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[A/N: This chapter is [misleading] and will undoubtedly rub some people the wrong way. You\'re witnessing the [old] Ice Phoenix, who will die and be reborn—this isn\'t Evalyn Skye.

The Ice Phoenix was presented as a [toxic woman] with severe trust issues but had endearing traits [Kaze fell in love with]. This chapter showcases her toxic side.

Then you can see the Ice Phoenix\'s endearing qualities in the upcoming chapter.

Evalyn\'s relationship with Kaze drastically changes who she is destined to be. So please reserve judgment and enjoy this beautiful golden era arc.]

—

—Yesterday, June 29th, 2032: Directly Preceding the Lockheed Confrontation—

"I trust that you succeeded?" Kaze asked Evalyn as she walked outside the mansion with Haiden, who was terrified to hear his voice.

"Yes." She confirmed caustically, "I can guarantee they trust you now."

Haiden\'s eyes widened in disbelief, confusion, and confused resentment.

Evalyn looked down at her with a lethal gaze. "Rightfully trustful. Must you see more?"

"No, mam." The woman, whose puffy eyes made it difficult to see, nodded.

Kaze clapped lightly with a slight smile. "While your method was horrifying and disagreeable, I\'m not one to talk.

So thank you, Evalyn. You did remarkably well, and you have my sincere gratitude for solving a crisis I was having genuine difficulty with."

"Were you listening in?" Evalyn asked, turning to him with a murderous glare.

"No-pe." He smacked, "But I can see what you did. It was a ruthlessly effective strategy."

"That\'s rich." She laughed in vexation, "Everything about your statement is backward.

You didn\'t have difficulty solving your problem; you had a problem being loved afterward.

And the way you approached it… the consequences…."

Evalyn glanced at Haiden and back at Kaze with a venomous smile. "Was truly despicable."

Kaze suggested Veronica orchestrate a false allegation, crisis, or scandal harming his reputation.

Before execution, she should obtain concrete, undeniable proof of the contrary.

Once the scandal broke, Veronica could pin the entire thing on his enemies.

It would permanently discredit them, increase everyone\'s trust in his words, and make him a martyr.

Kaze\'s strategy wasn\'t [particularly] despicable and self-motivated. It was a horrifyingly effective tactic he would have used regardless of the situation.

The emperor smiled in amusement as she walked away, dragging Haiden forward without asking him to create a spatial rift or set up a room.

However, she stopped ten feet away.

"Still, what you did was effective for long-term trust and far better than acquiescing to threatful actors and bearing the consequences." Evalyn argued.

"I do not find your methods disagreeable; I\'m only disappointed it was [easier] to prevent this crisis using other tactics."

"Those who strike must bear the consequences, whatever they may be." Kaze replied calmly.

"I am a fair man, but I care not for arbitration once someone attacks me.

The degree of punishment for attackers is adjusted to political needs. Only that, nothing more."

"Is ultimate indifference universal to all people who strike you?" Evalyn asked.

"Of course." Kaze smiled, waving his hand to create a spatial rift, "If someone attacks or [betrays] me, they will all face the same fate.

However, I don\'t rely upon people\'s loyalty to make decisions; I rely upon their will to survive.

The only thing I ask for is obedience to my authority.

So long as a person doesn\'t betray me, what people do—and how they do it—is none of my business."

He gave her an enigmatic smile before walking into the rift and disappearing.

After he left, Evalyn took a deep breath and tugged on Haiden to begin walking.

The auburn-haired woman hurriedly kept pace, terrified of the consequences of angering her.

Haiden cringed in regret as she passed dozens of happy members, who only stopped smiling and cultivating to whisper about the blonde, who was infamous.

Evalyn ignored them and led the auburn-haired woman into the central mansion, down the stairs, and into the room that Kaze gave her on her first night.

Once inside, she shut the door and glared at the Lockheed student with a serious gaze.

"You saw the videos; they\'re true." She asserted, making the woman shake in fear, "Now that you know, do you understand what you did wrong?"

Haiden swallowed nervously, avoiding her gaze. "Biting the hand that feeds?"

"No, you bit the hand of the person who had your life in their hands [before and after] you knew the truth." Evalyn scoffed ruthlessly, "You found him a killer, yet you provoked him?

You wouldn\'t have continued if you thought he was a killer. You were stupid and vindictive for being called out."

The woman began crying again, understanding how foolish she was on all fronts. "I-I\'m… s-sorry."

The blonde scoffed, rolling her eyes. "What are you apologizing for?

Do you even understand the grave consequences of your actions?"

"I-I… g-grave conse-qu-quences?" Haiden stuttered with puffy trembling eyes.

"Yes. Kaze is keeping everyone alive." Evalyn said bluntly, "If you destroyed everyone\'s trust in him, they\'d run out of these walls to their deaths.

