Knock, knock.
The crisp, heavy sound of knuckles striking wood echoed clearly into the vast, quiet throne chamber.
"Your Majesty, the Commander of Defense, Jold von Kin, has arrived," the guard announced from the entrance.
The man waiting to enter was none other than Jold von Kin, the Commander of Defense.
He held the absolute highest authority over the Loid military and occupied a prestigious seat as a member of the King's exclusive Round Table.
Despite his immense responsibility, he appeared remarkably young, looking to be only in his thirties.
With sharp, short red hair and a pristine blue-and-grey military formal uniform, he carried himself with the rigid discipline of a seasoned soldier.
From deep within the spacious room, a small, faint response came in a distinct female voice. "Come in."
After listening a command. "Sir, you may enter," the guard said, bowing respectfully as he threw open the massive throne doors. Commander Jold offered a brief, polite nod in reply before stepping into the room.
He marched with measured strides toward the center of the chamber, intending to perform his formal greeting.
However, as he approached the designated spot to kneel, his gaze shifted upward. The grand throne chair was completely empty. Instead, a lone young woman stood quietly beside the vacant seat.
Dropping down to one knee, Jold quickly looked up at her, unable to hide the confusion in his voice. "Princess Sliviy, where is His Majesty?"
The woman standing before him was Sliviy, the fourth princess of the Loid Kingdom.
She looked to be in her early twenties, featuring long, vibrant pink hair that contrasted with her relatively short stature.
Wearing a pair of eyeglasses that gave her an incredibly focused, intellectual aura, she was dressed in a casual pink dress and held a tablet securely under her right arm.
"Ah... hmm..." Sliviy blinked while pressing her glasses, looking slightly exasperated. "I think he overslept. Yeah... I will ask one of the maids to go wake him up."
Her voice trailed off, coated in sheer disbelief at her father's typical behavior. Shaking her head slightly to clear the awkwardness, Sliviy adjusted her head and looked down at the kneeling commander.
"While we are waiting for him to come, what is the reason you came to see him today?"
"Hmm, let me see..." Jold hesitated for a moment, his expression clouding over.
"I actually received an highly unusual report from one of our recon battalions. It is a matter I urgently need to address with His Majesty."
She pause for a short recall. "You mean the Explore Ruin mission?" Sliviy replied, offering a reassuring smile to ease his obvious anxiety.
"Ah, don't worry. He involved me in that project as well, so you can speak freely."
Jold let out a small breath of relief and nodded. Without wasting any more time, he opened his data files and began to report every chilling, unusual detail of the event directly to the princess.