The half an hour was ripped straight from my worst nightmares.

  An overly enthusiastic assistant, barely taining their glee, showed up with a mountain of paperwork. Apparently, my long-awaited arrival wasn’t to inspire troops or lead daring strategies—it was to fill forms.

  Approve requests. Mediate disputes between people I’d never met over things I didn’t care about. Write to my idiot mage Lucas to e here.

  By the time there was a kno the door, I was ready to throw the eack of papers out the window and call it a day. “e in!” I called out, trying not to sound too desperate for a distra.

  When the door opened, I froze.

  Standing there was someone who looked almost exactly like Lo—down to her bright eyes, delicate features, and the way her lips tilted up in a subtle, familiar smile. My heart practically leapt out of my chest.

  The cavalry is here!

  “Lo!” I yelled, shooting out of my chair so fast it wobbled dangerously. I rushed forward and hugged her tightly, my earlier misery fotten. “So o see you!” She awkwardly returhe hug, patting my back like someone f a toddler mid-tantrum. When I finally let her go, I stepped back to take a good look at her.

  She wasn’t wearing armor—in fact, her clothes were far from practical.

  Instead, she was dressed in a well-tailored attire that screamed fashio funal. The outfit that could turn heads at a courtly ba or a high-stakes business meeting. Still slightly higher than me, but my heels pensated for that.

  “You look amazing, Lo!” I said, grinning from ear to ear. “Really fancy. Did you raid the royal wardrobe or something?” She bli me, her expression b on fusion. Before she could respond, I pressed on, “But what’s your css? Warrior? Mage? Or something else?”

  Uanding dawned on her face, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks. “Ah, that’s what you mean,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “I, uh, switched to a managing role. Thought it might be better suited for me. I was hoping to nd a nice job. Then I met you…”

  I couldn’t help but ugh. “Well, you did!” I said, gesturing dramatically to the mountain of paperwork on my desk. “Just look at all this! It’s a bureaucratic paradise!” My voice dripped with irony, but the glint in her eye told me I’d miscalcuted.

  Her gaze shifted to the pile of papers, and her face lit up like a kid on their birthday. “I ’t wait!” she said, her grin wide and unmistakably genuine.

  I blinked, caught pletely off guard. Who gets excited about paperwork? “Well, Lo,” I said, shaking my head with a chuckle. “You’re hired. If anyone tackle this disaster and stay sa’s you. I hire you as my steward.”

  [Pyer L0 is now your steward.]

  What the hell?

  Her eyes widened, her surprise almost ical. “Just like that?” she asked, blinking at me like I’d just decred the st call was on the house.

  “I guess so?” I said, fshing her a mischievous grin. “Now it’s your turn to tell me what’s proper and why. That’s your job now.” I winked as I flopped bato my chair, the wood creaking uhe sudden impact. “I hate this…” I added with a dramatic pout, crossing my arms like a petunt child.

  “I uand, Lady. Most people are like you,” she said with a smile, already reag for the stack of papers on my desk. “May I?”

  I gestured for her to go ahead, more than happy to relinquish the cursed pile. “Be my guest.”

  As she took the stack, she tilted her head thoughtfully. “The system gave me some authority, so I’ll start by familiarizing myself with the tools it provides. And,” she added with a small, fident smile, “I’ve read On Imperial Efficy, so I already have a few ideas.”

  I paused, gng out the window to where a few guards were practig drills in the courtyard below. Poor ds. “I’ve read it too,” I said casually.

  Her head shot up so fast I thought she might get whipsh. “You did, Lady?” she asked, sounding genuinely shocked. “It’s… over a thousand pages uage.”

  Shaking my head, I gave her a small grin. “I used to be a tester, Lo. And as a tester, I had to test everything. That includes the imperial court and all its bureaucratisanity.” A shiver ran down my spine as the memories surfaced. “The hoops you have to jump through there just to get a sword repaired are enough to force me to drink double.”

  Lo raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. She was already reading something on her system interface, her fingers swiping at the air as she navigated the menus. “It ’t be that bad,” she said, her tone firm. “It’s called efficy for a reason.”

  I couldn’t help but ugh, the sound bubbling out before I could stop it. “Oh, really?” I leaned forward, propping my elbows on the desk. “Here’s how it works.”

