Time held its breath, allowing the pair to enjoy the fleeting moment for what seemed like an eternity.

　　Konrad then freed her from his grasp, and although she let nothing transpire on her face, Iliana felt a small sense of loss swirl within her abdomen.

　　"Let' get to proper business. I'm sure you must have an idea as to why they wanted to kill you right? Maybe you even know some of them?"

　　The inquiry pulled Iliana back to seriousness, and Konrad could see the shadow of sorrow hidden within her eyes.

　　Following a brief silence, she sighed and stepped toward the three priestesses lying on the ground.

　　"The dead males are head eunuchs, and those three women are among the Holy Consort's personal attendants."

　　She then moved toward Freya and indexed her drowsy face while casting a perturbed gaze at Konrad.

　　"As for her, she is Freya Stein, the daughter of baron Niklas Stein of the golden-eyed lion race. She used to be a court lady working under the Holy Consort, but thirty years ago, she was married to viscount Thorsten Schoner by the Holy Emperor's decree."

　　Court ladies were the superiors of the head palace maids and theoretically were not under the jurisdiction of any consort beside the Empress. However, many chose to join the different factions to pave a better future for themselves. Some of them were promoted head palace maids, but the majority came from n.o.ble families and entered the palace with the t.i.tle.

　　The house Stein was a feeble n.o.ble house, but Freya was a woman of high talent and incredible beauty, so her father sent her into the palace at a young age to serve the Holy Consort and weave connections.

　　She didn't fail his expectations and managed to marry into the Uradel house Schoner which greatly improved House Stein's status and brought them countless benefits.

　　"You may not understand the meaning of "Uradel" so allow me to explain. n.o.bility t.i.tles may not be hereditary, but n.o.bility is. There are two kinds of n.o.ble families. The Uradel that const.i.tute the ancient n.o.bility, n.o.ble houses with more than ten thousand years of history, and the Briefadel, n.o.ble houses with less than ten thousand years of history."

　　"Uradels wield enormous power and prestige within the Holy Flame Empire and can all trace their lineage back to a saint. Viscount Thorsten Schoner is a five hundred years old second step Transcendent Knight with an army of more than fifty thousand troops. He endured public criticism to divorce his previous wife and beg the emperor for an opportunity to marry Freya. That alone shows how much he loves her. But look at what you've done to her…"