Max’s pupils contracted. Something felt dangerous about the woman standing before him. The way her green eyes shone from beneath the hood. The way her black hair spilled over her large breasts, barely contained by the white robe that revealed her naked cleavage...

Everything about her felt too controlled.

"Who are you?" Max demanded, his eyes taking note of her every movement. Her fingers. Her breathing. The faint curve of her lips. Even the way she stood there felt like a quiet challenge. He could almost taste her mana from where he sat, and it did not seem weaker than his.

"I’m Senuna, noble envoy of the Britana Kingdom. Sorry for the intrusion, but there were no guards around your palace, so I let myself in."

She sat down on her own at the end of the table, moving as if the room already belonged to her. Her elbows gently touched the surface as she placed her chin on her palms, looking at Max with a mysterious smile.

"You... don’t seem threatened by my existence, are you?"

Her voice was sultry and seductive, as if she was trying to slip past his thoughts, dig into his soul, and make him lower his guard without realizing it.

"I’m honored that another kingdom has taken note of me and sent an envoy, but coming to my door without gifts... isn’t that a little too much of an insult?"

Max snapped his fingers.

The entire room turned dark. Void magic spread around them like a black curtain, sealing the small space and stripping away every trace of mana.

Senuna did not move. For a brief second, amazement flashed through her green eyes, but it faded almost instantly, replaced by the same calm, nonchalant expression.

"You’re strong. No wonder the little dragons were so easily subdued by you." Her lips curved faintly, her eyes never leaving his. "Say... what is your magic soul’s realm?"

Her gaze dug into him, as if trying to search for the answer herself.

Seeing that she was not bothered even a little, Max canceled his magic, returning the room to normal.

"I don’t follow," he replied casually.

By then, the two of them had completely forgotten that this meeting was anything but ordinary.

"I thought you were human." A hint of shock passed through her eyes, quick enough that most people would have missed it.

"I am, but it doesn’t matter now, does it?" Max tapped the table impatiently with his finger, his gaze growing colder. "Why are you even here? If your king wanted to see me for something important, I believe he could have made the trip himself. My kingdom might be new, but we’re not pushovers, and I have no time to waste chit-chatting all day. So get to business."

Senuna smiled softly, as if his sharp tone had not bothered her at all.

"We would like to offer the Voidstar Kingdom an initial alliance. We have taken note of your strength, King Maximus, and we would love to have your support since our kingdom shares a border with yours in the west."

"And what do I get from this alliance?" Max asked, his gaze staying on Senuna. This sounded far too good to be true, or it meant that he had already become a threat the humans feared enough to flatter first.

"Free trade, and military support in case war reaches your lands, or ours. We would expect you to do the same."

Max smirked. There it was, the real reason they had come here so early.

"And you would also find yourself licking Caratacus’s shoes every single time you visit. That is their thing. They expect loyalty while giving nothing back."

Another voice suddenly echoed from the hall.

Max looked past Senuna to see a tall woman standing near the entrance. Her hair was as white as snow, falling over the dark edges of her black armor. In her hand rested a spear with a sharp blue tip, almost as if it had been carved from crystal. Unlike Senuna, who felt like poison wrapped in silk, this woman carried herself like a blade that had already decided where to cut.

Max did not know what to say anymore.

Was there nobody paying attention to intruders in this castle?

He promised himself he would set up proper security after this meeting.

"Pardon my intrusion. I am Clotilde from the Frankindia Kingdom, here on behalf of my king, Clovis the Third."

Her knee hit the ground with the heavy sound of armor, her spear held firmly at her side.

Her breasts were so large that Max wondered how she could even keep her balance. For a long moment, he saw nothing else but their bounce before he forced his eyes back to her face, pretending he had been carefully judging her armor instead.

She did not raise her head until Senuna scoffed.

"Look at this. A rat has decided to show her face before me. Aren’t you ashamed to let your filthy feet soil this magnificent kingdom?" Senuna crossed her arms, her green eyes looking down at Clotilde with naked disgust.

That finally knocked Max out of his stupor.

"I didn’t come here to talk to disgusting Britanians," Clotilde shot back as she rose to her feet. Her fingers tightened around her spear, the crystal-blue tip glinting sharply as she stared daggers at Senuna, like the two of them had been born to hate each other.

Max was ready to enjoy the show. He did not even interfere in the matter. He only wished he had some popcorn right now, because things were about to get heated.

But then, another voice came from behind him.

This time, it made him flinch in surprise.

"While you two fight, I will excuse myself and speak with King Maximus in hopes of achieving a strong alliance between our kingdoms."

Max turned his head to see a young woman standing in the shadows of the room. Her clothes were fully black, almost swallowed by the darkness around her. A black hood and mask hid her features, but nothing could hide the pair of eyes that pulled his attention toward her.

Two different colors stared at him mysteriously, pink in the left eye and violet in the right.

Black mist suddenly began to spread from her body, silent and cold, crawling across the floor before rising around Max like a cage. Before he could fully understand what was happening, the room around him began to disappear behind the darkness.