Duke Arthur Aurelius was a sincere and kind-hearted man, he had grown with the love and care of his parents that’s why he had developed the nature that only sought good in the people.
But such a nature was bound to be bruised by the coarse and hard minds of the people who only sought their own interests in the world.
Arthur’s kind and ek nature was loved by his wife Serene who unlike him was a strong-willed and fierce woman. She wasn’t scared of speaking her mind and would do what she wanted even if it displeased her father.
Arthur loved his wife dearly and losing her had crushed him but he still gathered himself for his son and his newborn daughter. He knew he was the only one for them so, he had to do all he could for them. They were everything for him, his son, Rune was a gentle and kind boy who would fulfill his responsibilities well and loved to take care of his ailing sister.
Reina was born with a weak constitution which made it hard for her body to withstand any stress. Upon diagnosis, it was realised that the amount of mana that she was born with was too much for her body and that rampant running mana was the reason why she was constantly in pain. It was a miracle to see that she had recovered from that, but even he had noticed that the soft-spoken and sweet child had sohow changed after recovering.
Yet, Arthur blad himself for it, he blad his incompetent nature because of which his children had to risk their lives to solve his problems.
After that, it was like Reina was beco more and more like her mother. The exceptional intelligence, the courage, the maturity was sothing he had only seen in his wife. If she were alive, he wondered how the picture would be.
He often fantasized the life where his wife were alive and they would be living happily together, he wondered what his wife would think if she got to know of their daughter’s feats. She would have been proud and would have been supportive if not asking for so tasks herself.
But he was still quite lacking. He couldn’t calm his heart whenever he would hear of his daughter being in so dangerous place or being hurt. It would break his heart and remind him of the darkest mont on his life when he had lost his wife. He didn’t want to go through that pain again, but he couldn’t even bring himself to stop Reina.
Amidst all this, there was only one person who could empathize with him. Never in his life had Arthur thought that the man whom he was so scared of could beco the only person to whom he could confess of his worries. It was his father-in-law, Serene’s father, Marquis Desmond Fairisles.
"I know I can’t stop her from doing what she is doing," Arthur said as he sat before Marquis Fairisles.
It had taken him a lot of courage to co up to him, and also a couple of glasses of strong wine.
He sat before Marquis Fairisles with his eyes glazed and fingers trembling.
"But whenever I hear of her being in danger, it... I just heard recently that she... she was working on so forbidden spells and it backfired..." Marquis’s eyebrows shot up hearing that.
"What?"
Arthur nodded, his voice cracking further, "She-She almost died..."
Arthur tried his best to not let the tears leave the threshold of his eyes.
"H-How could I ever forgive myself if anything happens to my children? I... don’t want to be in their way but I also want them to be safe..."
Marquis sat quietly for a mont before he hesitantly reached out and placed his hand on Arthur’s trembling ones.
"I understand."
Only those two words were enough. Arthur couldn’t hold back his emotions, his anguish, his worries and his pain from years back ca crashing down like an avalanche.
Marquis sat silently as he watched his son-in-law weeping before him, it was a rare mont. He hadn’t ever dreamt of it but Marquis gingerly reached out and patted Arthur’s shoulder, a quiet act of consolation and empathy.
After he had cried for a good fifteen minutes, Arthur Aurelius sat sniffling, his eyes had gone red and puffy, his cheeks flushed as he sat there. Marquis sighed before he placed a glass full fo water before him.
Arthur drank a few sips before he looked at Marquis Fairisles.
"Can you talk to her about it?" He asked.
Marquis Fairisles had always supported Reina in her every plan, he did make it sound like a business deal but he would still be glad to be a part of her ideas and watch her grow. It was his way of watching his daughter grow again. Serene wasn’t at the level of trying to change the very foundations of the kingdom and getting involved in wars and all but he could see the familiar streak of strength and intelligence of his daughter trickled down into his granddaughter, with the sa eyes and the sa fiery determination.
"I’ll talk to her," Marquis answered and Arthur looked up at him, the usual hesitation and fear in his eyes were not to be found now.
It was as if he found an acquaintance to whom he could confess his worries and whinings.
"Please give her a good scolding too,"
Marquis wasn’t the type to indulge but he watched Arthur with a blank expression despite his icy eyes softening, "All right."
Arthur was still drunk so he ended up nodding off in Marquis’s room.
Presently, Ocean/Reina felt guilty for worrying her father, although it wasn’t her mistake in the first place but she wasn’t completely innocent about what happened.
An apology was a must.
"I’ll go talk to him," Ocean sighed and Marquis Fairisles nodded.
Ocean had almost turned to leave when he stopped and half-turned to look back at Marquis Fairisles a small smile gracing his charming masked face.
"Besides, thank you for talking to my father, Grandfather."
Marquis humphed turning away and Eric approached them.
"Master, Your Excellency?"
Ocean simply waved at him before he walked away and Eric watched, slightly confused.
