Chapter 664: Approaching the Emperor
Some time, after we’d eaten and R’lissea brushed my hair, we were back in the passages of the Spire. No matter how many times I passed through them, every door and corridor looked the same to me, but Elise knew exactly where she was going. Maids, servants, and patrolling guards offered us bows and curtseys as we passed, a marked difference from before.
"Almost there. The apostle’s room is in this tower," Elise said as we ascended a spiral staircase.
"They’re not in the basement? Even though he’s a demonkin?" I asked.
Her expression darkened. "I’ll be speaking with Grand Duke Barther about that. Even if the church was responsible, this isn’t something the Empire should have overlooked."
A man waited outside the apostle’s door. Though dressed in simple servant clothes, he couldn’t hide the fifth-level aura emanating from his soul.
"Good morning, fair ladies," he said with a low bow.
Elise greeted him as she did any other servant, seemingly unaware of his power. He bowed again and knocked once before opening the door.
Like Elise’s room, the apostles’ quarters were lavish and spacious, taking up an entire wing of the tower. The entrance alone was its own hallway, with closets and a small greeting room tucked away in a small room in the corner. From up ahead, we heard voices.
"...and when the sun rose, it made her hair shine like molten fire! And then she leaned her head on my shoulder and...agh, never mind. None of it matters. I ruined everything anyway. I doubt she’ll even look at me again," Luke’s voice said.
A hot blush crept up my neck as Elise and R’lissea exchanged looks.
"Yeah, that must be tough," Jessia replied. "I might be a little more concerned if this didn’t happen every time you talk to her."