~ Chapter 143: A long-awaited reunion ~

[Ayuseya’s point of view]

What I saw in that room located deep down underneath the Pleyades Palace was downright sickening. Those draconian women were chained up like animals and used for the sole purpose of producing more babies. They could not even tell when someone entered the room and there was no spark of intelligence in their eyes. I feared that they had all been placed in a vegetable state where only the most basic functions of their brains remained functional.

Not even a Dungeon was so cruel and mad as to use what could only be described as a female draconian breeding farm. It was unnatural, it was barbaric, it was pure evil.

I barely managed to return to my room while constantly feeling the urge to puke and the desire to rampage and destroy everything in my sight. The thought that all those women down there were my very own blood relatives only made it worse. It was a wonder I was not spotted by the guards or managed to accidentally bump into one of the servants wandering around the palace corridors.

The horrible image of those poor draconian women being chained up and kept in a vegetative state was burned into my mind like a curse I was never going to get rid of.

Upon entering my room, I was a bit careless and accidentally broke off the handle of the door. The metal was simply squished in my grip, and I found myself unable to let it go. I kept squeezing and squeezing, imagining that what I held in my hand was the head of the one responsible for this.

A sharp feeling of pain was what pulled me out of this strange trance drenched in the essence of wrath.

“I’m bleeding...” I said to myself.

As I relaxed my grip and opened my palm, the handle fell on the ground with a dull sound. The pain that I felt was the result of me digging my nails into my palm.

A weak smile formed on my lips as I became aware of how upset and mad I was at what I had seen. Well, who wouldn’t be after seeing their own family members being treated like animals with the sole purpose of breeding? How many cousins, sisters, or stepmothers were in there? Were there more than 2000 women? And what happened to the boys? Were they killed or maybe sacrificed like my mother had planned to do to my child?

It hurts... I thought as I clenched my chest and sat down while leaning with my back against the door.

This pain was the result of me feeling guilty about their situation, feeling remorse for having not known about them and simply abandoning them for a better life.

Then again, maybe aspiring to live better, to be free, to be loved was not the problem?

I kept thinking about these heavy questions late into the night.

The following day, I found myself sleeping at the door while still wearing the same clothes I had on when I went to spy on the city.

What woke me up was the loud banging on the door behind me.

“In a moment, I’m changing.” I replied with a weak tone in my voice.

“Hurry up!” the disgruntled voice of a man came from the other side.

It shocked me to hear him show me so little disrespect, but then I remembered that there were draconian women in this castle who had it far worse than me, the livestock below.

I changed at my own pace, casting off the leather armor for a beautiful light-green and bright-yellow dress, which Illsy made for me a few months ago. It had all sorts of enchantments on it to make it powerful enough to survive the stress applied on it by my Over Supreme moves.

Upon catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, a soft smile appeared on my lips as I was reminded of my beloved husband.

“My love, I miss you...” I whispered.

Putting on a more serious expression, I went to the door and reached out for the handle, but it was gone. I immediately remembered that in my rage, I accidentally broke it last night.

I should get rid of this. I thought as I absorbed the remains in my Storage Crystal and then forced the door open with brute strength.

The metal of the lock bent and the wood creaked until it snapped open with a loud bang.

On the other side a soldier was waiting for me, and I could read the surprise on his face. He wasn’t expecting such a display of strength, but maybe he had yet to realize what I did. From his side, the door did not present any damages.

“Oh my, the hinges must be getting old and rusty.” I tried to joke it off.

“Ah yes... Erm, Princess Vellezya Pleyades has granted you permission to visit her. It would be wise not to leave her Highness waiting.” so he said, but the look in his eyes was one of both disrespect and disgust.

I showed him a smile and then looked into his eyes with all the killing intent I could muster. The air changed around as I released the pressure of my very presence. Although limited in range, it was all focused on this one draconian here.

Sensing the danger, the man stepped back, trembling from head to toe. He could not even control his bowels anymore as he released everything in his pants. I took a step forward, and he shrieked like a little girl.

“If you ever again dare to show this sort of disrespectful attitude towards me or my sister, I will personally send your remains to your family... piece... by... piece...” and then I walked away.

