SDIWD - Chapter 58
Chapter 58
"How is Jian?" Hua Cu, the current Queen of the Sheng Chao Empire and Grand Duke Hua Jian's twin sister, was more renowned for her beauty than her political views in these peaceful times.
However, the tense situation in the country over the past two months had shown the public the Queen's iron fist and tender heart, as the entire nation entered a state of full martial law.
The Sentinel kneeling before her wore a white mask and a black cloak, their entire being seemingly shrouded in night. This was the attire of the Stainless, and also the symbol of the Sentinel Leader.
"The Grand Duke is out of danger and has been moved to a regular ward." Her long black hair and soft voice revealed her gender—this was a female Sentinel.
The Queen sighed in relief, rubbing her weary eyes.
"I see… How are your injuries?"
"…As you know, it's nothing serious."
Hua Cu looked at her for a moment, then asked no more.
"Then is there any news of Mumu? It's been two months. Have you really not found a single clue?"
The Sentinel kept her head down, her tone steady.
"We've only found some wreckage from the ship. Without being able to deploy the navy, the search area is far too small."
Hearing her emotionless voice, Hua Cu grew agitated. "Then why don't you go look? Isn't your wide-area sensory search very effective? Go yourself, right now!"
"My duty is to protect your safety. The situation is tense; I cannot leave your side. The Grand Duke has already been targeted for assassination. You are certainly the next target."
"This is my order!"
"If your order violates security protocols, as the Leader, I have the right to disobey. Remember? This is the agreement between the Royal Family and the Inner Tower."
Of course Hua Cu remembered. Otherwise, how could she possibly let this bastard continue to be her guard?
"Aren't you worried about Mumu at all? Don't you even…"
"If the Young Lady has already met with misfortune, then my worry is meaningless, and I shouldn't waste time on it. If she is blessed by fortune, then I trust A'Zhen will take good care of her. She is also Hua Ce's target. The fact that we can't find them means they can't either, which is perhaps safer…"
Hua Cu had no desire to listen to her rational analysis. She just wanted Mumu to come back, just wanted… just wanted this bastard to care more about that child.
"Shut up. Mumu is definitely still alive."
"…Of course. I was merely speaking hypothetically. The Grand Duke is seriously injured and needs to recuperate. The military urgently needs a new general appointed, and the Tower must coordinate this. You should understand that I cannot leave right now."
Of course Hua Cu understood. After twelve years as Queen, even if she hadn't understood before, she certainly did now.
"Since you speak with such reason, why don't you be the Queen?"
The Sentinel finally raised her head to look at her, and Hua Cu saw her emerald green eyes—just like her own, yet utterly detestable.
"As you know, I am not qualified. Even if you did not wish to be Queen, there is still Grand Duke Hua Jian. And if not the Grand Duke, there is Hua Ce, who has now declared independence and crowned himself king. I… am not qualified."
"Heh, it sounds like you've actually fantasized about it."
"Your Majesty, I never fantasize."
"Then take real action and go find Mumu!"
The Sentinel suddenly stood up and walked toward Hua Cu. Shrouded entirely in her black cloak, her movements seemed ghost-like.
"What are you doing?" The Queen's expression grew tense at the Sentinel's approach.
The Sentinel lowered her head to gaze at her and asked calmly, "Your Majesty, how long has it been since you slept?"
"None of your business!"
"Lack of sleep is affecting your judgment… or do you simply wish to vent your anger on me? If it's the former, I will compel you to sleep now. If it's the latter, you may vent whatever anger you wish on me, but please do not do anything that would disappoint the people."
"The former or the latter?"
Hua Cu turned her head away, biting her lip. "The latter."
The Sentinel's eyes narrowed slightly. The Queen knew what that meant—the other woman was definitely smiling with a very punchable expression.
The Leader knelt before the Queen again, a leather whip held in the hand that emerged from under her cloak. "Rest assured, I will send more people to search for the Young Lady. A'Zhen is an excellent Sentinel and will certainly protect her."
Hua Cu awkwardly took the whip, swinging it once in her hand with some irritation.
"A'Zhen is… that apprentice of yours? Mumu's guard? I remember, isn't she…"
"It is." The Sentinel unfastened her cloak, revealing a tall, slender body, not at all the rugged build of a typical Sentinel. "So please, rest assured. She will guarantee the Young Lady's safety."
"That's not what I'm worried about…"
She had left a mark on Hua Mu while helping her suppress her spirit animal, so she was certain Hua Mu was still alive. But being alive didn't mean she was out of danger. There were natural elements, or the more dangerous human element… The latter was infinitely more terrifying.
"You can rest easy. She is my most prized disciple."
Hua Cu gave a cold laugh and expertly struck the Sentinel with the whip.
"Prized disciple? Shouldn't that make me even more worried? Have you forgotten what you've done? A Dark Sentinel, yet you deceived me…"
The Sentinel let out a muffled grunt, and a bloody welt immediately appeared on her exposed arm.
"If she's anything like you, Mumu is the one in danger."
The Sentinel chuckled lightly. "Of course A'Zhen is not like me. She is the most loyal of Sentinels. Unless it's the Young Lady herself… otherwise, A'Zhen would never offend the Young Lady in the slightest. You know my methods of training… hmm…"
Hua Cu didn't let her finish—she couldn't stand to see the bastard looking so smug, and she lashed out with the whip again.
"Your disciple let my… my niece meet with an accident. What do you have to be proud of?"
The Queen struck a dozen more times, growing angrier with each thought. Finally, she threw the whip aside and said in a tearful voice, "If anything happens to Mumu and Jian, I'll kill you."
There were over a dozen bloody marks on the Sentinel's body, yet she seemed to feel nothing. Her usually flat, emotionless voice, however, now held a hint of pleasure and excitement.
"My life has always been yours. Thank you for the treat."
"You psycho, you pervert, get out!"
A Sentinel, who should have had heightened senses, felt no pain. The Queen's ability was not healing, but the power to take away and bestow sensations, including separating the discomfort of illness and inflicting pain.
The Leader sometimes suspected that her loyalty to the Queen might stem from this alone: the other woman made her feel alive.
The wounds on the Sentinel's body healed at a visible rate. As she draped her cloak back over her shoulders, she said, "Thank you again for the treat. Your insults are as melodious as ever."
Hua Cu glared at her face. After a long moment of staring, she finally made a decision.
"I'm going to the command headquarters in Muzhou myself. If your mission fails, we must evacuate the surrounding civilians before war breaks out. When the time comes, we'll end it quickly, and then we'll go find Mumu."
The Sentinel did not object. "As you wish."
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