"Your side, of course," Arastia smiled at her niece. "But so is Sayfeel. And so is your father. We all want what is best for you, Ria. I know you want to live independently and be independent, and such is your right, but there is also the reality that you would be the most valuable hostage in the entire galaxy. Because you..."
Her tone grew serious. "...can make the Emperor of Water move."
That alone meant that there were countless forces out there who would do whatever they could to get their hands on her if they thought that they could use her against the Martial Transcendent.
In fact, Arastia knew that if the Blood Cult found out about her, they would spare no effort to get her hands on her. That was the most horrifying oute, as far as Arastia was concerned, because she knew what they would do to any person who had the blood of the royal family.
She would much rather it be herself than her precious niece. But that was why, more than anything, Ria needed constant and powerful protection. And in that regard, Sage Sayfeel was perfect. He was among the very most powerful Martial Sages in the world and had been a peak Martial Sage even decades ago when Martial Sages were still as rare as unicorns.
Since then, he had only gotten stronger and stronger. More than anything, unlike other archaic Martial Sages, he had adapted to the Era of Expansion like a fish in water.
The exo-Martial suit he wore was a hand-crafted custom artifact created by an Elder Craftsman of the Bournvyrne Empire. It was posed of ghost-glass, also known as neutrino-phased baryonic matter in scientific nomenclature. It allowed him to bee the shadows, evade even cutting-edge sensors and surveillance apparatuses.
Even Arastia only faintly managed to pick up his presence despite her extraordinary senses as the most powerful hemosapien. However, he was fit for the job not just because of his stealth, but also because he had obtained mastery of the skills that were expected of a modern-day spy or saboteur.
There was no one better that the Emperor of Water could have sent to protect his daughter than her. Frankly, given Ria’s sheer status, even such protection was likely insufficient, strictly speaking, but inflating her protective guard more than Sayfeel would actually increase the risk that she would be discovered, since such an elaborate protective detail would never remain hidden for that long.
Her status meant that she would never be able to be truly alone. That thought made her feel a surge of frustration and anger in her heart. She hated being a princess even more. The fact that she would never truly be alone was the worst feeling in her life.
It also made her feel like none of her acplishments in the frontier were meaningful because she was always protected by one of the most powerful Martial Sages alive. It made her feel like a prisoner even in the frontier, where she was most free.
She would never, ever be truly left alone.
And that was the most depressing thought she had ever had.
She turned towards Sayfeel with anger in her eyes, her breathing unsteady, her heart rate rising. "I hate you! I hate all of you! Just leave me alone!"
She turned away, rushing away from the office. Runark immediately got up, following her as she rushed away. "Ria, wait up!"
Sage Sayfeel took a step, intending to follow after her.
"Don’t. You’ll just make it worse if you follow her now," Arastia heaved a deep breath. "Perhaps calling you here was insensitive for me. I do think she’s more mature than most girls her age, but I suppose that was too much of a provocation. I’ll take responsibility for this one. You don’t have to feel bad. Although she might actually hate you now."
"If earning her hatred is the price to keep her safe, then I will gladly accept all of her hatred," Sage Sayfeel spoke with a quiet, but deep tone of voice. "I do not protect her merely because His Majesty has manded me to protect Her Highness. I protect her because I have decided to dedicate my life to protecting her. From the shadows. Just as I did the Emperor of Harmony many years ago."
There was a time when he was known as the Shadow of the Emperor, because one could always find him standing behind the Emperor of Harmony at all times, faithfully protecting his liege. He had never had that kind of relationship with the Emperor of Water, since he was too powerful to have ever needed any protection.
Eventually, that would bee true of the princess, as well, but until that happened, Sage Sayfeel swore to protect her from all harm. And he would see that through, even if it regrettably means earning her hatred.
"She’s safe within the Blood Humanist Society," Arastia remarked calmly. "She has me and all of our blood warriors. You can take this opportunity to go do some... clean-up."
His eyes darkened at those words. "I shall take that opportunity up, Your Highness."
Arastia’s expression grew a little troubled. "Has there been anybody who has discovered her true identity?"
"There have been a handful of people in the past two years in the frontier who came to harbor some suspicions," Sage Sayfeel quietly replied. "I have disposed of all of them and made it look like an accident." .
Arastia remained silent at those words. She didn’t approve of the murder of innocent people, but frankly, she loved her niece too much to make objections. The risks of her identity being leaked were simply too great. Arastia would quietly accept the atrocities as a necessary evil. Nothing could be allowed to harm her niece, as far as she was concerned.
"Unfortunately, the most recent targets for disposal are more plicated and less straightforward." his tone of voice became uncharacteristically unclear.
Arastia sharpened her blood-red eyes. "Who? Give me the name."
Sage Sayfeel directed a pointed gaze at her. "The President of the Jarkarthar Federation."
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