“What?”Grizelda, Thorga, and Kragnir all turned to look at Skarleta at the same time.“She’s still that calm?”Their surprise was understandable.After all, just like them, every time Skarleta heard the name Velkyn, she would usually look like she’d seen a ghost—paralyzed with fear, like the name itself carried the weight of divine judgment. Not just when the name of King Kael of Velkyn was mentioned—even just the sight of one of his envoys was enough to send shivers down their spines.But today, none of that fear showed on Skarleta’s face.It was as if the terror she used to feel had completely vanished from her heart. And that left the three goblin leaders deeply unsettled.What in the world had changed in this young woman?What was going through her mind?“Hah. Still putting on that calm act, are you?” Grizelda scoffed, clearly not buying it. She figured Skarleta was just faking it—putting on a show to mask her fear and appear cool in front of everyone.“Keep playing tough all you

Skarleta clearly had no intention of holding back anymore. The envoy from the Velkyn Kingdom had done nothing but scream in pain, shielding his face instead of offering a single word of apology. That was all the confirmation she needed to escalate things.“You insolent wretch! You’d rather keep that filthy mouth shut than apologize to me? Fine!”Bang!The moment she finished speaking, her fist rocketed forward and slammed into the envoy’s face. His body was hurled backward, flying several dozen feet before crashing into the far wall of the hall with a resounding thud.Thud!“Skarleta, what do you think you're doing?!”Grizelda’s shout cut through the tense air. She had been frozen in shock until that moment, but the goblin girl’s outburst snapped her back to her senses.She couldn’t stay silent any longer. Things were spiraling out of control.“Get a grip, you foolish child! What were you thinking, attacking a royal envoy from Velkyn?!”At the same time, Kragnir rushed toward Skarleta

"My power..."Marc started to speak, but Elliot quickly waved a hand, shaking his head with an exasperated sigh."Alright, alright. Why do you enjoy teasing me so much?"Elliot had already figured out that Marc wasn’t being entirely serious. He was putting on a brave face—trying to act composed, even playful—just to keep Elliot from worrying.He knew Marc was only pretending to be okay.“I get it. You just want me to feel at ease, right? I respect that. But let me remind you—you don’t have to do that.”Elliot reached for the empty glass in front of Marc, but before he could walk away, the young man stopped him.“Old man, how about touching the tip of my finger?”Marc flashed a wide, mischievous grin as he raised his index finger. He knew Elliot wouldn’t believe what he was about to say. So, instead of explaining, he figured—why not show him directly?“Oh, come on! Marc, really?”Elliot shook his head. He thought the kid was just messing around again.“I told you, you don’t have to put

“Wyrmblood?”Marc furrowed his brows. He had heard of many powerful names across Lanshire—almost all of them, in fact.But Wyrmblood? That was a name he was hearing for the first time.“Who are they? What kind of clan is that?”It wasn’t just the unfamiliarity that stirred his curiosity. More than that, the fact that Elliot seemed to believe there was a connection between him and this mysterious clan made Marc wonder—could this be the key to learning something about who he really was?“Seriously? You’ve never heard of them?”Elliot looked genuinely surprised.“I’m pretty sure there’s not a soul in all of Lanshire who doesn’t know that name—especially the man it’s tied to: Lord Armand Wyrmblood. A legend whose name still echoes through time.”Marc’s brow knit even deeper. He had been lounging with his legs stretched out, barely paying attention, but now he turned fully toward the grand marquis, suddenly very interested.“Lord Armand Wyrmblood? Old man, who the hell is he?”“You’ve got

Meanwhile, several hours earlier on Morven Island...The grand doors to Skarleta’s chamber—adorned with golden ornaments—swung open. Unlike her usual appearance in a regal silk gown embroidered with gold thread, today she wore a crisp white shirt, fitted gray slacks, and a matching blazer—an outfit straight out of an executive’s wardrobe.“Good morning, Queen Skarleta. Our greetings to you.”Throughout the palace, goblin attendants and officials—graceful and striking in appearance, almost indistinguishable from humans, yet none held a candle to her—immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed in her presence.They hadn’t always understood why Skarleta sometimes dressed this way. The look seemed far too plain for someone of her stature. But now, after watching her travel back and forth between the island and the human lands, they had come to realize—this was standard attire in the world beyond.“Thank you.”Skarleta nodded lightly.“Oh, and tell Thorga he doesn’t need to wait for