Emerald was escorted inside the palace by Li Wei and the Empress. Li Wei didn't ask Emerald about the questions he had in his head because it would only lead to unwarranted arguments without any evidence to prove any point.
So he let it go, to ask the day he gathers enough evidence to back up his claim, but still he didn't believe Emerald would ever go against the former Emperor.
'That would mean she committed an offence. But who cares anyway? He's gone, so it shouldn't really be bothering me so much. I should be glad she's here at this crucial moment.' he shook his head, ignoring the thought.
"Welcome back Emerald, there's a lot we have to discuss about the Emperor's passing and who will become the next Emperor after him," he spoke, showing her through the grand entrance of the palace.
Emerald glanced at him briefly, "Has the date for the Emperor's burial been fixed yet? If no, then why?"
Li Wei didn't know what to answer to that particular question. His gaze unfortunately landed on the Empress, and he saw her saddened expression as she walked behind them.
"Actually, that decision shouldn't be made now. The Empire is still mourning its Emperor's death. A decision like that shouldn't be made in haste. When everyone recovers, then we can choose a date.." he posed a reasonable answer to her question.
She didn't push further than she asked, 'He has grown up a lot, look at him making decisions by himself without anyone's help.' She smiled.
He saw her smile and averted his gaze immediately. 'Why is she smiling?'
The guards opened the doorway to the grande hall. A place of astonished beauty and art. Inside the hall were four pillars, earth of which were made with rare stones: like the Jade Emerald, the purple diamond, and the blue pearl.
They were particularly made from those stones to handle the weight of the palace's ceiling. On each pillar was a carved sculpture of the Emperor and a hanged painting of him.
A red carpet striped with yellow lines on its edges rolled down to the staircase, leading to the upper sections of the palace, where only members of the royal family were allowed to go.
Inside the room, there were guards stationed on each corner of the room, and as of today, there were each, a pair of guard stationed on each corner of the room for stronger surveillance.
The place was quiet as there were no celebrations or discussions being made. It was a day to mourn the death of the Emperor: Emperor García.
"Excuse me, I have to check with the cook to make sure dinner will be served on time." The Empress excused herself, moving toward the corridor on the left, leading to the kitchen, laundry room, and store room.
'That's weird. When did the Empress start caring about these things?. The royal family almost never cares how food is made or when the cook makes them. They only ever cared about the taste and if it was served on the required time.'
'Even so, they would send the head maid to check on it. They had never chosen to go themselves, not ever.' he stepped back and watched the Empress move down the corridor.
As she moved, something about her movement pattern was familiar. He watched her until she moved into the kitchen unit.
"What's wrong, Li Wei? Are you that worried about the Empress that you have to watch her until the very end?" She leaned on his shoulders, whispering her words into his ears.
He chuckled softly, pushing her off his shoulders because of her weight. "No, of course it's not that. I just wanted to check something and clear my mind up." He answered plainly.
"Hmm, I see, but that's still sus, you know. Come on, lets go meet your siblings, I'm sure they'll be happy to see me!" She pulled him forward, dragging him up the stairs before he could say a word.
He tried to control his movements so he wouldn't trip, but her movements as a sword user were slick and hard to follow.
The only saving grace he had was the fact that he practised whenever he saw the opportunity and those workouts he did had improved his physical abilities greatly.
Not that it was easily noticeable to others who were already given powerful cultivations, like Emerald, who bore the Sonic cultivation. The ability to move as fast as sound and release sound waves from her impact.
'Do you understand now how cool hers sound compared to mine? Mine sounds like trash!. Imagine having the ability to move as fast as sound and still create powerful impacts that generate powerful Sonic waves!!'
'And with the task the Emperor gave her to complete, I bet she's almost as fast as sound by now.' He smirked, staring at her red hair flow behind her.
Emerald and Li Wei had been friends since they were kids. She was born in the western borders, and her family was close to the Emperor.
As a result of a war between the south and west, her parents died, and she was given the choice to stay with them, which she accepted.
Since then, Li Wei and Emerald had grown up together, and he watched her get stronger with each passing year. Even though with her continuous practice, she was never able to move as fast as sound because it ripped her skin off anytime she did.
But at the point she was in, she could take on any Imperial guard, and be sure to win. Now, back from her completed task, he's expecting so many improvements from her.
'I will also show you that I've been improving while you were gone, then you'll proudly call me your best friend' he grinned.
They arrived at his sibling's quarters within the next ten minutes. He couldn't help but feel tired because of the speed at which she was dragging him.
He felt his knees buckle below him, and he fell to the ground, panting hard, trying to grasp for air. 'Damn, was she trying to kill me or what?!'