"You flatter me. Your accent has improved by far more" said Kiara.

"All thanks to your persuasion, your highness"

*Knock*Knock*

The instructor reached the door and opened it to reveal a person in a green dress.

The revealed visage had Kiara\'s expression turn cold.

Gwendolyn - the third empress - looked aloof as always, with a fan over her mouth.

"Greetings" she said, looking about.

"Kiara, I-"

"You will address me as I am fit" Kiara cut her off.

The atmosphere froze.

Her glare was unhidden, and the disdain it cast caused Gwendolyn to pause.

\'What in Merianda\'s name?!\' she thought.

She had come here to coerce her and make sure she didn\'t interfere in the budding relationship she was forming with Ezra.

Given how cowardly and fearful Kiara was known to be, Gwendolyn felt that it would take but a few words.

But what was this?

It was impossible. It was inconceivable.

\'This b#tch dares to-\'

Rage compounded within her, but Kiara couldn\'t care less.

"Have your lips gone numb? Speak and rid us of your presence"

That was it. That blew her fuse.

"You dare!" Gwendolyn screamed, her aura flaring as she did.

"You dare speak to me in such a manner? You wretched-"

"Save it" Kiara commanded, raising a palm.

"I have endured enough. I will not have desecrated creatures like you insult me"

Gwendolyn popped a vein and exuded an aura of dim green hue.

"Desecrated…! It seems I\'ve lost my touch"

Kiara stepped forward and a blue aura formed around her.

"Even after all this time, I can see that your delusions have only grown bigger"

Brandishing her rapier, Kiara took a fighting stance while Gwendolyn brought forth a sword from her space ring and brandished it.

"Now, shall we see whether you are as skillful with the sword as with that mouth of yours?"

The Emperor was absent, so there would be no better time to teach the servant girl a lesson.

"With pleasure"

The battle began between the two empresses.

Kiara closed in on Gwendolyn.

\'Fast\' Gwendolyn acknowledged, but sneered right after.

\'But not agile!\'

Fan and blade collide with Gwendolyn diverging the path of Kiara\'s blade to use the sword to cut her.

Lo and behold, Kiara kicked her hands away, disrupting her balance, before subsequently kicking her in the stomach, which she blocked with her fan.

"Ugh!" Gwendolyn\'s face was unsightly.

\'Of all things! To be pushed back by this wretched nobody? I will not have it!\'

She advanced, fuming with rage as her ego had been bruised.

See, while the three empresses looked unremarkable next to the Emperor, all three were at Expert-rank.

So, being pushed back by - what she considered to be - a novice was utter madness.

Just what would others say when they hear of it? It would be the end of her reputation! She\'d never be able to face her peers again, and the mere possibility devastated her.

Her priority was no longer minimal injuries, but the death of the accused b#tch in front of her.

"Die!"

She threw a fan, having it cut through the air.

"Hmph" Kiara firmed herself and her breathing, hitting the fan with a low swing, just enough to alter its course.

Done with the rain, now came the storm.

Gwendolyn reached her just as she did so.

\'I can\'t block in time!\' she cried, Gwendolyn\'s fan coming down on her arm.

In a split second, rather than attack, Kiara tilted her body just enough to have the fan graze her shoulder armor.

And then, she moved in a circle, her blade stretched to cut Gwendolyn down.

Instincts sharp as ever, Gwendolyn tapped off the ground, avoiding the blade, though she inevitably lost strands of hair.

Upon landing, Kiara\'s sword came straight for her with a stab movement.

*Kin*

The fan saved the day, blocking the rapier\'s way.

Suddenly, Kiara jumped six feet away and sheathed her blade.

She aimed to stab through the weapon, but quickly realized that it wasn\'t going to happen.

She decided it was best to end things there.

"Get out" she scorned.

Gwendolyn stared silently for more than a minute, before slowly taking back her fan that was lodged in the ground and leaving.

—-----------------------

Meanwhile, Ezra was in a battle of his own.

A battle to overcome his hurdles.

\'I can\'t seem to advance the Infinite Forms more than I already have…but why?\'

He was certain that Infinite Forms could be improved further. Experience told him so.

Yet, after a few days, it came clear that he had run into a wall.

He\'d broken walls before, and he could do it again.

But this was different.

Other walls were easy to understand.

A limit to stronger attacks? Increase mana. Physical capabilities? Hone the body.

But this…

\'I can see the movements clearly in my head, yet my body never seems to be able to follow those exact movements\'

It was a wall of the likes he\'d never encountered.

That didn\'t lower his spirits though. His instincts told him that surpassing this challenge would be key to advancing his mastery over the sword.

He had been practicing, yet had not seen the problem.

So maybe, it wasn\'t something easily noticeable to him.

But maybe…it was noticeable to others.

\'I need another person\'s perspective\' Ezra smiled.

And he knew just who to ask.

