Book 19: Chapter 37
“Imperial palace open day? I sure admire her courage. I can’t tell if she’s confident in her people or if she’s confident with herself, or maybe she’s just plain foolish.”
The red liquid in Ikana’s glass swished around as if it was sticky blood on a wall. She had one of her long and slender legs over the other, gently teasing the edges of the cork with her toes. She left a pink mark on the cork with the soft bottom of her foot. She narrowed her eyes and added, “Is this our opportunity or a trap?”
“Consort, if this fails, all of our spies may be revealed. Now is not the time for us to act, so they do not have plans to act ahead of time. Problems may arise once we allow them to operate freely. I suggest we do not act and await orders. It should be fine as long as we do not veer off our original plan,” expounded the advisor.
Ikana had a drink. Her blood-red lips and the blood drink glimmered underneath the flame, making Ikana evilly enchanting.
The advisor had a valid point. The spies Ikana planted in Galaluocia were components of a perfect machine. Every single spy was essentially a component that would spring into action with her click. Everything that was done before was to prepare for the day it was switched on. The imperial palace open day was, truthfully, too sudden. If they were given permission to act, they’d be acting without a plan. They didn’t have time to get together and delegate work, either. That meant it depended on solo operations. Trying to operate a machine with each component in isolation all of a sudden was pure foolishness. In fact, one component might get in the way of another. If one person failed, it would result in a comb throughout the city. That could potentially lead to the destruction of the machine that was prepared.
Tomorrow was the imperial palace’s open day. There wasn’t enough time for news to reach Galaluocia from Ikana’s place and for them to gather and discuss. If they went that route, the open day would basically be over by the time they were ready. could watch everybody dance and if somebody was lucky enough, they might be able to eliminate Vera in the chaos. If they failed, however, the entire plan would be forfeited.
Ikana understood that lack of forbearance in small matters upsets great plans. The one thing Ikana least lacked was patience. A woman, who could wait four years to take her revenge, could easily wait two more days. Moreover, Ikana had never winged anything. She wouldn’t bet her future on an uncertainty. That being said, that was when it didn’t concern Abner. This time, it had to do with Abner and her bliss.
Ikana was already incredibly vexed about not having a child, which also led to many nobles sending their daughters into the palace. Abner didn’t mention anything, but Ikana was aware everybody had a limit. Ikana was a harem on fire. If Vera insisted on rising from the ashes, Abner might not be able to stand firm in his stance; Ikana wasn’t confident he could. For that reason, Ikana contemplated her move. Ikana, who never gambled, seriously pondered if she should take the leap of faith. If it succeeded, she could make things right once and for all. The death of others had nothing to do with her.
Seeing Ikana have a rare moment of silence, the advisor had to remind her, “Consort? King Abner will be back any moment now. If you do not make up your mind…”