Late at night, Silver Dragon Castle, maid quarters.

Sherry climbed in through the window, her movements agile and silent as she landed softly on the floor.

Entering the hallway, she bent down and scanned both sides cautiously.

Once she confirmed the guards' patrol timing had been avoided, she proceeded stealthily toward the deeper part of the maid's quarters.

Tonight, Sherry wore a tightly-fitted suit designed for nighttime missions, accentuating her curvaceous figure. Her long, flowing brown ponytail swayed under the moonlight.

Sherry was the best vanguard scout trained by the Queen of the Silver Dragon Clan, so such infiltration was almost effortless for her.

Using the faint moonlight from outside, she inspected the names on the doors in the maid quarters, one by one.

Finally, at one specific door, Sherry found the name she had been looking for:

Maureen.

A seemingly insignificant maid in the Maid Squad.

Sherry's relationship with her wasn’t particularly close, nor was it bad—it was more of a mere colleague.

On regular days, Maureen would occasionally address her as "Sister Sherry,"

a sign of respect toward a senior, if nothing else.

Standing at Maureen’s door, Sherry carefully checked her surroundings to confirm no one was nearby. Then, she raised her hand and knocked lightly on the door.

From inside came a soft thud, indicating Maureen was still awake.

However, she did not respond immediately. Instead, after a few seconds, she asked cautiously, “Who is it?”

Sherry lowered her voice. “It’s me, Sherry.”

Soft footsteps followed from within.

Click—

The sound of the lock turning echoed, and the door opened slightly.

But only a crack.

Maureen’s face appeared partially through the gap in the door.

She wasn’t particularly pretty—plain-looking, with a hint of nervousness betraying her expression. She didn’t seem to have just woken up from sleep.

Maureen's eyes darted across Sherry’s face briefly before she lowered them again. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Sister Sherry, why are you coming to see me this late?”

Sherry crossed her arms, her gaze icy, her tone colder. “Constantine is dead. Staying here any longer served no purpose. Since there are fewer patrolling guards tonight, let’s escape while we still can.”

Maureen’s body stiffened slightly, clearly shaken by Sherry’s sudden statement.

She quickly turned her face away, responding hesitantly in a soft voice, “Sister Sherry, I… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Sherry chuckled coldly. “Did Constantine never tell you? Hah, though he didn’t have much time to tell you anything, did he? Did you honestly believe that old man would rely solely on you to gather intelligence within the Silver Dragon Clan? If you get discovered, there’s only one end—death.”

Upon hearing this, Maureen bit her lip tightly. Her fingers clenched into fists against the material of her skirt.

After a moment of inner turmoil, she finally mustered courage and raised her head to look at Sherry. “Sister Sherry, I truly don’t understand what you mean. Whatever you say to me tonight, I promise not to tell anyone. You should go back. I… I want to sleep now.”

Having said that, Maureen began closing the door.

But Sherry acted quickly and slapped her hand against the door.

Slap! The sound startled Maureen.

She winced, her voice trembling. “Sister Sherry…”

“I’ve received intel that Roswitha and Leon will soon be conducting a thorough investigation of the entire Silver Dragon Clan. You and I both know what happens to traitors acting as spies under dragon law. If we don’t leave tonight, there won’t be another chance.”

“I… I…” Maureen faltered, her eyes filled with fear.

“Tomorrow morning, Anna will summon all maids and Silver Dragon guards. She’ll conduct interrogations and investigations one by one.”

“Maureen, are you certain that over all these years, you’ve left no trace when passing on intelligence? Are you certain no one will discover anything?”

Sherry pressed her point further, her words coming in quicker. “Even I can’t guarantee that. That’s why I’ve decided to escape tonight.”

“Running gives us a sliver of hope. Staying here, once discovered, guarantees death. Don’t you understand that, Maureen?”

“I know you might be harboring a shred of wishful thinking—or hoping that, if found out, Roswitha might spare you out of sentimentality. But we can’t entrust our lives to luck, nor to the mercy of others.”

“Our lives are safest in our own hands.”

After finishing that statement, Sherry raised her hand and firmly placed it on Maureen’s shoulder.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the shrine's rear mountain. You have ten minutes to decide. If I don’t see you within ten minutes, I’ll leave by myself. Life or death—your call.”

With those final words, Sherry turned and left the hallway, climbing back out through the window.

The sound of faint footsteps faded into the distance. Maureen stood frozen at the doorway of her room, feeling an icy dread spreading throughout her body.

That chill originated from fear.

…

Ten minutes later, at the shrine's rear mountain, Sherry, leaning against a cherry blossom tree, finally saw the delicate figure making its cautious approach.

Maureen walked carefully toward her, her tail's tip slightly curling, her eyes scanning the surroundings with alertness.

Only when she reached Sherry did she let out a breath of relief.

“Have you made up your mind?” Sherry asked, arms crossed, tilting her head.

“Yes, I’ve made up my mind.”

Maureen said, “Staying here, if discovered, guarantees death… Plus, Constantine promised me that if I helped successfully eliminate Roswitha, he’d give me part of the Silver Dragon territory. But now that he’s dead, staying here serves no purpose for me.”

Her tone was extremely flat, even as she mentioned “eliminating Roswitha,” without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

It sounded like an ordinary topic—something as mundane as asking, “Did you eat breakfast today?”

Sherry raised an eyebrow slightly. “How long have you been following Roswitha?”

Maureen thought for a moment. “More than ten years, I suppose.”

Following a diligent, fair, and strict queen for over a decade, yet still turning traitor over promises of reward drawn by someone else’s deceitful schemes.

Sherry didn’t dwell too much on this thought.

After all, her mission for the night was already complete.

“Let’s make our move, Sister Sherry. We can talk more once we’ve left here.” Maureen stepped forward, attempting to grab Sherry’s hand to lead her away.

But Sherry pulled back a step, withdrawing her hand and shaking off Maureen’s grasp.

Maureen froze slightly in confusion. “Sister Sherry, this is…”

Before she could finish speaking, the dim night sky suddenly lit up with bursts of Dragon Flame.

Several figures holding torches emerged from the cherry blossom grove nearby.

Among them stood Roswitha herself.

Her silver hair and tail, trailing floor-length gown, frosty gaze, and icy, unyielding expression—all perfectly epitomized her queenly authority.

The moment Maureen’s eyes met Roswitha’s regal dragon gaze, her mind went blank.

Cold sweat instantly drenched her, her ears ringing incessantly.

Thump—thump—thump—

The pounding of her heart reverberated in her chest so loudly it seemed deafening.

Right now, Maureen’s senses were heightened to the extreme—whether driven by tension, shock, panic, or terror.

Even the air she inhaled seemed to cut her lips like sharp blades.

“Ros...witha…”