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The following evening, Leticia, accompanied by Andreas, boarded a luxurious arcane floater arranged by Vashj.
Leaning her head out of the floater's window, Leticia suppressed her nervousness to wave goodbye to Liander and Felice, who had come to see her off.
"Father, Mother, I'm leaving now."
"Mhm."
The stern father, Liander, maintained his composed stature. Stroking his long beard, he cautioned, "Mind your posture. Do not bring shame upon the Moonsong family."
Felice gave her husband a sharp, exasperated look before turning tenderly to her daughter. "Don't listen to your father. Just relax; as long as you don't lose your composure, everything will be fine."
Once the family finished their exchange, Vashj nodded to the couple. "Then, Advisor Liander, Lady Felice, we shall depart. If all goes well, Miss Leticia should be returned by midnight."
Under their watchful eyes, the royal arcane floater slowly ascended. Under the driver's control, it accelerated down the main thoroughfare of the Noble District, heading toward the palace.
No sooner had the arcane floater left the Moonsong estate than a group of demons, disregarding their agreement with the Highborne, openly intruded into the airspace of the Noble District.
Boom!
Tichondrius, leading the pack, landed heavily in front of the Moonsong manor, his demonic hooves cracking the smooth pavement.
Liander, who was about to head inside, turned around and frowned at the group of ill-mannered demons, instinctively shielding his startled wife behind him.
"Messengers of the Gods, why have you entered the Noble District without permission? We clearly have a signed agreement—"
"Hehe~ pray forgive our rudeness." Tichondrius gave a mockingly elegant bow. "The situation is urgent and brooks no delay for formal reports."
The Dreadlord's baleful green eyes fixed on the still-composed Liander. At that moment, the head of the Moonsong family was gesturing for the butler to escort his wife inside, while the family guards began to assemble near the main gate.
Ignoring Liander's movements, Tichondrius continued with a smirk, "I have just received word that Miss Leticia of the Moonsong family unexpectedly picked up a crow."
Liander's eyes flickered, but he remained silent. Tichondrius noticed this, and his lips curled into a sinister grin.
"It pains me to inform you, Advisor Moonsong, that the crow is actually a rebel Druid in disguise. For your daughter's safety, please hand over the injured bird to us for... processing."
"A Druid... is it?" A look of realization dawned on Liander's face. "No wonder..."
Looking up at Tichondrius, a subtle trace of irony flashed in Liander's eyes. "I am sorry, Lord Tichondrius. Just moments ago, my daughter Leticia was summoned to the palace by the Queen—along with that crow. If you wish to seize it, I'm afraid you will have to apply for entry to the palace from Queen Azshara herself."
"What?" Tichondrius' expression shifted. He had forced his way into the Noble District with what he thought was an ironclad justification, never expecting such a turn of events.
His face darkened as he processed this. Having finally caught a lead, Tichondrius was loath to let it go. "Advisor Moonsong, it's not that I don't believe you, but that crow may have left dangerous traps in your residence. As a precaution, we should help you sweep the premises."
"Insolence!" Liander barked, his eyes wide with anger. "Uninvited guests, leave at once! I have no desire to damage our partnership over such a trivial matter."
"Humph!" Driven by the desperation to complete his task, Tichondrius lost all interest in maintaining his facade before a "lowly mortal." Seeing Liander's resolute resistance, the Dreadlord gestured for his subordinates to force their way in.
"That is not for you to decide. I will explain myself to Queen Azshara afterward. Search the place!"
...
Vroom!
The arcane floater was both fast and stable. By the time the roar of Tichondrius and his demons landing in the Noble District reached them, the floater had already arrived at the main gates of the palace.
As Leticia stepped out, she looked back toward the source of the distant noise with suspicion. "That loud sound... it didn't come from my home, did it?"
"Caw!" Andreas also saw the flying demons hovering over the Noble District. He spread his wings and let out a loud warning cry.
Not good. That direction is definitely the Moonsong estate. Could it be...
"Demons?" Vashj looked up at the ugly alien creatures with displeasure. "How dare they charge into the Noble District in defiance of the rules?"
"Varo'then."
"Present." An exceptionally powerful warrior, covered in golden heavy armor with a jagged scar across his face, marched up to Vashj, his armor clanking with every step.
"Lady Vashj, what are your orders?" As the Queen's most trusted head handmaiden, Vashj held a degree of authority over the Queen's personal guard.
"Send men to the Noble District and expel those demons. We have an agreement with the Burning Legion; no demon is to enter the Noble District or the core palace area without permission. These insolent beasts are openly challenging the Queen's authority. You know what to do."
"Hmph! Filthy Fel beasts. Have they finally shown their true colors?" As Azshara's loyal hound, Varo'then took a zero-tolerance stance toward anyone who dared challenge the Queen, the Burning Legion included.
Under Andreas' watchful eye, Varo'then assembled a hundred-man guard in less than a minute. Gripping a massive two-handed sword with a blade forged of pure energy, he personally led the team toward the site of the demonic intrusion.
Vashj smiled at the worried Leticia. "Do not worry. The Queen will surely protect her subjects. Let us proceed."
Heh~ Andreas scoffed inwardly. In other words, ordinary commoners don't count as 'subjects' in Azshara's eyes? Truly a classic feudal aristocratic mindset.
The Queen ruled the Highborne, and the Highborne ruled the commoners. Azshara, separated by a social tier, cared little for the lives of the lower classes, even though they worshipped and supported her just as fervently.
...
Inside the magnificent main hall of the palace, a silver-white throne sat atop a platform dozens of steps high. However, the owner of the throne was not currently there.
Guided by Vashj, Leticia—entering the palace for the first time—followed cautiously behind the head handmaiden deeper into the interior. Andreas wasn't quite as timid; he was busy trying to analyze the high-intensity magical barriers enveloping the palace.
Anti-stealth fields, high-level spell dampeners, mana detection, and early warning systems... along with many restrictions I don't even understand. As expected of the Queen's residence, the defenses are impenetrable.
Varo'then's guards were only stationed at the palace perimeter; the security of the inner chambers was handled by Vashj's armed handmaidens. Coupled with the defensive barriers, unless one possessed the world-breaking combat power of someone like Archimonde, forcing entry into the palace was a death sentence.
After winding through countless halls and chambers, the two elves and the bird arrived before a side palace with its doors wide open. Based on the vast number of bookshelves inside, Andreas deduced this was something like the royal archives or library.
Vashj knocked gently on the open door. "Your Majesty, the crow and Leticia Moonsong have arrived as requested."
"Mhm. Come in." A lazy, seductive female voice drifted from within. Vashj gave the nervous Leticia an encouraging smile. "Come. The Queen is waiting for you."
"Yes!"
As Leticia stepped hesitantly across the threshold, a bolt of blue-purple arcane light suddenly shot out from nearby, striking the crow on her shoulder before it could react.
"Blackie?!"
Hit by the arcane light, Andreas lost control over his transformation. Under the astonished gazes of Vashj and Leticia, he was forcibly reverted into a silver-haired man, carrying a bundle of branches on his back and looking completely bewildered.
"Heh~" A soft chuckle came from the direction the light had originated. "I knew my eyes didn't deceive me. A Druid possessing the power of Shadow... how interesting."