During the half-day journey, Elion bathed as he had intended to before indulging himself in so long-overdue sleep.
When he woke the next morning, he felt remarkably refreshed. The smaller aches and pains lingering throughout his body had all but vanished, leaving him feeling almost as good as new. After washing his face and stretching his limbs, he instructed one of the servants to bring him so food, which he proceeded to devour rcilessly before bidding good morning to the Saints, who, as expected, had not slept at all.
Alexander, however, still appeared to be resting.
With good reason.
The darkness outside had only just begun fading from the sky.
As Elion finished his al, a stray thought entered his mind.
’I wonder what happened to Zenovia and Aeron.’
He had initially assud they would be among the people the island stopped to retrieve along the way, but that had not been the case. He should probably ask soone about them when he has the chance.
He was a little worried.
The last ti he had seen them, they had been preparing to investigate an obvious trap, long before he discovered Maya’s true identity as a double agent. Maya had ntioned that Zenovia was still alive during their brief confrontation, but she had said nothing about Aeron.
’I guess I will find out once we reach Haven.’
Elion sighed lightly and pushed the matter aside for now.
He changed into a fresh set of clothes, then tied his hair back into the small ponytail he had recently grown accustod to wearing. A few loose strands still fell over his forehead, but the overall look suited him rather well.
He smiled at his reflection in the lone mirror inside the room.
"Looking good, if I do say so myself."
Knock. Knock.
A sudden knock sounded from the door.
Elion walked over and opened it, revealing a stern-looking female servant waiting outside.
"Apologies for disturbing your rest, Sir Elion," she said politely. "I have been instructed to inform you that we will be arriving in a few minutes."
Elion nodded lightly and gave her a smile.
"All right. Thank you. I will be out shortly."
The young woman bowed before turning neatly on her heel and walking away.
Elion raised a brow as he watched her leave.
’That’s odd.’
She seed to be one of the few won he had encountered who were completely impervious to his charms.
Then again, he had noticed that all the servants aboard the floating island were powerful Mages in their own right. So of them likely possessed a deeply ingrained pride in their abilities and potential, making them less likely to be swayed by the appearance of a handso hero.
Elion paused.
’Yeah, I doubt that.’
What woman would not want a chance with an esteed hero?
Perhaps she simply played for the other team. Back in his ti, there had been plenty of powerful won who decided that all n were trash and preferred to share their beds with other won instead.
With those pointless thoughts occupying his mind, Elion left the room and made his way back toward the lounge.
Everyone else was already waiting.
He greeted them with a brief nod before moving to stand beside Alexander.
"I heard there is a victory parade being organised for our return," Alexander said quietly.
Then he fell silent again.
Elion did not know how to respond imdiately.
It was only natural that news of their victory would spread less than a day after the war was deed to be coming to a close. Soone in command had probably beco excited and told a close friend or relative back ho that the fighting was finally over. From there, a few people would have made an effort to confirm the rumours before word inevitably reached the entire city.
The news of lroy’s death, on the other hand, remained contained within a much smaller group.
Not because anyone was deliberately trying to conceal it, but simply because there had not been enough ti for the truth to spread beyond the people aboard the island and the surviving mbers of the coalition leadership.
No doubt, Alexander would have preferred to mourn his father in peace rather than return to a celebration.
However, as the future king, he would have to endure both.
Kings died during wars all the ti. Sotis, they even died in far less climactic circumstances. But to the people of Haven, the end of this long conflict would feel like the breaking of shackles they had worn for years.
They had every right to celebrate.
Alexander seed to understand Elion’s line of thought.
"Don’t worry," he said with a faint smile. "It is fine. It is only natural that the people would be joyous now that the war has ended."
Elion looked at him quietly before nodding.
Fenrir and Noctis rose from their seats.
"We have done our part here, Xavier," Fenrir said, a light smile appearing on her face. "I trust you will handle the rest?"
"Of course," Xavier replied with a nod.
"We will be on our way, then. Any further communication between our parties will go through our subordinates."
She gestured toward the group of Sage Mages waiting off to the side. Then both monarchs vanished before everyone’s eyes.
After their departure, the remaining group left the villa. Xavier covered Elion and Alexander with his aura before rising into the cloudy sky, carrying them away from the island with the Sage Mages following closely behind.
For the first ti, Elion was able to appreciate the true scale of the floating island beneath them. It was monstrously large.
A flying mass of rock that size should have been impossible to conceal from the people below. Anyone who happened to look up at the right mont would probably think they were witnessing a miracle.
Fortunately, it was still early in the morning. The island drifted high above Haven, partially concealed behind layers of cloud and fading darkness, making it difficult to notice from the ground.
’I wonder what happened to lroy’s body.’
Perhaps Xavier intended to retrieve it separately after safely delivering Alexander to the palace, or maybe her had stored it away sowhere safe.
As they descended, Elion caught sight of the distant coastline and the dark shimring waters beyond Haven. Xavier guided them toward the palace’s outer court, where hundreds of people had already gathered below.
An entourage of warriors, nobles, officials, and servants stood waiting to welco the victors ho.
It was a relatively small welcoming party, at least compared to the number of people who would have attended if they had been given more ti to prepare.
As they landed before the crowd, Elion imdiately noticed a beautiful figure standing near the back.
Her hands were folded together in front of her chest, and her eyes sparkled like twin suns. She was looking directly at him.
Isla.
Elion could see the conflict playing out clearly in her expression. She was struggling to decide whether to maintain her dignity as a princess or abandon all restraint and run straight toward him.
Before she could decide, several armoured guards began shouting a welcoming mantra in unison. Cheers and murmurs spread through the gathered crowd as nobles and soldiers alike greeted the returning victors.
Elion briefly glanced around.
His absence would probably go unnoticed for a few monts. He quietly masked his presence and slipped away.
Xavier noticed the movent from the corner of his eye, but he said nothing.
Elion reappeared behind the crowd and gently tapped Isla on the shoulder.
She had been frowning in bewildernt, no doubt wondering how she had suddenly lost sight of him while he was standing beside her brother only monts earlier.
The instant she felt the tap, she turned around in alarm, and the mont she saw who it was, pure joy spread across her face.
Her eyes sparkled even brighter as she threw herself into his arms.
"Oof!"
Elion caught her gently, wrapping one arm around her slender waist as she looped her arms around his neck and buried her face against him.
"I take it soone missed very much?" he asked with a chuckle.
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