CHAPTER 11
The butler exhaled, shaking his head. "That's not a good idea."
Diandra frowned. "Why?"
"Because you were found unconscious, armed, and on private property." He explained simply. "It wouldn't be wise to let you keep a weapon in the house."
Her frown deepened. "But I am a knight. A warrior. Carrying it with me is necessary, for it is my duty to protect. A knight does not abandon her blade." She protested. Her fingers curled slightly, but she kept her expression neutral.
Butler Jones sighed patiently. Meanwhile, Alice at the side continued staying silent and was looking at the two. She knew the old man wouldn't give it to the insane woman.
"Well, you don't have a choice." Jones replied evenly. "Sir Kael has it. It's safe."
"Why are you calling the emperor, 'sir'? Is it not disrespectful to His Majesty?" She continued to question.
Alice was shaking her head, looking down. She didn't want to stay any longer. But she was tasked to watch over the intruder. She even wondered how Butler Jones seemed to have patience with her madness. The old man was even trying not to smile.
"It is what he preferred, miss."
Diandra got silent for a second. Her dagger was with him. It wasn't good to defy the emperor if he wanted to keep it.
She gave a slow nod, accepting the answer for now. "Very well."
Jones exited the room before she asked another question. He'd leave Alice to it.
Diandra sat still, staring at her empty hands. A knight without a weapon. She was thinking of a sword, though. It could be her main weapon, as she had thought about it a lot too. But the dagger was also important. It could have some value to her, as it was on her waist when she woke up in this foreign land. Or it was she that was the new one.
As the butler left, Alice cautiously inched toward the farthest corner of the room, as if keeping a safe distance would somehow protect her.
Meanwhile, Diandra didn't seem to notice her discomfort. The woman was too busy taking everything in. Her eyes roamed around the room. She was looking at every piece of the furniture, the strange glowing lamps, and the odd paintings on the wall. Everything felt so new.
Her fingers lightly traced the soft blanket as she looked down with her brows slightly furrowed. "This place…the strange things… it is like I had never known it before." She murmured.
Alice tensed. Great. Now she was talking to herself.
Diandra slowly pushed herself up from the bed. Her legs trembled slightly. The weakness of her body reminded her that she had barely recovered. But she would not let it stop her.
She was barefoot but unbothered by it. She took her first steps across the unfamiliar room. Her fingers ran along the smooth surface of a table. Cold. Polished.
Then she moved to the strange glowing lamp that she had been so intrigued by since earlier. It was quite magical. She tapped it lightly with her fingertips. It did not flicker like a flame, yet it illuminated the room with an unnatural glow.
Everything felt foreign. Everything felt new.
Behind her, Alice had been watching her like a hawk. She clutched the fabric of her uniform, standing close to the door—ready to bolt if necessary.
Diandra's movements were slow and deliberate, as if she were taking in every detail, every texture.
She picked up a framed photograph. She tilted her head to the side as she examined the image inside.
"A painting?" She mused aloud, but something was off. It was too perfect. Almost lifelike.
Alice cleared her throat, shifting nervously. "Uh, that's a picture."
Diandra turned to her. "A picture?"
Alice stared at her. The woman stared back with innocent eyes, blinking as if waiting for her to say more. She hesitantly nodded. "Yeah. It's… um, it's like capturing a moment. Like a painting, but it's just made instantly."
She continued to watch Diandra move about the room, touching everything like a child seeing the world for the first time.
There was something seriously off about this woman. It wasn't just the way she spoke, like she had walked out of a history book. It was her complete lack of recognition of even the most basic things.
Diandra's gaze landed on the black rectangular frame across the bed. She stepped closer to it. Her expression was puzzled.
"What is this?" She asked, reaching out as if to touch it.
Alice blinked. "Uh, the TV?"
Diandra turned to her, eyes expectant. "TV?" She repeated, as if the word itself was foreign. "What is it for?"
Alice wanted to keep her mouth shut. She doesn't want to answer anymore. The more she talked to her, the more her mind was spiraling. But she eyed her with complete puzzlement.
At first, she thought this woman was just an obsessed cosplayer or a crazy fan of her boss. But now? She wasn't so sure.
"Are you serious? You don't know what a TV is?" She asked cautiously.
Diandra simply shook her head. "Should I?"
Either this woman was the best actress she'd ever seen, or she truly, honestly, had no idea what a TV was. And that was terrifying.
The woman turned around again. Seemed uninterested in it anymore and proceeded to the other things.
Keeping her back against the wall, she cleared her throat. "Um, so, you really don't know where you are? This place? The things around you?"
"No. But it does not matter anymore." She answered, observing things around.
"Why?" She asked out of automatic curiosity before she could stop herself. She had a feeling that she shouldn't have asked.
Diandra faced her again with lips curled into a small, confident smile. This woman was beautiful indeed. But a serious nutcase.
"Because I have found my emperor."
Alice groaned internally.
Where is that old man already?
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Kael wasn't about to deal with this mess alone. He was currently in the living room downstairs. The glow of the late afternoon sun was sneaking through the windows. He sat on the wingchair and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts and tapped on a name.
Coda.
They worked in the same environment, in front of cameras and the media. Coda was a famous model, a face of luxury brands, and more importantly, his idiotic best friend.
Coda had connections. The kind that could quietly dig into things.
The line rang twice before a smooth, lazy voice answered.
"Yo, Kael. Miss me already?"
Kael ignored the sarcasm, getting straight to the point. "I need a favor. I need a private investigator. Someone discreet. No leaks, no press."
There was a brief pause before the other line answered. "Why do I feel like this is about a woman?"
Kael exhaled sharply. "Because it is."
Coda chuckled. "Now, I'm really intrigued. What kind of woman needs a PI?"
Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. "One who's cosplaying as the female protagonist in our upcoming drama and claims I'm her emperor."
Another silence—then a full-blown laugh.
"Oh, this I have to see." His friend said in between fits of merriment.
He groaned. "Coda—"
"No deal until I meet her myself." Coda cut in. His voice was full of amusement. "I want to see what kind of crazy you've attracted this time."
Kael gritted his teeth. Of course. Coda wouldn't let this go.
"Fine." He muttered. "Come over, but don't make this worse."
"No promises, my friend."
Kael ended the call. He was already regretting it.
Now, not only did he have to deal with a delusional woman, but his chaotic best friend was about to get involved too.
This was going to be a headache.