Chapter 26: 26

After walking out of the illegal auction house, Michelle used her Shadow Spirit Steps to sneak into the Imperial Palace. She was already sure that David Elether was the person who was observing her at the harvest festival banquet and when she was dealing with the assassins, so she could be sure that he was someone from a higher ranked place, just like Alexander Terce. And that led her to think about why someone so powerful would come down into the Empire.

But the answer to that was something Michelle wouldn’t be able to guess with her information, so she could just sneak into the Imperial Palace and go find the Eight Prince who lived in the Cold Palace, cast out from the rest of the Royal Family. No one knew why, but the Emperor hated the little boy since he was born and made him live there with his mother. After the little prince’s mother died, he was left alone with just one maid to take care of him.

Michelle wandered around the Cold Palace for a good few hours until she found the Eight Prince. He was poorly dressed, his clothes dirty and torn, and he was clearly malnourished. Seeing the little boy like that, Michlle’s heart burst with rage. One thing she hated the most was seeing small children being abused or neglected. The Eight Prince was nine years old, but being so malnourished, he looked to be six or seven.

He was sleeping, so he didn’t notice Michelle as she slipped into his room, if it could be called a room, and tied her hair into a high ponytail, a hairstyle only men used to wear in the Empire. She put on the disguise mask, but only let it change her face to look a bit more manly. She was already wearing a set of men’s clothes, so, at the moment, she looked like a young scholar. She leaned against the wall and waited for the young prince to wake up.

Before the prince woke up, Snow and Mare did and got out of Michelle’s sleeves. Mare let her body shift into a bit bigger shape before wrapping herself around Michelle’s waist, and Snow shifted size so she was the size of a wolf and sat down next to Michelle.

With two beasts like that with her, Michelle no longer looked like a young scholar but more like a dangerous immortal.

After a while, the Eight Prince woke up and his eyes widened when he saw Michelle looking at him, with Mare around her waist and Snow next to her. He was scared. “W-who are you?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Michelle pushed herself off the wall and petted Snow a bit. “Your Highness, do you love your late mother?” she asked calmly.

“Yes…” the young prince nodded.

Michelle walked towards him. “And do you love the Emperor?” she continued asking.

To that, the Eight Prince shook his head. “Royal father was always harsh on mother. And he didn’t visit her when she was sick.” The Eight Prince was clearly angry.

“I see…” Michelle nodded a bit. “Your Highness, the Emperor is dying,” she spoke after a moment of silence.

Michelle’s words were a huge shock to the Eight Prince. “D-dying?” His eyes widened in shock. “How did that happen?” he asked.

“The Crown Prince poisoned the Emperor. The Crown Prince was then killed.” Michelle said simply, but her words were a big blow to the young prince.

“Then… who will take care of the Empire and the people?” he asked, clearly concerned. And that made Michelle happy. She chose a good new Emperor.

Unlike all his other siblings when they found out that the Emperor was dying, he didn’t ask who would take the power, but who would take care of the Empire and the people. Unlike his sibling, the Eight Prince was concerned about the citizens of the empire, not just the power.

Michelle smiled a bit, her purple eyes narrowing a bit. “Your Highness, you will.” She patted his head as she spoke. “Your Highness, I came here to be your teacher to educate you to become the next Emperor when His Majesty will no longer be able to do so.”

“But I’m too young to be an Emperor!” the Eight Prince exclaimed.

Michelle shook her head. “Your Highness, your great-grandfather was just three years old when he was crowned, and he was the best Emperor in the history of our Empire.”

The Eight Prince shook his head. “I’m not as smart as great-grandpa was! I can never be like him!”

“Your Highness…” Michelle petted Snow next to her. “When your great-grandfather was just three years old, he didn’t rule by himself. At first, his mother helped him, and when she died, a Regent was crowned who helped your greet-grandfather until he turned fifteen. Your Highness will have it the same. You won’t be left alone to rule.”

The Eight Prince looked at Michelle with his big cute eyes before looking at Mare and Snow. “I’ll become the next Emperor if you let me pet them!” his eyes gleamed as he spoke.

Michelle looked at the glint in the Eight Prince’s eyes and smiled a bit. “Snow, Mare, will you let His Highness pet you?” she asked as she looked at the two in their beast forms.

Snow huffed a bit before lying down on the ground to let the young prince pet her. Mare uncoiled herself from around Michelle’s waist and wrapped her sleek scaled snake body around the prince’s arm.

