"Me, coming with you? What made you think I would do that?" Anne asked. Her lips pursed as she leaned forward with crossed arms.

"I don't think you understand the situation here, lady. But I killed every one of your guards in this palace. There's no one coming here and no point in keeping up a strong facade," Rolan trailed off, noticing something odd from the way the Queen behaved. "You seemed too comfortable for a person whose back is against the corner."

"Oh?" Anne sang, "You are wondering huh? Why? Are you expecting me to act like a weak princess, whimpering and begging for your mercy? Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of lady."

Rolan stepped forward slowly, his G17 pistol still aimed at her chest should she try something that would warrant him pulling the trigger. As he neared her, he watched her face reading it for signs of subtlety—There weren't, she remained calm, even to the point of locking her eyes with his.

As Rolan took one step further, Anne suddenly spoke.

"Why couldn't you kill me now?"

"Because I was ordered to take you alive," Rolan simply answered.

"By whom?"

"By my emperor."

"Ah…Alexander huh?" Anne mused as she leaned her back against the chair.

"I will not beat around the bush. Are you, in any way, affiliated with the Black Hand Organization?" Rolan asked.

Anne giggled softly, her lips turning into a smile. "Could you please lower your gun for a second? It's making me nervous really…"

"Answer the question!" Rolan barked.

"What makes you think so?" Anne said, tilting her head slightly as a smirk crept onto her lips. Seconds later, she chortled. "So you came all the way here from Ruthenia, broke into my palace, thinking that I'm part of the Black Hand?"

"Are you?" Rolan returned the question simply.Anne sighed. "That's right, I'm part of the Black Hand. In fact, one of its officials. I'm the Shepherdess of the Britannia Empire, Anne Edinburgh," she revealed.

"Why would you confess that information to me so easily?"

"Why? You were asking right?" Anne replied flippantly.

"Do you think I'm here to play around?"

"Why are you getting aggressive? I simply listened to your query and answered it accordingly. I don't understand why you are being so hostile," Anne, resting her arms on the armrest,

"If you are what you say you are, then that makes it easy for me. I will take you back to the Ruthenia Empire for further questioning. So stand up."

Anne didn't comply with his orders, instead, she asked. "Why not ask your question here? It will save you more time than having me kidnap me out of the country. You must be wondering right? Why do Black Hands exist and why do we do horrible things? I could answer it right now if you'd like."

Rolan grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up forcefully, causing Anne to yelp.

"Ouch…be gentle…"

Rolan pulled out a white plastic cuff and tied it around her wrists tightly.

"Are you sure? You don't want to hear the answer?" Anne asked again.

"Keep your mouth shut," Rolan dragged her by the arm with his left hand while the other hand was holding a gun, armed and ready.

Anne broke away from his grasp by pulling her wrist out of the tight grip. "I'm not going anyway, I belong in this palace. I will not be taken away from my palace. Over my dead body!"

'Huh? What's with this woman all of a sudden?' Rolan thought. It can't be helped then, looks like he'll have to do that.Rolan walked up to Anne and punched her right into her solar plexus, knocking her out of the cold in an instant.

Anne's body fell forward and Rolan caught her. He lifted her up and carried her over the shoulder and started walking out of the throne hall.

As he was walking down the hallway that leads to the exit, his eyes were constantly peeled around the surroundings. He knew that he had killed every royal guard in the palace, double tapping them to make sure, but he couldn't keep his guard down. There must be someone lurking around, finding an opportunity to sneak behind him.

Now that he's carrying an unconscious body over his shoulder, his mobility will be limited, which as result can cause him to a serious hit, now that he had removed his body armor.

Fortunately, no one engaged him, and left the Palace safely like a man walking into a tornado and coming out the other side like it was a gentle breeze.

He grabbed something out from his pouch with this free hand and took an earpiece out of it. He plugged it into his ears and activated the device.

"This is Reaper. I have the package. Will now head to the extraction point over and out," Rolan said before deactivating the earpiece and exiting the palace. He looked for a vehicle that he can use to get to the Port of London, where their transport is waiting.

He found one and hot-wired it. The engine roared as soon as he started the car and he drove away from Buckingham Palace, leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

***

Somewhere in the Britannia Empire. Prime Minister Stanley was sweating on his face after hearing the news from one of the guards.

"What do you mean all the royal guards are dead? Then, where is the Queen?" Stanley asked.

The guard shook his head. "We looked around the throne hall, even in her secret chambers, but she was nowhere to be found. But we found a weapon lying on the throne hall when we arrived there."

The guard flicked his finger, prompting one guard to step forward, carrying a rifle with a peculiar design.

"What is this"

"It's definitely not ours, Prime Minister, but we are certain that it belongs to the Ruthenia Empire. They are the only country that wields peculiar weapons," the guard explained.

"So it was the Ruthenians who took her huh? Very well then. Tell to the people, know that the new Queen of the Britannia Empire has been taken by a tyrannical and ruthless nation called Ruthenia Empire. This will surely boost their morale, and help us with the war effort."

"If it's the Ruthenians then you might as well be worried that they are coming for you," Diana said, who was sitting on the floor among the royal family of the different countries. "The current Ruthenia Empire, if they want something, they'll do anything to get it, no matter what stands in the way. Do you really think a coalition of Europa can defeat the Ruthenian Empire? A country that experienced unprecedented growth in every aspect, especially in the military, where it's so advanced that we are falling behind by a thousand miles. We don't even know their full capability."

"Whose side are you on?" Stanley asked.

"I have no sides," Diana replied. "But I hope the Ruthenians find and kill you."

Stanley scoffed. A second later, a snigger. "You are hoping for the Ruthenians to save you? All of you? Well, I don't think so. They are busy fighting all of us. Well, since you have been declared dead by the news agencies of your respective countries thanks to our control in your puny government, we will put Ruthenia down to his knees and have them join you for your judgment."