The mayor was agitated as soon as he had seen Yoko Tsurugi. There was something about her that did not sit well with him.


    His instincts told him that Yoko Tsurugi was an ''Alpha'' female and she was someone he did not want to mess with. His instincts also wanted to please Yoko Tsurugi so that she would not be his enemy.


    But the mayor was someone who had always been in control of himself and his surroundings. He was not used to bowing his head to anyone.


    Not only was he rich, but he also had connections in the government and other influential ces. He had never beencking authority before.


    So as soon as he met Yoko, sparks had flown one-sidedly between them.


    Thisdy did as she pleased and that displeased the mayor quite a lot. He wanted Lady Yoko out of his settlement and he had all the right to refuse her entry.


    Except, there was this government order he was forced to follow. So, the mayor could only grit his teeth and wait for Lady Yoko to make a mistake.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And she finally did make a mistake. She brought a wild beast into the clearing and scared the people.


    Surely this was enough to have Ste, the government official appointed to safeguard him, throw Yoko out?


    But that did not happen. If anything, this seemed to be softening Ste''s temper toward Yoko. And the mayor decided that it was not right. He needed to do something before Ste was no longer on his side.


    "Officer Ste, I do not trust Yoko Tsurugi. Keep an eye on her and capture her if you need to. You just need to ensure she does not cause any problems to me and my reputation. Do you understand?"


    The mayor spoke these words to mainly remind Ste that she had a duty toward him and she better not ck in her efforts. He was so proud of himself that he did not notice the look of disgust that shed across Ste''s face.


    "I understand mayor. However, I would like to remind you that I am not duty-bound to save your honor. My only purpose here is to ensure nothing happens to this town for as long as the government is willing to invest in it."


    Ste reminded the mayor of this and he was angry at first. But then he took a few deep breaths and decided to let Ste''s words fall over his head. It did not matter what Ste thought her duties were.


    In the end, the mayor had a n to force her to cooperate with him.


    Once Yoko Tsurugi''s beast harmed a civilian, both she and her beast would be driven out of the town. And the mayor would be the top dog of this ce once more.


    "Lady Yoko, can I talk to you for a minute in my office? You brought that beast into our settlement without any prior notice. And that is something that needs to be rectified soon."


    The mayor asked Yoko to follow him back to his office.


    Currently, Lady Yoko was the only barrier between these people and the Gwazi. If she was not here to calm the Gwazi down, then the people would agitate him for sure and it would snap.


    This way, the mayor would be able to frame Yoko and also ensure that he was safe.


    "Hmm, you want me to follow you? Sure, I will. But just give me a second."


    The mayor was happy at first when Yoko Tsurugi did not raise a fuzz when he asked her to follow after him.


    Instead, she raised her hand and weaved a spell in the air. It shined brightly before that lightnded on the Gwazi. Then, a transparent shield covered the Gwazi and he went back to sleep.


    "What is that?"


    The mayor suddenly had a bad feeling about this shield. It looked solid and difficult to break down as well. If this was a cage to keep everyone else out, then the mayor''s n was in danger.


    "This is just a precaution to ensure no one disturbs the Gwazi. It''s a sensitive beast and it can get spooked easily. But if you remain out of this barrier, then you will not be harmed."


    Yoko Tsurugi exined this to not only the mayor but also to the people listening. Her words were a warning to everyone present here.


    The mayor was frustrated as he watched Yoko Tsurugi cover her grounds. With this, his ns had been washed over. Now he could no longer expect the people to pull their weight in his n.


    The mayor would soon have to think if doing something new to ensure Yoko Tsurugi was thrown out of this town soon.


    Ste watched the mayor leave the clearing with her eyes narrowed. She did not have a good feeling about the mayor this time. But she was an employee who could do nothing about the mayor until he did not breach his contract.


    ''Do I want to get involved in this fight? Me?''


    Ste was surprised at her thoughts. It had been a long time since she had felt something inside her heart. She had locked her emotions tightly until now so she did not have to face them.


    But they were all surging to want out of her now. And Ste was a little scared of them all.


    Continue your adventure at empire


    ''It''s all Yoko Tsurugi''s fault. Why did she have to feel so familiar to me? She is confusing my senses.''


    Ste looked up and her eyes met a pair of calm but determined ones.


    As soon as Sakura looked at Ste, her mouth was pulled down in a frown and an agitated look took over Sakura''s face.


    By now, Ste was well-aware that Sakura did not like her even a little bit. But Ste was not willing to look into the reason behind this annoyed expression.


    She had a feeling she would not like the answer she woulde up with.


    "Everyone, go back to your ces now. The longer you stay here, the more you will agitate the beast."


    Ste''s words were strong but emotionless. It caused the people around her to panic and they began to leave one by one.


    A few brave ones remained until the end, but even they had to leave once Ste gave them an empty but impatient look.


    In the end, only Sakura and Ste remained in that clearing.


    "Are you not going to head in as well, Lady Tsurugi? This ce is quite dangerous."


    Ste warned Sakura with a heavy feeling in her heart. She did not want to interact with Sakura if she could help herself.


    "Worry about yourself first. I have been with Yoko long enough to know how to handle these beasts and what to do in their presence. I will be able to take care of myself just fine."


    Somehow, Sakura''s words made Ste''s heart ache with pain and jealousy.


    The thought of Sakura being close to Yoko made Ste boil familiarly. She had felt like this before, but it had been for Amena and a long time ago.


    "I see. You both are cousins, right? You have a tight bond despite your differences. But aren''t you both a little ''too close'' to each other? Your rtionship is not normal."


    Ste watched anger sh across Sakura''s face. Her words were getting to Sakura. This was good for Ste.


    She did not know why she felt this annoyed with Sakura. But the more Ste saw her disappointed face, the better she felt.


    "My rtionship with Yoko is perfectly alright and within the bounds of socially eptable. There is no need for an outsider like you toment on it."


    Sakura had gotten triggered by Ste''s words. That had not been Ste''s intention. But she also felt good after Sakura was gone yelling at her.


    Somehow, it felt deserved and also uncalled for.


    "There is no need for you to be this agitated at me, Lady Tsurugi. I did not mean to question you and your life choices. I will not talk about this anymore if it upsets you this much."


    Ste''s apology made everything worse.


    Sakura had been calm until now but her face flushed red and her eyes shook as a result.


    "Y-Y-You! Stop it and leave me alone. Just being with you is upsetting me now."


    Sakurained and Ste wanted to point out how unfair it was of Sakura to do so. Ste had done nothing but ask her a question.


    But as soon as Ste realized what she was doing, she stopped and put a lid on her emotions. She had worked too hard to keep them in check.


    She could not afford to let them run rampant like this anymore.


    "I understand. In that case, have a nice day, Lady Sakura. And I will meet you again soon when it is time to escort you out."


    Sakura fumed as she watched Ste go away. To be questioned on her rtionship with Yoko? How dare Ste do that to her.


    Sakura will not forget this humiliation.