Damon still did not give up and finally took out a small pouch. Inside there were five shimmering gems, all emerald in color. This was something he had picked up from the abyssal zone from one of the guys he had grave camped and killed repeatedly.

It was a set of five gems that when incorporated in a weapon could give a boost as high as 100% but it has to be compatible. Only someone like Lirae could bring out its full effect.

The guard's eyes shone with greed as soon as he saw the gemstones. Even C-ranked experts would covet something like this, and the guard was only a D-ranked patrol guard. He gulped as if he was watching a top-tier naked beauty, and his hand was twitching to grab the item.

Damon smiled. Thankfully, he had approached the right guard. This one seemed to have the common sense to know what was what.

"Please, come this way. I am still not able to directly escort you to the princess, but I can inform the royal palace head guard, and he can definitely give you more information."

Damon nodded with a polite smile. He followed the guard and ended up in a waiting chamber where he was left alone. He did not bring Kaelthorn and the elven girl with him just yet. He needed to know what was happening first.

Things would have been a lot easier if he had the reputation points, but he was fresh out of those from having used everything in the blood hall battle buffs. Though he had a feeling, even with his reputation points, things would have gotten tricky anyway.

Soon, the royal palace head guard arrived, and before even addressing Damon, the man's eyes first went to the set of gemstones. "These are indeed Emerald Starstones." Then the guard finally looked at Damon, his expression sharp. "You said the Princess requested these from you?"

"That's right," Damon replied evenly. "She asked me to retrieve them during a prior assignment. I've returned to deliver them in person." He didn't flinch under the head guard's scrutinizing stare and spoke normally.

The head guard was a C-rank expert, and the man seemed to know more things than the patrol guards outside. He gave a little bit more information to Damon.

"Her Highness has been… preoccupied lately. She is too busy to leave her quarters. Whatever business you have with her, it will have to wait until I confirm your story. I also need to get the approval of his highness, the King."

Damon's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed just slightly. The mention of the King's involvement sent up another red flag. If even minor meetings now required royal approval, something had definitely shifted in the political atmosphere of the palace.

"I understand," Damon said calmly. "Take your time. I'll wait." He leaned back slightly in the chair, exuding patience he didn't feel. Inside, he was already constructing half a dozen possible plans, contingencies, and worst-case scenarios.

The head guard gave a short nod. "Wait here. Do not leave this room." His tone was polite, but the implied warning was clear. The head guard then left the room, leaving Damon once again alone.

This time, however, Damon did not sit simply. He stood up, walked out, and took a stroll along the long corridors, not specifically going anywhere. The first thing he noticed was the decorations all around.

The entire palace, even the outer parts, seemed to be grandly decorated as if preparing for a celebration or a high-profile ceremony.

Turquoise silk banners embroidered with silver leaves fluttered faintly from the vaulted ceilings. Crystal lamps lined the walls, glowing with soft mana light. There were fresh bouquets of enchanted forest lilies in every corner.

Damon's frown deepened. This wasn't the décor for a seasonal festival. This was something else. A coronation? A royal engagement? Or worse… a political marriage? Then everything clicked into place.

Lirae was probably getting engaged or married to someone else.

With Damon's heightened senses, it only took a minute to confirm his theory. He overheard two maids whispering and chatting behind a pillar.

"The Princess hasn't left her quarters in many days… and they say she was crying last night again…"

"The King always used to dote on her, but this time, he is completely ignoring her wishes. Especially getting her married to a tyrant like that…"

"Don't blame his highness. He did not have much choice. You know our kingdom is currently weak. We lost a lot in the battle against the elves. We need Prince Gerald's help if we are going to defend against the vampires. Do you know what happened to the men and women in the cities captured by the vampires?"

Damon quickly made a decision. He did not need to hear anything more. Things were moving too fast. His actions in one part of the continent were affecting things in the other areas like a domino.

Ideally, he would have had more time to deal with a situation like this. He would have introduced himself formally to the King and then performed some meritorious deeds and further upped his reputation points before talking about the engagement.

Then it could have evolved into some unique quest and a city lordship. However, now everything had changed because of the very thing he had done. It looked like cities everywhere and entire kingdoms were on high alert for the vampire takeover.

There was a huge war brewing, and everyone was making their moves to make sure that they were on the winning side. After all, a war between the light faction and dark faction was not a simple thing.

Damon was probably losing a lot because of this butterfly effect from conquering the cities around Niera. But he did not care. These things were bound to happen the moment he made any major move. There was simply no other way.

Instead of thinking about these consequences, he needed to work on the solution to his problems.

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