When nine o'clock in the evening arrived, Eros turned his gaze toward Estelle, who was sitting nearby reading a book.
Estelle let out a soft sigh, and with a hint of reluctance, she pulled the Heart of the Ocean from her chest, took off the necklace, and handed it to Eros.
Eros took the necklace and said to Estelle:
"Then I’m off!"
Estelle nodded and whispered a soft instruction: "Be careful!"
Eros gave an affirmative grunt and returned to his room, immediately entering the Spirit World with the help of Barbara’s power.
Upon arriving in the Spirit World, Eros did not hesitate and headed straight for his ancestor’s cathedral. Reaching the outside of the cathedral, Eros scanned the surroundings but found no sign of the Paper Lady; it seemed she hadn't arrived yet.
Thus, Eros sat in front of the cathedral doors to wait. After waiting for over two hours, the figure of the Paper Lady finally appeared at the edge of his vision.
As she drew near, Eros pulled the Heart of the Ocean from his pocket and said casually:
"The Heart of the Ocean you wanted!"
Saying this, Eros reached out and held the necklace before the Paper Lady.
The Paper Lady shook her head and said in a calm tone: "No need. You keep it!"
Eros raised an eyebrow but didn't act coy, simply stuffing the necklace back into his pocket. It was just as well if she didn't want it; Estelle and Undine seemed to quite like this piece.
"Now you can tell me the contents of the deal, right?"
After stowing the necklace, Eros looked at the Paper Lady and asked in a flat tone.
The Paper Lady nodded, no longer keeping him in suspense, and said concisely:
"I hope you can help me rescue two people from the Imperial Palace!"
"Rescue people?" Eros repeated in a low voice. After thinking for a moment, he frowned and asked:
"Where are they being held in the palace? I need to know the specific situation before I can agree to this deal."
"After all, the current Imperial Palace is an extremely dangerous place for us as well."
"If, after your explanation, I feel it is too dangerous, I have the right to refuse this transaction."
Indeed, there was a Sequence 2 sleeping deep within the palace; how could it not be dangerous? Simply stealing something might not cause a big commotion and thus was unlikely to wake him. But rescuing people would inevitably involve conflict with guards. If that woke the Sequence 2, they might as well prepare for their funeral feast tomorrow.
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Hearing the conditions mentioned by the Night Remnant, the Paper Lady’s tone remained unchanged:
"Your concern is understandable! However, the 'rescue' I speak of is merely assisting two people in escaping the palace. If done discreetly enough, no combat will occur."
"And that is exactly why I placed your Night lineage as the optimal choice."
"They aren't imprisoned?" Eros frowned, asking in confusion.
"No," the Paper Lady’s answer was very simple.
"Are they being monitored?" Eros continued to question.
"No!"
Eros rubbed his chin. "Not imprisoned, not monitored. They just can't leave the palace, right?"
"They just cannot leave the palace alone," the Paper Lady corrected.
Eros nodded and asked the final question: "What are the strengths of those two?"
"One Sequence 6, one Sequence 9!" the Paper Lady answered without hesitation.
"Fine, I accept the deal. When do we start the operation?"
Feeling the plan was feasible, Eros agreed immediately.
"The sooner the better!" Seeing the Night Remnant agree, the Paper Lady breathed a secret sigh of relief.
"Then let's do it tonight," Eros decided.
The Paper Lady froze upon hearing this. She almost suspected she had heard wrong. Although she said "the sooner the better," there was surely no need to be this fast, right?
Seeing her silence, Eros asked in confusion:
"Didn't you say the sooner the better?"
The Paper Lady took a deep breath. "I need to prepare!"
Eros gave a hum of acknowledgment and then inquired:
"Where in the palace do I need to go? I mean, where will the people I’m meeting be located?"
The Paper Lady closed her eyes. After a long while, she opened them, her gaze now exceptionally determined. Since the decision was made, there was no more need for hesitation. She spoke immediately:
"Go to the room where you stole the Heart of the Ocean last night. You will understand when you arrive!"
Eros raised an eyebrow. "Madam, I think I’ve guessed your identity—or rather, the identity of the person you want me to save."
The Paper Lady did not answer his question, only saying silenty:
"I am going to prepare!"
With that, the Paper Lady turned and left. Watching her retreating back, the corners of Eros’s mouth curled into an arc.
"Things are starting to get interesting!"
Only after her figure disappeared from sight did Eros turn and return to the physical world.
Returning to the physical world, he entered the Imperial Palace again following the same route as the previous night. Encountering no obstacles along the way, he arrived smoothly at the front of Empress Isabella’s room.
Inside the room, two beautiful figures—one large, one small—were sitting upright by the bedside. Both had long, sea-blue hair, and their exquisite faces shared a seventy to eighty percent similarity.
The larger one was Empress Isabella herself. As for the smaller version sitting beside her, it must be the Empress's daughter—Her Royal Highness, Princess Angelica Augustine.
Angelica held her mother’s hand, her bright, large eyes flashing with a hint of fear. Isabella used her other hand to pat the back of her daughter’s hand, comforting her softly:
"It’s okay! We will be okay!"
Angelica bit her lip and nodded heavily. Seeing this, a gentle smile appeared on Isabella’s lips. Then she reined in the smile and glanced at the gas lamp on the opposite wall. The flame inside the glass flickering, casting shifting light and shadow across Isabella’s face.
Suddenly, a slightly distorted voice echoed in the room:
"Although I had some guesses, to be honest, I’m still quite surprised to see this in person."
Hearing that familiar, distorted voice, Isabella let out a long breath. Ignoring the Night Remnant's previous remark, she spoke directly:
"How do we leave?"
Seeing that Isabella was unwilling to say more, Eros didn't bore himself further and said in a somewhat disinterested tone:
"Just don't resist next!"
As he spoke, Eros walked up to the two women who had already stood up. He put an arm around each of them, pulling them into his embrace.
Isabella frowned but ultimately did not resist. Then, she felt a sudden pulling sensation from the ground, followed by the perception that her body was gradually sinking, inch by inch, into the shadows.