After briefing the Eagle Assassins, Damien returned to his room. He closed the door gently, only to freeze at the sight before him.

Jasmine lay sprawled across his bed, exhausted, disheveled, and underdressed.

Instantly, Damien’s eyes narrowed.

Jasmine’s features were delicate yet striking, and her frame was petite. While most women in the Kingdom of Xyperia suffered from slightly rough skin under the dry climate, Jasmine’s skin remained smooth and tender. It was a testament to her meticulous care.

Jasmine used to be slender, but after eating and living well under Shermaine’s care, she had become curvier than before.

The room smelled faintly of Jasmine’s perfume. Damien shrugged off his coat and draped it over her.

The fabric carried his scent–something woodsy, intense. Jasmine found it oddly comforting. She thought, ‘Scary as he looks, he’s kind of thoughtful!’

Then reality hit. She bolted upright, clutching the coat around herself, legs pressed tightly together. “S–Sorry, I forgot this was your room,” she flushed with embarrassment as she glanced at him.

Damien’s expression remained unreadable. Without a word, he walked over to the closet in a black T–shirt, grabbed fresh clothes from the wardrobe, and disappeared into the bathroom.

The shower turned on. Through the frosted glass, Jasmine caught glimpses of his silhouette–tall, broad–shouldered, and powerfully built.

Suddenly, her mind wandered into dangerous territory. Her throat went dry. A mental flash of Damien executing enemies snapped her back to sanity. She thought, ‘What am I thinking? Lusting after him? Really? Now my hormones wake up?’

Gracie yawned sleepily, her eyelids drooping.

Jasmine hummed a lullaby, her gaze soft as she gently rocked Gracie until the baby drifted off. Once Gracie was asleep, Jasmine tucked Damien’s discarded shirt around her like a tiny blanket.

A sudden chill made Jasmine sneeze. She wanted to fetch her clothes, but with Damien still in the shower and potential threats lurking outside, she dared not leave alone.

Instead, she cautiously opened Damien’s wardrobe and grabbed one of his shirts, slipping it on quickly. As she did, something clattered to the floor. It was a gun.

Jasmine thought, ‘A killer’s wardrobe isn’t complete without weapons.’ She picked it up and tucked it back before shutting the door.

Padding around the room, Jasmine checked the windows, locking each one securely.

The guest room was spacious but impersonal, barely lived in. Jasmine thought, ‘Damien probably only sleeps here. No wonder it feels so sterile.’

The bathroom door clicked open. Damien stepped out, the scent of soap replacing any lingering traces of blood. As an assassin, he never liked carrying that smell on him.

Jasmine’s breath hitched. Damien wore only loose sleep pants, water droplets glistening on his skin. Scars crisscrossed his torso, some old, some fresh. Each one only added to his raw, sexy allure.

Curious, she asked, “There are scar–removal treatments. Why don’t you use them?”

“Don’t need to,” Damien said flatly.

“Why not?”

Damien didn’t explain.

Jasmine huffed, “… Uh, I borrowed your shirt. Hope you don’t mind.”

Damien glanced at her. “Return it later.”

She nodded. “Where will you sleep?”

“The couch.”

“That’s not ideal.”

The couch was decent–sized, but for a man of Damien’s height, it would be a cramped fit.

Damien didn’t respond.

Grumbling, Jasmine flopped onto the bed and pulled the covers up, but sleep eluded her. Her thoughts kept drifting to Shermaine and Joshua’s battle.

In Summerbank, the palace lay in ruins, and its grand halls reduced to rubble. The wreckage of fighter jets littered the ground like broken toys.

High above, two mechas clashed in a relentless duel.

Shermaine’s reflexes were razor–sharp, her evasions flawless.

But Apocalypse’s pilot was faltering, fatigue dulling their reactions. A momentary lapse, and Shermaine’s cannon blast struck true.

Apocalypse plummeted, crashing through a wing of the palace, yet the superweapon remained intact.

Inside, Judy pried open a case, withdrawing a syringe filled with golden liquid. Without hesitation, she injected it into the pilot’s arm.

As the aura water surged through her veins, the pilot’s head spun, nausea rising in her throat. Her expression twisted in pain. Then, with a guttural roar, she reactivated Apocalypse, its movements now erratic, frenzied.

Under the influence of the overdose aura water, she launched into a frenzy, shouting orders, “Photon cannon, fire. Bazooka, fire. Frost ray, fire. Thunder cannon, fire.”