Ocean looked around for Duke Aurelius but he couldn’t see him. He knew Duke Aurelius was in attendance for the banquet then where was he?
Ocean spotted Rune talking to Duchess Konstantinos. He still hadn’t made an acquaintance with her and sooner or later he would, but as of now, he needed to ask Rune about where their father was and talk to him.
Ocean moved ahead nearly bumping into a figure that blocked his way.
"Lor- Marquis Ocean, do you have a mont to spare?" It was Zale Turquoise.
"I’m busy," Ocean spoke sidestepping but Zale stepped in again.
"I’m afraid, the matter that I wish to discuss is of great importance and apart from you nobody might be able to solve this issue."
Ocean exhaled through his mouth before he gave him a semi-hard stare.
"If I deem it unimportant I’ll leave imdiately." Ocean spoke and Zale nodded.
"Speak," Ocean spoke and Zale looked around.
"Not here, let’s head to sowhere private." Zale said.
The two n walked out of the banquet hall through the backdoors that led out to the garden. The sky was darkened by the thick clouds and the chill in the air made Zale shudder a bit but Ocean remained unperturbed.
After walking so distance and having not a soul in sight Ocean stopped and crossed his arms at his chest.
"We’re fine here, say what you want to say."
Zale sighed as he turned to face Ocean, his oceanic blue eyes muddled with turmoil as he asked, "Has Lord Dragon-"
"Address as Marquis here, Zale, are you trying to announce my race to the world?"
Zale seed even more tensed as he gritted his teeth and then sighed, "Please pardon , Marquis. Have you happened to learn anything about the strange happenings in the Elvenland?"
Ocean’s eyebrows narrowed, Elven land was the land of Elves, a land forbidden for humans and shifters. The only species that were tolerated with the Dwarves and possibly rfolk but what could be happening in Elvenland that made the King of Nelius Ocean to be so worried?
And the lack of the system’s notification was even more of an indication that it was yet to be his business.
"No, I haven’t heard anything." Ocean said.
Zale looked even more disturbed now, "I... got this news day before yesterday, Elvenland seems to be close to breaking out in a civil war."
Ocean’s eyebrows froze for a mont but he gave him a slow nod a gesture for him to continue.
"Since Elvenland’s boundaries are surrounded by Nelius Ocean’s, we have seen peace for a long ti. We also engaged in trade and there are amicable relationships between the citizens but since a month ago, Elvenland had closed its boundaries for trade and tourism without giving an solid reason. We found it strange so, we sent so delegates to see if everything was all right but even they had to turn back. Elves are usually unsociable so, I feared if soone of my kingdom caused so friction or sothing so, I had been relentlessly searching when the Ortbon delegates at my kingdom departed to the news of what they found."
"Apparently, there are two factions among the Elvenland, the natural Elves and the Dark Elves. Usually the natural Elves were the superior ones and had their throne but sohow the Dark Elves had started amassing strength by so unknown resources and have been polluting the natural habitat of Elvenland. The plague is running through the lands and the vegetation is also dying. The Elves are trying to sort things out but a civil war seems like the only remaining option now." Zale explained.
Ocean frowned a bit, "Is negotiation not on the table?"
Zale shook his head, "They tried but... you must know how the relations are between the natural Elves and the Dark Elves."
Ocean nodded, asking them to even be in the sa place together would be putting a lion and a tiger in the sa cage, both will fight to death for dominance.
"So, what does that have to do with ?"
Zale flinched, looking taken aback, "You... don’t find this situation distressing, My Lord?"
"It is but not quite urgent for , it’s a war between the races of Elves, what would an outsider do?" Ocean asked and Zale stared at him.
"Lord Dra- My Lord... Elves have been the one race that had worshipped you devotedly since forever and when they are in such dire tis, you don’t think it’s up to you to help them?"
Ocean averted his eyes, no notification had popped up yet.
"I’ll think about this, there’s still a lot of my plate right now so, I couldn’t rush over to Elvenland to resolve the issue."
Zale looked a bit disheartened. Nelius kingdom and the Elves weren’t that close but they were interdependent on each other. Elves were masters of agriculture and dicine apart from being the powerhouses of mana while rfolk were capable of getting them rare herbs and other minerals that could help them. Apart from that, the tourism industry, cultures and trade of cash and edible crops were often given and taken between the two. So, a blow to one could also injure the other.
Ocean knew a civil war was like a ticking ti bomb that could go off at any ti but he was taking a gamble here, he couldn’t rush into this without any information and there was also no quest from the system or his Patron regarding this so, it was rather safe to keep this issue for later.
Just as Ocean was thinking that, he spotted a familiar figure strolling in the garden, his form highlighted by the night lanterns that dotted the area and he patted Zale’s shoulder twice.
"I’ll research more into this and see what I can do." Ocean said, "I have so work so, I’ll leave now."
Zale watched as Ocean rushed away before he also made his way back to the banquet hall just as the white blobs started floating down from the dark sky.
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