"El... Elowyn?"
But Cael quickly denied it.
Even though that person looked like Elowyn, she felt different. She was more mature. More powerful. More terrifying.
She carried an invincible aura that made every minister in the hall fall silent with just her arrival.
The air itself seed to bend around her, as if recognizing sothing greater than itself.
Cael even thought that person might be Elowyn from the future.
But this was the past. How could Elowyn from the future co to the past? Unless... unless ti travel was possible.
And if this person really was Elowyn, then she had co from the future. That was a possibility.
After all, Cael knew Elowyn had a ti elent.
’Is it really Elowyn?’
He put aside those thoughts and focused on the lady.
The lady walked deliberately, slowly, pacing her steps so that everyone would learn of her arrival.
Each footfall echoed through the throne hall, asured and confident. She wanted them to wait. She wanted them to feel her presence.
Wherever her eyes passed, the ministers lowered their heads, as if they had done sothing wrong.
So trembled. Others could not et her gaze. Not a single one dared to hold her stare.
The lady did not speak as she stood before the king. Instead, she turned her head toward a certain minister, the one who had been quarreling with the king.
But unlike the others, that minister smiled at her. Then he turned back toward the king, his smile still in place.
The lady parted her lips and said,
"You called, your majesty."
Cael was not surprised to find he could understand the lady’s voice.
Like the Monarch, like the Sun Maiden, her words carried aning that transcended language.
Then Cael’s eyes narrowed slightly as he saw sweat running down the king’s face.
The king did not say anything back to the lady. He simply sat there, frozen, his mouth slightly open.
The throne hall was dead silent. No one dared to say anything. The only sound was the flickering of torches and the distant echo of wind outside.
anwhile, the Monarch just stared at the lady. Her eyes contained no trace of worry. She silently watched.
Then that certain minister, the one who had smiled, said sothing. His words were sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade.
The king’s face turned ashen.
The lady looked at that minister with disgust in her eyes. Pure, unfiltered contempt. Still, she said nothing. She was waiting.
Waiting for the king to speak.
Then the king shook his head and said sothing. His voice was weak but carried a stern will.
The minister’s smile froze. His expression cracked. He abruptly stood up and shouted at the king.
Cael was surprised. Although he did not know or understand what was going on, he was genuinely shocked to see a re minister dare to raise his voice against a king.
Especially a king who was under the True Iridescent Monarch’s protection.
Cael looked at the Monarch and carefully observed her.
She was younger than the Monarch he had seen in his first resonance. But she was older than when she had t the Sun Maiden.
So, Cael thought this mont fell sowhere between those two events.
Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the hall, the king lowered his head.
Cael wondered what that minister had said to make the king bow. What words could break a king’s pride so completely?
For the first ti in all his tis of resonances, Cael felt annoyed. At the very least, he wished he could understand what was happening around him.
Then the lady turned toward the minister. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion, as if she were looking at sothing not even worth acknowledging.
Then the lady softly said,
"So, what you are saying is... if we don’t agree to your conditions, your empire will destroy my kingdom? Is that right, ssenger from the Empire?"
The minister, or rather the ssenger, nodded.
Cael finally understood. This was not a minister. This was a ssenger from an empire.
From his behavior, Cael guessed that the empire was stronger than this kingdom. After all, this king had no backbone.
Cael was slightly disappointed. How could a king show his incompetence to the enemy? In his own kingdom? In front of his own people?
Cael inwardly sighed.
’Why am I getting so worked up?’
Maybe it was because that lady looked like Elowyn. Or maybe it was because of the Monarch’s presence.
Either way, Cael was obviously rooting for the kingdom. That was the only reason he felt disappointed at the king, when he had no real reason to do so.
Just then, the lady took one step forward toward the ssenger.
"So, what happens if we don’t agree to your conditions?"
The ssenger was so scared when the lady stepped toward him that he took several steps back, nearly tripping over his own robes.
He stamred sothing, his voice high and trembling.
Instantly, the throne hall erupted with shouting and quarrels. Ministers argued with each other. Guards shifted uneasily.
Even the king looked like he wanted to flee.
Then the lady paused. She covered her mouth with her hand.
"Pft. Haha... hahaha..."
Her laughter was soft at first, then grew louder. It echoed through the hall, bouncing off the walls.
"War? You want to go to war with my kingdom?"
Then her tone suddenly changed. The hint of laughter vanished as if it had never existed. Her face turned cold. Her eyes turned sharp.
"Alright then. Let’s go to war."
The ssenger stared at the lady and said nothing. His hands were trembling. His face was pale as he looked at the king, who said nothing.
The aning was clear. The Lady’s words were the will of the entire kingdom.
Tension spread across the hall. War was no small matter, not when it was against an empire.
The ssenger was shocked.
This was not the direction he had hoped for. He had been so arrogant, so certain of his position, that he had forgotten that even a harmless animal will fight back when pushed into a corner.
Yes, although he was a ssenger, the main reason he had co was also to negotiate. And he had failed spectacularly.
As the ssenger was wondering how to set things right, the knight behind him stepped forward.
Cael noticed that this knight’s dress was different from the others in the hall.
Then the knight said softly,
"Forgive for interrupting."
But his voice reached every corner of the room. It was calm, controlled, and carried weight that the ssenger’s voice lacked.
Cael raised an eyebrow. He didn’t expect he would understand another person’s words.
The knight continued,
"Your Majesty, the Viscount was just jesting. There is no need to go as far as war."
Just then, the Monarch, who had been standing still, took one step forward and asked,
"Hm. You are a knight. How can you deny the words of a ssenger when the ssenger holds the token of the empire? If I am not wrong, that token represents the will of the emperor. Then can we take it that you are denying your own ruler’s will?"
The knight sighed and let out a breath while giving the ssenger a death stare. Then he softly said,
"Please, Lord Valeria. The Viscount made a mistake. When we get back to the empire, I will personally tell the emperor what happened and let the Viscount be punished."
Before the Monarch, or rather Lord Valeria, could say anything, the lady suddenly spoke.
"Heh. It seems the empire was not interested in war?"
The knight slightly bowed to the lady and said,
"Indeed, Princess Luna. The empire did not want any conflict. We only wanted to cooperate together in harmony and—"
But the lady, or rather Princess Luna, said,
"Shut up. Are you hearing your own words? Cooperate in harmony while stating those ridiculous conditions?"
The knight fell silent for a mont. Then he said,
"I agree. The Viscount made a mistake. But we can still negotiate."
Princess Luna chuckled softly.
"Is that so? Then tell , what is my na?"
The knight was confused for a mont. Then his eyes widened in realization.
He imdiately knelt on one knee and said,
"Please forgive my ignorance, Princess Lunara."
Princess Luna smirked at the kneeling knight and said,
"You, a mber of the delegation, did not even address my na properly. Is that truly ignorance, or is it blatant disrespect?"
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