Chapter 412 – River Kingdom
Rose looked at how her daughter was getting closer and closer to her mother each day.
Knowing her mother, Rose was surprised to see her indulging Valentine with her ti.
The Empress barely passed ti with her when she was a child, after all.
Embarrassingly, that made her both happy and jealous at the sa ti.
’But it no longer matters.’ Rose thought, her eyes lifeless yet sad. ’Only my daughter makes stay in this world. I don’t want to abandon you after what I did. But...’
She paused, afraid of continuing her train of thought. Still, she did.
’If my mother fully accepts you... then maybe... just maybe I can go and leave you in her hands.’
That was all she wanted.
She no longer cared about this empire. In fact, she never did. But now it was worse.
The only things that were making her support the burden her mother was putting on her shoulders were her daughter and Asael.
Mainly Asael.
Rose would not lie to herself. She cared more about Asael than Valentine. But Asael cared more about Valentine than her.
How ironic.
Asael was ready to do everything for her. She was the sa — but only if he was with her, side by side.
He was her shadow. The one who covered and eased her when her world was falling apart.
Now all of that had disappeared. It had been two years already. The wounds and the pain were as fresh as ever.
Sighing, Rose peeled her eyes away from Lydia and Valentine.
She turned on her heels and went away, planning to drown herself in training until her body and mind collapsed.
The mont she disappeared, Lydia turned her head, looking at the sa spot where Rose had just been standing.
She looked at it for a long while before exhaling, softly shaking her head.
’Love... Love... Love...’ she mused internally, watching her granddaughter trying to catch a squirrel with her eyes covered by a blindfold.
’I should be happy with this developnt,’ she continued. ’But strangely...’
She was not.
At that instant, the Empress of the Damned wondered how much she had changed during the past two years. And why she had even changed.
The mont that question appeared inside her mind, Lydia found herself smiling as Valentine succeeded in catching a squirrel.
"Grandma! Grandma! I did it!" Valentine jumped all over, laughing so cutely that Lydia’s frozen heart lted.
She suppressed her smile and bellowed,
"You have four left, Val!"
Valentine imdiately grumbled under her breath and continued, murmuring about how her father would have spent hours praising her for this.
Lydia almost burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Fortunately, she suppressed it once more.
But her body was shaking.
"Faster, Val!"
"I know!!"
...
anwhile, still in the West of Fokay, inside the capital of the River Kingdom, Eau, a black-hooded man was walking among the folks dressed in a strange manner.
Eau was a strange capital, different from anything Asael had ever seen. Well, not like he had seen much anyway.
But the River Kingdom was still a novel place. It was settled deep among mountains, rivers, and adows adorned with lush forests riddled with as many resources as dangers.
One could only wonder how this Kingdom had managed to not be dominated for so long, with so many resources under its nest.
Now Asael knew.
The position of the Kingdom itself was advantageous. With high mountain hills and deep rivers surrounding it on almost all sides, it was a monuntal task to simply attack them.
None was foolish enough to fight a losing battle.
Besides that, with so many resources, the Kingdom was able to develop its economy, train capable soldiers and generals, but also go a step higher by creating tools of war so dreadful that the very nas of them sent chills down the spines of other powerhouses.
The Destroyers of Worlds, the blacksmiths of the Kingdom arrogantly called them.
Asael didn’t comnt on it. He looked around, his feet making no sound against the wooden floor.
The people here were all pale-skinned, tall, with long legs and lean physiques riddled with compact muscles. n and won alike braided their hair.
For won, it was one big knot, and for the n, long locks.
Sotis Asael would see won with two big knots. He once asked, and he was told that those were won still unmarried or young girls who were not of age yet.
Their houses were all made of wood that naturally fell from trees and fur from slain beasts, decorated with flowers of nurous colors.
It was a unique sight, but Asael couldn’t fully enjoy it, knowing what he was ant to achieve here.
’I am tired.’ Asael inwardly murmured before stopping in front of a doorhouse.