The little prince’s eyes shone in excitement as he knelt down next to Snow and buried his face in her fur. It was clear that he was close to squeaking in happiness.

Watching the Eight Prince happily pet Snow and Mare, Michelle leaned back against the wall with a slight smile, her purple eyes scanning the little prince carefully, observing his movements and briefly checking his body’s condition. He was not only malnourished, but was clearly sick, but even then, his movements were fast and smooth, making Michelle smile a bit. The young prince was clearly a natural talent with strong will.

After the Eight Prince had enough petting with Mare and Snow, he let go of them, and they returned to Michelle. The young prince than looked at Michelle curiously. “How come they are listening to you? Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Michael Grayson, Your Highness. And these two listen to me because they’ve been with me since they were born.” Michelle said calmly, making up a male name for herself. “And if Your Highness allows it, I would like to be your teacher until you become the Emperor.”

The Eight Prince stared at Michelle for a long while before bowing his head. “I’ll be in your care, teacher!”

Michelle smiled a bit and patted the young prince’s head. “Your Highness, did someone ever teach you something?” she asked. Receiving a nod, she continued asking. “And what were you taught?”

“I know how to read and write. And some counting.”

…….

Michelle stayed with the Eight Prince for a long time and left in the evening. Going home, she didn’t use the Shadow Spirit Steps and lazily walked through the city, listening to the gossip. David Elether had indeed worked efficiently, as the news of the Emepror’s poisoning and the Crown Prince’s death had already spread everywhere. Listening to it, Michelle didn’t care about the eyes on her as she walked with Snow next to her and Mare wrapped around her neck, making her look like a dangerous young immortal.

After walking for a while, she reached the end of the city and saw the forest in front of her. The forest where she had killed the assassins. Using her Shadow Spirit Steps, she waltzed through the forest with Mare and Snow right behind her, and after a while, she reached the Archduchy.

There, the butler was already waiting for her. “My Lady, His Excellence left a note for you.” He handed a folded paper to Michelle. Michelle took the paper and opened it.

Reading the content, she smiled. “Thanks butler. If you see father, please, tell him that he can start.” With that, Michelle walked into her room, Mare and Snow going to their own rooms.

In her room, Michelle sat cross-legged on her bed and started sorting out her thoughts just as she tried in the forest. After a while, she achieved what she did in the forest, and her mind was once again much clearer. And she achieved it much faster than in the forest.

Having achieved that, Michelle decided to try clearing her mind completely, but instead of clearing her mind, beads of sweat formed on her mind as it started to throb. Michelle flung her eyes open and clenched her head a bit.

For a person like her, who had multiple strings of thoughts in her mind at the same time, suddenly reducing the amount of thoughts, her mind started throbbing from not being used to it. It was clear that cultivating by clearing one’s mind of thoughts was impossible for Michelle if she didn’t want to turn into a fool without any thoughts.

Feeling annoyed, Michelle got off her bed and poured herself a cup of water from a jug that was on a table in the corner of her room. She drank two mouthfuls before putting the cup back down and opening the window. She stared at the starry sky, her brows creased into a frown as her mind got flooded by thoughts.

After a while, she closed her eyes, and the breeze from the window hit her face, as she let her thoughts run wild within her mind. Just as she realized something, she suddenly felt a presence outside her window. Her eyes snapped open, and she found two sickeningly handsome men staring at her. “What is the meaning of this?” she frowned at the two.

David was smirking playfully, and Alexander had a serious expression on his face. “Is Michelle even your real name?” Dave asked with a sneer, his question making Michelle’s frown deepen.

She stared at him for a moment before speaking. “You spoke with the Archduke?” she asked, her eyes serious.

Michelle’s words were somehow a confirmation of what the two thought. “Where are you from?” Alexander finally spoke up. It was quite funny that all three of them only asked questions, but they got their answers without anyone needing to say them.

But to Alexander’s question, Michelle had to answer for them to understand, and it was clear that they wouldn’t leave until she told them. And with the two’s strength, she couldn’t make them leave if they decided to stay. Knowing her situation, Michelle sighed. “I’m not from around here.”

She stepped away from the window and leaned against the wall. “In some aspects, that world was more developed, but other things didn’t exist there. For example, empires. Most of the countries in that world had long overthrown absolutism and had parliaments, but here, it’s believed that an Emperor is crowned by god. But in that world spirit energy didn’t exist and everyone was just a weak human.”

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