The attacks came in a relentless barrage, each more devastating than the last. Smoke and fire engulfed the battlefield. The palace crumbled entirely. Nearby buildings toppled like dominoes. Half of Summerbank would be leveled if this continued.

Judy grinned wildly. No one could survive this. She stared through Apocalypse’s visual interface, searching for any sign of Shermaine, but in the thick smoke, it was impossible.

As the smoke cleared, Shermaine’s battered red mecha emerged. She was alive, having just dodged every strike.

“Again!” Judy commanded. “Use stronger weapons.”

The pilot slammed a red button.

A mechanical voice echoed through the cockpit. “Access denied. Unauthorized command.”

The pilot pressed it again, but the same response followed. “Access denied. Unauthorized command.”

Without the royal family’s bloodline, Judy was locked out of Apocalypse’s core functions. Her fury burned white–hot.

Harry tried to soothe her. “Princess Judy, stay calm. Let me attempt to hack its system.”

“Hurry,” Judy snapped.

Harry’s fingers flew across Orthish’s keyboard. Ten minutes later, he hit Enter, only for Orthish to flash red before short–circuiting. Apocalypse’s AI had fried his Orthish.

“Princess Judy, I’m sorry. I failed,” Harry lowered his head.

“Useless!” Judy slapped him.

Harry didn’t flinch. “We must stall for time. Reinforcements are en route. We need to buy time.”

Judy couldn’t afford to lose Apocalypse or get captured. Even if her army arrived later, it would be too late.

Harry added, “I’ve sent men to Baykeep to capture Shermaine’s daughter. With her as leverage, Shermaine and Joshua will surrender.”

Judy’s rage cooled instantly. “You ordered a kidnapping?”

“Yes. They left the child behind.”

“Any updates?”

“Nothing yet.”

Apocalypse’s guards lay unconscious. Unseen by anyone, Joshua had entered the central control room and overheard the conversation. His eyes burned with fury, and he held a loaded gun.

Leaving Damien in Baykeep was the right call. Gracie would be safe.

Joshua raised the gun, aiming squarely at Judy’s head.

A dying soldier gasped from the floor, “Princess Judy… behind you…”

The warning finally snapped Harry to attention. He whirled around just as Joshua’s gun fired. Several shots rang out.

Harry lunged, shielding Judy. A bullet tore through his arm.

Joshua didn’t hesitate. His next shot targeted Apocalypse’s pilot, but the mecha’s defense system deflected the bullet.

Harry ordered, “Open the cryo–chamber. Release the mutants!”

A subordinate responded, “Yes, sir.”

Joshua fired again, aiming at Harry’s leg.

Harry cried out in pain, clutching his bleeding leg.

Judy trembled, baffled why Apocalypse hadn’t alerted her to Joshua’s presence. Fear coiled in her gut.

Joshua had no mercy for anyone but Shermaine. His methods were ruthless, even crueler than hers.

Judy remembered how Simon had died. Joshua had blinded Simon and then thrown him alive into the deep sea to be devoured by sharks.

Bending Joshua to Judy’s will? It was a fantasy. Joshua was born to rule, not obey. Not everyone was like Harry, who remained loyal to Judy.

“Harry!” Judy cried out in panic.

Harry gritted through the pain. “Joshua, kill us, and your daughter dies too.”

Joshua calmly reloaded. “Eagle Assassins’ best guard her.”

“My men are just as skilled.”

“Really?”

“Your daughter’s life hangs on ours.”

Joshua sneered, opening Orthish. He contacted Damien.

Damien’s voice crackled through Orthish. “Boss.”

Joshua didn’t waste words. “Where’s Gracie?”

The feed shifted to a bed where Jasmine slept soundly, Gracie cradled safely in her arms. Damien reported, “She’s asleep. We neutralized an assassin team half an hour ago.”

Joshua gave a nod. “Good.”

Harry and Judy’s faces drained of color.

Just then, the mutants from the cryo–chamber arrived, lunging at Joshua at feral speed.

Joshua dodged effortlessly.

For a moment, Judy and Harry thought they had a chance, but suddenly, one mutant locked eyes on them. Judy barely had time to gasp before the mutant’s hand closed around her throat, lifting her off the ground.

“Princess Judy!” Harry screamed.

A split second later, a sickening snap echoed through the room. Judy’s body went limp.