When their eyes met, Uriel realized that while he was the one who tried to provoke her, the pressure of her gaze was too strong for him. He averted his eyes.

Uriel. Apollonia made him look at her again by holding his face like she did in Mt. Calt.

Her cold fingertips touched his cheeks, and his whole body seemed to awaken.

Ill change the order.

What will it be, then?

Survive by my side to the end.

Perhaps it was the night breeze that made him aware of a subtle scent wafting toward him. Her calm, dignified voice tickled his ears. It was difficult to look into those demanding eyes, but neither was it possible to look away.

As you wish.

He was barely able to reply.

***

The True Lord

The next day, Apollonia instructed the three brothers, Ben, Tan and Lun to secretly visit Mt. Calt. Of course, since she couldnt trust them yet, she sent Sid with them.

They returned with shocked faces after half a day. It is true. It was definitely a diamond mine, they reported, voices trembling.

The mountain didnt tremble when we went up. The monster was visible, but

We found rubies and sapphires on the other peaks of Calt.

The three brothers took out some gemstones from their pockets. One blue, one red, and one transparent.

Apollonia picked up the blood-red piece. Is this ruby?

No, that piece came from the heart of Calt. Ben gulped.

Then?

Its the first time weve seen it, but the only explanation is that its a red diamond

Even Apollonia, who had been calm, looked shocked. The red diamond was the most precious gem in the world. It was confirmed that they existed only a few hundred years ago, and only dozens of them have been discovered since then.

A legendary jewel that, if cut well, was worth a small city. They found it in half a day of exploring. That meant there werent just one or two of those gems in Mt. Calt.

How does the mountain look?

Nothing has changed on the outside. It still conceals the treasure well, Sid replied a little more calmly.

That was fortunate. It would take some time to execute Apollonias plan. In the meantime, if someone knew the value of the mine, a setback could occur.

For now, dont let the secret leak out.

Yes. Then, shall we kill these three?

Sids expression didnt even change. However, the three brothers paled even further.

Never! I will never leak it out! Please spare me!

I mean, I didnt steal it even if I saw the diamond! Ill admit it was difficult not to, but please dont kill me!

Shut up, idiot! No! I have never been greedy. Please believe me!

Apollonia shook her head and sighed as she watched the three scream on top of each other.

If you find a red diamond and you havent tried to steal it, then its fine.

The three handsome men beamed, their charming smiles easy to fall in love with. Of course, Apollonia had other things to think about.

Keeping it secret is another matter. If you see someone spreading something, even if they are from this house, then kill them immediately.

After a brief discussion, Apollonia sighed. Her head was still crammed with disorganized ideas. In order to complete all the preparations without being noticed by the Emperor and Petra, careful planning was required. She was still sorting out her thoughts when a loud noise outside distracted her.

Get out! Its the Lords command!

When they opened the door and went out, there was a mess outside. Several of the knights were struggling to knock down the furniture that had been left in the house.

Where is the man who kidnapped Her Highness? Come out and speak!

A hulking knight, who appeared to be the commander, threatened Tanyas grandmother.

I dont know anyone like that! Scram!

Do not lie! If shes not here, then has she risen to the sky?

He pushed down the resisting old woman with one hand. Tan ran and helped her up. Both Sid and Uriel flinched, but did not move without Apollonias order. And before she could even react, a knight shouted out from the corner room.

Commander! Look what I found here!

It hurts! Let go, it hurts!

It was Tanyas arm that he held firmly in his grasp. She tried hard to get out of the grip, but the more she did, the tighter the knights grip became. Apollonia grew nervous. Tanya had stayed hidden because she didnt take any medicine in the morning.