Led by the trembling maid into Prince Freckles' room, Emma, standing in for Leon as the primary interrogator, disregarded the chaos that looked like a storm had passed through and politely initiated the conversation,
"Long time no see, you seem to have grown a lot since the past."
Hearing the words of this tall and beautiful woman, the fierce-looking Prince Freckles couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, scrutinizing her for a moment before hesitantly saying,
"You are… hmm… the woman who joined the Purification Bureau six years ago?"
Emma smiled gently, then gracefully threw out a bandage and righted the overturned furniture in the room, introducing her purpose with a calm demeanor,
"Prince Joshua, our Virgin Branch received a request for help this morning regarding rebels plotting against the royal family. We need you to answer some questions. You know, our branch also bears the responsibility of guarding the royal family. However, due to chronic understaffing, there are occasional lapses. To better protect you and your family's safety, we hope you can cooperate with our investigation."
"Tsk… More people from the Purification Bureau…"
Hearing Emma's words, Prince Freckles couldn't help but touch his face, traces of lingering anger in his eyes. But considering the presence of the eerily snake-like bandage, he ultimately refrained from speaking harshly, instead questioning with dissatisfaction,
"Are you even aware of your role in guarding the royal family? Then why do other kingdoms have Purification Bureau staff permanently stationed beside their royal families and even some powerful nobles, while we have nothing?"
"We ask for your understanding in this matter."
Facing Prince Freckles' accusation, Emma maintained her gentle demeanor, responding unhurriedly,
"Our branch's situation is somewhat unique. Our personnel is only a fraction of other branches and, with the Kingdom experiencing frequent anomalous incidents in recent years, our manpower is extremely tight, making it difficult to allocate a permanent team for royal protection. However, our director remains stationed in the Capital City almost year-round and never ventures too far, constantly monitoring the Royal Palace and surrounding areas via anomalous objects. So unless it's an extremely unique situation, the safety of you and your family can be assured."
Prince Freckles seemed still unsatisfied with Emma's answer, continuing to nitpick with a displeased expression,
"If it were standard situations, would we even need you? Isn't the Purification Bureau's existence meant for handling special situations? If you ask me, your director doesn't know how to prioritize. When short on manpower, the royal family's safety should be the first priority, not bizarre anomalous incidents! If the royal family encounters danger, the entire Kingdom will descend into chaos. Those anomalies occurring in other counties, even if blown up, only result in the deaths of some ordinary people, hardly causing any significant turmoil. Why can't those be dealt with later?"
Having endured Prince Freckles' lengthy diatribe, Leon couldn't help but take a deep breath, his wrists trembling involuntarily.
*Damn it, what if I really want to smack him right now? Who on earth taught this prick? How can someone be so infuriating? Speaking of which, your sister's talent is intuition; is your talent attracting animosity?*
"Alright, I will relay your suggestions truthfully to the director."
Not provoked by Prince Freckles' accusations, Emma merely smiled warmly, then gently gestured toward the sofa,
"Prince Joshua, would you mind being questioned by us now?"
"Go ahead, ask away!"
Pleased with Emma's deferential manner, Prince Joshua first sat down in the single seat on the sofa, and Leon and his companion followed suit, sitting across from him.
"Wait a minute, who are you?"
Observing the man across who was covered in a robe and mask, as if fearing recognition, Prince Freckles inexplicably felt a surge of strange aversion, glaring at Leon's mask and scolding,
"She's a grand noble and has the privilege of sitting before me. What about you? Coming in without greeting, sitting directly across from me without a word? Hasn't anyone taught you what etiquette means?"
*The etiquette you're referring to, does it involve using your face to warmly embrace my palm?*
Irreconcilably at odds with this pompous prince, Leon bit the inside of his cheek beneath his mask, amused by the absurdity of it all, and reached out to remove his mask, intending to turn the questioning into a downright interrogation. Yet, just then, a soft, warm hand clamped down, seizing Leon's right hand and pulling him back, gently pressing his knee to signal him to hold back.
"Prince Joshua, if you persist, you'll put me in a difficult position."
Seemingly incapable of ever getting angry, facing Prince Freckles—who seemed to be a walking, talking prickly nuisance fresh from the proverbial sewer—Senior Emma still smiled sweetly,
"He's my colleague, a junior under my wing. He's usually shy and reserved, unfamiliar with proper etiquette when meeting the royal family. I ask for your patience. Besides, he's well-versed in soul, will, and spirit, areas that complement my abilities. Should you ever encounter minor troubles in these areas, he might be of assistance then."
Faced with Emma's soft persuasion, seemingly imbued with a 'calm aura,' Prince Freckles hesitated, finally retracting his thorny demeanor, sighing as he leaned back against the sofa with slight impatience,
"I have business later; hurry up and ask whatever you need."
"Alright, for the first question,"
Gently patting Leon's hand to calm him, Emma spoke with a soft voice akin to a cloud,
"Please, have you ever had private contact with members of the rebels?"
"What kind of ridiculous question is that?"
Prince Freckles frowned, his demeanor unfriendly,
"Why would I have a connection with those people? They want to assassinate me! If I had private dealings with them, wouldn't that be courting death?"
*He's speaking the truth.*
Seeing Prince Freckles' soul flame steady as ever, Leon silently reached out, marking a check on Emma Senior's soft lap through her satin skirt.
"I'm sorry, that was a routine question. Let's move on to the second question,"
Her thigh involuntarily trembled slightly at the feedback. Emma smiled, then continued,
"Prince Joshua, if you had a sister stronger than you in every way and the first in line for the throne, how would you perceive her?"