Four winters had co and gone, each carving its mark upon the land and its people. The world had changed in ways both subtle and stark, and so had I.
I got down from my bed and stretched my body hearing the satisfying pops and stifled a yawn as I pushed my long hair back.
I was at Aurelius mansion so, I was in Reina’s form and it almost took by surprise as I saw myself.
I caught my reflection in the mirror as I walked by and stopped for a mont taking in the reflection staring back at . Ti had carved its traces upon —not in wear, but in transformation.
Reina Minerva Aurelius.
The woman in the mirror was no longer a girl.
Silver-white hair cascaded down my back in fluid waves, its strands gleaming under the morning light like woven starlight. But hidden within the pale silk were subtle threads of blue, so faint they were nearly imperceptible—until my mana stirred. Then, like whispers of the deep ocean, they would shimr into view, betraying the slumbering power within .
My eyes, once softer in hue, had sharpened into an unearthly blue—deep, piercing, carrying the weight of the abyss. When the light hit them just right, their depths reflected sothing inhuman, a reminder that the blood of a Dragon flowed within .
My features had matured, sculpted into sothing both regal and striking—delicate yet edged with an undeniable strength. High cheekbones, a straight nose, and lips that naturally held a faint curve, poised between amusent and detachnt. My skin, pale and flawless, carried an ethereal glow, as if imbued with the very essence of my lineage.
I had grown.
Slender lines had given way to toned grace, strength woven seamlessly into elegance. My posture, effortless. My movents, controlled. There was no hesitation in the way I carried myself—only certainty.
I exhaled, fingers running absently through my hair.
Ti had shaped , molded into sothing more.
And I had only just begun. I was a full grown woman now but it didn’t help the work that I had. My routine was just the sa everyday, I would wake up, get ready and work all day, sotis staying stuck to my desk or out for the field work to look at my territories before I would return to Aurelius mansion or to Ryujin and sleep after my feast and repeat it in the sa monotonous manner.
Then, on a quiet morning, a letter arrived—one that made the corners of my lips curl into a knowing smirk.
The seal was familiar, stamped with the insignia of a place that though I hadn’t visited but I would soon go to. The sender was a man I had t four years ago. Against all odds, with no support to speak of, he had accomplished what he set out to do. I had anticipated his struggle, expected the road ahead of him to be long and treacherous, yet here he was, proving wrong. A small flicker of satisfaction stirred within . Competence was always sothing to be acknowledged.
But that was not the only letter to find its way into my hands that morning. Another bore the seal of Mordino.
Miri had taken to writing occasionally, her letters growing more frequent as the years passed. This ti, she wrote of her upcoming debutante. She had turned eighteen, and in four months, she would formally step into society’s spotlight. She wanted to be there.
I was tempted to decline. My schedule rarely allowed for personal indulgences, and with the war entering its final stage, my focus was needed elsewhere. Yet, sothing in her words gave pause. I could make ti if I wished to—and perhaps, for this, I did. After all, the tides of war had shifted, and anticipation had begun to hum beneath my skin. The stagnancy of the past four years was drawing to a close.
The world had not simply stood still.
Ocean’s na had beco a whispered force in both social and political circles, carrying weight that few dared to challenge. The number of people under my wing had multiplied, their loyalty fortifying my influence like an impenetrable wall. If I had once held power, then now, I commanded the very currents of it.
The Oasis Foundation had grown beyond re recognition—it had beco untouchable. An empire in its own right, thriving under careful governance and unrelenting ambition.
The kids at Eldarf were close to gaining control of their full potential as well, they had grown up now and were a formidable force under my wing. The most powerful force that I would command in the future.
And Kai.
He had stepped into the light as my legitimate heir, no longer a naless child but a figure that nobles and commoners alike observed with wary admiration. At only nine, he carried himself with a presence beyond his years, his training sharpening him into the image he aspired to be—my shadow, my successor. The servants had taken to calling him my son, revering his rapid progress, his discipline, his hunger to be more. I did not correct them.
