The commander turned his head toward me, disbelief written across his face. I didn't flinch. My gaze stayed fixed on him, then drifted upward to the man standing tall and coldly regarding me.
"Commander of the Empire Knights, what are you doing? In front of you stands a murderer. Shouldn't you be arresting her?" the man's deep voice resonated with authority. He looked down at the commander with a sharpness that made the air heavy.
Meanwhile, I remained seated atop the corpse, my legs crossed, one elbow resting on my knee, and my chin resting in my hand, as casual as ever.
The commander glanced at me and then back at the man, his voice cracking with nervousness.
"Your Majesty, after questioning the girl, she claimed she's not from here, that she fell from the sky."
I turned my gaze from the commander to the man.
"Is that man the king or something? Since the commander called him Your Majesty..." I thought to myself, only to realize too late that I must have said it aloud. All eyes turned toward me.
The man started laughing—a sound that felt more like an ice pick.
I stood up, my posture poised and defiant.
"Who are you?" I asked, voice dripping with confidence.
The commander's eyes widened in shock.
"Watch your words," he hissed.
I ignored him, keeping my gaze fixed on the man. The emperor—Jake Carcel—smirked slightly, and with the kind of chilling calm that only an emperor could possess, he spoke.
"Jake Carcel, Emperor of the Carcel Empire."
The weight of his words hit me like a ton of bricks. I froze. Memories of my earlier rudeness toward him rushed to the forefront of my mind. I stared back at the emperor, meeting his gaze with a cool, unwavering look.
"Do you have enough power to kill me for my rudeness?" I asked, my voice steady, but my insides were already starting to churn.
He nodded.
My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself not to flinch.
"Haha... ha... ha... well, I'm sure you wouldn't kill a fallen angel... right?" I laughed, the words coming out shakier than I'd intended.
But the second I spoke those words, I realized how big of a lie it was, as I was swiftly transported to a castle in the blink of an eye.
"Where did you take me?" I demanded, now standing in the opulent hall, the emperor seated on his throne.
"The Empire Palace," he replied coldly, his voice as unyielding as ever.
The room was nearly empty—just the emperor, the commander, an old man dressed in strange clothes, and me. I stared at the old man, taking in his attire.
The emperor didn't waste time, his gaze narrowing.
"You said you are a fallen angel, correct?"
I smirked, despite the rising tension.
The commander turned his head toward me, disbelief written across his face. I didn't flinch. My gaze stayed fixed on him, then drifted upward to the man standing tall and coldly regarding me.
"Commander of the Empire Knights, what are you doing? In front of you stands a murderer. Shouldn't you be arresting her?" the man's deep voice resonated with authority. He looked down at the commander with a sharpness that made the air heavy.
Meanwhile, I remained seated atop the corpse, my legs crossed, one elbow resting on my knee, and my chin resting in my hand, as casual as ever.
The commander glanced at me and then back at the man, his voice cracking with nervousness.
"Your Majesty, after questioning the girl, she claimed she's not from here, that she fell from the sky."
I turned my gaze from the commander to the man.
"Is that man the king or something? Since the commander called him Your Majesty..." I thought to myself, only to realize too late that I must have said it aloud. All eyes turned toward me.
The man started laughing—a sound that felt more like an ice pick.
I stood up, my posture poised and defiant.
"Who are you?" I asked, voice dripping with confidence.
The commander's eyes widened in shock.
"Watch your words," he hissed.
I ignored him, keeping my gaze fixed on the man. The emperor—Jake Carcel—smirked slightly, and with the kind of chilling calm that only an emperor could possess, he spoke.
"Jake Carcel, Emperor of the Carcel Empire."
The weight of his words hit me like a ton of bricks. I froze. Memories of my earlier rudeness toward him rushed to the forefront of my mind. I stared back at the emperor, meeting his gaze with a cool, unwavering look.
"Do you have enough power to kill me for my rudeness?" I asked, my voice steady, but my insides were already starting to churn.
He nodded.
My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself not to flinch.
"Haha... ha... ha... well, I'm sure you wouldn't kill a fallen angel... right?" I laughed, the words coming out shakier than I'd intended.
But the second I spoke those words, I realized how big of a lie it was, as I was swiftly transported to a castle in the blink of an eye.
"Where did you take me?" I demanded, now standing in the opulent hall, the emperor seated on his throne.
"The Empire Palace," he replied coldly, his voice as unyielding as ever.
The room was nearly empty—just the emperor, the commander, an old man dressed in strange clothes, and me. I stared at the old man, taking in his attire.
The emperor didn't waste time, his gaze narrowing.
"You said you are a fallen angel, correct?"
I smirked, despite the rising tension.
"Yes, I am a fallen angel," I said, leaning into the lie, knowing it was too late to backtrack and admit I was just a pathetic human like the rest of them.
The room went silent as everyone's eyes fell on me. I shifted my gaze from the old man to the lavish golden furniture around the room. Everything here screamed wealth—old, modish, and yet undeniably regal, just like the humans in this place.
Before I could lose myself in the grandeur of the room, the emperor interrupted my thoughts.
"Prove to me you are a fallen angel," he commanded, his tone imperious.
I paused, my mind racing. I knew only one way to even attempt to prove my claim. "Can you show me a book?" I asked.
Without question, the old man left the room and returned moments later with a large book, which he handed to me.
I opened it, my hands slightly trembling as I stared at the strange characters on the pages. The language was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Panic bubbled in my chest, but I masked it, forcing myself to appear calm. The realization hit me like a wave—there could be an entirely unknown language in this world.
As I stared at the unfamiliar symbols, I willed my nerves into submission. I had to figure this out. Failure wasn't an option.
To be continued...