is: how much data was already transmitted? These things need to offload recordings somewhere. There must be a retrieval mechanism—either they physically return to a base station, or they transmit remotely, or someone periodically collects them.”

“How would someone collect them? Wouldn’t you notice people entering your office?”

“Not if they had legitimate access.” Elara set down the device. “Servants clean this room. Guards patrol outside. Demerti comes and goes. Any of them could have been retrieving data periodically.”

“So we’re back to: everyone is suspect.”

“Yes.” Elara began writing a new list. “But we can narrow it down. These devices were placed before I started my reforms—the placement locations suggest they’ve been here months. Which means whoever commissioned them had access and motive before my recent activities.”

She tapped her pen against the paper. “That eliminates people who only gained access recently. It also suggests this wasn’t a reactive measure—someone planned surveillance of me before I became an obvious threat.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Either they predicted I’d become dangerous, or…” Elara paused. “Or they were monitoring me for someone else. Someone who wanted information on all the princesses, not just me specifically.”

The System’s ears perked up. “The Emperor?”

“Possible. He’s been in a coma for months, but before that he was actively managing succession politics. He might have commissioned surveillance of all his children.” Elara considered. “Or the First Empress. Or any of the major consorts. Anyone playing long-term political strategy would want intelligence on potential rivals.”

“So these might not be about you at all. You might just be one of many targets.”

“Exactly. Which is actually good news—it means the information might not be weaponized immediately. If this is part of a broader intelligence operation, the data gets filed away and analyzed as part of a larger picture. We have more time before it becomes actionable.”

Elara stood, gathering the three destroyed devices carefully. “But we can’t assume that. We operate as if everything captured has been compromised and will be used against us.”

“What does that mean practically?”

“It means I change strategies. Assume my current plans are known. Develop new approaches that account for enemy intelligence.” She placed the devices in a drawer and locked it. “And it means I find whoever did this and ensure they understand the consequences of surveillance without permission.”

The System watched her move through these calculations with that same eerie calm, no panic, no fear, just immediate adaptation to new parameters.

“You’re taking this really well, Host.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Elara looked genuinely confused. “Information security was compromised. I detected the compromise. I’m implementing countermeasures. That’s standard operational procedure.”

“Most people would be upset. Violated. Angry that someone invaded their privacy.”

“Privacy is a luxury,” Elara said flatly. “I’ve never had it. Not in my first life, not here. Richard monitored everything I did. This palace monitors everyone constantly. Being angry about surveillance is pointless—it’s endemic to power structures. You either accept it or you build better counter-surveillance.”

She walked back to her desk, pulled out fresh paper, and began drafting new plans that assumed enemy awareness of her old ones.

“You’re really not bothered at all?” the System asked quietly.

Elara paused.

“I’m…” She searched for the right word. “…inconvenienced. This creates additional complications. Forces strategy revisions. Increases risk assessments.” She looked at the System. “Should I feel something else?”

“Most people would feel violated. Unsafe in their own space.”

“I don’t feel safe anywhere,” Elara said simply. “This just confirms what I already knew—there’s no place in this palace that’s truly secure. No conversation that’s truly private. No action that’s truly hidden.”

She returned to writing.

“At least now I know for certain. That’s valuable data.”

The System was quiet for a long moment.

Then: “Host?”

“Yes?”

“The goddess was right about you being impossible.”

“I’ve been told.”

“But I think…” The mouse’s voice was soft. “I think maybe that’s what keeps you alive. Normal people would be traumatized by this. You just… adapt. Calculate. Move forward.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“I genuinely don’t know,” the System admitted. “But it’s definitely something.”

Elara allowed the smallest hint of a smile. “I’ll take it.”

And she kept writing, adapting her strategies, rebuilding her operational security, treating the discovery of hostile surveillance like any other puzzle to be solved.

# Scene: The Trap Springs

**Location:** Imperial Palace, Three Days After Discovery

—

The rumor spread through the palace like poison in water—subtle, pervasive, impossible to trace to a single source.

*The Emperor is waking.*

Servants whispered it in corridors. Guards mentioned it during shift changes. Ministers discussed it in hushed tones over morning tea. Even the Beast Knights, normally stoic and silent, exchanged glances when they thought no one was watching.

*The Emperor is waking. The physicians saw movement. His fingers twitched. His eyes opened briefly before closing again. It’s only a matter of days now. Maybe hours.*

None of it was true.

The Emperor remained exactly as he’d been for months—unconscious, breathing steadily, but showing no signs of emerging from his coma. Cullens confirmed it privately to Elara three times: no change, no improvement, nothing to suggest imminent awakening.

But the rumor persisted anyway.

Because Elara had started it.

—

**Two Days Earlier – Strategic Planning Session**

Elara sat at her desk—the new one, positioned differently than before, in a room she’d had completely swept and cleared of surveillance devices. Demerti stood across from her, looking troubled.

“You want me to spread a false rumor that the Emperor is waking?” He kept his voice low despite the room being secure. “Your Highness, if people discover it’s false—”

“They won’t. Not immediately.” Elara made a note on her paper. “The rumor will be vague. ’Signs of consciousness.’ ’Possible awakening.’ Nothing concrete enough to disprove, but specific enough to create urgency.”

“Urgency for what purpose?”

“To force movement.” Elara set down her pen and looked at him directly. “Whoever poisoned me has been patient. Careful. They’ve watched me suffer through episodes, watched me investigate, watched me adapt. But they’ve been waiting for something—either my death or a clear opportunity to strike.”

“And you think the Emperor waking would create that opportunity?”

“I know it would.” Elara’s voice was flat. “If the Emperor wakes, everything changes. He reasserts control. Everyone’s positions become uncertain. My regency ends. The succession question reopens. Whoever poisoned me loses their window to act while the palace is destabilized.”

Demerti processed this. “So they’ll move preemptively. Before he actually wakes.”

“Exactly. They’ll try to either eliminate me before he can wake, or—” Elara paused. “Or they’ll try to eliminate *him*. Permanently. So he can’t wake at all.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep