I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Tyrol Augustus once considered himself a genius at escaping.

Although Old Deng had arranged for people near the capital to try to intercept him, how could he have known that he would hide in the palace as a temporary maid?

I doubt he would dare to search the palace.

However, it is still surprising that I was able to sneak into the palace so easily.

The salary was two copper coins, not even enough to buy a whole loaf of white bread in the capital. Fortunately, there was a bread plate that you could take away if you couldn't finish it.

Having received a good aristocratic education, Tyrol knew that the royal family still adhered to ancestral practices when holding large banquets, using a lot of bread plates, which were then distributed to the poor after the banquet, emphasizing a shared enjoyment with the people.

But one day I never expected to see this being used as part of someone's salary, someone who had been outsourced countless times.

It was most likely a clever idea from some people in the palace that solved the problems of not having enough maids when holding large banquets and the troublesome task of transporting bread and plates to the East District.

But one can't help but lament that the royal palace is also a makeshift operation; what if an assassin were to infiltrate?

However, staying in the kitchen was perfect; she didn't have to worry about being discovered by nobles who knew her.

The palace kitchen was far from the banquet hall and the aristocratic activity area. Tyrol stood by the pool in the far corner, with three stacks of used wine glasses in front of her.

A thin film of cleaning water floated in her palm. She swirled it around the glass, and the wine stains and oil were washed away by the water film, leaving the glass sparkling clean.

She had used this magic trick many times at home. She used to think it was just for fun, but now she was making good use of it for washing dishes.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle."

The head maid walked past her, casually tossing out a sentence.

Two girls who were also washing cups next to her came over and started talking to her.

One had a round face, and the other was tall; both were daughters of commoner families in the capital, and their ages were similar to Tyrol's.

"You're just here to gain experience, aren't you? I heard that if you've worked at a banquet in the royal palace, it'll be much easier to find work in the homes of newly risen nobles. Those nouveau riche are naive; they'll look up to you as soon as they hear you 'have served in the royal palace.'"

The tall girl nodded:

"My cousin worked at the palace last year, and later went to work as a maid in a baron's house in the East District. Her salary was twice as much as outside."

Tyrol casually agreed, her hands continuing to work.

She wasn't really interested in the topic; she was just here to hide for a while.

Once things have calmed down, she'll change her identity and go somewhere else.

"However, the palace is indeed much bigger than I thought. I almost got lost when I was delivering the plates to the side corridor. It took me quite a while to get back."

"Be careful. I heard there are rules in the palace, and there are many places you can't wander around in," the tall girl warned.

As Tyrol listened to their chatter and was about to fish the next cup out of the water, the world suddenly went dark.

Pure darkness.

There were no signs whatsoever.

The magic lights in the kitchen all went out at the same moment, the flames on the stove disappeared silently, and even the light from the burning coals under the grill seemed to be swallowed by the darkness.

"What happened?"

"Why is the light off?"

Immediately afterwards, she heard a muffled thud beside her, the round-faced girl's exclamation was cut off halfway, followed by the sound of the tall girl falling down.

The two slipped and fell to the ground one after the other, hitting their heads on the corner of the table or the ground, and then fell silent.

Tyrol crouched down and touched their bodies; they were still breathing.

She attempted to cast a fireball, but the magical energy gathering in her palm dissipated just before it took shape.

She tried Holy Light again, but it failed to materialize.

All magic that requires light has failed.

Tyrol finally realized that things were serious.

Could it be that an assassin really has entered the palace?

However, she was not worried.

The assassin must be targeting a big shot. Her own father wasn't even at the banquet, so she just needed to wait here until things were over.

But slowly, she realized something was wrong.

The sound of doors being kicked echoed from inside the palace.

The sound came from afar, muffled and rhythmic, one after another, getting closer and closer. The fire still could not be lit, and it was clear that the royal family had not resolved the matter.

What kind of assassin is so audacious? Could it be that the demon army has attacked?

No, that's not right.

The Kingdom's defenses against demons are notoriously strong. The western border has a rotating legion, church roving deacons are scattered throughout the parishes, the Adventurers' Guild has set up branch outposts along the official roads, and the major lords have stationed patrol cavalry on the borders of their territories.

Even with an inside agent, the demons cannot launch a full-scale attack.

In comparison, the Church is more likely to launch a blitzkrieg against the royal family.

The relationship between the church and the royal family has been delicate in recent years. It is not impossible that the church could take advantage of tonight's banquet to eliminate all the core members of the royal family.

The sound of kicking the door grew closer.

Tyrol instinctively wanted to hide.

She moved in the dark towards the corner, hid under a long table, curled up, and held her breath.

In a daze, she suddenly remembered that her companions were still in the same place.

If the person who kicked down the door came in and saw two people lying on the ground, even if they didn't finish them off, they might still be caught in the ensuing chaos.

Tyrol gritted her teeth, crawled out from under the table, and crept back to the pool.

She first grabbed the round-faced girl's arm and dragged her towards the corner. She was out of breath after dragging her for a few steps, but she managed to stuff her behind the flour bag in the corner.

Then comes the second one.

She touched the tall girl's wrist and pulled it in the same direction.

The tall girl was taller and heavier than the round-faced girl, and Tyrol struggled to drag her. Her feet were on the foam left over from the cleaning spell, and she lost her balance and slipped backward, hitting the back of her head on the table leg.

Before she could even get up, the door was kicked open.

Tyrol looked up at the figure in the doorway and instinctively spoke:

"Waaaah! Don't kill me!"

Tyrol could no longer worry about her companions. After using her magic vision to confirm that the newcomers were not demons, she retreated while urgently saying:

"I... I'm just a kitchen helper. I was temporarily hired to wash cups tonight. My family has been devout believers for generations. We go to church every week to donate money, and we've bought quite a few indulgences—"

The figures at the door did not move.

Oh no! Aren't they church members?

Tyrol suddenly remembered that there seemed to be humanoid beings among the demons.

Is it really the demons attacking?

Just as I was lost in thought, a slightly surprised voice came from the darkness:

"Tyrol Augustus? What are you doing here?"

Tyrol froze.

Her name is indeed Tyrol Augustus, but that name shouldn't be here.

She infiltrated the palace using a false identity, registering under the name "Anna Miller." Even the head maid only glanced at her before assigning her to wash cups.

"You've mistaken me for someone else. My last name is Miller, and I'm just a dishwasher."

"You were the little girl at the tea party who was even more boisterous than Alice, weren't you?"

Another voice came from the side of the doorway.

Tyrol was stunned.

She recognized the voice. It was the only daughter of the Pompeii family. Six years ago, at a tea party in the capital, she was surrounded by a group of ladies talking. She was making a fuss about hiding a cat she had caught from the garden in her skirt and taking it home. Elena stood not far away watching, saying nothing, just smiling.

The voice at the beginning sounded somewhat familiar; it seemed to be Princess Sonia's.

Tyrol's voice faltered instantly, "Sister Elena? Princess Sonia? What are you doing here?"

Sonia stood with her hands on her hips, speaking with righteous indignation:

"I should be asking you that. The Prime Minister's office has been looking for you for days, and your father even took leave from Parliament."