After a couple more days of travel, Mark and the others finally arrived at the beastman capital.

Though "capital" was a word that fell short of describing it, or at least, that’s what Mark thought when he saw it.

It wasn’t a city in the sense he was accustomed to.

It was more of a collection of enormous settlements, spread relatively close to one another, surrounding a central structure in a circle.

And that structure, the supposed palace of the Grand Beast Lord, didn’t look like a palace at all.

It was more of a fortress.

A massive bastion of stone and reinforced wood, built to withstand sieges rather than to dazzle visitors.

But without a doubt, what caught Mark’s attention most was the contrast with the elven kingdom.

When he had arrived at the elven capital, Mark had been surprised by how much it resembled a human city.

Everything had a level of development he hadn’t expected.

But this, by contrast, was exactly what he had imagined from the beginning.

Wooden houses, for the most part, and packed-dirt paths instead of paved or stone streets.

Beastmen of every kind walked back and forth, mixed with some demi-humans, in a kind of constant bustle that seemed chaotic at first glance but, on closer inspection, had its own order.

Luna, who was watching Mark from her seat, couldn’t help noticing the expression on his face.

"What is it, darling?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don’t tell me my kingdom isn’t what you expected. Too rustic for the great Emperor of Death?"

"Actually... it’s quite the opposite," Mark replied without looking away from the window.

"Oh?"

"It’s exactly what I expected," he said. "After the elves, which was almost like a human city, I didn’t know what I was going to find here."

"Hmm."

"But this fits perfectly with the image I had in my head..."

Luna let out a laugh.

"I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," she said with a shrug.

"..."

"Anyway, before going to see my father, I need to stop by my private residence to get ready."

"Is that really necessary?"

"Darling... appearances matter, especially in moments like this."

"Understood..." he replied. "Take your time."

The carriage veered off the main route and turned onto a more well-kept path, moving away from the bustle of the settlements toward a quieter, more sheltered area.

And as they went, Mark noticed the surroundings changing.

The structures here were different.

Larger, more solid, with details that betrayed wealth and status.

The princess’s residence was an imposing mansion surrounded by walls, very different from the wooden houses of the rest of the kingdom.

’The contrast really is stark...’ Mark thought, observing it through the window. ’The royal residences are a world apart from the rest of the place... Here the gap between royalty and the common people is far more visible than among the elves.’

But just as the carriage was crossing into the property’s entrance, Yuki’s voice suddenly resonated in his mind.

’Master,’ she said in a more alert tone than usual. ’We have a problem.’

’What is it?’ Mark replied instantly, keeping his expression neutral so as not to alert Luna.

’Inside the mansion there’s a large group of beastmen waiting for us,’ Yuki reported. ’They’re hidden and spread throughout the main rooms... This is clearly an ambush.’

Mark felt his body tense, though outwardly he didn’t move a muscle.

’Did Luna set a trap for us?’ he asked.

’That doesn’t appear to be the case,’ Yuki replied quickly.

’Why do you say that?’

’Because I found the mansion’s staff and they’re all dead,’ she said, her voice growing slightly colder. ’They were executed and their bodies were hidden before we arrived... If this were the princess’s trap, it would make no sense for her to have her own staff killed.’

Mark tightened his jaw slightly.

’Understood... stay hidden and wait for my signal,’ he replied. ’I want to understand what’s happening before doing anything.’

’As you command, Master,’ she replied.

The carriage stopped abruptly, making Luna frown before leaning out the window.

"This is very strange... normally someone would have come out to receive us by now," she murmured. "The staff should always be on watch for my arrival."

She clicked her tongue with annoyance.

"It seems I’m going to have to have a very serious talk with my employees about the importance of punctuality."

Mark exchanged a quick look with Ely.

’Ely,’ he said through the mental link. ’Act normally.’

’Huh?’

’Yuki detected an ambush inside the mansion, but I want to see what’s going on before we make a move... Don’t do anything until I give the order.’

’Understood, Master.’

Luna and Emi got out of the carriage first.

