“Madaline, can we talk?”Madaline turned around to see she was standing in the shadow of another goddess. She could recognize the voice of one of the oldest ascended gods so she turned around to face Uriel. She could only wonder what she was trying to do while the other harbored the same level of suspicion. “I’ve been hearing some unsavory rumors in the heavenly court, specifically about me. I’m not trying to say you're behind those rumors but I would appreciate it if you said something to clarify them.”“Since when did the heavenly court become a common human kingdom where gods are concerned about their reputation? If I recall correctly, you’re always busy, Uriel. I don’t have time to entertain your whims.”“Madeline, I respect you as the familiar of Nataroth. No one denies your position here. I can't understand why you hate me. Did I do something wrong?”“When Nataroth died, the control of the heavenly court landed in your hands. It’s not a position you deserved but one you got non
They made it to the entrance of the mines and Natalia found nothing to be wrong as the path was open and lined with torches that could withstand the air pressure from outside because they were also made from Mythril and could be lit up with magic. Natalia snapped her fingers and the torches all lit up. “Lead the way, Grecia.”“Yes, your grace.” She quickly overcame her surprise and led Natalia through the mountain. There was a ladder leading higher up into the mountain. They didn’t need to go too far to see the rocks blocking the rest of the path and how unsteady it was for any normal person. Natalia assessed the damage and asked Count Brenn to write them down as she spoke. “Thank you for leading me here. Now, I want to hear about your village’s general expenses.”Natalia spent an entire afternoon in the mining town. When she was done, she dropped a pouch that contained 50 gold coins and left while the chief thanked her profusely. There was an awkward silence in the carriage until
Three weeks went by and by some mysterious force of nature, the North started to develop at a steady rate. The construction of the sky tube rails extending to the mining Town drew people’s attention to the North. The mining town had begun expansion and another town was being built in the barren expanse of land in the north. The money inflow was particular and it started to draw investors both from inside and outside of Polivia. Natalia’s ball also drew the most attention. The guest list was extensive and the location was particularly attractive, the newly built castle on the hill in the North. Many were intruiged and it became the single most talked about event of the year. The conference instantly bounced to the back of people’s minds and everyone began planning what to wear to the event. The very first guests she received were her brother and his wife. It was the first time Princess Temara was seeing the castle and she marveled endlessly. She also marveled at the fact that the sib
“Your grace, please, have mercy!” “Why? They’re the ones who wanted to destroy your mines. Why should I save them? No, I’ll send their decomposing bodies as a warning to their families.”“Please, your grace……”“They trespassed MY land and attempted to attack MY people and I’m not supposed to take that as a declaration of war? Letting them slowly die is already mercy. I refuse to show mercy to those rude enough to ignore my authority.”“Your grace, I know they have offended you. But we will not be the reason your grace has to fight against the kingdom. Please, your grace, we plead for mercy,” they cried, falling on their knees. Natalia could see their sincerity and knew they were doing this for her.“Fine, I won’t let them die. However, they will not have their legs either.”“Thank you, your grace! Thank you!” She got them out with a snap of a finger. Their legs resembled twigs, unable to keep their weight up. One of them sauntered up to her and pointed an accusing finger at her face.
“This is really an elaborate ball. You have outdone yourself once more, Duchess Natalia,” Lady Lorelei commented as she walked up to Natalia with a glass of wine in her hand. It appeared like she was already tipsy so Natalia searched for her husband or Duchess Everon in the vicinity. “I have Princess Temara to thank for that. Where is your husband?”“Who knows? I really enjoy the ambience of this ball. How does one even get this much fresh food in the North?”“I wonder that as well. Maybe you should sit down and have some water. I will get someone to fetch some for you.”“Thank….” she hiccuped, “....you.”Natalia sighed, calling the nearest servant to get her a glass of water. The rest of the guests seemed to enjoy themselves, dancing to folk songs and generally laughing and having fun. She never imagined this was the kind of thing that would happen. The balls at Ducroft were a lot stifling with the exchange of fake smiles and making connections. “If you keep staring, you might crea
The dragon appeared like a catastrophe in the skies, spewing fire the moment it came out. The large body covered the skies, leaving trail of destruction. Taking that distraction as a chance, Marvis ran to the door. To his surprise, without doing anything, the doors opened and shut behind him. The sight in front of his eyes were impressive. The torches lining the walls were very obviously fueled by magic, lighting up the several white statues of werecreatures and paintings of regal-looking werecreatures. Their animal-like features that they were always shamed for were fully captured in the paintings akin to human eyes or noses. The statues were also intricate and there were bigger statues depicting the ancient spirits the empire believed in. He felt something begin to heat up in his hand. The single feather Amaika gave him slowly became searing hot until he threw it to the ground. There was a bright light once more and he covered his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, Amaika was s
The lake disappeared like it was never there. They wore their clothes and had to find a way back out of the Ancestral grounds. Taking the same path they came through, the door opened easily for them but the situation outside wasn’t so easy. “I should've known it was you, Marvis.” Marvis felt a shock go through his body when he saw the Crown Prince face to face again after such a long time.“Y-Your Imperial Highness!” “Why did you leave me, Marvis? Why did you leave when I needed you the most? You said you were never going to abandon me and yet you did. What about our promise?” The crown prince asked in a small, sad voice. It made Marvis pause. It made it seem like they were the only two standing there, even though the Crown Prince had several armed guards around him and more taking care of the dragon. “You……you’ve always lied to me, haven’t you? You were never going to do anything you promised. You deceived all of us so you could gain the power to be the crown prince. Now, you wan
“It’s very…elaborate.”“What a nice word to describe big. You do not like it?”“No! I think it looks really nice.”“Okay. Let’s go in before I exhaust all the sophisticated words you can use.” She led him into the castle, giving him a tour herself while Amaika followed behind. It made the servants very curious, especially after she commanded Antonia to open the room she asked to be kept closed. “Do you think that is the master?”“Who knows? He’s a werecreature. I can’t even tell if he’s a he. Maybe a werecreature the Duchess decides to sponsor? Even the one behind him is dressed better. I think I’ve seen him around the palace.” The servants were unaware that all three that were being talked about could hear everything they were saying though they weren’t close to them. Amaika looked very proud, not minding that they were assumed to be a man. Natalia continued giving the tour, ending it in her office. Whilst inside, Antonia brought them snacks delivered from the palace. When she was