Journey to Become the Zenith

The Woman From the West

In the middle of the common room inside the Redcliffe mansion sat a tall woman with a calm demeanor.

Her long black hair flowed down her back like dark silk.

Her eyes were a deep crimson, striking against her pale complexion.

There was something almost unreal about her beauty.

She possessed the kind of presence that could make a person instinctively lower their voice without knowing why.

She looked less like an ordinary noblewoman and more like a goddess who had wandered into the mortal world.

Yet there was nothing arrogant in her expression.

She simply sat comfortably, holding a cup of tea between her fingers.

A faint smile touched her lips as she took another quiet sip.

Behind her stood an old man dressed in a perfectly maintained butler’s suit.

His grey hair was neatly combed.

His back was straight.

His hands were folded behind him.

Even while standing completely still, he gave off an impression of absolute discipline.

Every movement he made was precise.

Every breath was controlled.

His eyes remained calm, but there was a depth within them that suggested years of experience.

The woman lowered her cup.

The butler immediately stepped forward and refilled it.

”Thank you.”

”Of course, my lady.”

The woman smiled faintly.

The atmosphere inside the room was surprisingly peaceful.

Outside, Fantom City was struggling.

Inside this room, however, there was only the soft sound of porcelain touching wood.

The woman looked toward the closed door.

”They seem rather busy.”

The butler’s expression didn’t change.

”Considering the circumstances, that would be expected.”

”I wonder how long they will make us wait.”

”Not long, I believe.”

The woman gave a soft laugh.

”You always sound so certain.”

”I have learned that people responsible for an entire city rarely have the luxury of wasting time.”

She smiled again.

”Perhaps.”

The door finally opened.

Brinda entered the room with a gentle smile on her face.

”I’m sorry for the wait.”

Her voice was warm and polite.

That smile of hers would have made any regular person fall for her at first sight.

Yet the two people in front of her weren’t any regular people.

Brinda entered the room with a gentle smile on her face, that look of hers would have made any regular man fall for her, yet the two in front of her weren’t any regular men.

The common room of the Redcliffe mansion was quiet, almost unnaturally so.

A faint fragrance of tea lingered in the air, mixing with the scent of polished wood and the flowers arranged beside the tall windows. Evening light slipped through the curtains in narrow golden strips, falling across the floor and the expensive furnishings.

At the center of the room sat two visitors.

One was a striking woman with long black hair and black eyes, her beauty almost too refined to seem ordinary. She wore a red robe embroidered with delicate flowers, the fabric flowing naturally around her as she rested one hand beside the teacup.

She had introduced herself as a traveling merchant from a distant land, but there was nothing about her manner that suggested an ordinary merchant.

Her butler appeared much older, with grey hair and a straight, disciplined posture. His expression was calm, almost emotionless, but there was something about his presence that made Brinda’s instincts remain alert.

Brinda had dealt with powerful people before.

She had learned one important lesson.

The most dangerous people were rarely the ones who needed to announce their strength.

She stepped farther into the room and closed the door behind her.

Felberta looked up.

Her dark eyes studied Brinda for a brief moment before a faint smile touched her lips.

Brinda returned the smile.

Neither woman spoke immediately.

It was a strange sort of silence.

Polite.

Elegant.

And sharp enough to cut.

”Oh, is his highness the third prince not joining us?” Felberta finally asked.

She rose from her chair, her movements graceful and unhurried.

There was a sly amusement in her expression as she looked toward Brinda.

Brinda stopped a few steps away and gave a small apologetic bow.

”His Highness, the King of New Fantom, was supposed to come with me to meet you, but some unforeseen work came up. He’s extremely busy at the moment, and he’s sorry that he couldn’t meet you in person.”

Felberta’s eyebrow lifted slightly.

”His Highness is quite busy, then.”

”Very.”

Brinda smiled.

”You could say that everyone in Fantom City is keeping him busy.”

Felberta gave a quiet laugh.

”I see... It’s alright, I understand. So introductions are in order, I guess.”

She placed her teacup down.

”My name is Felberta. I am but a simple traveling merchant from a little country to the west.”

Brinda’s smile remained in place.

But inwardly, her thoughts immediately sharpened.

A country to the west?

That was strange.

Her eyes flickered toward Felberta for the briefest moment before she composed herself again.

’A country to the west? That means she is from beyond the Red Cliff Mountain Range.’

The mountains had always been regarded as a natural boundary.

Beyond them stretched a vast region that few people from this part of the continent had ever explored.

As far as Brinda knew, there was nothing there except barren land and desert.

’But is there really a country beyond them?’

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

’Based on everything I’ve heard, there should only be desert beyond those mountains.’

A possibility suddenly occurred to her.

’Could there be a country hidden somewhere in the middle of that desert?’

The thought made her curious.

But she didn’t allow that curiosity to reach her expression.

Felberta continued speaking.

”This person behind me is my butler, Oliver.”

Oliver stepped forward.

He bowed politely toward Brinda.

”It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Brinda.”

His voice was calm and measured.

Brinda nodded.

”It’s nice to meet you, Felberta, and Oliver.”

She gestured toward the chairs.

”I am Brinda. You can call me the secretary of His Highness as well as the person who handles finances.”