Mark and Ely followed close behind, maintaining the facade of ruler and bodyguard, while discretely watching every corner for any sign of danger.

"Well," Princess Luna said, walking toward the main entrance with a determined stride. "Let’s see what excuse they have ready for not coming out to receive me... and it had better be a good one."

She pushed open the mansion’s large doors and stepped inside, but stopped immediately.

Because the mansion was completely empty.

The grand reception hall that should have been full of busy servants was in absolute silence.

But there was nobody.

Only the echo of their own footsteps resonating against the walls.

"But what...?" Luna murmured, turning her head from side to side, her irritation slowly turning to bewilderment. "Where the hell is everyone?"

Emi, at her side, tensed immediately, bringing a hand toward the inside of her clothing where Mark suspected she concealed some kind of weapon.

"Princess..." Emi said quietly. "Something isn’t right."

Luna took a couple more steps toward the center of the reception hall, looking around with growing unease.

"Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone here?"

And then a voice answered.

"Welcome home, dear sister."

The sound of slow applause began to echo throughout the reception hall.

And from the second-floor railing, a figure emerged walking calmly, applauding at a leisurely pace.

It was a beastman of powerful build, with some scales covering parts of his face and arms.

And at the same moment, as if that voice were the signal everyone had been waiting for, the rest of the beastmen began emerging from their hiding places.

Luna stared at the scaled man with narrowed eyes and a set jaw.

"Well, well, well," she said in a voice that had lost every trace of her usual nonchalance. "If it isn’t my dear brother... Mm?"

"...Daniel."

"Right, Daniel," Luna said. "To what do I owe this so... warm reception?"

The scaled man stopped clapping.

"You know, I don’t even know what it is you did," he admitted with a shrug. "I only received orders from His Highness to find you and bring you before him by whatever means necessary."

"..."

"But given the scale of the order, I’d say you really outdid yourself this time, little sister... Don’t you ever get tired of getting yourself into trouble?"

"And why would father do something like that?" she asked, frowning. "If he had a problem with me, he’d say it to my face. He wouldn’t send a bunch of thugs to ambush me in my own home like I’m some kind of criminal."

"Oh, no, no, no," the scaled man said, wagging a finger. "You’re confused... It wasn’t father who gave the order."

"Then who?"

"Our brother Jack, of course," he replied in a tone of almost reverent admiration that turned Luna’s stomach.

Luna stared at him for a second, then let out a dry laugh.

"...’Highness’?" she repeated in disbelief. "Since when do people call that idiot that? Jack is nobody’s Highness... he’s nothing but a pampered, arrogant drunk who spends his days surrounded by women."

"It doesn’t matter what you think of him," he said, waving a hand. "The only opinion that truly matters is our father’s."

He took a step forward and looked directly at Luna from the second floor.

"Anyway let’s make this simple," he continued. "Tell me, are you going to come with me like a good girl? Or are you going to make things difficult and complicate this for everyone?"

Luna stared at him fixedly.

And far from showing fear, a slow, sharp smile spread across her lips.

"What do you think, dear brother?" she replied.

The scaled man watched her for a moment and then sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I figured you’d say something like that," he murmured, turning and beginning to walk toward one of the side rooms. "You were never one to choose the easy path..."

Luna’s brother stopped for an instant in the doorway, without bothering to look back, and raised a hand with indifference.

"Break her arms and legs," he ordered coldly. "I want her alive and conscious, those were the orders."

Then he paused briefly.

"The others kill them... They’re of no use to us."

And with that said, he entered the room and closed the door behind him, completely disengaging from what was about to happen.

The moment the door closed, the beastmen surrounding the reception hall began to close the circle, drawing their weapons and slowly advancing toward Luna, Emi, Mark, and Ely.

Luna clicked her tongue.

"Welcome to my charming home, darling," she added, glancing sideways at Mark. "Sorry things went to hell so quickly..."

"Don’t worry about it... I’m used to it."

Then Mark stepped forward.

"Yuki, Ely, take care of them," he ordered, raising his voice slightly.