He tugged his hood down, exhaling softly. He relaxed his face next, letting his handso features shine through the heaviness in his eyes.
Next, Asael lifted his right hand and knocked on the door three even tis.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
He waited.
But he didn’t have to wait long, as imdiately after, the door yawned inwardly open. A pale-skinned woman with two knots, wearing a maid dress, appeared, with long socks reaching her knees. Her hair was green, with black eyes curved like a mischievous cat’s.
"Well," the woman slurred, "what are you waiting there looking all slurry for, Asael?"
She moved to the side, showing the interior of her ho.
"Enter, will you?"
Asael smiled falsely and took a step inside. "Thank you, Romia."
Romia closed the door behind him, leaned her back against it, and stared at Asael standing in front of her.
"Is everything ready?" Asael inquired imdiately, looking around him.
The house was simple. It was painted green, with essential furniture like a couch, a table, and other unique decorations.
"Yes." Romia said, playing with her two braids. "The Prince has lost his personal Guardian during a fight outside against a Forest Lord. Now he is looking for another one to take over the empty spot."
She smiled.
"This is your chance to step inside the Royal Family, Asael."
Asael nodded. "It indeed is the ti." He acknowledged before eyeing Romia suspiciously. "Still, do tell , how did you make the Guardian die? How did they even believe this story about a Forest Lord? They know well those beings are not so easily reached."
"Will you tell how you managed to find my identity if I do tell you?"
Asael spared her a low smirk. "You fucking wish."
"I guessed so." Romia shrugged. "Then I cannot say anything. However, Asael..."
She strode forward, feet creaking on the tired wooden floor beneath, stopping a couple of ters away from him.
She raised her hands and began to readjust his clothes. Asael was still unused to their styles.
"...I hope you will keep your word." Romia whispered. "It would be a sha otherwise."
Asael looked at her black eyes impassively. "You keep your mouth shut," he grated, "and I will keep mine."
Romia’s lips pulled into a wide, open smile.
"Keeping my mouth shut is the one thing I am confident at," she said.
"As expected of an assassin, I daresay."
"Your voice sounded too scornful, surly Asael."
"You heard wrongly then." Asael said. "When is the selection for the new Guardian?"
"In three days." Romia answered, then took a couple of steps back. "Will you be ready? You are a Grandmaster, but you will compete with Epithets."
"I will not be ready." Asael said. "I already am."
He cracked his neck. "And that, no matter the ranks of my opponents."
He finished, and just at that mont, a sound whispered inside the room.
Snapping their heads with eerie synchronicity, Asael and Romia looked at a small wooden wheel turning, turning, turning.
As their eyes settled on it, the wheel fell.
"What is this thing?" Asael tilted his head, feeling a strange sensation creep into his heart.
"It’s sothing I found here." Romia said, frowning slightly.
Then they shook their heads, focusing on a more important matter.
Asael raised his hand and extended it into a handshake toward Romia. The latter looked at the gesture warily, not understanding its aning.
Asael made an understanding expression, rembering that it was Kaden who had taught him this. That thought made him oddly lancholic.
"This is called a handshake." Asael explained. "It’s used for — huh— I don’t know... maybe between partners or sothing like that, to conclude a deal or others things?"
Romia giggled at Asael’s unsure voice and expression. "Seems like a cool thing." She said, then extended her hand to grasp Asael’s own.
The man retracted his hand just before she touched him.
He glared at her scornfully. "For once, can you stop using your hidden weapons, you fucking assassin?"
Romia cackled. "You sensed it again! Hahaha! Asael, you are so good. How about being an assassin? You have the talent for it, I swear! I would welco you into the Assassins of Threnovar!"
"Shut the fuck up." Asael spat, readying himself to leave, regretting ever showing his handshake to such a bitchy assassin.
Romia laughed as she watched him exit her house without another glance.
Once he was gone, she slowly raised her hand and looked at it. Her face lost all the emotions that had previously painted it.
"A handshake, huh..."
She smiled oddly.
"Interesting."
—End of Chapter 412—
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