Chapter 188: Allegience
A set of doors flew open and Jiaoying came striding through them in a rage.
"What is the meaning of this..? Where is the Emperor?!"
Sitting right in that familiar throne was not the man she had anticipated she would see.
Instead, it was a much smaller woman who could barely fill out the cushion.
"You have some nerve to ask such a thing here, when you bear some of the responsibility for what has happened this day!" Saarfi pointed at her accusatively.
She banged her fist against the throne’s armrest. "And why was she brought to me unrestrained?!"
The guards circling Jiaoying didn’t know what answer they were supposed to give. It was obvious they couldn’t restrain the woman!
"Where. Is. The emperor...?"
Jiaoying’s gums began to bleed as her teeth slowly sharpened to a point.
"Still, you continue to play the fool! Knowing full well that you conspired with Canari to murder him!"
White static began to fill the corners of Jiaoying’s vision.
The tension in her chest made it difficult for her to draw ample breath.
Her eyes darted to the left and right of her. She was surrounded by the Kingsguard, the country’s most powerful men and women, whom she had personally trained.
The eyes that met hers were glossy and unresponsive. It was as if they were looking at a stranger rather than the one who had made them everything they were.
"SAARFI!!"
A booming roar heralded the arrival of the hulking Andros.
He was accompanied by several of his recognized siblings. None of whom, save for Vergil, were as emotional as he was.
"I’ll have no more delays! Where is my sister!?"
"Who made the decision that it would be you to sit on that throne!?"
"Our father’s body isn’t even cold yet, and you’re already vying for his seat!"
"I will hear no more of this slander!" Saarfi stood up. "My heart is as distraught as all of yours, but I will not face slander for trying to make order out of the chaos that has befallen us! Even now, I interrogate half of the guilty party while you sit in your beds and grieve, because that is what an elder sister does!!"
"Guilty party!?"
Andros looked toward Jiaoying, who was so stunned she could barely move. Her eyes weren’t even focused anymore.
"I know you can’t mean that Lady Xu had anything to do with this! You are absolutely mental!"
"This traitor worked together with your twin sister to butcher father’s closest guards while Canari snuck into father’s bedroom and murdered him in bed with our mothers!"
"Horse shit!" Virgil barked. "Canari wouldn’t dare do something like that, not to mention she doesn’t have the power to kill our father, even in his sleep!"
"Then we must hear the method from the mouth of the accused, then!" Saarfi turned back to Jiaoying. "We have already found the letters shared between you and Canari! As soon as we locate her, you will lose your chance to come clean!"
Jiaoying remained fogged by disbelief. Was the man she had spent the last twenty years idolizing really dead...? How was that possible?
She believed with all of her heart that Emperor Jorre would live long after she had bitten the dust.
He was more than just someone she had chosen to serve. He was a friend.
"Stop standing there with your head down! If you give up the locations of your four co-conspirators, then your judgment will be merciful!"
Jiaoying felt as if her entire world had just stopped.
Slowly, she looked up from the ground with her eyes completely bloodshot.
"...Say that again?"
A chill ran down Saarfi’s spine.
Realizing she had made a mistake, she stood up
"G-Guards, seize her!"
As the men closed in, Jiaoying turned to the children of her old friend. Her smile was bitter, full of resentment and forced softness.
"Children... I am aware that most of you do not know me. But your father... He was my closest friend. And I would never do anything to harm him, or anything he valued."
Two guards grabbed Jiaoying by the arm and attempted to pull her away. They couldn’t even nudge her.
"I know the old man had flaws. But if you cared for him even a little bit, then... I ask that you trust me, here and now."
"That is enough out of y-"
Jiaoying drew her sword and cut through every guard surrounding her as if they were made of tissue paper.
Saarfi screamed angrily as their bodies hit the floor.
"TRAITORS! All of you! I’ll make sure this entire continent knows about what you’ve done!! Your actions against the crown will not go unpunished!!"
Jiaoying’s body had begun to change into something... unrecognizable.
She spoke through gnashed teeth with the ferocity of a bear.
"So funny that I was just going to say the same...!"
A longsword appeared in Saarfi’s hand. Its curved edge gleamed with a luminous gold light that was as mystical as it was beautiful.
"You will see personally why I was father’s favorite as I avenge him!"
The sound of a blade being drawn came from behind Jiaoying.
Andros emerged at her side, his sword already drawn and his eyes boiling with resentment.
"I will only ask you once more... Where. Is. CANARI!?"
"Slinking around like the roach she is!!"
"YOU DIE TODAY!!"
Jiaoying and Andros lunged at her in unison.
Saarfi showed a cruel, venomous smile as she pulled something from behind her back. "A little gift for the siblings I love so much!"
Time seemed to slow down.
Jiaoying’s eyes darted toward the red ball in Saarfi’s hand. Even from this distance, she could smell a faint, sickening odor that made her blood curdle.
All of her instincts screamed at her at once.
If you fight here, you die.
Jiaoying planted her foot hard to pivot.
She grabbed Andros by his shoulder and yanked him back.
At the same time, she swiped her sword in the air above her head.
The ceiling collapsed all at once. Chunks of stone debris fell between Jiaoying and the vile princess.
As soon as she could no longer see the princess, Jiaoying heard the sound of something exploding.
The smell in her nose worsened considerably. But the scream that followed was horrific to witness.
A loud, agonized shriek shattered all of the glass in the room.
"What did you do!?" Andros turned on Jiaoying. "Why did you stop me!?"
"My prince!" Jiaoying gripped his shoulder hard enough to break it. "We have to go, now!"
Jiaoyin’s glowing red eyes fell on the group of stunned descendants.
"ALL of us!"