Of course, my anger and wrath could not be subdued with just that. I still had to find the bastard who made the farm below. I had to make sure his end will not be a pleasant one and if he was already dead, I had to destroy his grave and ruin his name. I had to do something... anything to release my anger, my wrath.

Maybe I should reconsider about what I want to do with this country... I do not want to rule it, but... I wonder if my sister can? I thought.

I had known Vellezya since she was a baby. The little draconian girl often came to visit me and join me during a social gathering. Even now I could still remember the many fun moments we had together. As children, we were surprisingly close to each other. There was no sense of rivalry or hate between us, or at the very least, that was I had always believed.

Right now, as I was getting closer to her room, I could not help but wonder just how much she had changed over the past several years. Would she still smile when she saw me? Would she still hug me and ask how I was? Would she still eagerly show me the many plants she had planted and grown with her own two hands?

I feared the possibility that she may have been corrupted by the many nobles here, turned into their puppet with no free will. Even so, it was a possibility I had to accept just as much as I accepted the possibility of nothing to have changed between us.

In front of her room were four maids and two guards standing straight with their hands on the hilts of their swords, awaiting diligently for their master’s call. As soon as they saw me, they tossed me a glare of disgust, but I ignored them. They were so weak that if I slapped them lightly for this act of disrespect towards me and those I represented, there was a good chance I would accidentally kill them.

All of a sudden, I feel like am walking on the fine line between betraying Illsyore by acting against his dream and the freedom of releasing this pent-up anger of mine... I cannot betray Illsy... I have to stay calm. His dream is far more important to me than this silly act of revenge. Keep your calm, Ayuseya. You can do this! I told myself right before I knocked on the door.

“Come in...” this weak reply belonged to the draconian woman I held dear in my memories, but when I opened the door, I was shocked by what I saw.

Vellezya was almost unrecognizable. Wearing a thin white gown and laying in bed in a sitting position, she greeted me with an ever-gentle smile. The dark circles under her eyes told me that she has not been sleeping well recently, but this was the least of the more concerning matters.

The draconian was all skin and bones. Her presence was so weak it felt as though I was looking at an illusion cast by magic. The skin on her hands was cracked, and her hair was falling off. The scales on her cheeks were losing their color, and she gave off the feeling of a very tired woman, someone who had worked for days without rest.

“Vellezya?” I asked.

“Yes, my dear sister. I apologize... If it were possible, I would have met you in different circumstances, maybe at a cup of tea? But now...!” she coughed two times and when she removed her hand from her mouth, she wiped the blood with a handkerchief. “I-I’m sorry...” she said with her weakly smile.

Seeing her like this released a terrible pain within my chest. My breath was cut, and I could not maintain my rigid and stoic appearance. I could not show her my composed face, as tears flowed down my cheeks, and I rushed to her bedside.

This was my sister who was in pain. It was my little sister who would often show me a curious gaze and an energetic smile. Seeing her like this, so weak, and in pain, I could not do it, I could not keep up my ‘princess act’.

“Vellezya!” I cried out as I embraced her.

“Sister Ayuseya... It’s good to see you...” she replied.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” I cried.

“Sister Ayuseya, there’s no need to... apologize. You... did nothing wrong.” she spoke through heavy breaths and patted my head, trying to chase away the pain that coiled itself within my heart.

This pain was most likely caused by the guilt I felt for not having brought her with me, for dumping all of my responsibilities on her shoulders, and also for abandoning her. If I knew back then that she would end up like this, I probably would not have left.

Yet, as I cried while holding her in my arms, I remembered the horrible scene I witnessed on that hidden floor. There was no way my little sister knew of it, and I seriously doubted the older and more powerful nobles of Teslov were unaware of it. Within this Kingdom, chances were that my only ally was this weakened draconian woman in my embrace, who appeared as though she was ready to take her last breath every time she parted her lips to whisper a word.

“Vellezya...” I said when my tears stopped flowing down my cheeks.

“Yes, sister?” she asked.

“Do you hate me?” I closed my eyes as I said these words.

