PRINCESS Tzeitel was restless as soon as she returned to her room. She kept walking back and forth, thinking about the snow-haired elf trapped in the forbidden dungeon.
“Who is he?” She mumbled. The question preoccupied her mind. Despite her reluctance to make a snap judgment, she inferred from the elf's hair color that he belonged to a Hanum royal family.
I need to know who he is, she thought.
Tzeitel sat on her bed. She only had a few days left before the wedding. If she wanted to help the elf escape, she must do it now. However, considering how tight the security in the Elsher Estate was, it may be impossible for her to do it without compromising her identity. Worse, she couldn’t return to the imperial city alive.
The next morning, Cariux picked her up again. He was waiting outside the villa holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.
“For you,” Cariux said, smiling ear to ear, especially when he
ISLAND OF ASTRAEAIRIDESSA kept pointing to the island of Kaitseri on the map as she conversed with her deputy chief inside the war room. They had just finished discussing war strategies with other officials a while ago since the grand fleet of the Empire initiated an attack on the West Astraean shore.“Aren’t you worried we might lose this main base?” Nacht mused. He crossed his arms as he studied the cold expression of the liberalist chief.“You’re not helping, Nacht.” Iridessa heaved a sigh.“Take it easy, Chief. We’ll find a way to save your adoptive daughter.” Nacht teased her again.Iridessa rolled his eyes. “Tzeitel can fend on her own. I’m just waiting for her report.”“Her wedding is approaching. With the Elshers keeping her hostage, how can we guarantee her safety?”Iridessa scoffed. “Worry about your kids, Nacht. If you are not too foo
BAHARINI quickly checked Hisila’s pulse, praying that she could feel even a faint throb, but there was none. It was difficult for her to accept that the lieutenant had already passed away. Silently, she blamed herself for her immaturity; had she heeded Kafle's advice to avoid wasting time in the pit, she might have avoided capture. This tragedy may not have fallen on Hisila if they had followed their plan.“She’s gone,” Baharini’s voice cracked. “It's my fault.”Kafle did not say a word. He looked around to check if he could find Damien and the others, but they weren't there. “We need to keep going,” Kafle said as his face was void of expression. Baharini turned to wipe her tears. She gazed down at Ethros, who seemed frozen on the ground. “Can we give her a proper send-off?” The princess suggested. “I'm afraid we don't have time. Our enemies are approaching. I can't risk your life.” Kafle had to make a hard choice, knowing time was of the essence.Jie finally came to his senses. H
TIEDUS reinforced the water bubble while Pearlie tended to Damien, who was still unconscious. They were traveling southward, holding out not to use their last resort to swim, as it could easily lead to their demise. “Captain Winward will kill us if he finds out we left the lieutenant to die,” Pearlie’s body trembled, remembering Hisila’s sacrifice. “The dead will remain dead. Why would we drown ourselves in regret? It’s useless! This is war, Princess. Thousands of lives will be the collateral. And now we have no choice but to cross the Lightning Sea. Maybe it’ll be our turn to die next.”“I know,” Pearlie gazed down. “Perhaps I’m too young to understand these things.”“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you reach Advani safely.” Tiedus strengthened his resolve, knowing the very low probability of survival. Crossing the Lightning Sea was a suicide.The water bubble came to a halt for a moment as they witnessed the sudden change of turbulent rift in the water from a distance. The roar of thu
TZEITEL observed the three of the Elsher siblings gathered in the courtyard of the main house, drinking in celebration for the upcoming wedding, which would be held in two days. Using her portal magic, she could hear their conversation from a distance. Hidden on the roof of her villa, she prepared to return to the forbidden dungeon.“How’s the feeling of tying the knot, little brother? I heard Grandfather punished you the other day for having a tryst with your lover. How brave you are to disobey our elders while you're with the third imperial princess!” Fenton laughed as he teased Cariux. He raised his wine glass and clicked it to Halix’s glass.Halix chuckled upon hearing the words of their oldest brother. “I can’t believe you’re this immature, brother. You're carrying this duty, a task specifically given to you. You can’t mess this up.”Cariux chugged his wine. “Am I not fulfilling my du
SURV Elsher gathered all the members of the family in the private hall of his residence to discuss their current dilemma. His old face was fuming in anger and scolding everyone.“Father, calm down!” Lord Filus tried to pacify the Elsher patriarch. “It already happened. An ordinary person could not even set foot in this estate, let alone abduct our source of healing power.”“What are you trying to say, Filus? If you were not so lax around here, this would not have happened!” Surv pointed his finger to his eldest son. “If that creature managed to return to Hanum, how would we answer to the empire?”“We control a military might in the North, we have the strongest armies. Who would dare to provoke us? I heard the intruder used an advanced technique of portal magic. Only Iridessa is capable of doing it.” Lord Filus sounded calm.Surv gritted his teeth. “A mere rebel dared to trespa
DESPITE the current predicament of the Elsher Estate losing their precious captive, the marriage alliance between Cariux and the third princess still pushed through. The noble feast was held a day before the wedding, and several members of the imperial family had come to Kaitseri, including King Malik.Princess Tzeitel pretended to warmly welcome her family. Her two older sisters came to her just to assert their dominance since, just like her, they were married off to the powerful families to support the empire.“I can’t believe our youngest legitimate sister is getting married now,” Princess Gweyr giggled. She was the first princess. She came along with their second sister, Princess Eletha.They were in the receiving hall, and all the ladies from aristocratic families had gathered there, and some of them showcased their music skills. The festive sounds reverberated around.Eletha playfully touched Tzeitel’s hair. &ld
AS TZEITEL scurried to return to her villa to check on Izvern, she was not expecting to see his brother waiting on the entrance without his usual two guards. Agni seemed agitated.“Brother, what are you doing here? I thought you left since I haven’t seen you in the banquet hall.” She turned to her ladies-in-waiting behind her, headed by Marina. “Leave us. I need some time alone with my seventh brother.”“Yes, Princess.” Marina stepped back before she turned along with the other four maids.“What are you up to?” Agni stared at her eyes as if he saw through there the dangerous things she did.Tzeitel looked down. “What do you mean? Come in. So many prying eyes around.”“Do you think I will not notice how restless the imperial armies are around the estate? I sneaked to the nearest military camp; everyone seemed to be in chaos searching for something. I know how schem
ON THE rocky shore of West Advani, Pearlie crawled with her severely injured body while carrying Nyssa on her back, while Damien remained unconscious near them. The huge waves had helped them reach the island.The dawn was breaking, but the sounds of the night insects could be heard around, along with the turbulent splash of the waves and lightning piercing from the sky.“We are safe now.” Her tears kept falling from her eyes and turned into pearls as she recalled Tiedus’ heroic sacrifice for everyone to reach the shore of Advani.“Captain, wake up. We’re here,” Pearlie whispered through her dried throat. She felt her body was on fire.Pearlie fought hard not to lose consciousness, knowing they might meet their demise with the wild animals around if no one could rescue them. Fortunately, as her vision started to get blurred, she witnessed two gigantic birds—a falcon and a raven hovering above them.“It’s them!” said the man riding the giant falcon. It was Criston holding his golden gr