  Raising one finger, I started, “First, your boss has to sign a form. Then, you need a detailed report of where the swot chipped, followed by aimate from the ironworks on how much the repair will cost.”

  I gri her, raising another finger. “, you need a firmation from the junior member of procurement, signed by their superior, and a letter expining why you need your sword repaired and what you’re using it for.” I paused for breath as I added, “And, of course, it all has to be signed by your superior or the person who ordered you to use the sword in the first pce.”

  I still love the empire despite that. Reform from inside, right?

  Lo’s mouth fell open, her system menu momentarily fotten. “That’s…” she trailed off, clearly struggling to find the words.

  “Ridiculous? Exhausting? pletely insane?” I offered, leaning back again with a smirk. “Yeah, it works when you’re trying to arm an imperial doan. But here’s the thing—the process is the same whether you’re repairing one sword or a huhousand.”

  Lo stared at me, her disbelief written all over her face.

  For a moment, she was pletely silent. Then, with a soft ugh, she shook her head a back to skimming through her interface. “Well,” she said after a while, her tone light but determined, “let’s see if we make your court a little less… effit.”

  “Good luck,” I said with a grin, leaning ba my chair and folding my hands behind my head, rexing while I could. “Yoing to . I’m hopeless.”

  “What are you pnning to do, Lady?” she asked as she finished fiddling with her system interfad picked up the first sheet from the stack. She didn’t look up, but there was a curiosity in her voice. “I bet you’re craving adventure.”

  I leaned back, letting out a dramatic sigh. “I have this shiny new legendary skill, and I really really really want to try it out in a fight. Like, reaaaally.” My voice took on an almost wistful tone, my fingers drumming idly on the desk. “But…” I drew the word out, groaning. “I’m way too tired right now. So that’s tomorrow’s agenda.”

  “And today? What’s on the grand agenda?” she asked, finishing first paper already.

  “You’ll see,” I replied with a smile, my gaze drifting to the only door that didn’t lead outside.

  Her brow furrowed as she followed my line of sight. “Wait… is that a toilet?”

  I nodded solemnly. “Teically, the proper term is garderobe.”

  Lo made a face, half doubtful and half disgusted. “I still ’t believe they force us to do this. More realism, I guess.”

  I didn’t respond. Instead, I headed for the door aered the, uh, facilities, doing my best to avoid thinking about the cesspit below.

  Some things were better left unexamined.

  In the imperial capital, Naré maison

  In the dimly lit chamber, t Itzel k before an imposing older man an ornate cloak, the intricate embroidery marking him as a duke of high standing. His head bowed low, and his tone deferential. “Duke, the iigation is plete. We’ve firmed the in.”

  The duke didn’t respond immediately.

  His gaze wao the tapestry ad the wall beside them—a masterwork of magic. Its threads shimmered faintly, a living record of the empire’s noble hierarchy. He reached out, his fingers brushing the fabric, feeling the faint hum of entment.

  The names were woven into the tapestry with meticulous care, and his hand traced a path from the title Duke downward to a freshly added name: Baroess Charlie.

  “Are you certain it was her?” he asked at st, his voice heavy, den with both curiosity and a sense of obligation. His hand lingered over the name as though weighing its implications. “I owe him a debt—ohought long fotten. He came to collect.”

  The t lifted his head, a faint smile tugging at the ers of his lips. “It was her. She activated the obelisk. We couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, but it wasn’t within imperial territory. It’s in the gefahr-he proximity to our borders allowed us to detect the energy.”

  “Gefahr-nder.” The duke let out a weary sigh, his hand dropping to his side. “A fitting pce for su artifact. Very well. I’ll lend my support to the emperor’s fa and his decision.” His gaze sharpened, and his tourned resolute. “And I’ll e’s you who is sent.”

  Itzel’s grin widened, a fsh of something vicious in his expression as he rose to his feet. “Thank you, sir. I won’t disappoint you.”

  The duke studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a faint nod, he turned back to the tapestry, his firag the shimmering threads once more.

  When I returned, Lo was still shaking her head, clearly baffled by the state of Rimelion sanitation. “e on,” I said, gesturing for her to follow me. “Time for the mai.”