A part of me felt as though it wanted to run away, to flee from hearing the answer that in one way could break my heart, while in the other relieve me of this pain. It was a bet which I was willing to take in order to see if there was still anyone left within this palace who cared for me or if I had been abandoned by them completely.

I had lost my mother when I read her letter back at the Fellyore Magic Academy. My father was a mysterious man I never got to know nor hear anything about, but he was definitely someone who earned the wrath of several of the high nobles in the Teslov Kingdom. That was why, I saw my little sister as my only family here, in this cold and wretched place.

The knowledge I had about Teslov’s legislation as well as international law told me that it would have been impossible to save her in a legal way from the clutches of this kingdom. She had her own destiny, I had my own, and our paths were split back when I left Drakaros for Fellyore.

So, with tears in my eyes, I waited patiently for her answer.

“Sister Ayuseya, I never once hated you...”

“B-But I left you here... alone.” I said, almost as if I was trying to convince myself of my own guilt.

“You followed your heart and left this place.” Vellezya stopped and then pulled out of my embrace so she could look into my teary eyes. “I heard what Dankyun did to you, sister. I felt awful for not noticing what sort of monster he was, but no matter what I or you would have said back then, it would not have mattered. If you did not leave, your fate might have been far worse.” she wiped off my tears and showed me her gentle smile. “I could never hate you sister because within the walls of this palace, you were the only one who treated me like family.”

“Sister...” I could not hold back my tears.

I had intended to come here and show her my dignified self, a draconian woman who refused to bend to the will of the selfish nobles within this kingdom. Someone who stood tall and proud even when everyone spat insults at her. Someone who refused to give up and carved her own path in her life, aiming for the moons and stars up in the sky. Yet, when I looked at my little sister, I felt as though all of my dignity, all of my strength faded away like dust in the wind.

There was no need to show her a mask, I just had to be myself, the same draconian woman with whom she played when she was young.

Vellezya did not say another word, she let me cry as much as I needed while holding my right hand between hers as though she was holding a baby chick. Once my tears had stopped, and I regained my composure, she called the maids outside by the golden bell on the nightstand.

The two of them entered, and without even looking at us, they bowed their heads and waited for their orders.

“Please bring us some tea and cakes, the good kind.”

“Yes, your Highness.” the two turned around and like emotionless puppets left the room.

Once those two were gone, I reached into my Storage Crystal and pulled out a white crystal filled up completely with Magic Energy.

“You should use this.” I told her as I placed the precious item in her hand.

“What is this?” she asked confused.

“It’s a Healing Crystal my husband made. If you use this, you should be able to recover some of your health. It won’t remove the curse, but it will take care of any diseases or poisons you may have in your system.”

“If I can have just another day with my son, I’m willing do anything.” she nodded with a smile and then activated the spell.

In that instant, she was covered in a most beautiful white light of intense Magic Energy. It wasn’t blinding, but within this enclosed room with half-pulled drapes over the windows, Vellezya shined like a star.

“Is everything alright in there?” one of the guards asked after knocking on the door.

They must have been startled by the sudden flow of Magic Energy the crystal gave off or maybe the bright light itself. In their eyes, it should not have been possible for either of us to cast a spell, and they still thought of me as being a weakling, so my reply was a half-truth and half-lie.

“Yes, everything is in order. Just an innocent use of a minor Spell Crystal.” I replied as the light was calming down.

The guards didn’t reply, but I could almost hear them saying that it was such a waste to use it. If they knew what sort of spell was installed in it, however, they would be awestruck.

With the light that covered Vellezya’s body vanishing completely, I could see the major changes that took place. The cracks in her skin were gone, and she regained her healthy complexion. The dark circles under her eyes had vanished, and the air around her had changed. She was not giving off the sickly appearance anymore just that of a very skinny draconian woman.

With big eyes and parting lips, she looked at her hands. Then, carefully, she touched her face and felt her scales. For the first time since I entered this room, I also saw her tail moving under the bed sheets.

“My scales... they don’t hurt anymore.” she said and then tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “I can stay longer by Brachen’s side...” with a soft smile forming on her lips she looked at me “Thank you...”

