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FARIS was no longer wheelchair-bound. She strode into the meeting room on steady legs, calm as ever. There, she faced the overwhelming aura of the Lehrsatz Dragon Knights, all lined up in rows to guard Igor. She gracefully glided down the red carpet and took the seat at the very back.
In her tiny hand, the Sacred Spear seemed far too large for her. The lavish chair, used for audiences with the emperor, was a bit too high up for her, but she firmly sat down, though her legs must’ve been dangling in the air. The Sacred Spear still in her hand, she placed an arm on the armrest.
Igor was the one pushing the meeting along. After some formalities, they sat at the needlessly long table while the scribes jotted down some meeting notes.
“Now then, let us first discuss the whereabouts of Crown Prince Gerald…” Igor started.
“If I may, Duke Lehrsatz?” Faris interrupted as she gently raised a hand in the air. “I’d like to first discuss the ordeal regarding the Order of the Arks.”
Igor glanced at Jill, who nodded back.
“Very well, you may continue,” Igor relented.
“First and foremost, I’d like to apologize,” Faris said. “Dragon Consort, I’m deeply indebted to you. You spared me and the Sacred Spear—I cannot thank you enough for that. And I apologize to those of Lehrsatz who were dragged into this battle. Please be assured that Kratos will fully cooperate in aiding the restoration efforts.”
Those around her were confused by the queen’s laudable words, but this was a mere formality.
“I understand that we’ve formed a pact against the Arks, but I’ve become convinced that we require even more cooperation. Kratos and Rave must work together harder than ever, and I’m sure our citizens will be understanding of this issue,” Faris said.
The queen and the Sacred Spear had been stolen, and no one would dispute that it was vital to eradicate the Arks.
“I find it imperative that the Rave Empire and Kratos Kingdom unite to fight against the Arks, but that shall be a separate matter entirely,” Igor replied. “I don’t intend to muddy the waters about Crown Prince Gerald and the allegations of murdering our previous emperor.”
“Rest assured that this is all connected,” Faris replied. “When the Arks abducted me, I happened to see my brother—I mean, the former crown prince of Kratos.”
Everyone murmured in confusion, but only Jill furrowed her brows, unable to read the queen’s mind.
“With all due respect, when was this?” Jill asked. “I haven’t seen him at all, and none of the Arks’ bases showed any signs of Prince Gerald. In fact, there weren’t any traces of him anywhere.”
“Oh, dear Dragon Consort, are you protecting my older brother?” Faris asked.
“That’s not my intention.”
“But may I remind you that you likely only got in contact with the Arks because witness accounts claimed that my brother was sniffing around the Arks’ base? Is that not so?” Faris smiled as she firmly declared, “My brother—no, Gerald the Rebel, sided with the Arks.”
Jill didn’t know what to say as the people across from her murmured louder.
“The reason is clear. It’s because I took the throne instead of him,” Faris said.
“Do you truly believe Prince Gerald would do something like that?!” Jill shouted.
“Why don’t I answer your question with one of my own, Dragon Consort? Why don’t you doubt my brother, even a little?”
You deserted my brother, after all, Faris’s eyes seemed to imply.
“Rebel Gerald was so ambitious that he tried to quickly kick the previous king, Rufus, off his throne,” the queen said. “When he heard of my ascension, he must’ve panicked. After killing the previous Rave emperor, Rave’s anger became focused on Kratos, and he likely thought he could garner support since he’s so adept at military and political affairs. Hence, he killed the previous emperor, seduced by the Arks—no, he must’ve cooperated with them.”
Her words were all half-truths. Indeed, Gerald had killed the previous Rave emperor, but it was to save Natalie.
“It’s an act of sheer folly, showing full contempt for the Goddess,” Faris explained. “And we of the Kratos Kingdom shall never forgive such an act.”
From the corner of her eye, Jill noticed that Igor had glanced at a high-ranking official, signaling them to swiftly leave to fetch Hadis. The Dragon Consort’s gaze wandered to Lawrence, who stood diagonally behind the queen. The strategist, noticing Jill’s gaze, flashed a liar’s smile back—it looked so horribly cold.
“Rebel Gerald is hiding away with the Arks,” Faris said. “We also know where that location is.”
“Where did you get that information?!” Jill yelped. “When I searched the Arks’ bases, I didn’t find anything like that!”
“Kratos has already started efforts to destroy the Arks, after all.”
Jill looked at Billy, who assumed a position on the opposite side of Lawrence, behind the queen. Margrave Cervel knitted his brows, narrowed his eyes with pity, and gazed at the ground. It became crystal clear to Jill.
Faris, Lawrence, House Cervel, and the entirety of Kratos had decided to cut Gerald loose.
“Gerald is lurking in the floating city of Beilburg,” Faris explained. “That city is filled with people under his influence. Marquess Beil once stood at the helm, didn’t he? I believe Prince Risteard is trying to form an engagement with the daughter of Marquess Beil.”
“What are you getting at?!” Jill replied.
“Please be at ease. I don’t plan on accusing her of being influenced by the Arks, yet. But before matters become too late, I’ve sent former king Rufus to get rid of the rebel.”
Just then, a soldier burst into the meeting room. They asked Igor whether the duke wanted a status report, and Igor clenched his fist atop the table as he encouraged the soldier to continue.
“I received a message from the floating city of Beilburg!” the soldier reported. “They’ve spotted many Kratos forces crossing the border! Under the command of Prince Risteard Teos Rave, the Northern Division has been dispatched!”
“Oh dear, has there been a miscommunication of sorts?” Faris wondered.
“That seems to be the case, Your Majesty,” Lawrence replied. “We had military forces on standby near the border to search for you, so we must’ve acted too quickly.”
Jill almost leaped out of her chair when she heard the audacious conversation, but hands on both of her shoulders locked her in place. Camila and Zeke, her knights, had pushed her down. Jill tried to order them to let her go, but she reconsidered her words when she noticed them gritting their teeth with frustration.
“Please quickly tell them we are not enemies,” Faris said. “Our actions are based on the pact to eradicate the Arks, and our goal is them, and only them. We promise not to lay a finger on the beloved citizens of the Rave Empire.”
Jill dug her nails into her palms. Where did this start? From when did they commence this plan? she thought. Did they plan it from the start? Were the dragons just a coincidence? Then what about the stolen Sacred Spear? Jill hadn’t the faintest clue. She had no idea but forced a smile onto her face—she couldn’t act afraid before the battle had even begun.
“The promise was not to go to war, wasn’t it?” Jill asked.
“Indeed. Quite right,” Faris replied, her smile growing as she maintained her friendly attitude. “We have no intention of going to war. This is the purge of the Goddess.”
Faris quietly moved her lips, making them easy to read without uttering a word, “The Dragon Emperor had once done the same, drowning the continent in a sea of flames.” Her eyes were icy to their cores.
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“AH,” he said as he gazed up at the sky.
He couldn’t remember—that was logic. But he could easily imagine what his past self must’ve done. He could think of all sorts of hypotheticals, much like how humans dreamed.
If Hadis didn’t get a Dragon Consort and couldn’t clear up any misunderstandings with his siblings, he’d be forced to live alone. And beyond that is only…
“What did I do?” he muttered.
Things were getting noisy behind him. He heard his vessel call for him, and with every flap of his tiny wings, silvery particles of magic scattered about. He could see the tips of his wings turning translucent, but surely, it was just a trick of the light.