Suddenly, an explicit scene of Tyler with the castle maids appeared the mont Mathilda entered the room. Startled by the abrupt change, she jumped back. Just as quickly, the room shifted again, transforming into a giant birdcage.
"Hmmm?" Tyler muttered, both surprised and suspicious.
Then Lily walked in. The room morphed into a small house where a younger version of herself was eating with her older brother. As she stepped out, the room returned to its normal state.
Tyler, still suspicious, pushed Mathilda back in. The scene of the maids fawning over him reappeared.
He pulled her out, and it vanished.
He pushed her back in, and it returned.
He repeated this three or four tis to make sure.
"This room seems to have so kind of chanism that shows people’s current thoughts," Lily said.
"So your mind is full of... *horny* stuff?" Tyler smirked, looking at Mathilda.
Mathilda laughed, as if proud of it.
"What are you even proud of?" Tyler asked, shaking his head.
When Tyler entered the room, it transford into a vast void, surrounded by countless stars, planets, and galaxies. His eyes lit up as mories of how he first arrived in this world flooded back.
"Why are your thoughts so... clean?" Mathilda asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Oh, I was just recalling one of the best monts of my life," Tyler replied, smiling.
"Mr. Tyler? Lily? Mathilda?" Astrid’s surprised voice echoed across the room. She ran toward them, tears welling up in her eyes. Mathilda extended her arms, expecting a hug. But Astrid dashed past her and embraced Lily instead. Mathilda’s face went blank as she stood frozen, her eyes turning lifeless like a statue.
Tyler chuckled and walked over to her, wrapping her in a warm hug.
"Ah... There’s still a little warmth in this cold world," Mathilda sighed, hugging him back with a content smile.
Suddenly, the room shifted again. The moans of maids filled the air as the explicit scene returned.
"Horny girl, stop thinking about that," Tyler muttered, his face flushing with embarrassnt.
"Hehehe..." Mathilda giggled sheepishly. Astrid, curious but embarrassed, closed her eyes- though she peeked through the gaps in her fingers to steal glances at the scene.
"What is this place?" Tyler asked, his curiosity piqued.
"This is the Room of Emotions," Astrid explained. "A replica made by copying the original mories Island. Unlike the original, which can delve into the past, this one only reflects current thoughts, stirred up by emotions. But Pri Minister Rover ntioned there’s another replica of mories Island within the Labyrinth."
"Cool... Well, let’s get out of here," Tyler said, casually waving his hand.
"I-I can’t," Astrid murmured.
"Why not? Are you being blackmailed?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes.
"They poisoned my father. They might kill him if I escape. The pri minister promised that he’d save my father if the marriage goes through," Astrid explained, her voice trembling.
"For the sake of my father... and this country, I don’t really care about the marriage," Astrid added with a sad smile. But beneath that smile, the weight of her pain was evident.
’Can’t we just knock her out and kidnap her?’ Tyler thought, glancing at her.
’Can’t we just knock her out and kidnap her?’ Mathilda thought, mirroring his exact sentint.
"Can’t we just knock her out and kidnap her?" Lily blurted out.
"Why are you saying that out loud?!" Both Tyler and Mathilda shouted in unison, their faces a mix of shock and exasperation.
---
Astrid blinked in surprise at Lily’s suggestion. "W-What? Knock out?" she stamred, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Lily shrugged, entirely unfazed. "Well, it’s a simple solution."
Tyler rubbed his forehead, exhaling a long sigh. "We’re not actually going to do that. Besides, knocking her out won’t solve the bigger issue—her father’s life is still at risk."
Lily crossed her arms, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. "You have a better plan?"
Tyler glanced at Astrid, who looked more fragile than ever, the weight of her decision visibly burdening her. His mind raced. There had to be a way to break this twisted arrangent without endangering her father.
"If we can’t just take her, we need to make the pri minister believe she’s still following his plan," Tyler said, thinking aloud. "We’ll give them what they want—a wedding—but on our terms."
Astrid’s brows furrowed. "You’re suggesting we go through with the marriage?"
Tyler shook his head. "Not exactly. We’re going to stage it. We need a diversion big enough to make them think everything’s going as planned, while we work on freeing your father."