I was happy to have helped my younger sister, but if nothing was done to change her current situation, then her joy would have been short-lived. Without the curse gone, she would be able to live for another two or three years at best, maybe six if I supplied her with Healing Crystals, but what would have been the point of that?

There had to be a better way.

After another five minutes had passed, the two maids returned with a tray of tea and cakes. They left it on the nightstand next to her bed and then left the room without so much as looking at us. I felt as though they didn’t even see us as draconian women. Considering how most maids in the service of the royal family come from the second or third daughters of noble families and seeing how our current political might within the kingdom was almost non-existent, then I wouldn’t have been surprised if they didn’t hold even a single drop of respect for us.

“While we wait for the tea to cool down, we should talk dear sister. I still remember that day when I met you for the first time.” Vellezya said with a clear change in the tone of her voice.

I’m glad... I thought when I noticed this.

“It was during one of your riding lessons back when you were just seven years old.” she continued.

“Yes, I remember that day.” I nodded. “I was extremely focused on not falling. The voice of my teacher was like a distant echo that kept bugging me with small details. The horse had been trained well enough to obey my every command to the letter, but it would still take me another two years before I could ride him properly.”

“I too started my lessons when I was six, but I was a bit unlucky during my first lesson.” she showed me a wry smile.

“You broke your hand and then the Royal Tutors had to teach you something that didn’t require you to write.”

“They were your tutors as well, Seher Zavan, Margabelle Sango, and Olmanda Rugos. They will teach my baby boy as well when the time comes.” she told me.

“They had been the royal tutors for eight generations now.” I nodded.

“Do you still enjoy participating in political debates?” she asked me.

“Political debates? No, not since I left Drakaros. I never really enjoyed the debate itself as much as the satisfaction of beating older draconians in terms of logic and political arguments.” I shrugged.

“You were smiling every time you won, though.”

“Yes. I cannot deny it. But the reason why I got into political debates was probably thanks to mister Roquanis Hetkins.”

“The Politics and International Laws Royal Tutor?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s him. It all happened on a whim, honestly. When I was 11 years old, he brought me to a political debate in order to teach me the impartiality of the declared law. Afterwards, I kept asking questions about the political problems within Teslov, which eventually reached the King’s ears. He was the one who had me assist as the judge of a political debate between Baron Leonard Hashan and Viscount Bazir Moves.”

“You agreed in the end with Baron Leonard Hashan, which completely shocked Viscount Bazir Moves.” she giggled.

“It’s unfortunate that I don’t remember how exactly I came to that conclusion. I think it had something to do with an ancient law that hadn’t been used in more than twelve centuries, but according to which the land the Viscount claimed to be his was in fact the Baron’s.” I said as I tried to remember, but that debate took place back when I was just a twelve-years-old little girl.

“Since then until you were sixteen, you kept on participating in debate after debate, which for the most part baffled the older draconians and caused many others to either admire you or feel threatened by you.” Vellezya said as she reached out for the cup of tea and touched the side of the porcelain with her finger “Still hot.” she said.

“At sixteen, I was sent to participate in Ambassadorial Debates. Those were far more difficult, but they did not last long. A year later, I learned about the Ball... and then a year later, the Council of Elder forbade me from leaving the Pleyades Palace.” I said as I looked down.

“They locked you up out of fear...”

“Two years later, I was forced into an engagement with Dankyun, who didn’t waste any time to burn my throat with poison. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise because I ended up meeting my husband, Illsyore.” I said with a soft smile.

“The only reason you were able to leave was because you used your knowledge of the law and forced the Council of Elders into either letting you free or risk to be held under the contempt of the King and past Kings all the way to the first Emperor. To think you would find such an old and dusty document hidden in the library.” she giggled.

“It wasn’t my only card, I had several others, my dear sister, including a sure-win move. After all, when you walk up the stand in a political debate you must have more than one means of winning the game. If you become reliant on only one type of attack, you might as well forfeit the game from the very beginning.” I explained with my chin up and a confident smile on my lips.

“For sister to show me such a triumphant look it must mean that you thoroughly enjoyed that last debate of yours.” she asked with a smirk.

“But of course, my dear little sister.” I nodded.

