Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2746: Game Plan

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Zhongguo (China), Liaodong Province, Shuntian Prefecture, Shenyang City

”So why are we staying at an inn if we are supposedly imperial guests? Shouldn’t we be received at the imperial palace? Or is the custom here different from ours?” the princesses asked as they surveyed the room Martha had secured for them.

The inn was narrow and dim, its wooden beams stained by age and smoke. The bedding looked clean at first glance, but carried the faint scent of old incense layered over something less pleasant. The window shutters stuck halfway when pushed. Even the table bore knife marks from years of use.

Over the past four weeks, they had passed through roadside taverns, merchant hostels, and border lodgings of questionable quality. Yet this place, despite standing within sight of the imperial district, seemed the most neglected of them all.

The princesses remained near the doorway, careful not to brush against the walls. They avoided the bed entirely and chose to stand rather than sit. Their gaze lingered briefly on a cracked porcelain washbasin before shifting back to Martha.

She could not comprehend how such an establishment was permitted so close to the imperial palace. In her experience, proximity to power demanded polish and order.

Martha closed the door behind them, checked the corridor once more, then turned inward.

”Even if we are imperial guests, we cannot appear at the palace without notice,” she said evenly. ”Under normal circumstances, by tomorrow or the day after, the court would send an invitation. That is how etiquette preserves hierarchy.”

She moved toward the narrow window and adjusted the shutter just enough to see the street below before continuing.

”However, the Five-Year Trials are underway. During this period, the palace restricts all external audiences unless prearranged well in advance. We will not receive an invitation for at least three or four days. And even if we walked to the gates now, imperial token in hand, they would refuse us entry without a prior appointment.”

Her gaze shifted back to them, and calmly explained, ”If we intend to crash the trial and retrieve the Dragon Dicing Saber, we cannot rely on formal channels. We will have to enter quietly.”

She gestured faintly toward the worn floorboards beneath their feet, adding, ”This inn is close to the palace grounds and belongs—unofficially—to the Empress’s nephew. On paper, it is an ordinary establishment. In practice, it is a front for an illegal gambling den operating beneath it. That makes it inconvenient for the city guard to monitor closely. They avoid creating complications here. By staying here, we will be able to infiltrate the imperial palace. It gives us the opportunity to move without drawing notice—both when we leave and when we return.”

The room may have looked unworthy of royalty, but strategically, it was positioned exactly where they needed it to be. Martha knew all of this because of Corey the First.

Years ago, when that princess had been confined under house arrest—kept out of sight until she delivered the so-called freak to be executed—this very inn had served as a quiet meeting point. Corey the First had slipped past palace eyes more than once so she could meet King James in secret before sending him to the Emperor with her letter.

Martha remembered the tension back then with unsettling clarity. That particular night, King James had entered this very room to meet Corey the First. He had remained inside for only a quarter of an hour. When he emerged, he was not the same man who had walked in.

”Why do you keep making it sound as though we are here to steal?” the princesses said, irritation threading through their voice as they turned toward Martha. ”We are only taking back what is mine.”

They had corrected Martha on this point more times than either of them cared to count during the journey. The distinction mattered to them. Words framed intent, and intent framed legitimacy. In their mind, this was not theft, not opportunism, not reckless intrusion.

It was a reclamation. They were reclaiming what was rightfully theirs, their mother’s to be exact. The Dragon Dicing Saber was not simply a royal heirloom displayed in Zhong Guo’s ceremonial trial. It was their mother’s last keepsake. And it belonged to them, her daughter.

”As Your Highness says,” Martha replied with the same neutral cadence she had perfected over the past four weeks. Clearly, she did agree with them. She felt that agreeing with her would mean undermining the princess Corey the First’s sacrifices. Though she didn’t understand why the princess did what she did, she planned to respect it. But she didn’t want to argue with the Princesses. After all, they were the princess’s daughter, they had the birth right.

”Tsk.” The princess clicked her tongue, irritation flickering plainly across her face. She knew that tone. Martha’s neutral compliance was merely a polished refusal to concede. In her annoyance, she said firmly, ”We are not sneaking into the palace. We’re going in through the front gates.”

The princesses’ confidence did not come from arrogance alone. Over the past four months, they had rigorously explored and tested the boundaries of their Chivalry. What had first manifested as a miracle at death’s door had since been dissected, measured, and refined into a power that could destroy the world just like her mother could.

They knew the risks of the Mortal Star now. They knew how to compress energy without triggering runaway expansion. They understood the strain on their shared psyche and how long they could maintain heightened states before fatigue set in.

”Your Highnesses, please remember,” Martha said carefully, her tone no longer dismissive but firm, ”we are here to reclaim the Dragon Dicing Saber. Nothing more. We are not here to spill innocent blood. We are not here to create an incident. And we are certainly not here to strain the relationship between the Empire and our Kingdom. If not handled properly this might turn into a war.”

”Oh, as if stealing it wouldn’t already cause a stir,” the princess shot back, their patience thinning.