After ruling out the military bubbles and those past their stability period, dozens of spatial bubbles were left scattered across Yunjin Prefecture. Because the search was confidential, requests to inspect them had to be made under different reasons, so not all could be approved right away.

The approved bubbles were spread far and wide, some at the northernmost and southernmost edges of the vast prefecture. To maximize their efficiency, the team split into three groups: Wu Ying and Jiang Qing, Chu Xusheng and Jing Pei, and Tao Ying and Liu Yin. Each group traveled with members of the royal guard from the Kingdom of Pymeshire. Since Jiang Qing was an ordinary human, her group was assigned an extra guard for safety.

This made Jing Pei’s schedule very tight. By day, she rushed across Yunjin Prefecture, checking city after city and searching inside the spatial bubbles. By night, she had to return for Qiu Fa’s brutal special training. Even with her dragon stamina, she felt exhausted to the bone every single day.

While the government and the guards worked together, the other four Pymeshiren and the criminal organization were running a parallel search, racing against the clock to find Isaac and Queen Cecilia first. In fact, some bubbles that Jing Pei’s group had yet to receive approval to inspect had already been quietly searched by the organization.

“Still nothing? We’ve checked almost every bubble. Where could they be hiding?” The leaders were getting anxious. They valued this deal a lot because of the great terms their foreign partners offered.

“It is baffling. Where else could they go? Could they have fled to the ocean? Is it possible there are bubbles underwater? That would explain things. The man is an ocean-type Atavist, after all. He can move through the sea without any trouble.”

“Underwater bubbles would have been flooded long ago. How could anyone live there… though, who knows.” What if some barrier blocked the entrance, keeping the seawater out?

Determined to secure the massive payment from the Pymeshiren, the organization decided to send divers to search the waters near Yunjin Prefecture.

At this moment, neither the government nor the organization could have guessed that Queen Cecilia and Isaac were hiding right inside their former subsidiary organization’s base.

This bubble, perched on a steep cliff, was invisible to the naked eye and nearly impossible for normal scientific instruments to detect. Once the massive inner gate was locked, the space practically ceased to exist in this world.

Isaac and Queen Cecilia had been hiding here for a long time. It was a small-scale bubble, but still spacious enough to hold nearly a million people. It gave them plenty of room to move, though it felt very empty and silent.

With the gate tightly shut, the wind could not carry their scents or information outward, and they could not receive any signals or internet from the outside world. Their only connection to the outside was through Jin Ji, who brought them food and water once a week.

But Jin Ji was a stoic cyborg. He ignored Queen Cecilia’s constant questions, repeating only the exact details his boss allowed before closing his mouth like a cold machine.

“The guard forces reached a secret agreement with the central government a few days ago,” Jin Ji said, delivering this week’s food and water. “Elite students from the Twelve Zodiac Academy are helping them search the bubbles in Yunjin Prefecture to find you.”

“A secret agreement with Hualan’s central government? What did they offer? A few mining mountains? Or oil fields?” Queen Cecilia could hardly believe her ears.

Even someone not involved in politics knew that getting a government to cooperate and keeping it secret would cost a huge fortune. This thought shocked and angered Queen Cecilia. “Does he want me dead that badly? This is too much! That bastard!”

Isaac wrapped his arm around her to comfort her. “Are you sure they won’t find this bubble?”

Jin Ji frowned, clearly annoyed by the doubt. “Who can say for sure?” he replied cold. “But you’re safe for now.”

The information broker and her subordinates never made empty promises. Leaving the supplies, Jin Ji turned and walked toward the gate. As he did, his eyes flashed with a brief, cold, inorganic red light like a scanner, quietly logging a new detail from the ground.

Isaac stared at Jin Ji’s departing figure, his dark green eyes gleaming like a silent wolf’s. Queen Cecilia, consumed by rage and disgust, did not notice. The bitter emotions she had managed to suppress during their long confinement surged back up.