They\'d panic and hurt others. The men could treat tomorrow like it\'s their last and assault women to lose their virginity or have it one more time.

That was the consequence of what you did."

Haiden sobbed aggressively, letting tears fall to the floor with her running nose. Her fear turned to fear, shame, and genuine regret.

Evalyn stared at the woman with a serious expression until the student met her gaze.

"Luckily for you, I do believe in arbitration." The blonde declared with fierce blue eyes.

"While your actions were grave, they were harmless and petty one week ago. For that reason, I will protect you from unjust retribution."

The student\'s heart skipped a beat, and her lungs compressed, releasing the immense stress she had built up in the last hour.

"However—" Evalyn said in an ominous tone.

Haiden swallowed nervously, looking at the menacing look in the blonde\'s eyes.

"—protecting you when over two-thousand people seek protection is wasteful."

Her words left the Lockheed student without air in her lungs, forgetting to breathe.

Evalyn looked into the woman\'s eyes with a menacing gaze. "So, as of this moment, your life belongs to me."

Haiden\'s eyes trembled in disbelief, unable to comprehend the shocking words that the gentle, popular Evalyn Skye had declared.

However, a clearer picture of the blonde\'s personality developed in real-time.

"So long as you are [loyal to me and me alone], you will not suffer in times of peace." Evalyn declared, "You will want for nothing.

No one will dare harm you, as you will be under my protection.

While you will live and die to protect my interests, so long as you live, you will enjoy the benefits of protection, reputation, and quality living."

The Lockheed student listened in awe and disbelief, unsure how to interpret the blonde\'s statement.

"Listen, Haiden." Evalyn ordered with an icy glare, "Your life belongs to me whether you pledge your life to me or not.

So I suggest you learn from your recent mistakes, accept my beneficence, and reap the benefits, as only hell awaits those who do not."

"Yes, Evalyn. I promise to serve you from now on." Haiden replied emphatically.

"That\'s good to hear, Haiden." Evalyn replied with a vicious smile, "Because your service starts [now]."

Kaze listened outside the room with his back against the hallway wall. He wore a complex expression showcasing the myriad of emotions he felt listening.

"Is she mimicking me, or did my declarations to General Michaels give her words to express her thoughts?" He whispered. "No… I\'m asking the wrong question."

—

"As of this moment, your life belongs to me.

…

So long as you are [loyal to me and me alone], you will not suffer in times of peace.

You will want for nothing. No one will dare harm you, as you will be under my protection.

While you will live and die to protect my interests, so long as you live, you will enjoy the benefits of protection, reputation, and quality living."

—

"Her demand for absolute loyalty… those are not my words." Kaze whispered pensively, "They\'re the words of the Ice Phoenix. Graft memories, perhaps?"

Kaze Lexicon demanded his subject\'s obedience to his authority, not their loyalty.

The emperor had a zero-trust decision-making model; he removed trust from his orders so he didn\'t have to rely upon their loyalty to get something done.

He only asked for the allegiance and loyalty of the select few he confided with.

As for Evalyn, he trusted her more than anyone else. However, just as she didn\'t trust him fully, he didn\'t trust her completely either.

Ultimately, if she betrayed him, he\'d crush her and her army, so he didn\'t worry about it. At that stage, betrayal would be nothing more than a loathsome memory, not a serious concern.

That said, while the emperor didn\'t completely trust her, he was confident she\'d never betray him.

Evalyn was the same way. She trusted he\'d never betray her but didn\'t rely upon it.

He felt her lack of complete trust was intelligent and rational and had no problem letting her behave [as he expected her to].

In fact, he was actively encouraging it. He wanted her to lead his army and take care of mundane tasks so he could enjoy life. It suited both of their desires.

Encouraging slight distrust showcased how little he valued trust and loyalty when ruling.

The Ice Phoenix also distrusted people\'s loyalty but approached the situation differently.

Evalyn Skye razed the lives and spirits of her minor enemies. Once completely broken, she gave them a good life, protected them, and provided fair laws.

They submitted to her as enemies and were reborn from the ashes of their past loyalties as zealous supporters.

Like a necromancer, the blonde conquered one small group after the other, building an army of supporters with absolute loyalty.

Eventually, her army swept across the Sky Plane until Andrew Killian, the victor of the Killian War, submitted to her and met death at her hands.

"So the question was whether Evalyn Skye\'s natural personality fated her for this approach to life or if it\'s her past memories changing her." Kaze whispered pensively.

The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, waving his hand to create a new spatial rift.

He opened his eyes and walked into the rift with a slight smile.

"I suppose it matters not." Kaze smiled, opening his eyes and walking into the rift, "Evalyn Skye is who she always was, and there is nothing wrong with that.

There is no person in this plane or the next more beautiful. It\'s strange that I still feel that way after over five millennia."