There was a brief silence. Ariana did not know why, but it was like her brain had made a hissing sound and her vision had montarily blurred.
Was this the fourth war, and was that why the Queen Mother had not said anything? Ariana had been curious about why this lady, ever since she woke up, had not talked about her son.
Though Ariana noticed the slight guilt on the lady’s face, her head was too full for her to think deeply on it.
Was her husband going... to—no, that was impossible. Zavren couldn’t. She believed in him and knew that nothing would ever happen to her husband. But her heart began to race. It raced so fast and so loudly that she could hear it herself.
She pressed her lips together as she tried not to think deeply on it. Everything was alright. Everything was fine. At least, she hoped. She pressed her lips together again as she tried to stay calm, but the old woman stared at her worriedly.
She began to feel guilty for saying what she had just said. She had only spoken because she wanted Ariana to know the truth.
She had been curious for months about her silence, yet had never bothered her. For her to speak today ant her curiosity was strong. But telling her had not cald Ariana in the slightest.
"Luna Ariana, do not bother. He never ntioned which king," the old woman spoke softly. Ariana’s heart cald a bit, though the racing was still there. She stared at the sky, noticing that the lady’s eyes were there too. Ariana wondered why the woman always looked up. She noticed the birds flying.
Ariana thought of how, when she was little and saw birds or a flock flying in the evening, she would say they were going back ho to sleep and get ready for tomorrow. Now, looking up, that thought ca to her mind again.
The wind blew gently on her face, and the feeling was so soothing, as though all her pain and worries had been lifted from her chest.
Was that why the lady always stared up? Ariana shifted her gaze back at her, wondering what else this woman knew. She was sure the lady’s silence most tis was because she knew many things.
Ariana was quiet. Had the last ssage been talking about the vampire king? But why did they have to keep the person a secret? It did not make sense to her. Yet she wondered if the queen mother knew and simply did not want to tell her. Ariana stood and turned to the lady, who watched her worriedly.
"Luna Ariana, please do not think deeply on it."
Ariana nodded with a smile and walked to the entrance of the house, where two guards stood.
"Send for Mister Raven, please," she spoke softly. The guard bowed and left. Ariana walked toward the stairs. As she climbed, her lips pressed into a thin line while her thoughts scattered. At this point, she needed to take a risk—a risk she knew even her husband would never approve of.
She entered her room. Leah sat inside, seemingly crocheting a thicker baby cap. Winter would soon be approaching, and the little one would need it.
The mont Ariana stepped in, Leah noticed sothing wrong. She could tell imdiately that sothing was up.
"Luna Ariana, is sothing the matter? You look worried," Leah asked, her worry growing. She dropped what she was doing and stood from the sofa where she sat.
"I will go prepare the bath now. Please, after your bath, have a quick rest, Luna Ariana." Her voice was filled with pleading.
Ariana smiled softly, but before Leah could leave, she spoke.
"You don’t have to worry about that, Lady Leah," Ariana said gently. Leah paused, then turned back. She returned to the sofa. Though she wanted to press further, she decided to let it be.
Perhaps the queen simply did not want her bath now, especially since it was not that late. Maybe she planned to have a late-night bath.
All Leah worried about was her highness taking care of herself. These past months, the queen had cared well for herself, but lately, as the days passed, the light in her eyes dimd. It only returned when she saw her daughter. Apart from that, nothing seed to bring her joy—not even her favorite al, not as it had when she was with her husband.
"What if..little Vreni does not recognize her father?" Ariana suddenly spoke, as if the thought had weighed on her heart for a while.
"Oh, Lady Ariana, I understand what you an. But I don’t think she will. She has already t him, rember?"
Ariana turned to her, smiling softly as she gazed at her sleeping child. Truly, this child was a blessing—always able to bring a smile to her lips. She was curious.
Leah smiled too. From that alone, she knew sothing was bothering the queen.
"Oh, my queen, the day Princess Anavren was born..."
Imdiately those words left Leah’s lips, Ariana laughed softly. She had almost forgotten. Thinking about it now brightened her face. That day had been so much. Zavren had been there the whole ti, and rembering that brought a smile to her lips. Her heart lted as she recalled how tightly she had gripped his hand, yet he did not flinch.
He kept giving her kind words, urging her, reassuring her in the greatest way possible. She could not help but feel proud. Those mories almost made her cry, but she held herself back.
She knew she was strong. She had been all these months. But lately, a deep worry had taken root in her heart. Hearing what she heard from the queen mother today only worsened her fear.
In fact, today showed her how strong she had beco. If this ssage had been given to her months ago, her reaction would have been far wilder.
She walked to the table, took the jug, and poured into a cup with great care. She gulped the water down softly.
"Any more checks from the royal physician?" Ariana asked curiously. Even though her last check for herself and the baby had been a month ago, she wondered if there would be another soon.
"Your highness, I don’t think there will be one for you, but I will ask. From what I know, I am guessing there will be one for the little one, but it should be by the end of this month."
Ariana nodded with a smile. Just then, there was a soft knock at the door.
Ariana walked calmly towards the door and gently opened it. Just as she did, there stood a maid, her head lowered as she spoke respectfully.
"Luna Ariana, Mister Raven is downstairs," she spoke softly.
Ariana smiled, then turned to Leah and spoke with a smile on her lips.
"Lady Leah, I would be back."
Leah nodded with a smile as Ariana walked through the hallways in silence, making her way down the stairs that led to the royal living room. Just as she reached, Raven stood there waiting. He was curious, as it was the first ti the Queen had called for him this late, and it surprised him more than he could admit.
Ariana smiled softly as Raven bowed gently.
"Lady Ariana, you sent for ," he said, and Ariana nodded with a smile.
"I want you to prepare the carriages. Food and water should be stored inside—enough, you and the Seer will need to be here early tomorrow morning."
She spoke firmly. Raven nodded. He was going to do just that, though he was surprised.
Why did the Queen want the carriages filled with food and water? He was genuinely curious. Was there a problem, or was it sothing he did not know? He wondered deeply, yet decided to remain calm.
"Lady Ariana, if I may ask, is there sothing you are preparing for tomorrow?" he asked. He was curious because she was serious. Was she planning to visit the royal village again? He rembered vividly the last ti she visited—she had shared free clothing and personally checked the schools after the complaints of the elders.
She had even made a decree that any local teacher whose class did well would be rewarded, with both the teacher and children receiving a special gift from her.
And so now, he was curious if her next step was to share free food and water. He did not mind that at all. In fact, he was in full support. Even though, these past months, he could not help but feel for the Queen since the King had not returned, he still had hope.
He would not forget just how strong the King was, and he was sure their werewolves would win. But he also knew that this particular war was tough—because both kings were fighting for their loved ones. Neither of them wanted to lose what they cherished most.
"I will be going for the war," Ariana declared.
Raven almost staggered where he stood. His eyes widened as his body froze. He fell silent as his brain faltered for a mont. All
at once, he wondered if she was joking, but the Queen was dead serious. She was never the kind to joke—except with the King—so it shocked him deeply.
He was about to say sothing when Ariana spoke again.
"The vampires want the Senerp, and that is what I will give."
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