Walking through the streets of the Empire's capital was a well dressed man grumbling angerly to himself. This was Hatori Tsukasa, an official of the Dark Empire, and he was currently heading towards a giant pink castle located next to the nearly reconstructed Dark Palace. As for his purpose there.
*Grumbling*
"… The servants take all day to wash it off, only for it to return the next day…"
*Grumbling*
A few weeks ago, a number of officials would regularly wake up to find their residence covered in graffiti, baffling the night guards standing watch as according to some accounts, if they turned their gaze away from the building for even a moment they could suddenly find a giant green phallus painted on the wall upon returning their attention to the structure, with the culprit nowhere in sight. The most confusing part could possibly be the fact that had the culprit not tauntingly written "Nox was here!" below her handywork, they likely would have had no proof as to who was behind this.
However, even though they knew who was behind, what many were starting to suspect was some kind of magic curse due to the mysterious and somewhat spooky vandalism, they couldn't do anything about it.
As Nox is considered at least on paper, the palace lord of the Pink Palace, as well as the spouse of the Dark Lord himself, none of them had the authority to outright punish her, as she was technically of a higher rank than them. That is not to say there were no measures put in place for handling such a situation where a higher ranked individual of the state abuses their power to bully those below them, like making a complaint to an individual of an equal or higher rank than the problematic person in question, bringing the subject up in court meeting, or petitioning for the dark lord to deal with the problem. However, these methods only really worked if the Dark Lord himself was not directly opposing it. Sending a complaint to someone of equal or higher status to Nox would not work for at minimum that would be another palace lord, most of which doesn't really care, or won't get involved, while the rest simply redirects these complaints to their superior to handle, the Dark Lord. As for holding a court meeting over the issue, the dark lord holds the power to veto any decision they make, meaning even if the majority of the countries officials wish to lynch her, so long as the dark lord tells them not to, they legally cannot, and of course, no matter how many people they get to sign a petition to have her at least apologize, it is still the dark lord they are asking. Hence, most of their attempts to get Nox to stop through legal action have failed miserably, increasing their resentment towards the new palace lord, which funnily enough only motivated the court to deny her request to repaint her palace even more strongly than before, which in turn motivated her to continue her graffiti.
"How did it even come to this? And why did I have to draw the short straw?" Tsukasa grumbled out.
With few options left to handle Nox, the various officials and factions tried to come up with other ways of retaliating against her, like sending or inciting some of the people who entered the Pink Palace to harass her. Unfortunately, most of them either disappeared after suddenly wandering into some dangerous place like the garden, or they left under the influence and pressure of the purple palace lord, never to return again. Hatori Tsukasa's objective tonight is part of another such attempt to get back at Nox. He had been randomly selected to represent his faction of growing Nox hating officials to personally enter the Pink Palace and covertly relay some complaints and threats by the combined power of his group.
Now, in most countries, entering a place reserved for the royal haram like the Pink Palace would not be possible for a mere official like Tsukasa, as most men would need to be castrated before granted entry into such a location. However, whether it was because the Dark Empire had just not implemented it yet due to it being a relatively young nation, or because of something to do with the strange woman managing it, there had not been made any official laws or restrictions on who can and cannot enter the Pink Palace. Hence, even a man, not of the royal bloodline, with a fully functional and attached scrotum, can enter without breaking the law. However, that is not to say he was happy about becoming their messenger, as there is no telling what might happen while or even after he was there, as not only is there the chance of offending the dark lord who frequents the place, should he slip up while there, or he could suddenly get punished one day for setting foot there, even though it is currently not against the rules.
*Grumbling*
"Oh? If it is not Mr. Hatori?"
"Ah!"
Suddenly, interrupting his grumbling complaints came the voice of a somewhat elderly well-dressed man with a monocle, which despite his none-threatening tone of voice, made the official jump all the same. It was Wong, the owner of the widely successful clothing business 'Wong Threads' as well as a tightly knitted business partner of the current Yellow Palace.
Though there are some exceptions, the majority of the Empire's officials can be divided into one of the palaces in terms of what their official duties entail. Hatori Tsukasa would fall under the Yellow Palace in that regard and his work mostly revolves around handling certain suppliers and the transport of raw materials such as the fabrics supplied to a certain subsidiary tailoring business. Hence, Tsukasa has had many opportunities to interact with Wong, while also being one of the few senior members of the Yellow Palace who was aware of his true identity.
