When Keira fully recovered, Adage showed that he now fully trust Keira and even started to ask for her opinions on confidential matters relating to his grand scheme. With Keira now by her side as her confidant, his plans were moving faster than what he had initially calculated. Adage realized how much everything flowed so easily when you have someone you could fully rely on and trust.
As Adage’s plans progressed, so did their status quo. At first, it was purely on a subordinate level, then become partners, to lovers. Adage started to notice Keira’s charms and this was through the help of the system packs.
…
The day of the uprising came. Keira swiftly led the battlefield with a strong force that gave the rebels the strength to keep on fighting. Adage was beside Keira, leading the battle on the frontlines.
This was the first world that Keira inherited to actually have a body that has raw prowess, unlike the first world where she was only a powerful support and didn’t have any fighting capabilities. Keira actually didn’t need to learn martial arts, as her body would automatically move based on the body’s muscle memories.
When Adage got inside the royal palace, he killed his brothers and sisters without sparing any of them alive. Relaying each and every one of their individual sins in front of the rebels as he beheaded them one by one. The rebels had already caught the emperor and tied him up.
After Adage was done with the royal descendants, he faced his father and faced his people. He announced all the emperor’s transgressions, faults, and misdeeds. There were too many to mention but Adage took his time as he continued to list out the evil that their emperor had done to their empire.
The people began to shout ‘behead him!’ when Adage had finished. Adage turned his head back to his father and revealed a mocking smile. The emperor’s eyes widened and kept shouting to the people behind Adage that Adage was also a monster like him. But who would listen to a tyrant’s dying words? All they wanted to see was for his blood to be spilled on the marble floor.
Adage raised his sword and said his last parting words to his ‘father’ before decapitating him.
Adage held the tyrant’s head and displayed it to the people. Everyone enthusiastically cheered as the tyrant that almost destroyed their beloved empire was now completely gone.
Adage announced to everyone the era of tyranny had ended. The people screamed in joy and celebrated. Adage brought his gaze to Keira and showed the brightest smile that Keira had ever seen. There, Keira saw the affection points reaching 100% and the system prompt said she had successfully completed her mission. Seeing the bar was full, Keira also displayed a bright smile.
Just when Adage thought it was over, a person from the crowd—one of his close subordinates charged toward him without him knowing. Keira noticed a person running toward Adage from behind because of the system alarm. Keira had only a second to spare, she quickly looked down at the floor where her sword was located. It was too far for her to pick, and calling Adage would not give him enough time to react swiftly without endangering his life.
Keira could not take the chance of her failing this world and receiving a huge penalty from the main system when she had just accomplished the tasks. So without any second thoughts, Keira pushed Adage out of the way, causing her to be the one stabbed instead. The sword dug straight into her chest. Turns out there was a traitor hiding amongst them.
The people who were celebrating a minute ago, now screamed in horror as they saw their leading commander getting stabbed. Adage who was pushed aside by Keira looked in her direction and saw that she still was smiling at him, but before he could hear Keira’s final words, the sword that pierced her chest was drawn out, causing Keira to cough up blood instead, and her body fall limp to the ground.
…
Keira felt her head hurt after thinking back so much. After recalling all the events from this world, she began to wonder if Adage fulfilled his promise of becoming an emperor that serves his people.
Time had already passed after recalling so much information, but there still wasn’t a guard on site. Keira had no idea how much time before her body gives up on her.
‘Should I just try shouting after all?’
Just as Keira opened her mouth, she heard faint footsteps coming in her direction. Keira intently brought her gaze to the space outside her cell, waiting for that person to drop by.
The footsteps grew nearer and what appeared was what Keira expected. A guard was holding a small lamp in his hand and shining it on her cell making Keira momentarily squint her eyes from the bright light. Keira heard the guard scoff, ‘still not dead’ before she heard him turn his heels and tried to walk to the other cells.
“Wait!” Keira called out, but the guard did not stop walking from her callings like he was used to being taunted by the prisoners.
“Stop! I need to talk to Adage!” Keira yelled out despite her throat throbbing.
Keira heard the guard pause in his tracks. The light that had started to drift away, came back and was directed back to her face.
“Hey.” The guard sharply uttered.
He continued fiercely saying, “I know you tried to assassinate His Majesty, but you vile convict has no right to call His Majesty Musfir, the name he had long forsaken.”
Keira was stunned, “Musfir?”
She had not heard of this name but hearing the guard tell her that the emperor indeed possessed the name ‘Adage’ once could only mean that Adage had successfully taken up the throne and is still the current emperor. It would not be surprising if he changed his name, as most emperors do after they sat on the throne—and turns out the original owner was not just a dancer that seduced the emperor, but an outright assassin.
‘Wow, this body’s identity is cooler than that erratic Master in the last world.’
Keira tsked in her mind at the Master who didn’t mention that getting shot was part of the process to move to the next world.
The guard grimaced, “What? You don’t even know the name of our current emperor after still being stuck in the dirty past of the Othman Dynasty? Hmph, understandably so, as you tried to take His Majesty’s life, saying you were taking revenge for a corrupt noble that was killed during the ‘clean up’.”
The guard who wore a dark expression earlier revealed a smirk, “You will be executed tomorrow anyways. You should thank His Majesty you are even still alive for one more day.”
‘What? Even if the previous owner managed to survive starving in this damp prison cell, she would have died the next day on the gallows. Such a shame, she had a nice body that people could only dream of getting. Abs could even be seen on her small exposed stomach. She must have trained hard to actually attempt to assassinate the head of the entire empire.’
After speaking his mind, the guard once again tried to leave but Keira stopped him yet again.
“Hey wait! I told you I need to talk to Adage!” The guard paid no heed to her callings and continued to walk away from her cell.
“If you aren’t going to pay attention, then at least tell him that—Keira is here.”
The guard retraced his steps and raised an eyebrow, “Now you’re speaking the name of the great commander. You know, speaking these famous names won’t get you anywhere. You’re dead either way.”
Now it was Keira’s turn to reveal a smile, “Tell him. I’m sure he would be delighted by the news.”
The guard turned his head and ascertained that Keira would just continue on with her foolish mumbles.
Keira taunted the guard more in case the news wouldn’t be passed to Adage, “What, not listening anymore? Scared that I’ll prove you wrong and he would actually release me from this cell and ask you to treat me with the utmost respect?”
The guard only side glanced at her while stating, “You actually think you would be able to survive your death sentence just by using the name of the respected commander? Fine, I’ll be as gracious and relay these words to His Majesty’s attendant and treat this as your last dying words.”
With those final words, The guard left the dungeon without giving any chance for Keira to say more words to him.
‘Let’s see if I would be able to make it out alive in this one before System 999 would reconnect.’
She could already imagine her system asking why she made this decision, inviting the hungry wolf herself. Although she used Adage’s name this time knowing he had also blackened, she had no intention whatsoever of actually entering the wolf’s den herself. She was left with no other options, she could only use outside force to actually get out.
She was not only betting if Adage would respond which Keira believed he 100% will, but she was also betting on the ability of this original owner’s body on escaping the palace before she could formally meet Adage.
‘An assassin’s body huh? This is bound to be interesting…’