He had earned it.
In another few years, he would have his own debutante, marking the beginning of his true responsibilities within the Foundation. But before that, there was another matter at hand—my own.
Three months remained until my own debutante, the formal introduction that society had awaited with bated breath. But I would not step into that hall alone. My brother—my only choice for a partner—had yet to return. That, too, needed to be corrected.
The war had drained the nobility, leaving only a handful of us standing strong. Those who had heeded my advice, investing in business and resource managent, had weathered the storm. The rest... they crumbled, drowning in the consequences of their own negligence. Yet, for the monarchy, things fared far worse.
A decade had passed since the war began, and with it ca famine, poverty, and restlessness that simred like a fire beneath the surface. The people no longer murmured their discontent in hushed voices; they spoke it aloud, heavy with desperation.
Denril teetered on the sa edge, struggling to maintain its grip. Mordino, on the other hand, had begun its ascent, its influence spreading as power naturally gravitated toward stability. But I had warned Miri against pouring too much of her kingdom’s wealth into aid. She would need it for the future. She had listened.
Exhaustion clung to the land, and with it ca an opportunity.
I had waited long enough. It was ti to move.
Preparations for my departure were swift, instructions left behind in ticulous detail. I would be away for only a few days, but every decision in my absence needed to be accounted for.
Lyall, ever the embodint of precision, was already prepared. He waited by my side, his expression unreadable as always, though I knew him well enough to recognize the anticipation in his stance.
Without another word, we set out.
The teleportation device took us to the borders and I waited in the cave on the mountains after sending a raven.
Nox had co along since I couldn’t leave him back for such a long ti, he had grown too in this ti. He was as large as a raven now and his eyes were brimming with the strength of my mana. He was capable of harnessing a portion of my mana as his own and I had trained him to so extent to carry out so duties as he was smart and had a good mory. Currently, he was on the stone slab beside snuggling to my side.
Lyall kept an eye on the surroundings as I relaxed on the stone slab staring off in the distance.
"Can I ask you a question, Master?" Lyall spoke up and I humd.
"Are you really going to let him be?"
I looked at him and understood what he was trying to say.
Asher Lewinstein. He had made his move in these four years and quite unexpectedly at that. The place where he had trespassed was my information guild. He had managed to seduce Rose and got engaged to her. I was happy to see them together as Rose seed to genuinely like him but I couldn’t help sure of Asher’s intentions. He could be pretending to love her to exact a revenge on .
I couldn’t do anything to make Rose change her heart so, I had told her everything about what happened in Denril and she assured that she trusted Asher and he wouldn’t break her heart. I just hoped he didn’t or I would have his heart ripped out.
"It is obvious that he is pretending to be in love with Rose just because she’s the manager of the information guild. He is doing it just to get a revenge on you, Master!" Lyall said and I sighed.
"You think I don’t know this?" I started, "I’ve also warned Rose about it, but she really seems to like him so, I can’t do anything about it."
Lyall’s eyebrows furrowed, actually, Rose has already known everything about Asher. When Asher approached her for the first ti she had reacted by finding out information about him and the only source she got the intel from was Lyall. Lyall had told her every bit of his life and also the fact that I had broken his heart.
Rose was a wise girl and she knew what she was dealing with, she was strong enough to handle stuff that’s why I had made her the manager of my information guild. Asher had been gaining so popularity among my circle so, it was obvious that most people now saw him in a positive light.
I couldn’t underestimate him because he was the kind to play a long ga like . He had been with the Temple for years training and enduring everything just for revenge so, if he was going the sa here then I could only observe for now and make my move when the ti cos. Either ways, even without underestimating him he had no way of doing anything since I had been keeping tabs on him.
If he pulled any move then he would be taken out imdiately. And of course, Lyall knew of this but I could understand why he was worried.
"He’s here." Lyall spoke up.
I sat up and sensed the fiery presence walking closer and closer to the cave’s entrance.
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