“Now then.” Tiamat smiled.
“Since the selection of your Personal Maid has been completed…” Her emerald eyes swept across the hall.
“It is time for you to choose your Shadow.” Immediately, my attention returned to the present.
A Shadow.
Now that was a position I was looking forward to selecting.
After all…
What kind of secret organization leader would I be without a cool shadow operative following me around?
The weeb inside me was already celebrating.
I nodded to Mother, and she immediately gave the order for the candidates waiting elsewhere in the palace to be brought into the Grand Hall.
Only women were eligible for the positions of Personal Maid and Shadow.
After all, these were individuals who would remain by my side for most of the day.
Looking at it from a practical perspective, what husband or lover would willingly allow another man to constantly accompany them when they were with the women they cherished?
At least, I certainly wouldn’t.
The very thought of someone looking at my loved ones with impure intentions made my blood boil.
For a brief moment, a fierce possessiveness rose within me.
Ah…
There it was again.
My dragon instincts.
As everyone knew, dragons were notoriously possessive creatures.
They treasured what belonged to them and reacted fiercely toward anyone who attempted to take it away.
Fortunately, I possessed excellent control over those instincts.
Most of the time.
However, whenever the topic involved Mother, Grandmother, or the women I might one day come to love, that control became noticeably weaker.
Perhaps it was simply part of being a dragon.
Or perhaps it was just my personality.
Either way, I couldn’t deny that the feeling existed.
It wasn’t as though I looked down on women because of their past relationships.
Nor would such things automatically determine whether I liked someone or not.
However, if I were being honest, I naturally found myself more drawn toward those who chose me wholeheartedly from the very beginning.
Why chase after someone else’s story when I already had incredible people waiting to share a future with me?
As I continued my internal monologue, the massive doors of the Grand Hall opened once more.
My attention immediately shifted toward the entrance.
Fifty women entered the hall.
The moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere changed.
Compared to the previous candidates, these women possessed even greater presence, confidence, and temperament.
And there was a simple reason for that.
Unlike the earlier group, they were not Immortal Queens.
They were Immortal Empresses.
The requirement for becoming my Shadow was far more demanding than that of a Personal Maid.
At a minimum, every candidate had to possess cultivation at the Immortal Empress Realm.
After all, a Shadow was not merely an attendant.
A Shadow was a shield hidden in the darkness.
A blade waiting behind the throne.
Someone capable of protecting their master even when the heavens themselves seemed intent on bringing disaster.
Only the strongest talents were qualified for such a position.
As for the position of Shadow, their primary duty was simple.
Protect me.
If they weren’t at least on the same level as me in terms of cultivation, then I honestly didn’t know who would end up protecting whom.
Not that I actually needed the protection.
My absurdly overprotective family had already equipped me with enough treasures to survive several apocalypses.
From head to toe, I was practically covered in protective artifacts.
Honestly, if someone managed to kill me despite all the precautions Mother and Grandmother had taken, they deserved an award.
Unfortunately, complaining about it was impossible.
Everything they did was for my safety.
And since they genuinely cared about me, I couldn’t exactly object and had no reason to object.
Soon, the fifty candidates arrived before us.
In perfect unison, they bowed.
“Greetings to the Deity of Infinity.” “Greetings to Empress Tiamat.” “Greetings to the Crown Prince.” Unlike the previous candidates, none of them knelt.
Their heads lowered respectfully to about sixty degrees, but that was all.
As Immortal Empresses, they had earned at least that much dignity.
Not that Mother or Grandmother cared about such things.
The truly powerful didn’t require displays of submission to validate their authority.
The countless realms of the universe already knew exactly who Ophis Ouroboros and Tiamat Ouroboros were.
Their power spoke louder than any bow ever could.
Just like before, Mother explained the responsibilities of a Shadow as well as the benefits that came with the position.
Compared to the rewards offered to Personal Maids, these benefits were significantly more extravagant.
Several of the candidates struggled to maintain their composure.
Many eyes gleamed with excitement.
A few women even lost their calm expressions entirely when they heard one particular privilege.
Unlimited access to the Grand Library of Infinity.
Well…
Unlimited access to everything except the top three floors.
Even so, judging from their reactions, that privilege alone was enough to drive cultivators insane.
Personally, I couldn’t really understand their excitement.
I already had unrestricted access to the entire library.
Including the forbidden floors.
So my perspective was probably a more than a little skewed.
After the explanation concluded, Mother looked toward the gathered women.
“Hmm.” “You may now introduce yourselves one by one.” Her emerald eyes briefly shifted toward me.
“Show my son why you are worthy of becoming his Shadow.” With Mother’s command, the introductions began.
One after another, the candidates stepped forward.
Each introduced her race.
Her bloodline.
Her physique.
Her cultivation.
Her achievements.
Normally, I would have been interested.
Unfortunately…
I was waiting for something.
Or rather…
Someone.
More specifically, I was waiting for my mysterious protagonist intuition to activate.
You know.
That suspicious feeling that occasionally told me exactly where to go or who to pay attention to.
The same intuition that had practically screamed at me to choose Yvette.
At this point, I was ninety percent sure it was some combination of my Heavenly Dragon Body, ridiculous luck, fate manipulation, karmic blessings, and whatever other nonsense Heaven had stuffed into its favorite child.
Basically plot armor.
The deluxe edition.
Now, I knew I shouldn’t rely on it too much.
That was a good way to become lazy and complacent.
Still…
Using it occasionally couldn’t hurt, right?
As the introductions continued, I waited.
Nothing happened.
The first candidate finished.
Nothing.
The tenth candidate.
Nothing.
The twentieth.
Still nothing.
By the time the fortieth candidate stepped forward, I was beginning to suspect my intuition had decided to take the day off.
The 48th candidate approached.
Still nothing.
I stared at the final two woman.
Then at the empty feeling in my chest.
Then back at the two women.
Seriously?
Not even a hint?
Not even a vague feeling?
At least pretend to be useful.
I was just beginning to accept that I would have to choose a Shadow through my own judgment instead of relying on protagonist nonsense.
Then, when the second-to-last candidate stepped forward— It happened.