FVN Chapter 38
Chapter 38
DanielDaniel sat cross-legged on the floor of the surprisingly equipped Li Family research hall, surrounded by an avalanche of scrolls, books, and flickering crystal projections. The room smelled of old ink and mana—dense, metallic, and dry—like breathing in powdered stone. Glyph arrays pulsed faintly along the walls, echoing the low hum of the lab’s magical infrastructure. Overhead, spirit-scribed projectors drifted slowly, casting fragments of Path Icon footage and translucent text into the air.
The footage was clearly older and clearly degrading. Still, it got the point across. Daniel brushed a brittle page aside with the back of his wrist, sighing. “Okay. This is getting ridiculous.”
The footage from the Imperial archives hadn’t helped. Dozens of public appearances, summit reels, military parades, ceremonial galas. And yet every single one showed the same thing: a woman veiled in imperial silk, her voice filtered through illusion arrays, her face perpetually obscured by light.
At blessing ceremonies, she stood beneath enchanted lanterns. In recorded debates, she was shrouded in golden mist. Even in archival portraits, her features were hidden by carefully arranged fans, veils, or tricks of shadow.
“She’s like a ghost with a wardrobe budget,” Daniel muttered. “How does a woman this famous leave so little behind?”
Ethan remained quiet, brooding in the back of his mind. Daniel could feel the tension—pressure collecting behind his temples like a storm on the horizon.
They’d torn through everything: academic journals, royal court rosters, gossip transcripts, merchant logs, even cross-referenced private healing records. Dozens of nobles had claimed to have spoken with the Imperial Princess, interacted with and even danced with her at royal balls, but not one could describe her consistently.
Some said she was warm. Others said she never smiled. Brilliant, mysterious, terrifying, kind.
Unbelievably gorgeous—on par with the Four Beauties of the Empire.
One wandering Path Icon called the Princess “light distilled into human form.”
Another dubbed her “a mirror made of questions.”
But none of it added up. There was no clarity—just myth wrapped in precision, sprinkled with misdirection.
The misinformation campaign was almost poetic.
The only universal truth was that no one outside her inner circle had seen her face. Not once. Not in over a decade.
Daniel leaned back against the edge of the central table, arms draped loosely over his knees. “You’d think with all the projection orbs the Empire tosses around, someone would’ve caught a glimpse. Even by accident.”
Ethan replied.
Daniel exhaled. “And what is that?”
Ethan considered the question.
Daniel couldn’t worry about that right now. “So what are we even looking for? A woman we can’t see, who never speaks directly, who might die alongside her brother in a royal tournament we’re not invited to?”
Ethan said.
Daniel snorted. “You’re telling me.”
They both went still. Not silent—still. A different kind of pause.
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“Actually…” Ethan’s voice returned, lower now. Sharper.
Daniel raised an eyebrow without moving. “Oh, this I’ve gotta hear. If you say anything about trying to sneak me into the castle to act like an exotic dancer or something, I am seriously going to find a way—if it’s the last thing I do—to punch you right in the face.”
Ethan said slowly,
Daniel blinked. “Yeah, not the piece of prophetic genius you thought it would be.”
Ethan repeated, ignoring Daniel’s outburst.
“You’re telling me the Empire’s favorite enigma is moonlighting as an academic?”
Daniel stared up at the ceiling. “Sophie Virelyn. The Golden Mirror of the Imperial Court. The woman who people say can collapse an argument with a glance. That Sophie?”
Ethan said, and Daniel could hear the grin in his voice.
Daniel scratched the back of his head. “Well… I guess I’m a scholarly guy. Kind of. Sort of. On paper.”
Daniel squinted. “Let me guess…”
Ethan’s voice dropped to a whisper.
Daniel groaned. “This is your actual plan?”
Ethan said, ignoring him.
“And she’s still loyal?”
Ethan said.
“Then what is?”
Ethan’s tone shifted—quieter, but suddenly more intense.
Daniel sat forward. “Who?”
“And?”
Ethan said.
Daniel frowned. “You say it goes wrong. How wrong exactly?”
Ethan said.
Daniel rubbed his temples. “And you want us to… fix this?”
Ethan was calm now.
Daniel narrowed his eyes. “You remember what caused it?”
Ethan said.
Daniel shook his head. “Alright. Let’s say I believe you. How do we fix it?”
Ethan said, voice almost reverent.
Daniel snorted. “You’re not exactly in a body.”
Ethan said.
Daniel leaned back again, slower this time. “And if it works…”
Ethan said.
A long silence followed.
Not strained. Just loaded.
Daniel saw the shape of the plan now. It wasn’t seduction. It wasn’t political infiltration. It was utility. If they healed the one person Sophie Virelyn couldn’t afford to lose—they didn’t win affection.
They earned trust.
They bought access.
“And if it doesn’t work?” Daniel asked.
Ethan replied.
Daniel stood and paced toward the far wall, where lab glyphs shimmered against the stone.
“Three months,” he said. “That’s all we’ve got.”
Ethan agreed.
Daniel looked up at the ceiling, took a breath, and exhaled hard.
“I’m going to need better robes.”