Meanwhile, outside the royal palace.
Two Draco sisters sharing the same bloodline as Talulah stood before the palace gates, waiting to be summoned.
"Sister… why are we here to seek an audience with Empress Talulah?"
The younger of the two— a girl with long golden hair—asked the woman beside her. The elder sister looked similar in appearance, but her hair was closer to white, and her aura was far more mature and alluring.
"If we don't want to leave Victoria altogether,"
Eblana replied calmly to her sister, Reed—or rather, Lavania,
"then this is something we must do, whether we like it or not."
As for Empress Talulah, Eblana had already begun paying attention to her—and investigating her—back when Talulah first rose to prominence in the frozen land of Ursus. One could even say that Eblana was among those on Terra who followed Talulah's movements most closely.
Compared to the two of them, Talulah was undoubtedly far more capable—and far more successful, by an overwhelming margin.
They had both been adopted by nobles, yet Talulah had inherited the legacy of the Undying Black Snake of Ursus, becoming the new Grand Duke of Ursus and taking control of the Third Army Group.
That fact alone was enough for Eblana to look up to her.
After all, that was the position of Grand Duke of Ursus—a top-tier power on Terra, a nation strong enough to rival Victoria itself. And on top of that, a full army group.
By comparison, the "Dublinn" that Eblana and her sister had spent years building could only be described as child's play. In front of Talulah, it didn't even deserve to be mentioned.
And yet, even such achievements—things that Eblana and her sister could only dream of—were merely the beginning for Talulah.
In the following months, Talulah mobilized her forces and secretly established a terrifying Wendigo Legion. In less than ten days, she marched her army straight to the gates of Chernobog, seized it, and took the throne of Ursus in one decisive blow—shocking every nation on Terra.
She held her coronation and military parade in Chernobog, formally becoming the new Empress of Ursus before the eyes of the world. Without pausing for breath, she then launched a war against Kazimierz—and within days, conquered it as well.
Even after all that, this ambitious and formidable Red Dragon was still not satisfied. She turned her greedy gaze toward Victoria, forcibly invaded the strongest nation on Terra, seized the moment when Londinium was left defenseless after being plundered by the Sarkaz, openly occupied the capital, and sat upon Victoria's throne.
Compared to Empress Talulah, Eblana felt that her and her sister's dream of restoring the Tara dynasty amounted to nothing more than children playing house.
Everything she had ever yearned for—Talulah could obtain effortlessly, perhaps without even bothering to scheme for it.
Though they shared the same bloodline, the gap between Eblana's sisters and Talulah was as vast as two entirely different worlds.
This was precisely why Eblana had chosen to come here, on the eve of Talulah's impending war with the Victorian dukes.
On one hand, she was curious about this kindred who had overturned her fate through sheer effort, talent, and will.
On the other hand… it was for survival—and submission.
From a purely strategic standpoint, Talulah—who had penetrated deep into Victoria with only two army groups and now faced the encirclement of the dukes' coalition—seemed to be at a disadvantage.
But Eblana firmly believed that Talulah could not possibly have failed to account for this. The fact that she dared to seize Londinium under such circumstances meant that she was confident she could withstand—perhaps even crush—the dukes' alliance.
Judging by Talulah's past actions, she was not someone who acted without certainty.
Up to this day, Empress Talulah had never failed.
Anything she set her sights on inevitably ended up in her hands.
In other words—
Where Talulah went, another nation was destined to fall.
And if Talulah truly conquered Victoria and ruled it as empress, then what would become of Eblana and her sister Lavania—both Draco, both possessing, to some extent, a legitimate claim to the Victorian throne?
If they didn't come now, proactively offering their allegiance, how would Empress Talulah view them afterward?
Eblana put herself in Talulah's position. If potential Draco claimants did not clearly and promptly demonstrate submission, then to eliminate threats to her rule…
She and her sister might very well be erased from Terra in the most literal sense, at Talulah's will.
It was precisely because she had considered this that Eblana rushed here the moment she learned Talulah had seized Londinium—coming as fast as she possibly could, just to seek an audience.
And so, after an indeterminate wait, the guard who had gone to report finally returned, leading the two sisters into the palace.
At last, Eblana saw her.
