The Erald Palace was vast, and naturally, several prisons were hidden beneath it.
As the na suggested, these prisons were used to detain criminals of the Elven race—ranging from minor offenders to the most dangerous.
The prisoners were typically categorized into three classes: petty, moderate, and major criminals.
For petty and moderate offenders, sentences were relatively short—usually just a few years or, at most, a few decades. These cases often involved theft or robbery, but without causing any casualties.
In contrast, major criminals were those convicted of serious cris such as murder or treason.
In the past, the Elves had waged war with the Dark Elves, and naturally, so Elves had turned traitor—providing intelligence and aid to the enemy.
The punishnt for such betrayal was far more severe, ranging from centuries of imprisonnt to, in the worst cases, the death penalty.
At that very mont, in one of the deepest and most isolated cells, a Dark Elf woman was being held.
Her entire body—arms and legs included—was bound in chains. But these weren’t ordinary restraints; they were enchanted with high-level magic.
No matter how powerful the prisoner, escape was impossible. The chains suppressed movent and completely blocked the flow of mana.
Her body bore clear signs of torture—cuts, lash marks, and patches of dried blood still clinging to her skin.
Yet she showed no sign of pain, as though the wounds ant nothing to her.
Had Lavistar seen her now, he would have been stunned.
This woman—the very Dark Elf he had fought—was a master of Arcus, one of the Elven race’s most lethal martial techniques.
*Thud! Thud!*
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor ahead, startling the woman.
She looked up—and saw Zelda approaching.
"Zelda... the Elf Queen of this era, huh? What, are you here to interrogate too?" She scoffed. "Don’t bother. No matter what you ask, I won’t say a word."
It had been days since she was imprisoned here, and in that ti, various Elven warders had co to question her.
Most of them asked the sa things—about her true identity and how she could use Arcus martial arts.
But she hadn’t answered a single one of them, which led to beatings and punishnt. The wounds on her body were evidence of that.
Yet to her surprise, Zelda rely smiled and shook her head.
"No, you’re mistaken. I didn’t co to interrogate you," she said calmly. "In fact, I already know who you are... and your entire history. So there’s no need to force anything."
The woman’s eyes widened. She stared at Zelda in disbelief.
"You’re lying," she growled coldly. "There’s no way anyone could know my identity—not even you!"
"Pfft!" Zelda let out a soft chuckle, stepping forward until she stood directly in front of the cell.
"Why would I need to lie, Virtas Mythalas... or should I say—Auntie?"
Her smile widened, now laced with a chilling edge.
"You..." The woman’s eyes widened in horror. "How do you know that!?"
Virtas Mythalas—that was the na she once bore. She had been born in the sa era as the previous Elf Queen, who was none other than Zelda’s mother.
Coincidentally, she was also the Queen’s younger sister... though from a different mother.
In other words, she was the child of Zelda’s grandfather’s infidelity—an illegitimate daughter.
Due to a unique tradition in Elven society, the throne is always passed down to daughters, never sons.
Thus, from the very first Elven Queen to the current one, the rulers had always been won.
As a result, Elven Queens chose their partners not out of love, but based on importance—just like emperors or kings from other races.
Back then, her father was one of the strongest warriors among the Elves. For that reason, he was chosen to be the Queen’s consort.
But he already had soone he loved—her mother.
Unfortunately, the Queen’s will was absolute. He had no choice but to obey.
He eventually married the Elven Queen, and from that union, a child was born: Zelda’s mother.
Several months later, however, his true love—the woman he had loved all along—beca pregnant.
That child was her.
The truth couldn’t be hidden for long. When the affair was exposed, her father and mother were branded traitors and sentenced to death.
Virtas, the product of their forbidden love, was allowed to live in the palace under watch. But peace never found her. No matter how long she stayed, she was always viewed as an illegitimate child.
For that reason, she had chosen to escape from the palace. But before leaving, she uncovered many of the Erald Palace’s hidden secrets—including one in particular: a secret martial arts technique known as Arcus.
At the ti, she believed no one would ever uncover that secret. After all, nearly seven hundred years had passed since the incident.
But to her surprise, Zelda had discovered it with ease.
Even so, she quickly composed herself. A resigned smile—one that had never graced her face before—slowly appeared.
"You win, Zelda," she said calmly. "I won’t resist or try anything. If you’ve co to kill , I’ll accept it."
She closed her eyes, ready to accept whatever punishnt awaited her.
As a traitor and forr war leader of the Dark Elves, her death should have been certain the mont she was captured.
Yet, strangely, none of the warders had ntioned an execution.
That’s why she suspected Zelda’s presence had a different purpose.
Zelda simply smiled and shook her head.
"No, I’m not here to kill you. I’ve co to ask for your cooperation."
Virtas’s eyes snapped open, her expression shifting to confusion.
"Cooperation?"
...
"Huh... This workload just keeps piling up. I’m really exhausted."
Inside her office, Liliana let out a tired sigh as she stared at the towering stack of docunts on her desk.
It was all the work she had neglected for the past two days, and she hadn’t expected it to pile up this much.
If she had known it would get this bad, she probably wouldn’t have left it untouched for so long.
But as she recalled how those two days had been spent with her precious daughters, the frustration in her heart lted away.
"For their sake... I’ll give it my all," she whispered, clenching her fists with renewed resolve.
With that, she returned to her work.
But suddenly—
*Knock! Knock!*
"Apologies for the intrusion, Your Majesty the Demon Empress. Saint Arshley has arrived at the palace courtyard, and we respectfully request your presence to welco her."
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