476: Beneath the Vines ( 476 ) 476: Beneath the Vines ( 476 ) In the Elven Kingdom â Inside the Queenâs Private Chambers The soft sunlight shone through the vine-covered windows of the elven palace.
Inside a quiet room decorated with old tapestries and glowing mana crystals, Queen Mylezra sat on a leaf-carved throne, flanked by her warriors and guards.
Her hair glinted in the light, and her eyes looked at the scroll in front of her.
âMy Queen,â one of the royal officers knelt and offered the latest report.
âYes?â she asked calmly.
âHere is the war situation report.
This is everything our intelligence team has found.â Mylezra unrolled the scroll and looked through it quickly.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
âSo⊠the Amazarak Kingdom has fallen.â âYes, my Queen.â The officerâs voice became serious.
âOur intelligence unit say the halfling troops are in chaosâas if something dark is controlling them.â The Queen put the scroll down and leaned back, thinking.
âThatâs not new.â Her voice had a bitter tone.
âGarius, the Lioness, Veldrac, and Iâwhen we fought togetherâwe learned the signs well.
When a ruler claims a Celestial⊠when they willingly become a vessel and start killing innocent people to increase their power⊠the dark fog gets thicker.
And once it spreads, it corrupts everything: armies, land, minds.
Thatâs why we sealed them long agoâso no one could wake that kind of destruction.â For a moment, there was silence in the room before another officer spoke.
âUpdated reports say that Chieftain Gumarak of the dwarven kingdom is close to collapse.
Theyâre under attack from halflings in the east and King Edmundâs human kingdom in the west.
The roads between us, the dwarves, and the beastkin are completely cut off.
Important towns and routes have been taken.â Mylezra closed her eyes.
ââŠSo Gumarak canât send a formal help request anymore.â The room got tense.
A guard stepped forward.
âWhat are your orders, my Queen?â âNothing,â she said firmly.
âWithout an official request or a formal letter asking for help, we canât act.
If we interfere without permission, both the human kingdom and the halfling empire might see us as enemies.
We canât allow that.â Everyone remained silent as her decision hung in the air.
âReinforce the borders between us, Amazarak, and the halflings.
Double the patrols.
Set up five quick military bases near the border wallâfully supplied and ready to move if needed.
If the situation turns worse, I want our troops ready.â âAs you command, my Queen.â They bowed.
Knock, knock.
âHmm?
Who is it?â âItâs me, my Queen.â âCome in.â The ornate door creaked open, and a tall elven man with silver-streaked green hair stepped inside, wearing armor with the royal family emblem.
Mylezraâs eyes lit up with amusement.
âAh, brother.
Come inside.
What brings you here?â Her older brother, Mizilim, looked tired, arms crossed.
âAt least act like a queen.â âHm?
Weâre related by blood.
Why should I pretend?
Besides, this is my private chamber, not the throne room.â âUghâŠ
suit yourself.â He rubbed his temple before continuing.
âAnywayâŠ
any news about Liana?â âOh?
Your youngest daughter?
My dear niece?â Mylezra smiled faintly.
âI saw her recentlyâduring the summit at the Beastkin Royal Palace.
Sheâs working under Count Garius of House Armand.â Mizilim frowned.
âSoâŠ
she still refuses to come home?
Her mother misses her.â âJiiii~â Mylezra teased.
âItâs not just your wifeâyouâre her father too.
Donât pretend you donât miss her.â âUgh⊠Y-yeah, of course I do.
Iâm her father.
Sheâs my daughter.â âWell, donât expect her to come rushing back,â Mylezra said with a shrug.
âSheâs waiting for someone.
Thatâs why sheâs still working as a maid in the Armand household.â âW-what?
A maid?!â âHmm?
Is there a problem?â âA noble-blooded elven girlâŠ
working as a maid?!â âHonestly, youâre overreacting,â Mylezra sighed.
âDo you know how well Garius treats his people?
Among all noble houses in the human kingdomsâespecially before the warâHouse Armand is known for paying their staff better than most military officers.â Mizilim hesitated.
âIâŠ
Iâve heard rumors, yes, but stillâŠâ âBesides,â she added casually, âElves working abroad isnât new.
Weâve had ambassadors, bodyguards, teachersâŠ
Why not maids?â âButâŠ
thatâsâŠâ âWell,â Mylezra leaned back with a sly smile, âThatâs what you get for trying to marry her off the moment she turned 13.â âUgh!â Mizilim flinched.
âI was just following traditionâŠâ âAnd she ran off before the wedding plans could be finalized.
Now sheâs 31.
Still a child by our standards, donât you think?â ââŠStill, she shouldnât be cleaning floorsâŠâ Mylezra chuckled.
âSheâs not just a maid, brother.
Sheâs waitingâfor someone special.
Let her choose her own path.â Mizilim said nothing more, but the troubled look in his eyes remained.
Mylezra gave a gentle yet pointed smile.
âAnd donât make me issue an official royal decree just to stop you from matchmaking Liana again.â Mizilim groaned and looked away.
âUgh⊠I wonât.
I got the message.â âGood,â she replied, clearly satisfied.
Then, her tone shifted slightlyâcooler, more regal.
âOh, by the way, brother?â He looked at her again, more serious now.
âHmm?â âMake sure our troops are ready.
Fully armed, fully supplied.
Iâve already sent a formal request and finalized an agreement with the Beastkin Kingdom and the Demon Kingdom.
The Armand region is included as well.â Mizilimâs eyes widened slightly.
âYou forged an alliance?â Mylezra nodded, her gaze sharp.
âIf any of our kingdoms is attacked, the others will respond immediately.
A mutual defense pact.
The tides are shifting, and I wonât let the Elven Kingdom be caught off guard.â ââŠUnderstood,â he said firmly, feeling the weight of her words.
âIâll start preparations right away.â After Mizilim left and the door closed with a soft click, Queen Mylezra leaned back in her seat.
The flickering light from the magical orb reflected in her eyes as her thoughts drifted.
âIt seems⊠befriending Garius was truly the right decision.â She rested her cheek on her hand, a rare softness in her expression.
âNot only did he teach us to always be prepared for the worstâŠâ Her fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.
ââŠbut his foresight, his ability to see beyond the surfaceâhe warned us long ago about the danger of celestial power falling into mortal hands.â Her eyes narrowed slightly as she remembered.
âEveryone called him paranoid⊠but now, even the mighty Amazarak has fallen.â She looked toward a nearby shelf, where a crystal pendantâan old diplomatic gift from Gariusârested inside a protective case.
âYou always said the price of peace is eternal vigilance, old friend.â The orb pulsed gently beside her, still glowing with silent magic.
She watched it for a moment, then softly whispered, a rare note of longing in her voice: âChild of fate⊠Javier, huh?
You must be something else if even he places his hopes on you.â ( End Of Chapter ) CREATORSâ THOUGHTS JakkuSen Have some idea about my story?
Comment it and let me know.