Chương 530: Chapter : 530

The 2nd Princess, Hera Belmontia, sat in her private office. The office was incredibly lavish. The walls were made of pure white marble. Gold trim lined the ceiling. A massive crystal chandelier hung above her head. Large glass windows offered a perfect view of the capital city. The room was totally spotless. There was not a single speck of dirt anywhere. Hera sat behind a massive golden desk. She wore an elegant, pristine white and gold gown. Her wavy golden hair cascaded perfectly over her shoulder.

She held a delicate porcelain teacup in her hand. She took a slow, polite sip of rare imported tea. She placed the cup gently onto its matching saucer. She looked absolutely flawless. She projected an aura of high-society grace and political ruthlessness. She played the political game better than anyone else in the Empire. The tall white doors of her office opened smoothly. Jenny walked into the room. Jenny was Hera's elite personal servant. Jenny wore a crisp, spotless white and gold uniform.

Her dark hair was tied back in a severe, tight bun. She moved with fluid, precise military grace. She stopped in front of the golden desk. She offered a perfect, shallow bow.

"Your Highness," Jenny announced professionally. She carried a silver tray. A golden envelope rested on the tray.

"An official decree arrived from the Upper Council. It bears the Emperor's seal." Hera looked at the envelope. Her sharp, judgmental green eyes analyzed the seal.

"Bring it to me, Jenny." Jenny stepped forward. She handed the golden envelope to the Princess. Hera opened the envelope carefully. She did not rip the paper. She unfolded the document. She read the text. She read the order of suspension. Hera did not frown. She did not crush the paper. She did not yell in anger. Instead, a slow, highly calculating smile spread across Hera's beautiful face. Her green eyes sparkled with pure, political ambition. She set the paper down neatly on her golden desk.

"Fascinating," Hera murmured softly. Her voice was smooth and elegant.

"The Succession War is temporarily suspended. The battles are paused." Jenny stood at attention.

"Is this problematic for our campaign, Your Highness?"

"Problematic?" Hera chuckled. It was a cold, polite laugh.

"No, Jenny. This is absolutely perfect. This is a massive, incredibly fortunate opportunity for our faction." Hera leaned back in her plush chair. She folded her delicate hands on her lap. She thought about her current position on the leaderboard. She thought about her rivals. She thought about the disorganized 13th Unit.

"A suspension halts the mindless brawling," Hera explained smoothly.

"It stops the messy, chaotic combat in the streets. It shifts the battlefield back to where I truly excel. It shifts the war back into the political shadows." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Hera picked up her teacup again. She smiled a very confident, ruthless smile.

"This break gives me the exact amount of time I need," Hera declared proudly.

"I will use this suspension to completely rearrange my team. I will recruit stronger assets. I will form new, unbreakable political alliances with the noble houses. I will gather more wealth. I will elevate my unit to absolute perfection." She took another sip of tea. She thought about a specific, messy boy. She remembered Ken Eliot. She remembered his untucked shirt. She remembered him rejecting her generous offer. He chose a rusty estate over her perfect marble tower. Hera's green eyes narrowed sharply.

She hated commoners. She hated dirt. She hated rejection most of all.

"I will use this time to guarantee my ultimate victory," Hera whispered coldly to the empty room.

"When the war resumes, my unit will be completely unstoppable. We will crush the weak factions effortlessly. We will wipe the pathetic 13th Unit off the map entirely. They will deeply regret refusing my charity." Hera set her teacup down with a soft clink. She looked at Jenny.

"Prepare the carriage, Jenny," Hera ordered gracefully.

"We have political meetings to attend. We must secure our new assets immediately. The real war has just begun."

"Right away, Your Highness," Jenny bowed crisply. She turned and walked out of the office. Hera sat alone in her pristine white office. She stared out the glass windows. The sky was blue. The city looked peaceful. But she knew the truth. The suspension was just the calm before a massive storm. She was totally ready to build her perfect empire. The letters changed the entire dynamic of the capital. The 1st Prince trained harder. The 2nd Princess plotted in the shadows.

The 13th Unit relaxed on their comfortable sofa. The Succession War was paused, but the true battle for the throne was quietly escalating in the background.

The living room of the 13th Unit estate was incredibly quiet. Laxmi tossed a playing card across the room. It fluttered through the air and landed face-down on the wooden floorboards. She let out a loud, dramatic groan and flopped entirely onto her back on the large, patterned rug.

"I am so unbelievably bored," Laxmi complained to the ceiling. She tossed a tiny orange spark of fire from her mouth. It popped harmlessly in the air above her nose.

"I want to punch something. We have been doing absolutely nothing for two whole days. This tournament suspension is terrible." The Succession War was officially paused. The Emperor had halted all arena matches after the devastating news regarding the Bluemoon Kingdom. Nobody knew how long the break would last. The elite girls of the 13th Unit decided to stay at the crumbling estate. They refused to go to the city. They just spent their time lazing around the house. Ken Eliot lay flat on the large, comfortable sofa.

He wore his usual wrinkled navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck out in messy, confused spikes. He held a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips on his stomach. He reached into the bag, pulled out a chip, and popped it into his mouth. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

"Action is completely overrated," Ken mumbled lazily. He stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Doing nothing is a highly advanced art form. You just lack the proper dedication, Laxmi. Look at Luna. She is a true master of the craft." Luna slept peacefully on a nearby wooden bench. She snored very softly. She had a knitted blanket pulled all the way up to her chin. She did not care about the war suspension at all. Sayma sat at the long dining table. She turned a page in her fiction novel. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Rest is a vital part of tactical readiness, Laxmi. Your muscles need time to repair themselves after a strenuous combat scenario."

"My muscles are perfectly fine," Laxmi groaned again. She rolled onto her side.

"My brain is melting. I need action." Ira stood perfectly still near the window. Her pale face showed zero emotion.

"Statistically speaking, bread provides inferior nutritional value compared to a balanced diet of vegetables and protein. However, it is an efficient source of carbohydrates."

"Thank you for that fascinating fact, Ira," Ken said lazily. He chewed another potato chip.