For an instant, the world shrank to that narrow distance between them. The weight of unspoken words pressed heavily in the air, thick enough to suffocate.
Had it not been the audience chamber, Reinhardt had the urge to hug the woman in front of him.
It was the sa for the Queen. Though she quickly reined in her emotions and shifted her eyes away.
"While we are on the topic of diplomatic matters, I wanted to talk to you about the Kingdom of Rune." She gestured lightly, changing the subject with practiced ease.
"What about it?" Reinhardt arched his brows.
His thoughts imdiately drifted to Gwen. He had once led an expedition to the Kingdom of Rune to clear one of his mbers and her house from getting implicated in sothing they had nothing to do with.
Why did the Queen bring it up?
The Queen continued. "After Jerrel ascended the throne, he formally expressed his gratitude for your intervention. He passed several decrees that changed the Kingdom of Rune’s internal hierarchy"...
"One of them changed the status of the demi-humans living in Rune. Uplifting their status from slaves to residents. They are no longer second class citizens."
Hearing the Queen, a murmur spread among the ministers. This was the second ti they were this surprised in a day. What’s more, all of it had to do with the knight standing in front of them.
Be that as it may, the current of surprises did not stop.
"And that is not all. King Jerrel also signed a law permitting free migration. Any demi-human who wishes to leave Rune and enter Solaris will be allowed to do so without taxation registration fees or bonded service."
Reinhardt’s eyes widened slightly. Thanks to his efforts and the laws passed in Solaris, it was now known to the world that the demi humans in Solaris are no longer slaves and have the sa rights as the human citizens.
For countless demi-humans who had known only oppression, that single decree was nothing short of salvation.
He knew what kind of ripple effect it would cause. Trade routes, labor balanc,e there will be many areas that will be affected in the Kingdom of Rune after that law.
Reinhardt exhaled slowly. Was this his way of repaying the debt?
The Queen contemplated for a while before speaking up again.
"Your goal is to find a High Elf. If so, starting from the demi-humans of Rune may be wiser than wandering blindly."
Reinhardt paused. At first glance, the connection seed tenuous. But as he turned the thought over in his mind, he realized it was not a bad idea after all.
Demi-human communities were old, older than most modern nations. They held information preserved through their ancient bloodlines, and they sheltered different tribes in their community.
Even if he did not find the elf he was looking for there, he might find so clue. If a High Elf were hiding anywhere, such networks would be quite useful.
He took out the Origin Seed from his [Dinsional Storage].
Reinhardt lifted the seed and focused on sensing its pulse. For a fleeting instant, a direction tugged at him. It was faint, distant, but unmistakably real.
With no surprise, the direction he felt the seed resonating was none other than where the Kingdom of Rune was.
"Alright."
He kept the seed, and without delaying any further, he prepared to leave.
Just then, before he could take more than two steps, the Queen’s voice halted him.
"My knight, follow ." Saying that she did not wait for anyone and walked towards the exit, dragging her long robes across the marble floor.
Reinhardt followed at a moderate distance behind.
After the two exited the hall, the audience hall froze.
Ministers and nobles stood rooted in their place, staring at each other in dismay. The Queen had just abandoned a full court assembly and taken Reinhardt with her. She did not explain anything, nor did she give them a glance.
If not for the fact that they were unaware of both parties’ relationship, they might have suspected that there was sothing going on between the two.
Yet while most of the people in the hall were lost, one man was not.
The King remained seated. That said his fingers were clenching the armrest of his throne tightly. His emotions a ss.
Unlike the clueless ministers, he knew everything. He was aware of the relationship between his Queen and Hero Reinhardt. He knew everything that occurred that night and was aware of the subtle glance and the slight tremor in the air as they stood by each other.
Even the volatile and suppressed emotions that the two passed to each other through their eyes did not escape his observation.
By all ans, he should be angry, murderous even. However, for so reason, he could not help but feel a rush of blood circulate through his body.
And now, as she had left with him alone, the realization sent a tremor through his chest. His heartbeat quickened, each thud echoing too loudly in his ears. Nefarious heat rose from his nether region, stirring images he had long kept locked away.
Images of betrayal, surrender, power, and passion. Images of the two tangled bodies shimring with sweat and sothing forbidden.
The scene created a maddening knot in his heart, one that corrupted his very soul.
The King’s breath grew shallow. The thought of what might happen, what could happen, ignited sothing ugly and intoxicating within him.
If not for the court, he would have already risen and sneakily followed the two to peek at them.
.
.
The Queen and Reinhardt stopped deep within the palace, far from corridors and watchful eyes. The air here was cooler the light dimd by narrow stained glass windows.
Reinhardt barely had ti to register their surroundings before the Queen turned around and dove at him. Her arms wrapped around his torso, and her forehead pressed into his chest.
From this distance, he could sll her tantalizing scent.
He hugged her back, and for a mont they simply stood there. Reinhardt could feel the tension trembling through her body, the restrained emotions clawing for release.
The Queen that he knew was never impulsive. Which ant this was not her.
He observed her carefully and muttered. "Miranda?"
The woman hugging him stiffened. Then she slowly relaxed her hold and glanced up at him.
"You always know," Miranda whispered softly.
Seeing this, Reinhardt sighed inwardly. The Queen’s situation was rather complex. Her body housed two souls. One bore the weight of a kingdom, the other bore the weight of loneliness.
What’s more, there was also that disturbing fragnt sealed within her.
"I couldn’t stay still. Not after knowing that you plan to leave the kingdom for a while. And it’s not just , she too doesn’t want you to leave."
Inside the mind realm, the Queen looked at her other self in panic. Miranda had just confessed her true feelings, leaving her in disarray. Had she known that she would blurt everything, she wouldn’t have relinquished the control of her body so easily.
Reinhardt’s expression did not change much. Ever since that night when they crossed a certain line, he had already viewed and started considering the Queen as his woman. It was also for this reason that he used up a divine oath to protect her.
"I have to leave. To bring peace back to this world, I must revive the World Tree."
Reinhardt allowed her to be willful for a while before gently easing her back.
"How is the egg?"
The question pulled Miranda from her emotions. Then a rare warmth appeared on her face.
"The egg that you gave is extraordinary."
She took a step back, touched the necklace on her, and with a glow of ligh,t the football-sized egg appeared in her arms, cradled as carefully as a sleeping infant.
The mont it erged, the air around them subtly changed. Warmth radiated outward in soft pulses, not scorching but comforting, like sunlight filtering through morning clouds.
Ancient runes traced along the shell’s surface, glowing faintly in hues of gold and crimson, shifting slowly as though breathing. Every pulse carried a depth of vitality so dense it made the surrounding mana feel thin by comparison.
"I carry it with at all tis. It never leaves my side. I’ve been feeding it mana every day just as you instructed. At first, it barely responded. But now it reacts the mont I touch it." Miranda explained.
Then, as if answering her word,s the spotted marks on the egg brightened, and a piercing cry of a bird resonated through the chamber.
Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the egg.
Good... Very good.
He could sense the bond forming slowly. Through the Queen’s repeated tries, a connection that establishes a familiarity trust between the two was being ford.
"You’ve done well. At this rate, when it finally hatches, it will see you as its parent, protecting you with its life."
Reinhardt praised.
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