Chapter 265: Betrayal

Sasha reached beneath her cloak and carefully pulled out a small crystal, dark as a moonless night. Strange violet light swirled inside it, moving like smoke trapped beneath glass. The moment Eva saw it, her expression became more serious.

"This is it?" she asked.

Sasha nodded. "A teleportation crystal. The coordinates are already engraved into it. It should take us directly to Lilith’s castle."

Eva stared at the crystal for a few seconds before extending her hand, but Sasha did not immediately give it to her.

"Are you afraid it’s a trap?" Eva asked, noticing how tense her knight was.

Sasha simply nodded. "I don’t trust her at all. And she probably has every reason to want you dead."

Richard, who had remained silent until then, stepped forward. The towering mercenary’s expression remained calm, but his hand moved toward the equipment at his waist.

"Then we simply make sure we can leave." He opened his palm, revealing a small silver ring covered in intricate runes.

Richard then looked to his contractor and thanked her for the gift. An escape ring was extremely expensive and could keep them safe this time.

"Thanks for the gift, my queen," he finally said, kneeling as he declared himself ready for whatever trap waited for them.

Eva nodded, explaining that giving him the ring was simply the best choice for them. Of all the people under her command, only he could use it anyway.

"Even if it is a trap, we need to go to this meeting," she concluded.

Once again she extended her hand; this time, Sasha placed the teleportation crystal into her palm, and the queen studied it one last time before handing it to Richard.

"Let’s go." The three exchanged a final look, and Sasha nodded.

Richard closed his hand around the crystal and used the skill, activating the crystal.

Space twisted around them. For a moment, Eva felt as if her entire body had been pulled through an endless tunnel.

Then her feet touched cold stone. The three appeared inside a vast, ancient castle. The place was barely illuminated, with only scattered torches burning along the walls, their flames flickering weakly against the darkness.

The air was cold and unnaturally still. Sasha immediately looked around, her hand moving toward her sword. Richard’s eyes narrowed as he examined every shadow, and he moved closer to Eva.

The queen, however, remained perfectly still, her eyes naturally drifting toward a big door at their left. She felt it before the others, but soon the entire trio was taken by it.

An eerie aura descended upon them like an invisible mountain. It pressed against them with immeasurable weight, so much that simply standing became hard.

Sasha’s breath caught in her throat as dizziness suddenly overwhelmed her. Her knees almost buckled beneath her, but Richard immediately stepped closer, placing himself between her and the darkness while keeping Eva within his protection.

"My queen..." Sasha whispered, struggling to remain standing. Richard’s muscles tensed as he prepared himself for a battle he knew he might not survive.

Eva, however, did not even flinch. Her eyes remained steady as she looked into the darkness. The pressure was powerful enough to crush the will of an ordinary person, but Eva’s natural resistance to mental attacks was far too great.

She simply stared ahead, as though the monstrous aura surrounding them was nothing more than an unpleasant breeze.

"You are quite the prideful queen..." a voice resonated throughout the whole chamber.

Footsteps echoed through the hall, and each agonizingly slow step brought the terrible aura closer.

Then she appeared. Lilith emerged from the darkness wearing an elegant black dress that flowed around her body, her refined appearance contrasting sharply with the terrifying presence surrounding her.

Her crimson eyes fell on them, scanning the room before finally settling upon Eva. For several long seconds, neither woman spoke.

Lilith’s gaze traveled over Eva’s face, admiring her platinum golden hair, her posture, and her absolutely perfect figure.

Heaven had multiple businesses, but their very first line of work had been training and selling sexy women. So Lilith knew how to recognize beauty, and Eva really had been blessed with the looks of a goddess.

"You’re even better looking in person." Lilith’s lips curved upward.

She already knew who the queen was. She had heard enough about her, and she remembered the woman who had so often stood at Shin’s side.

But seeing Eva personally confirmed what she had suspected. This was the same woman, and even if she was not as interesting as Shin, she also looked very intriguing.

"Thanks for the compliment." Eva’s voice was calm, her expression unreadable.

"You are welcome..." Lilith said slowly.

Then she began walking toward them. One step. Then another. With every step, the oppressive aura seemed to intensify. Sasha’s breathing became heavier, and even Richard’s expression hardened as he prepared himself for the inevitable.

Still, Eva remained motionless.

Then Lilith stopped and glanced toward the man who had done a perfect job pretending to be tense.

"Richard," she simply said, her lips twitching as she excitedly watched the two girls’ reactions.

The towering mercenary who had arrived with Eva and Sasha stepped forward without hesitation, moving away from them until he stood beside Lilith. Eva raised an eyebrow, while Sasha stared at him in disbelief.

"Richard..." Her voice trembled with fury. "You..." Richard merely smiled, his expression calm and arrogant. "Don’t look so surprised. I’m not going to die for some newcomer who knows nothing about how the tower works."

Sasha clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pierced her palms. "Your oath! What about your loyalty to your contracts? Isn’t that what the Moon Mercenary Guild prides itself on?"

Lilith smiled, a beautiful yet frightening expression. "Yes. It is a very successful business." Her smile widened. "One of the best under Heaven."

For the briefest moment, surprise appeared in Eva’s eyes, but she immediately suppressed it.

She hadn’t expected Heaven’s power went that far. They really had control over almost all the shady business in the tower. And a lot of the legitimate ones.

Sasha also realized the situation, her expression turning furious and also desperate, because how would they escape without the ring?

"Do you see? This is reality. You are just an irrelevant kid, ’queen’..." Richard sneered.

Sasha’s body trembled with rage as she drew her weapon, ready to throw herself at him, but Eva calmly raised a hand, stopping her.

"Don’t..."

Sasha looked at her in disbelief, but Eva remained composed.