“If I had your knowledge and skill, maybe I would have tried to leave the palace as well, unfortunately... my expertise is in planting flowers and making them bloom. I was never good at either politics or math.” she showed me a wry smile.

I nodded and then reached out for the cup of tea. While Vellezya had a bit of a cat tongue, I did not feel bothered by the heat of my meal. Nanya once tried to prank me by giving me boiled wine to drink, but I did not feel it at all. It did scare Illsy quite a bit. He ended up doing a fully body scan for any internal injuries.

When I moved the cup close to my lips, I saw the brown liquid being pushed back by my Magic Armor. I stopped right before it was about to spill over.

Why is it... I thought and then I realized the most obvious reason why a liquid would be acting like this. Poison... Is she... I looked up from the tea and noticed that my sister’s eyes were not focused on me. She was smiling innocently while looking down at her hands.

The criminal would have wanted to follow my every move like a hawk, to capture in his memories the moment when I made the foolish mistake to drink his poisoned concoction.

Putting the cup down, I asked her “Sister, what happened to your squirrel hairbrush?”

Vellezya blinked surprised when she heard the question. For an outsider, it would fit the general subject of our conversation, but to us, it meant something else.

“It’s still beside me, sister.”

There were no lies in her reply.

When she was young, she had a little pet squirrel she grew fond of, but one day, one of her guards killed it in cold blood because he thought ‘it attacks her’. Of course, that was a lie, but within the palace, we could not do much about it. We could not go and complain to our teachers or anyone else about a dead pet. At that time, I did not find the brutality of that soldier to be out of the ordinary either.

If he would have done the same thing back on Illsyorea with one of my children’s pets, well, let us just say I would really enjoy my next target practice session for my Over Supreme attacks.

After that event, we formed our own little code, through which if one of us asked about a brush with squirrel hair, we would say it was with us if we still considered ourselves allies or away from us if there was something or someone standing between our girl alliance.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better if I poured you a cup of coffee instead of this tea? How about three lumps?” I asked with a smile.

When she heard this, Vellezya’s eyes grew big, and she looked down at the tea.

“Y-Yes... P-Please do.” she replied but she was obviously shaken by my words.

My little sister never liked coffee. She absolutely hated it to the point that when I gave her some to taste, she spat it in my face.

If I ever thought she was in danger, I would just have to ask to pour her some coffee with the number of lumps of sugar being the threat level from one to five. In this case, three meant the possibility of something life-altering or worse.

When I thought about getting up from my seat to go and call the maids, they suddenly opened the door and entered the room. One of them was holding a baby boy in her arms. I connected the dots in my head and realized that this little bundle of joy was none other than my nephew, Brachen. He was still sleeping cuddled up in his little white blanket. He was absolutely adorable!

“It’s feeding time, your Highness. We have brought the warm milk.” the maid holding the baby said.

Snapping out of that cuteness spell, I took the baby out of her arms and then gave it to Vellezya, a gesture which surprised those two.

“Oh my, you don’t look worried about dropping him at all. And here I thought I would have to ease you into holding him.” she giggled as she took the little one in her arms and nuzzled him.

“Despite how I look, little sister, I’ve had my share of diaper changes.” I told her and then turned to look at those two. “Who brewed that tea?” I demanded to know in a stern tone of voice.

“We did. Is there a problem?” the one on the left, with long dark hair, asked furrowing her brow.

“Give me the milk.” I opened my hand, but those two hesitated. “NOW!” I ordered them.

“Sh! Sh!” Vellezya coed the baby boy who got restless because I raised the tone of my voice.

My little sister knew all too well not to get in my way now. This was related to our earlier exchange of words.

The maid holding the bottle hesitantly gave it to me. I snatched it out of her hand and used two drops on my wrist. The white liquid passed through my Magic Armor without a problem, letting me know that it was safe to drink.

Nodding, I turned around and then gave it to Vellezya.

“I’ll be back, little sister, and when I do, I will ask you a very important question.” I told her and then placed a kiss on her forehead. “Take care.” I whispered.

“You too, sister Ayuseya.” she nodded with a smile.

I took the tray of tea and cakes with me and then looked at the two maids.

“Did you also brew the tea?” I asked.