  We made our way to the war room—or the pnning room, or whatever faname they called it here. Inside, a massive table domihe ter of the room, and on it y a map so detailed it made my jaw drop.

  The craftsmanship was incredible. Rivers meahrough valleys, forests stretched iured greens, and even the fort we stood in was marked with precision. The map spahe entire surrounding region, down to individual hills and clearings.

  Whoever had made this was clearly an artist. Unlike me, I could barely draw a straight line.

  Before I could fully appreciate the map, the door smmed open with enough forake me flinch. A military man stormed in, exuding authority with every step. His walk was deliberate, his polished armleaming uhe room’s nterns, and his face had an expression of tightly trolled anger.

  Just as I’d expected.

  “Ah, Imperial Doan-ander Mi,” I said smoothly, pretending I hadn’t just jumped a little. “Thank you for joining us. This is my steward, Lo.”

  Lo, ever posed, performed a fwless bow and then stepped bato the shadows like she’d mastered the art of vanishing into the background. ander Mi was decidedly unimpressed.

  Better than yelling, I guess.

  He strode forward, each step heavy with i, until he stood directly in front of me. He was tall—stupidly tall. I had to tilt my head back just to meet his eyes. His t presence was almost ical, except for the fact that his expression screamed I’m not here to py games.

  “I wao discuss… a deferucture with you,” he said, his deep voice devoid of pleasantries.

  Not fair. I used to be taller. “Right…” I said. He scoffed but remained silent, his eyes narrowing. Holy, he was taking this better than I’d imagined. So, naturally, I pushed a little further. “I apologize for my dey. I instructed Lucas—”

  “Hah.” His ugh was sharp and bitter, more bark than fun. “That brat.”

  He still towered over me, his gaze unfling. It was the stare meant to intimidate. I met it with a slight smile, refusing to give him the satisfa. “Yes,” I tinued, unfazed. “I instructed that idiot to build the fortress. He must’ve taken it as his personal quest, because here we are.”

  “You requested my doan to be here,” he said, his to, almost acg.

  That caught me off guard. “I didn’t,” I replied, frowning slightly. “The chief of Vilge Number Seventeehat request. His orders, not mine.”

  His eyes narrowed further, scrutinizih the iy of someorying to find a lie in a fession. After a long pause, he nodded. “You’re telling the truth.”

  I wenty timeters heels. I gnced down at mine, but they still weren’t identified. Stupid Lucas. Where is he?

  [Gcial Tread Heels]

  This pause was meant to intimidate him, but it had no effect. Figures. “Of course I am,” I said, my voice full of annoyance. “I apologize for not being here sooner, but I had other priorities—namely, fetg some random scrolls from The Cloud Library.”

  I reached into my iory and pulled out the two scrolls from the old man, holding them up with a sly smile. The effect was immediate. Mi’s eyes widened, his steely facade crag as genuine shock fshed across his face. “How?” he asked, his voice low but filled with disbelief.

  “That was the reason for my dey,” I said with a nod. “I was hunting down the best spells I could find, and with these two…” I held up the scrolls. “…we face a lot of hardships.”

  Mi nodded, his expression easing just slightly. “Good. I approve.”

  Well, that’s a first. An actual pliment?

  Just as I was sav the rare moment of approval, the door creaked ominously.

  It barely had time to swing fully open before Lucas barged in like a drunken german, panting and looking far too disheveled for someone who cimed to have things under trol. “There you are!” he wheezed, his chest heaving as though he’d sprinted across the entire fort.

  I bli him. “Lucas, did you run here? Are you being chased? Because that would be the only good reason.”

  Mi, however, was far less charitable. He spun around to face Lucas with the precision of a soldier, his expression darkening into something truly thunderous. “Brat!” he barked, his voice eg in the room like a crack of thunder. “You lied!”

  Lucas froze, his eyes dartiween us like he was trying to calcute the safest escape route. “I—I wouldn’t say lied exactly,” he stammered, his tone dripping with nervous defle. “I might’ve… uh… creatively adjusted some details?”

  I almost furrowed my brows. “Lucas,” I said, keeping my tone dangerously even. “I need you to do something important. Identify my clothes. And while you’re at it, expin why everyone in this fort is terrified of me.”