"You really are stupid, aren't you?" the tall man asked, voice cold.
One of the soldiers behind him chuckled mockingly.
"Fool," he muttered under his breath.
My expression darkened.
"Do you have a death wish?" I asked, my voice calm, but laced with venom.
"Watch your tongue. You're standing before the Knight Commander," the soldier snapped, puffing up like I should care.
The so-called commander looked at me with a flicker of interest.
"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.
I tilted my head, amused.
"Why should I be?"
He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You're being suspected of murder. If you can't prove otherwise, you'll be executed. You do understand that, right?"
"I didn't kill anyone. At least... not here," I said flatly, still perched atop the corpse.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Then what, pray tell, are you doing sitting on a body? It's not like you fell from the sky."
His smirk vanished as soon as I replied.
"I did."
"What?"
"I fell from the sky. Just like you said."
He stared at me, stunned.
"And you expect us to believe that?"
I simply nodded, unfazed.
"Commander, maybe she hit her head or something," someone mumbled behind him.
I shot the speaker a sharp glare.
How irritating.
The commander turned to glance at the soldier, then back to me. His eyes traveled down to my swords.
"Take her weapons," he ordered.
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Don't you dare."
My voice dropped, low and dangerous.
The soldier hesitated, visibly shaken. He took a single step back.
The commander stared at me, something unreadable in his expression. He took a step forward. I didn't move. I remained sitting atop the corpse, completely still.
"Get up," he ordered.
I didn't flinch.
"Did you not hear the commander? Get the fuck up!" the same disrespectful soldier barked, stepping toward me again.
But the moment the commander raised his hand, the soldier instantly backed off and muttered an apology.
The commander looked down at my outfit, eyebrows raised.
"Not only are you stubborn... but your clothing is strange too."
He smirked.
I smirked back.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
Everyone turned toward the sound of an approaching carriage—an old but elegant one, drawn by sleek black horses. A man stepped out.
Tall. Muscular. Handsome. Power radiated from him like heat.
At once, every soldier dropped to one knee, heads bowed.
The commander turned, faced the man, and dropped to his knee as well.
"Greetings to the almighty Sun Lord of the Empire," he said with reverence.
The man's face remained unreadable, his eyes cold and piercing.
"You may raise your heads," he said, his voice deep, commanding.
His gaze shifted from the commander... to me.
The commander turned his head slightly toward me and hissed,
"Lower your head, you fool."
"I'm not a fool," I whispered back.
He clenched his jaw.
"Do you even realize who you're standing before?"
I kept my eyes on the so-called Sun Lord, unbothered.
"How would I know?" I said coolly.
"I don't even know where I am."
To be continued...