A day later, the vassals converged in his chamber.

They mingled in small talk as the siblings had not seen one another since the time Ezra helped Veronica advance, well over a year before.

They all looked rugged. Each oozing off a different presence.

Theron had grown to be the tallest at 6\'2, now broad shouldered and boasting heavy muscles, his expression more prominent.

Ashton followed right after at 5\'9.

The sisters had changed as well. Roxanne\'s hair was disheveled and her expression told of a fiery personality, while Velora was neat, exuding elegance, and they matched in height at 5\'7.

Johan was unfortunately the shortest at 5\'6, while his haughtiness seemed to have reduced.

Ezra smiled, nodding at what his vassals had become.

They had become capable. They had grown strong.

That was nothing compared to the shock the siblings had.

Especially Johan.

"How?! Just how?!"

Due to the effects of Bard\'s growth boost potion, Ezra stood at 5"6, matching Johan.

Bard could concoct a potion whose effects would have Ezra grow beyond 6 feet in a short time, but the more one accelerated their growth in the short term, the more the detriment would be in the long term.

"And here I thought you had changed" Ezra said as he dug into his ear.

The siblings burst into giggles and chuckles.

"Why did you call us?" asked Theron, shutting down the giggles.

Ezra pulled swords from his space ring.

"To check your skills obviously"

Their gazes changed and they took steps backwards.

Making a few swings, Ezra asked…

"Who\'s first?"

"Might I refuse?" asked Theron, surprising Ezra.

"Let me rephrase that. Is this part of our chances to free ourselves?"

"What do you think?"

"It isn\'t"

Ezra nodded.

"Losses and wins do not matter. If you wish to challenge me for your freedom, just state your intention"

Theron nodded, stepping forward, a halberd in his palm called forth from his space ring.

Then…

*Crunch*

His muscles scrunched as his body enlarged.

Seconds passed and his body settled into its new form.

His whole body was now covered in orange fur except his head.

"Done?"

Upon nodding, Ezra attacked.

*Crannng!*

—------------------------

*Bam*

Gwendolyn slammed the door, her expression darker than ever.

\'That! That…!\'

Pent up anger had her dent the wall with a punch.

Her rage could torch the sky.

Then, she noticed the part of her hair Kiara cut off and screamed…

"She DARED!"

Her fist clenched while her eyes shook.

What had happened? Kiara had changed beyond recognition.

\'Just when?!\'

Upon becoming an Empress, she - and the other two - stopped polishing their skills.

Expert-rank was good enough, and besides, who dared to touch them?

Also, they had more than enough guards to protect them, which had them dismiss the notion of training.

Instead, they polished their tongue\'s and minds in the art of negotiations, deceit, seduction and scheming.

Sweating, she gritted her teeth.

\'We\'ve been fools\'

The nonchalance to training almost led to her death.

Her heart pounded as she reminisced on the duel.

Her acrobatic flip had her back aching incessantly.

\'I can\'t stay like this, else I\'ll die!\' she affirmed.

With the fear of death abound, she threw away any plan to gain Ezra\'s trust.

Her pride was wounded, and someone had to pay!

\'The boy has to die!\' she hollered underneath.

He would pay for his mother\'s sins.

She nodded at her thoughts.

\'It\'s better to nip troublesome roots before they can sprout\'

With her son dead, she\'d be unable to interfere with the battle for the throne, no matter how strong she was.

\'But…h(huán)ow?\' she bit her fingers.

She could travel while he was taken care of.

\'No no, I\'ll look more suspicious like that\' she shook her head.

He couldn\'t die in the castle, else the Emperor would end them all.

So she would wait for a time he left the castle of his own accord.

\'And then…\' she snapped her fingers, a cruel smile forming on her lips.

\'You\'ll regret not knowing your place\'

Like so, her brain went to work. Thinking up all the components to make a perfect assassination.

It didn\'t occur to her that she could simply hone her body.

But then, that would be \'too much work\' and Empresses weren\'t meant to hassle.

—------------------------------

Previously jobless, Gwendolyn devoted her time and energy to the meticulous planning of Ezra\'s assassination.

Meanwhile, the confrontation between Kiara and Gwendolyn reached the ears of the other two, and subsequently the outside.

Gwendolyn focused on her task, sending gifts to him in the form of artifacts and potions, making more effort to have others notice her interest in him.

\'This way, once he\'s dead, I\'ll naturally avoid suspicion\'

Realizing Ezra had a connection with the Head Alchemist, who perused all the potions she gave him, she paused her excessive gifts.

The potions would be seen through and their harmful effects would be revealed.

Or so she thought, but no complaints were raised, increasing her confusion.

With only assumptions to go on, she stopped the gifting.

Then, unlike her expectations, Kiara didn\'t approach her.

\'Does she not know what I\'m doing?\'

It didn\'t seem possible, or was there something she was missing?