"Hmmm... hello?" Rogue called out as she entered Strax's house, her curious expression soon turning to confusion as she noticed the strange atmosphere in the air.
So of the won were frowning, clearly frustrated, sitting in silence and only casting corner glances at each other - or at the staircase leading to the second floor, from where suspicious tremors were coming.
"...Did sothing happen?" Rogue asked, frowning. Silence.
The only exception was Monica, who was humming softly in the kitchen, swaying her body slightly as she brought in a tray of glasses and a jug of juice - as if everything was perfectly normal.
But the tremors from upstairs said otherwise.
"Oh..." Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Is he having sex?"
The dry sound of exasperated sighs echoed in the room. Kryssia and Xenovia, sitting on the steps, looked like two sentries on guard, with their arms crossed and unfriendly looks on their faces.
Monica, still smiling, replied casually: "They're upset. Strax said he was going to use double cropping to move faster... but only with Scarlet - and those two." She pointed with her chin at the 'sentinels' on the stairs.
Samira, Cristine, Beatrice, Cassandra, Daniela and Belatrix... all muttered sothing quietly.
Rogue narrowed her eyes. "Hmm... Xenovia I know. But the other one is new blood?"
"Oh, Kryssia? Kind of," Monica said, placing the glasses on the table with a slight clink. "He saved her life. He turned the girl into a demon when she died. Then she offered to help with the cultivation, claiming she wanted to 'pay off the debt'."
Rogue raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smile. "Ah. Of course she wanted to pay with her body, right? Classic."
Monica laughed, but shrugged. "Look, maybe it is... but honestly? That one blushed to death when she heard what double-cropping was. She's probably more curious than grateful."
"Got it." Rogue glanced back at the two on the stairs. Kryssia was as red as a ripe apple and avoiding everyone's gaze, while Xenovia was pretending to be too focused on a fixed point on the wall.
Monica pointed with her head to the armchair next to them. "Sit there. Better than standing like a post, and the juice is cold."
Rogue laughed and settled down, crossing her legs with a natural lightness. "Well... if the mood continues like this, the house will explode before Strax even becos Emperor."
The atmosphere, which was already tense, beca even heavier when Samira, who was standing by the window, turned abruptly and said in a cutting tone: "Shut up."
Rogue, undeterred, gave a mischievous smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Co on, you're still not over having sex with our husband?" She let the words hang in the air like a delicious tease, watching Samira's every move.
Samira's gaze narrowed, but she didn't respond imdiately. The tension between them was palpable, almost as if a silent battle was about to begin. But for a mont, everything was silent, until Monica, ever the diator, laughed slightly and intervened.
"Stop fighting, you two. It's tense enough here." She said as she grabbed another glass of juice, trying to ease the pressure in the room with a reassuring smile.
Xenovia, who had been silent until then, crossed her arms and, with a wry tone, comnted: "Honestly, this is more like one of those drama movies. Seriously, I think even Strax would be embarrassed."
The tension between Samira and Rogue hadn't completely dissipated, but Monica's slight intervention brought a montary pause. It was that strange, uncomfortable silence... the kind that carries more than words can say.
And then, like thunder tearing through the sky on a muggy day, there was a shout from the second floor:
"THIS, FUCK YOU, FUCK !"
The walls shook. So did the souls.
There was a collective pause - the kind of silence in which everyone, for a mont, questions their life choices.
Cassandra, sitting between the sisters on the stairs, wiped her hand across her face as if to erase her own eardrums. "I feel humiliated listening to my own mother having sex with our husband," she said, her voice slurred with embarrassnt.
Daniela and Belatrix nodded silently, almost in sync, their expressions dead inside. The trauma was shared.
"Oh, believe ," said Beatrice suddenly, with a sour little smile and half-lidded eyes, "I know exactly how you feel..." She then slowly turned her face towards Monica. "Even more so after I belatedly found out who my mommy was... right, mom?"
The crossed eyes carried a mixture of resentnt and irony.
Monica, as always, was unperturbed. Sitting in the armchair with the elegance of a queen who has seen worse wars, she just smiled sweetly. "Why, I thought we were over it, dear. Even... if I rember correctly, you said you wanted the best for your mother. And let's face it..." She put the glass of juice down on the table with a soft 'clink'. "The best is our husband. Right?"