Once upon a time, in the early days of the Dark Empire, this elderly man had laid the foundations for what eventually became the Yellow Palace, essentially becoming the lord of the yellow palace before the yellow palace was even a thing. However, for whatever reason, as the Dark Empire was on the rise and the division of which he was the head of was taking form, he stepped down from his position without explanation, handing his authority over to the current Palace Lord, Chen Jing, and eventually creating his current business with some behind the scenes funding from the Yellow Palace.
"Why it has been quite a while has it not? Though, I do believe such an overdramatic reaction might be a bit much, is it not?" Wong stated with a curious glint in his eye.
"Oh! Lo-! I mean, Sir. Wong? I apologize for my outburst! I was so lost in thought I did not notice your personage's approach!"
"Hm? And what could be occupying your mind this night?" Wong spoke, pressing for information.
"Uh, well-!"
Tsukasa was pondering what excuse to use as he knew that letting his current objective slip in front of this man could have dire repercussions, for even though he is technically not his superior, he has more than enough connections and influence over the court to match that of a palace lord should it come down to it. However, Wong already had some suspicions of his own.
"It couldn't be related to why the shipment of 'Frost-Wolf Hydes' is late, is it?" Wong questioned, with irritation hidden in his gaze.
Fortunately for the official, Wong's speculations was completely unrelated to what he feared, and he relaxed his posture slightly out of relief. Unfortunately, that slight change of tension did not go unnoticed.
"Come to think of it, where is it you are headed to this late? Could your destination be-?"
"No! Actually, I had no destination in mind! I was merely going for a relaxing night stroll to calm my thoughts!"
"Oh? Well, why don't I join you then?"
"Uh! I would be honored, but I am sure that Sir. Wong hasn't the time to be wasting it on myself! I hear rumors that you are planning to unveil a new line of products soon! With such things on the horizon, I would not dare impose on you like this!"
"You are well informed! Yes, I am indeed working on something new, but unfortunately, as I am currently lacking in the necessary pelts to realize my finished designs, I have found myself with some spare time! Now, lead the way! I would love to hear more about what ales you, and if you would not mind, you could enlighten me as to why my shipment is late!"
"…! Well, actually-!"
"That is, unless you are not truly just out here at this hour to clear your head?" Wong said, his kind smile seeming somewhat ominous from the perspective of the man before him.
"…! Very well!" Tsukasa relented.
The two men spent the next hours wondering through the scenic capital of the dark empire, discussing business while admiring the views. Clean and well-lit city streets so decorated and bustling one would think they were having aa festival, masterfully crafted statues and fountains standing within every plaza, every building well-constructed, designed, and placed as if part of a single work of art, and a serene park, perfect for calming one's mind.
The current capital of the Dark Empire was built upon one of the most visually breathtaking cities on the continent. The city was built upon one of the most stable and habitable environments on the 2nd continent. An open field of emerald green grass, with relatively gentle weather, and a stunning view of the starry night sky that some say can bring even the hardiest of men to tears. The people who had previously occupied this land before the Dark Lord were so taken to this land, they declared it holy land and spent a fortune rebuilding and decorating it to add to its beauty.
"So, my pelts were stolen by bandits! *Sigh*"
"With the new restrictions on spatial gates put in place last year, we are forced to transport much of our material by carriage, and as luck would have it, the risk of banditry has been on the rise ever since!"
"I see! Well! I suppose there is nothing to be done!"
"You seem to be taking this news rather well?"
"*Chuckle* Well, what can I say! Every time I look out at this lake, I cannot help but feel as if all my troubles are so far away!" Wong spoke as he stood up from his seat.
"Agreed!"
The two were currently sitting in a gazebo right next to the best place for star gazing within the capital, 'Star Mirror Lake'. A serene body of water within the capital's park that perfectly reflects the stars as if it was a piece of the night sky itself. As they looked out towards the lake, watching the nebulas and star clusters littering the sky above and water below, they felt as if all their troubles and stress were gone.
"Wait!? Is that?"
Suddenly, Tsukasa looked out towards the other end of the lake, in the direction of the two palaces, one of which was currently floating in the air.
"Is that not the Pink Palace?"
"Hm?! WHAT THE!?"
*BOOM*
*RUMBLE*
And just like that, their stressful reality returned just as quickly as the stars in the water blurred from the vibrations caused by the ensuing earthquake.