Bang!
The instant Rocket finished speaking, a small cracking sound rang out.
It was the sound of a teacup being crushed.
Shien suddenly clenched the teacup in his hand, sending tea and shards of porcelain flying in every direction.
Whoosh!
Lilith, sitting in Shien's lap, immediately waved a small hand. Evil energy surged from her palm and blew away the tea and fragments.
But the terrifying pressure that suddenly erupted from Shien's body could not be blown away no matter what.
Shien remained frozen in place.
Yet the pressure pouring from him grew increasingly terrifying, making Rocket's pupils contract and leaving Tilly aghast.
That terrifying pressure came quickly and vanished just as quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it dissipated as though it had never existed, and everything returned to calm.
For some reason, however, even though the pressure had disappeared, the air in the reception hall seemed heavier than before.
"A trap?"
Shien murmured those words.
His voice was exceedingly cold.
".It probably was." As though trying to observe Shien's expression beneath his hood, Rocket softened his tone and said, "Unless something unexpected happened, the Imperial Consort deliberately set this trap. She used her departure as bait to lure Tier Elbain out, then had House Laifirut lie in ambush."
For some reason, that Imperial Consort had already set her sights on Tier. She knew Tier had come to the Imperial Capital and had disguised herself as a thief, constantly entering and leaving the homes of major nobles without showing herself. She would naturally try every possible way to draw Tier out.
As it happened, Tier was looking for something in the Imperial Capital. After searching so many noble houses without finding it, she would naturally suspect that it might be in the Imperial Palace.
But no matter how