The guard forces would not have the authority to make such a deal. Only Emperor Orpheus could have ordered this. Just thinking of Orpheus’s flawless handsome face made her sick to her stomach.

Back then, she was not Lolita. She was Princess Cecilia of the largest tribe in Pymeshire, a girl who loved vibrant red dresses and wore pure gold bracelets and anklets that jingled with every step. She was lively, playful, and deeply cherished by her tribe.

At sixteen, she met the nineteen-year-old Prince Orpheus. She had accidentally splashed mud all over him, getting some in his eye and forcing him to squint. Everyone thought the highly favored prince would be furious. Instead, after washing his eye, he looked at the anxious chief and the pouting princess, and smiled.

“This mud has a very peculiar fragrance,” he said, his teeth bright and white. “What is it?”

Princess Cecilia felt as if she had been struck by a brilliant ray of sunlight.

“Huh? Oh… it’s the fragrance of the incense bell tree,” she had stammered. “The roots release a unique scent that infuses the soil. It also has medicinal properties. If you handle it often, it protects your skin and kills bacteria.”

The last part was total nonsense, but the young prince believed her and joined in playing with the mud. She thought he was a fool and felt happy about her prank, right up until he turned his warm, gentle eyes toward her with a knowing smile. She realized then that he had known the whole time.

Her heart skipped a beat.

At that moment, the young girl felt love for the first time. Prince Orpheus loved her back just as much. He told her he loved her red dresses, and the way she laughed when she wanted to laugh and cried when she wanted to cry. He called her straightforward and cute, like a little bird hopping around.

His eyes were like warm caramel; looking into them felt like falling into a pool of sweet honey, leaving her completely dazed and blissfully happy. When you are young, love is always reckless and wholehearted. At seventeen, she became engaged to Prince Orpheus, officially becoming the future crown princess of Pymeshire.

Then, Prince Orpheus told her, “My love, I want to make you the most noble woman in this kingdom. Shall we work hard for it together?”

He was the son of the reigning emperor’s second queen, with three older brothers ahead of him. He was fourth in line to the throne, with virtually no hope of inheriting it. Princess Cecilia did not care about becoming queen, but her lover’s dream was her dream. She was willing to help him. She left her tribal homeland and moved to the capital, appearing with him at various public events to build their popularity among the citizens.

Back then, the citizens of Pymeshire frequently saw this beautiful couple online—gazing sweetly at each other, holding hands in public, always down-to-earth and warm. Princess Cecilia’s radiant, bright smile and her lively little canine teeth were especially popular, and the public eagerly anticipated their grand wedding.

But the royal family disliked members who made such public spectacles of themselves, especially the other three princes and their supporters. Since they couldn’t attack Prince Orpheus, they turned their hostility toward his future bride.

“How shameful. The royal family represents the gods on earth. Everything we say and do has divine dignity. How could you shake hands with those commoners?”

“Copy the Pymeshire Scripture ten times within a week. It is time you learned some manners.”

The royal palace was nothing like the freedom of her tribe. It was filled with endless rules, and every action was watched by countless eyes. She could no longer play in the mud, laugh without care, or complain to her parents over the phone. The Pymeshire Scripture was as thick as a brick; copying it even once felt like an endless task. She felt trapped, resentful, and angry, wanting nothing more than to throw the book.

Fortunately, Prince Orpheus would sneak into her quarters at night to stay by her side, comforting her, making her laugh, and helping her copy the pages. So, she endured it time and after time.

Her endurance paid off. Prince Orpheus’s reputation grew day by day. At twenty, they married before the entire nation in what was dubbed the wedding of the century. Princess Cecilia officially became Princess Consort Cecilia.

The change in status brought more duties. They had to travel across the country for state visits and relief work.

“My love, I have an idea, and I hope for your support,” Prince Orpheus said, holding her hand, his caramel eyes as sweet and gentle as ever. “You are a Nightmare Atavist. I want you to use your ability to bless our citizens.”

