Like the shadow, a figure appeared out of nowhere and took its place in the leader's seat.
The doubts that linger in their heart about whether someone's disguising as Queen quickly faded away as soon they saw the appearance.
Icey cold eyes with a stare as sharp as a piercing dagger emanating ruthlessness that can freeze one bone.
There was no doubt that she is the Queen of Shadows who used to rule from behind.
Riya stared at the members gathered before her and was satisfied after seeing that no one was missing. If she found today that some had left or betrayed the organisation in her absence, she would personally hack his skull open to send a message.
After gaining fame and getting the title, Riya decided to form a small independent organisation who were free to do what they want but have to respond to her call in times of need and follow her orders.
Almost all of them work for big assassin organisations and many were saved or helped by her in one way or another.
And some even hold high posts in Secret Night Order, the biggest assassin organisation throughout the Continent.
Riya rested her arms on the armpit and raised her chin to cast a sinister smile and said"Why are you all surprised? Did you think that I will be out of touch just because I took a break in the business?"
Everyone shook their heads in fear and sat down on getting her signal.
"I will directly get to the point."
"Did anyone request an assassin order or bounty on him?"
They knew whom she was referring to and tried to recall the things.
"Queen, I don't think there is any order issued on him till now."
Riya raised her brows and asked, "Are you sure about it or did you all forget the task I have given you?"
The people present broke out in cold sweats and swallowed their saliva in fear because if an order was issued and they didn't know about it, they were sure that they would be going out here in a coffin.
"I am sure of it. If you have doubts, I will try to look at the intel."
Riya turned her gaze and stopped pursuing the matter.
"I knew, I can trust you, Uncle Mag."
Mag wiped off the sweat from his forehead after getting her confirmation.
Even though he was a half-Saint realm powerhouse, he was still afraid of her.
He still remembered that stormy night when she slaughtered three Saint realm powerhouses and wiped out the entire noble house. Her power erupted like a volcano and rose to Mythic rank in an instant and the horrifying demoness look on her face was deeply etched in his memories and sometimes, he still has a nightmare about it.
It was such a huge matter that it could bring the whole Empire's attention to her but the leader of the Secret Night order personally blocked the information and the blame was shifted to another one.
The leader was quite a secretive man and no one knew about him and had seen him. It was said that there was no one left alive after seeing him.
He may be a king or a noble or a street vendor on the side but even though he had an anonymous identity, he still created such a mammoth organisation.
The night on which Queen rampaged was later known as Order of Night Blood.
This was also one of the reasons why he decided to lower his head and work with her.
"Queen, can you please tell us where you have disappeared and will you make an appearance regularly from now on and resume the work."
Riya looked at the guy named Rob and said"Rob, have I ever asked you what you do in your free time or have I interfered in your work."
Rob swallowed his saliva and shook her head.
"And as for your second question. I will make an appearance if the situation calls for it. But, I don't think I will work as an assassin anymore." Riya answered everyone's curious gaze.
"But Queen, what if the leader orders you or forces you to work as an assassin."
Riya's expression turned cold and her eyes flashed with a murderous glint.
"He will not."
"I don't know what your relationship with Alex is…. I mean Prince Alex." Han, who just had a slip off the tongue,almost wet his pants, saw Riya darkened hollow eyes.
'This guy is itching to be killed.'
Everyone knows in the whole organisation that you can't disrespect Alex or call his name casually.
Yeah, you can do that if you have guts of steel and want to wake up in hell the next day.
Mag coughed a little to ease the situation and spoke," Queen, there is a thing I am worried about."
"I am not asking about Prince Alex's relationship but we wanted to know about your resolution."
"Previously, the assassin orders placed on him didn't come from big forces but now since Prince Alex is still growing and there are chances of getting the title back, there is a chance of assassins' orders on him coming from big forces.
"If the opposite party is huge to contend with, we cannot reject it otherwise we will incur their wrath and end up getting killed. Though our organisation isn't that frail to get uprooted I'm one the day when the conflict of interest arouses one tends to take the easier way."
"Everyone present out here holds a high seat but when the matter gets worse, the decision would be made by the leader and we can't influence him," Mag explained with a worried look.
Riya sighed and stared at the ceiling with a blank expression.
This was also what she had been worried about.
Alex's growth was extraordinary and if he gets his title back, the others wouldn't take it lying down after all, another member of the throne adds more difficulty for them.
It wasn't the main problem rather the real problem lies in security. Every member of the Royal family had their forces and imperial knights looked after them.
It's not that they hadn't suffered any assassin, rather it all failed but Alex didn't have that kind of force. He may get his squad and protector after becoming Prince but would the parties from other Prince's side wait for that to happen?
Moreover, killing Alex is like killing two birds with a stone. Since the royal family had strict rules not to kill the siblings, one can use this chance to blame the other and disqualify him from the race of the throne.
And in this type of situation, The Emperor calling Alex to the capital was akin to asking a sheep to step into a tiger's den.
The more she thought, the more restless he became.
Riya stood up and ordered"If such a situation occurs, you need to report me. Send me the signal through the rings."
"If you can't find me, just take the order and report that the assassinations failed or kill the assassin who received the order."
Riya's figure slowly melted into shadow and she disappeared from their sights leaving behind a sentence.
"Prince Alex is my benefactor who saved my life unknowingly. Even if I sacrifice my life this isn't enough to repay him."
"If anyone doesn't want to remain in this organisation,you can leave the place, otherwise if I caught the wind of betrayal, I don't need to say about the consequences."
A hushed silence prevailed in the place after Riya's words echoed in their ears.