Beatrice turned her eyes away imdiately, as if trying to escape that killer smile. But she didn't answer.
Because, deep down... Monica wasn't wrong. Sharing her husband with her mother was bizarre, yes - but in that world, love and power went hand in hand in unconventional ways.
Cassandra stood up suddenly, running her hand down her dress with visible irritation. "Let's go out for a while. We're not going to have sex with him, not until he's advanced. Let's train, or whatever... let's just get out of here before my sanity goes with every moan from upstairs."
Daniela and Belatrix nodded imdiately, as if they were waiting for soone to break the awkward mood.
"Our score is 75 for you, 72 for Daniela and 74 for ," Belatrix comnted with a teasing smile. "I think it's ti to change that."
Cassandra cracked her neck with a half-smile. "Perfect. Ti to crush you both again."
"Hm... I'm going too." Samira stood up with a cold look on her face, crossing her arms like she wasn't going to be anyone's emotional babysitter.
Cristine looked around, stretched with an excited expression and said: "Great, team battle. Give five minutes to warm up." She stood up as if it were a declared challenge.
"I'm going too," Beatrice said from the sofa, without even taking her eyes off Monica. The provocation was subtle, but the tone was firm. "I don't want to miss out on the fun."
Rogue whistled softly, watching them all gather like a small army about to march. "Eita... if I'm going to train like this, maybe I'll just go and watch..."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," Monica said softly, but with that serious glint in her eyes. She crossed her legs with the elegance of soone who was about to deal with sothing important. "I imagine your schedule is busy looking after the guild... but I have so business proposals. After all, we're technically without an emperor now."
The words hung in the air like a spark. Rogue arched an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing imdiately as she turned to face Monica.
"No emperor? What are you talking about?" - her voice ca out calm, but there was a sharp edge of curiosity - and caution.
Monica just smiled sideways, as if savoring the taste of every word. "Let's just say... so things have changed since Strax decided to go to the capital. He went after revenge for Kryssia... and, well, it made a bit of an impact."
At that mont, Rogue's eyes slid to Kryssia, as if demanding a direct explanation.
The forr general, now a newly awakened demon, raised her hands in surrender. "Hey, don't look at . He didn't kill the emperor... technically." She looked away for a second, then added with a sigh: "But let's say he forced him to... leave the scene."
"What do you an, out of the picture?" Rogue squeezed her eyes shut, becoming visibly more alert.
Kryssia shrugged. "Apparently, the emperor's body was being... possessed. Strax unmasked it and it disappeared. We still don't know how our continent is doing without an emperor. So technically we don't have an emperor right now."
"So he didn't take the throne, but left the empire without a throne." Rogue murmured thoughtfully. Then she let out a low, ironic laugh. "Of course. He doesn't do anything by halves."
Monica smiled, pleased with her reasoning. "Exactly. And in this power vacuum... opportunities arise. For those who can play their cards right."
Rogue leaned back with a lazy air, but her sharp eyes showed how interested she was. She crossed her arms slowly, the corner of her mouth curving into a teasing smile.
"So... what are your proposals, my dear favorite maid?"
Monica replied as elegantly as ever, her sweet voice contrasting with the cutting tenor of her words.
"Business alliances. Logistical support. Strategic control of ports and magical routes. Perhaps... even building a new capital. More efficient, safer - more ours. Before another hungry dog tries to sink its teeth into the empty throne."
"Hm... subtle power grab." Rogue ran her tongue over her lips thoughtfully, then let out a low laugh. "I like that."
She leaned forward a little, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"The guild has been expanding at a rapid pace. If we secure headquarters in the main zones of influence... we can root our presence in the four corners of the kingdom. Domination of Thalassa would not only be possible... it would be inevitable."
Rogue's smile beca openly devilish, and Monica's followed it like a perfect reflection - refined, satisfied, dangerously ambitious.
They didn't need to say anything more. They were aligned.
They both wanted the sa empire.
Both wanted the sa king.
"They're crazy..." Kryssia muttered before looking at Xenovia, who had a glare on her face that almost scread "THAT'S IT!"
'They're all crazy...'
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