The afternoon sun of the Shadow Realm was a pale, lavender glow as Riha stepped out of her imperial carriage. She wasn't dressed in her heavy ceremonial robes today; instead, she wore a sleek, midnight-blue combat dress that allowed her to move with the "dynamic" grace of a panther. Her Level 1 Peak Mental Power hummed in the background, a silent radar that allowed her to feel the heartbeat of everyone in the recovery center.
[Scene 1: The Meeting of Minds]
The recovery center was a quiet, stone building filled with the scent of medicinal herbs. As Riha walked through the halls, the girls she had rescued bowed their heads, some with tears of gratitude, others still in shock. Riha stopped in front of a small window where a girl sat alone, staring at a piece of parchment covered in complex scribbles.
The girl was striking. Her hair was the color of a setting sun—a deep, vibrant red—and when she looked up, her eyes were like polished silver coins. She looked to be exactly Riha's age, but her gaze held the weariness of someone who had lived three lifetimes.
"That's a complex ledger for someone who was just in chains," Riha said, her voice soft but commanding.
The girl jumped slightly, then realized who was standing before her. She moved to kneel, but Riha caught her arm with her 50-ton grip, though she kept it as light as a breeze. "No need for that here. What are you calculating?"
The girl, whose name was Lyra, swallowed hard. "I... I was calculating the profit margins Harkan was making, Majesty. Based on the food we were given and the quality of the transport ships, he was gaining a four-hundred percent return on every girl sold to the Solari Dominion. The leakage in your Empire's current tax system is... astronomical. If you stabilized the trade routes and taxed the luxury silks instead of the common grain, your treasury would triple in a lunar cycle."
Riha's eyebrows shot up. She had found a diamond in the rough. "You understand economics? Where did you learn this?"
Lyra looked down at her tattered sleeves. "My father was a bookkeeper before the Shadow-Beasts took him. I've been keeping my younger brother alive by managing the books for local merchants in secret. He's... he's very sick, Majesty. I only went to that noodle shop because they promised me a high-paying job as a scribe. It was a trap."
Riha felt a pang in her chest—a rare moment of pure empathy. "Where is your brother now?"
"The physicians are treating him in the back ward," Lyra whispered. "But we have no home to go back to. Our landlord sold our furniture the day I was taken."
Riha stood tall, her violet eyes shimmering with a new plan. "Lyra, look at me."
The girl raised her silver eyes.
"I have a palace full of ministers who know how to steal, but not one who knows how to build. I am offering you a position. Not as a servant, but as the Aspirant Minister of Finance. You will live in the palace, your brother will have the best imperial doctors, and you will study the Universal Law Scrolls under my personal supervision. When you are ready, you will be officially announced as the head of my treasury."
Lyra's breath hitched. "But... I am an orphan. The Council will never accept a commoner as a Minister."
Riha smirked, a devilish spark in her eyes. "They will if you are no longer a commoner. I have a Count—a man named Valerius—who has served the throne for decades and has no heirs. He is a good man, and he owes me his life. He will adopt you and your brother into his house. You will enter the court with a title, a name, and my shadow behind you."
Lyra's silver eyes filled with tears. She dropped to her knees, but this time, Riha let her. "I accept, My Empress. I will give my life to see your vision realized."
Riha reached down and pulled Lyra up, but instead of maintaining her royal distance, she leaned in and whispered, "And one more thing. In the palace, I am the Empress. But in these chambers... I want you to be my friend. We are the same age, and honestly? Being a Sovereign is lonely. I've never had a real friend. Will you be the first?"
Lyra blinked, stunned. Then, a small, genuine smile broke across her face. "I would like that very much... Riha."
[Scene 2: The Sovereign's Exhaustion]
The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity. Riha personally oversaw the departure of every single girl. She ensured each one was given a pouch of Crystal Gold and a royal decree that exempted their families from taxes for five years.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the courtyard was filled with parents who had come to collect their daughters. They brought gifts—not gold or jewels, but simple things: hand-woven blankets, jars of preserved mountain honey, and small carvings of the "Red-Eyed Sovereign."
Riha insisted on thanking each family personally. She shook hands, listened to their stories, and felt the raw, honest energy of her people. It was a different kind of power than her Black Hole Core—it was the power of loyalty.
By the time she returned to her private study late that night, Riha felt more exhausted than she did after fighting the mercenaries. She collapsed onto her velvet sofa, her legs aching and her head spinning.
"You look like you've been trampled by a herd of Frost-Bulls," a voice teased.
Riha looked up to see Lyra standing there, now dressed in clean, simple silk robes provided by the palace. She was holding a tray with warm tea and light snacks.
"It's the people, Lyra," Riha groaned, taking a cup of tea. "Killing an army is easy. Making a thousand people feel heard? That's the real battle."
"But it's the only battle that matters if you want an Empire that lasts," Lyra said, sitting on the rug near the sofa.
The two girls sat in the quiet of the study, the flickering candlelight reflecting in Riha's violet eyes and Lyra's silver ones. They spent the next few hours talking—not about taxes or war, but about their favorite foods, the stars, and the brothers they wanted to protect.
For the first time since leaving Earth, Riha didn't feel like a weapon or a villain. She felt like a girl who finally had someone standing beside her. But as she eventually drifted off to sleep on the sofa, her hand still gripped the Sovereign Staff. She knew that while she had found a friend, she had also gained a powerful enemy.
The name Prince Helios was still etched in her mind, and she knew the "Diplomatic Summit" would require every bit of the strength she had just replenished.