He wanted her to use her nightmare-weaving power to bring peace. Wherever they went, people slept well at night, their minds healed. The citizens lined the streets to welcome them and cried when they left. People started to believe they were gods on earth, and that they deserved to be the next emperor and empress.

But each time, the exertion drained her of her Atavist power, leaving her thoroughly exhausted.

“My love, the place we are visiting has just suffered a disaster. Vibrant colors are not appropriate. Why don’t you change into something else?”

So, she put away her colorful dresses and jingling jewelry, wearing the pale, modest, demure clothing of the other royal consorts.

“My love, restrain your smile a bit. Do not show your teeth. Be more dignified.”

So, she learned to smile without showing her teeth.

Back then, she did not understand why her mother wept when they met, or why her father’s eyes were so full of complex sorrow. She was too busy, too exhausted to notice. But overall, she still felt happy. She was not someone who shirked responsibility; sacrifices were necessary to realize their dreams.

Their dream came true when she was twenty-two. Thanks to their unmatched public support and the reigning emperor’s fondness for her, Prince Orpheus ascended the throne after the old emperor passed away. That same year, their child was born.

With their dream realized and a child born, it should have been the happiest time of her life. But strange things began to happen.

Mysterious notes started appearing on her desk.

The first note asked a single question: Can you enter Emperor Orpheus’s dreams?

She had never entered her lover’s dreams, believing marriage needed total trust. Besides, Orpheus once invited her to play in his dreams, but she said no—why play in a dream when they could play in real life? But the note made her uneasy. She ignored it at first, until more notes showed up, all asking her questions again and again.

A deep, instinctive fear—maybe a woman’s intuition—gripped her.

When she finally tried to enter Orpheus’s dream, she met with violent resistance and was fiercely attacked. Expelled from his dream, her body still weak from childbirth, she felt a sharp, agonizing pain in her chest, and her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood.

Orpheus was not an Atavist. Unless he had undergone intensive training to resist Nightmare intrusion and carried powerful anti-nightmare Atavist items, such resistance was impossible.

Her own husband had been guarding against her all along.

The second note appeared: 3:00 AM, Southwest Tower.

That night, filled with anxiety and silent agony, she threw on a cloak and slipped out alone to the southwest tower.

The grounds were quiet and had no guards. She climbed the winding stairs without a problem, and two voices drifted down to her ears.

“I know I can never enter the palace. Her Majesty is so loved by the people, and the royal family doesn’t allow divorce…” It was a woman’s voice, soft, sad, and captivating.

“I am sorry. I will make it up to you.”

Cecilia’s footsteps froze. Her breath caught in her throat. That was her husband’s voice.

“No, you don’t owe me anything. You don’t need to repay me. I did it all willingly. I was the one who clung to you. I’m sorry I can’t do anything to help…”

The pitiful weeping sounded muffled, as if she were burying her face in his chest.

Queen Cecilia stood frozen, listening as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

The woman inside was Orpheus’s first love from his school days, a commoner. But to become emperor and defeat his older brothers, he could not marry her. Instead, the only daughter of the largest tribe, who also happened to be a secret Nightmare Atavist, became his perfect tool—the ultimate weapon to win the hearts of the public and quietly control any rebellious factions.

How easy it was to seduce an innocent, sheltered young girl. All he had to do was say he loved her, and she believed him. Then, he slowly chipped away her sharp edges, turning her into his perfect political instrument.

For six years, he had not met this first love once, carefully avoiding any slip-ups that his rivals could exploit. He only kept in touch through rare, highly secure letters delivered by his most trusted confidant and burned immediately after reading. And, of course, he had to guard his mind against Cecilia.

Now that his ambition was realized, he had wasted no time reuniting with his old flame.

The sounds from the tower grew intimate. Queen Cecilia turned and walked away, her hands and feet ice-cold.

Back in her chambers, the little prince was crying loudly, and the nanny could not soothe him. Cecilia took her son and sent everyone away.

For the first time in her six years in the royal palace, she wept, holding her baby tightly like a lifeline.