Seated upon the throne was the Red Dragon Empress, radiating such overwhelming pressure that even Eblana could feel it keenly. Though female, she was heroic and imposing—noble, beautiful, and awe-inspiring.
And beside the throne…
…was another chair, apparently dragged over from somewhere, upon which An Xora was sitting.
"…Who is this guy?"
In truth, Eblana did recognize An Xora.
She had paid close attention to Talulah's intelligence, and An Xora had stood beside her on the platform during the coronation ceremony. She remembered his face.
But beyond that, she couldn't find anything notable.
No extraordinary abilities on record. No critical official post. Though ennobled as a new Ursus duke, he commanded neither an army group nor a personal force. The only known "achievement" was that he had led part of the Wendigo Legion in purging a large number of Ursus nobles.
To put it bluntly, that was something anyone could do. You could've tied a dog to the job and the result wouldn't have changed.
And yet—
This man was sitting right beside Empress Talulah, while she occupied the throne.
Even more shocking—
Talulah showed no anger whatsoever. She tacitly allowed it.
Before Eblana could think further, she and her sister were already brought before the throne. To show sincerity, both sisters lowered their heads and knelt.
"Eblana of Dublinn, together with my sister Lavania of Dublinn,
pays respects to the great Red Dragon, Her Majesty Empress Talulah."
"You're Draco too?"
Seeing the unmistakable racial traits of the two sisters, Talulah's expression brightened with interest.
She had thought she was the last Draco on Terra. To discover she still had living kindred genuinely made her happy.
As for Eblana's earlier fear—that Talulah might see fellow Draco as threats to her rule?
Clearly, Talulah had never even considered such a thing.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We are indeed of the Draco race,"
Eblana replied, nodding.
"And what brings you here?"
Talulah asked.
"We wish to offer our loyalty to Your Majesty, and to swear our allegiance."
"Allegiance… to me?"
"Yes. We are willing to follow any arrangement you decree, so long as Your Majesty is willing to accept the two of us."
"I see…"
Having completely failed to pick up on Eblana's deeper motives and implications, Talulah turned her head toward An Xora beside her.
"What do you think, An Xora?"
An Xora answered casually, utterly unconcerned.
"If they want to be loyal, just take them in. They're Draco anyway—strength-wise, they won't be weak."
"That makes sense. Then could I trouble you to arrange things for them?"
"Sure."
With nothing pressing to do at the moment, An Xora simply nodded, stood up, and looked down at the kneeling sisters.
"You two. Come with me."
Eblana glanced at her sister, then nodded.
"As you command, sir."
As she followed behind An Xora out of the throne hall, Eblana's mind began racing.
From the brief exchange between Talulah and An Xora just now, she sensed something very off.
This man's attitude toward Empress Talulah was far too casual.
And Talulah wasn't just tolerating it—she was openly indulging it.
Eblana tried to imagine herself in Talulah's position. If one of her subordinates dared speak to her in that tone, their grave grass would already be three meters tall.
Unless…
This man's identity was not nearly as simple as it appeared.
In that instant, countless possibilities flashed through Eblana's mind.
Could it be that this man was actually… Empress Talulah's favored consort?
That would explain her indulgence.
Yes—even then, Eblana never once considered the possibility that Talulah was a puppet.
After all, according to all available intelligence, every army under Talulah's command—including the Wendigo Legion—was firmly under her personal control.
What kind of puppet wielded that much authority?
And what sort of "mastermind behind the scenes" would dare nurture a puppet like that?
If someone really did that, they wouldn't be called a power behind the throne.
They'd be called an angel investor.
Having eliminated the only correct answer, the only possibility left in Eblana's mind was—
A male favorite.
And not just any kind—clearly one with exceptional skills, the kind who could thoroughly tame the domineering Empress Talulah in bed. From his attitude alone, this man looked like someone who'd already turned the tables and become the one in charge behind closed doors.
Tch…
So the mighty Empress Talulah was actually like this in private.
Well… that made sense. She was a woman, after all—having such needs was only natural.
But letting a man climb over her head because of that?
That, Eblana found hard to comprehend.
Still… if this interpretation was correct, and if Talulah's attitude didn't change—
Then sticking close to this man might actually be a very promising path.
Talulah.jpg
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