“Yes.” she nodded.

I closed my eyes for a second.

Within my mind, there were several plans being brewed up for how to handle the current situation. Two of them involved kidnapping Vellezya, while only one involved Illsyore. The last one was what Nanya would call a coward’s path. Only the last one did not violate any of the international laws, while the one involving Illsyore had as a result the possibility of having Illsyorea branded as a terrorist nation. I also did not want to rely on the Paramanium Emperor’s power, and there was also the Merchant Guild I had to consider, which was neutral to all forces, yet which didn’t enjoy trading with nations that didn’t follow the international laws.

Politics was a game which was designed in such a way that you could not move forward or even take a step back without risking everything you built up so far crumbling down in the split of a second. It was a juggle of laws, where each one could put a bad mark on Illsyorea, but that was only if I ended up being in the wrong. Only if, Teslov had a bigger political presence than Illsyorea among the three continents.

Legally and politically, in every country in this world, the King or Queen held the absolute ruling decision in their kingdom. Legally speaking, they were above the law. A right which was enforced by the political agendas of the nobles backing them up. To deny a royal this right would mean that all or the majority of the most influential and powerful nobles in a country allied themselves against his rule.

This was different from a coup because the King or Queen still retained their position, it was just that their previous ruling was either denied or never enforced.

Another way to deny this right was to reveal the tyranny of the ruler and his noble servants to the people of the country and then enacting a coup on their behalf.

Whatever I chose today could very well spell out either the doom of Teslov or the loss of trust in Illsyorea’s political promises, from which it was far harder to recover than having to create a nation from the ground up.

There was a saying in the Sorone Kingdom that went like this: You can only be a Hero to your own people, but to the enemy or those who become your enemy, you will always be nothing more than an evil madman.

I could not have Illsyore become an evil madman. I couldn’t do that to him out of my own selfishness to deal with Teslov, that was why my plan had to be perfect or at the very least not lead to putting a mark on my home, Illsyorea.

Thus, after I decided on what to do, I opened my eyes and said “Please follow me outside.”

The two looked at each other confused and then walked out, while Vellezya remained hin her bed and nursed her baby, my little nephew.

Once outside, I gave the plate to the soldier and declared in a stern tone of voice that showed not even the slightest waver or uncertainty “This contains poison. These two have tried to poison both me and Princess Vellezya. You are hereby required per the law dictated by his Majesty to arrest them and if they resist arrest to end their lives on the spot.”

“What? You can’t possibly...” the maid rebuked, but the guard unsheathed his sword.

“I’m sorry, but you have to come with us quietly. If these allegations are true...” he stopped and looked at me with eyes that said he didn’t like me.

“They are true. Proof of this is the health of the Princess. I used earlier a Spell Crystal to cure her of the poison in her system. With one look at her complexion, you will know that I was right.” I declared.

“What makes you sure you can give us orders?” the other guard asked.

“Section 14 of the Law of Royals and Paragraph C line two of the Ambassadors Law. You will find them in the Book of Laws in the library if you wish to check. I believe it was on second raw to the right. Unless you forgot that I was once called Pleyades as well.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Tch! Very well.” he said and looked at his friend “Take them to their cell, I’ll keep guard here, unless the former Princess here has any other complaints to make?” he asked.

“I do, but for now, this will suffice. I will be returning to my room now.” I announced and then walked away.

News of my little display of authority here would certainly reach the ears of the nobles, especially since two of their daughters were just tossed in the dungeon for poisoning a royal. In front of my proof, which was the princess herself, there was no way to spin this around least they wished to debate the laws with me.

Either way, it was time to make my next move.

Thus, upon returning to my room, I closed the door behind me and took out the small device Illsy gave me as an alarm. A call-in case anything bad happened. While this wasn’t an emergency, his presence here was mandatory for my plan to work.

If I remember right, this button is for immediate danger and this one is to be used if I just need help or assistance. I do not want him breaking down walls and doors, so I’ll push the second one. Now, let’s go outside and wait for my beloved to arrive so I can explain to him what he needs to do in order to save my little sister... and possibly Teslov as well. I thought as I pressed the button for ‘Need Help’.