Lily leaned in with a smirk. "So, we’re going to crash the wedding? Sounds like fun."
Astrid looked hesitant, biting her lip. "But how? The pri minister has people watching constantly. If they notice anything suspicious, my father’s as good as dead."
Tyler smiled confidently. "Leave that part to us. We’ll make sure it’s so believable that they won’t see through it until it’s too late."
"Just tell us where your father is," Tyler asked, his tone a little exasperated as he tried to focus on the plan.
Before Astrid could answer, Mana swooped in, hovering mid-air with an excited expression.
"Where have you been?" Tyler asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, Mana found a small blueprint of this castle in one of the concubines’ chambers," Mana said excitedly, holding up a crumpled piece of paper.
"Smart Mana," Tyler praised, patting her head.
Mana bead as Lily took the blueprint and began scanning it. "Alright, this is the wedding hall, here’s the emperor’s harem..."
"This is the buffet area!" Mana interrupted, pointing at the map with bright eyes.
"Good... your observation skills are improving," Lily said with a teasing smile, trying to stay focused.
"This is the audience chamber, the eting chamber..." Lily continued, but Mana cut in again, "If we take this route, we’ll reach the buffet area."
"..." Lily was speechless, her patience wearing thin. "If you ntion the buffet one more ti, I swear I’ll bite your lips."
"Buffet, buffet, buffet..." Mathilda chid in with a mischievous grin and a perverted expression, clearly enjoying herself.
Lily sighed, giving up.
"Anyway," she pressed on, "this is where the emperor stays. Him being poisoned is not public knowledge, so it’s likely this area is heavily guarded. We should sneak in, locate the emperor, and have Mathilda check his condition."
Tyler and Mathilda both nodded, their faces turning serious as they acknowledged the task ahead.
Mana fidgeted in the air, wanting to say sothing, but hesitating. She glanced at Lily nervously.
"If you have sothing to say, just spit it out," Lily said, rolling her eyes.
Mana grinned sheepishly. "Hehehe... if we jump from this balcony here, we’ll land right in the buffet area."
"AAAHHH—" Mana’s triumphant laugh turned into a cry as Lily actually bit her lips, albeit playfully.
"I told you!" Lily huffed, while Mana nursed her bitten lips, pouting.
Tyler couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. "Alright, everyone, focus. We’ve got a rescue mission, not a food tour. Let’s sneak in, save the emperor, and maybe—just maybe—afterwards we’ll visit the buffet."
At the ntion of the buffet, Mana perked up instantly, despite her lip, and Mathilda gave a thumbs up.
Astrid, watching their antics, couldn’t help but giggle. For the first ti in a long while, she felt like she wasn’t facing everything alone. This group was crazy, but they were her kind of crazy.
"Alright," Tyler said with a smirk, "let’s move out."
"We will move tonight. Astrid, just wait for us. We’ll definitely stop the wedding," Tyler said, giving Astrid a reassuring smile.
Astrid nodded, her eyes filled with hope.
As they left the room, silence fell again. The illusion that had once been a locked cage faded, revealing the room’s true nature.
Tyler and the others retraced their steps, making their way back through the castle.
"Is there sothing on your mind?" Lily asked, glancing at Tyler.
"Nope, it’s just... the thing Mana ntioned about jumping from the balcony leading us to the buffet area," Tyler replied, his mind still turning over the logistics.
Mana subconsciously covered her mouth and looked at Lily. "What about it?"
"Not that. I was thinking we could try jumping up to the balcony instead," Tyler suggested.
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Well, there are many arrays in the middle. It’s not safe."
"But if we could counter those arrays?" Tyler countered.
Lily’s eyes narrowed as she thought it over. "Even if you can create arrays to counter them, how many can you make before nightfall—"
Lily’s words trailed off as she noticed sothing.
Lily nodded slowly. "If it works, it could simplify our approach. Let’s proceed with the plan."
Tyler, with a calm smile, seed to have an idea. His copper pot, hanging at his waist, emitted a faint glow, though Tyler didn’t notice.
As they made their way through the castle, preparing for the night’s mission, the team’s spirits were high.
The castle, with its hidden dangers and intricate security, was no match for their determination. Tonight, they would act.
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