Free and Unfettered 9 Emperor Destan

Nine's eyes flashed when she read the missive. Was it finally starting? Based on the sketchy memories she received, she really couldn't tell if the emperor was how he had been perceived or not. She's already lost all hope in the previous body's deductions on people.

Smirking, Nine left her residence with Shade in tow. Shade followed behind her loyally, looking like an attendant instead of a hidden guard. If it wasn't for the stark magical tattoo on his face that he wore proudly, no one would think otherwise.

Nine left him to be since he seemed to like it so much. It didn't matter to her if the nobles or the royal family knew she had a hidden guard under her, and the commoners wouldn't know better.

Nine took her time whilst sightseeing more of the Cosmos Empire's capital. Seeing it in the light, she praised whoever thought of making a city here. It was probably the High Water Elemental.

[High Water Elemental offers you a exclusive trait. Accept?]

Nine raised a brow. Exactly what was this exclusive trait? There was no other information or details. This smelled like a fraud. But it was poking her weak spot. Her curiosity had always been insufferable. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, right?

"Accept."

[High Water Elemental's Exclusive Trait obtained.]

[Water Control - Beloved by the seas, control and sensitivity over water depends on the user's degree of understanding.]

Nine's eyes lit up. This was a jackpot, wasn't it?

Shade watched as his master's chilly air got slightly lighter, feeling curious but happy. Nothing had happened, so why was he suddenly in a better mood?

Nine looked forward speechlessly. She really couldn't understand him at all. Shade went through emotions so quickly she practically had emotional whiplash just looking at him.

Soon enough, master and servant hovered in front of the palace. Nine raised a brow, surprised as she sized it up. The palace seemed like it was more lowkey than she thought. There almost wasn't a difference between the palace and ths surrounding houses. The only reason why she could differentiate it was from her fragmented memories.

As an underwater palace, the palace seemed to blend into the water around it. There was probably some sort of runes or wards that were being used to keep unwanted attention off of it. Nine approved. Maybe it wasn't good for a ruler to be too lowkey, but as an information expert, Nine knew that it times of an enemy attack, there was nothing better than being able to blend into ths surroundings.

For a palace, it seemed like royalty here lived a life that was more free than she thought. She held her opinion on this for now. Strangely, she didn't feel a dislike for it, considering her dislike of rules and restrictions.

Shade and Nine bypassed the guard in front of the underwater palace's gates.

Shade watched his master with adoring eyes. He had trained in the art of stealth for so many years, but he was inferior to his master! His master was the best.

In this way, Nine and Shade both ghosted into the palace and bypassed all the guards, both hidden and exposed. Nine looked approvingly at her subordinate. He really had trained his stealth to an amazing level. He was even better than her when she had been back on Earth. Unfortunately for him, the addition of magic to her repertoire boosted her stealthy skills to a whole new level.

Relying on her memories, Nine brought Shade to the most direct route to where the emperor was at this time of the day.

Master and servant appeared like a phantom in front of a hidden guard hiding above the beams on top of the door, startling him so badly that he almost dropped down. The hidden guard forcibly took a hold of himself, stopping himself from doing anything rash. Taking an almost inaudible breath, he dropped down. He didn't dare do anything since as a hidden guard by His Majesty's side, he knew just how much His Majesty doted on this crown prince. But he really didn't know if it was the crown prince. It was just that he had changed so much! The oppressive air that the other exuded even sent chills up his spine.

"Crown Prince, His Majesty has been waiting."

Nine felt a flash of something she couldn't put her finger on. She hid her feelings as she inwardly furrowed her brows. What was that?

She entered the room with little fanfare, Shade dutifully following behind her.

Seated behind a desk was a seemingly young man that radiated a powerful dignity and solemnity. His pen strokes were solid and steady without any signs of impatience. Nine discreetly took in his looks. It seemed that this body had inherited a lot of his genes. They had the same shade of blue hair and eyes, and Nine could spot the cheekbones that decorated her cheeks and the same skin tone. Her own features were infinitely more delicate and refined, most likely from a mix of both her parents. She attributed this to the fact that though she was acting as a crown prince, she was still in actual fact a female first and foremost.

It was only then that she knew her looks had come from a mix of her parent's genes. Her father was already probably in his early forties but he still looked like a man in his late twenties. Based on the fuzzy memories, she could tell that before her mother's death, she had been a stunning beauty.

At first glance, the emperor looked imposing and stern, but there was a trace of gentleness that was hidden deeply within him. Nine could tell all of this at one glance, owing to her old profession.

"Father," she said, foregoing all customs.

The emperor's pen stopped moving.

"Nine," he said at last. He looked up at her, and Nine was struck with the sadness contained deep within his eyes. He felt like he was grieving. Nine's heart skipped a beat. He knew.

"You know."

The emperor's eyes wavered as the grief he felt thickened.

Silently, Nine gestured for Shade to leave the room.

The emperor got up and sat down heavily in a nearby sofa, gesturing for her to sit down.

"My child is dead," he said.

Nine looked at him blankly, not showing any emotions before she could gauge how this was going.

"Nine is dead and gone, and you've taken her place."

Nine felt a chill run up her spine. A parent could always tell when their child had changed, but she hadn't known for sure whether the emperor had paid attention to Nine since the memories were so fragmented.

The emperor eyed her critically, his eyes turning sharp. Then he seemed to deflate as if lost. "She is already dead, but what about you?"

"I have already died once," Nine said frankly.

The emperor struggled with himself. "Did it hurt, dying?"

Nine hesitated for the briefest of seconds before replying. "Yes, but isn't it better that she doesn't have to hide herself away now? Based on her memories, she would have died sooner or later from outside parties," she said, probing him.

"Of course," the emperor said softly. "Perhaps this might be better, but I had hoped that I would be able to protect her after her mother's death."

Nine's eyes didn't soften, but in her heart, she somewhat believed him. His expressions, his body language and even down to the littlest inflections in his tone, this man had not spoken with a trace of falsehood. It almost made her wonder. What kind of man was the emperor, really?

"Would you be willing to continue Nine's life?"

Nine looked at Emperor Destan coolly. "Even without you asking, I had already planned to live out my life to the fullest."

"Good, good," he said. Whatever hesitation that was contained within him was discarded instantly. His eyes glowed with new-found radiance. He had made up his mind. Although his daughter was gone, Nine still lived on within him and in this girl in front of him. He would treat her as another daughter. It wouldn't be hard, considering their starkly different personalities.

"Welcome to the Cosmos Empire, Nine."

Emperor Destan stood up and enveloped his new family member in his arms. He squeezed her, feeling deep sadness and affection all at once.

Nine's eyes flashed as she considered his unspoken offer. She would wait and see about his attitude, but for now she was willing to address him as 'father'.

"Father," she said gently. She patted his back somewhat awkwardly. In her previous life, she had been brought up by the Arcana members, never knowing a parent. They were more like crazy aunts and uncles.

Nine politely ignored the tears that she could feel trickling into her hair. The previous Nine... The more she thought about it, the more disgruntled she felt. Exactly how bad were her social skills that she had mistaken it as her father hating and ignoring her?? There had to be something more to this.

Chapter end