Rommath hadn't lost his mind; in fact, he was positively euphoric.
He emptied his vaults, pulling out every precious resource, rare elixir, and nutrient suited for a larva, and laid them all out for the broodmother Laito to devour.
Hahaha... it seems my new master isn't so destitute beggar after all! Look at all this premium stash! Laito thought to himself as he gorged. As a bound broodmother larva, he was the absolute top priority. To this elf, he was a treasure of infinite potential.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect, Laito sched. Not only can I use this to stay hidden and rebuild my strength, but I can also operate in the shadows to see exactly what those old rivals of mine are plotting.
Hmph... you bastards wanted to ruin ? Now it's my turn to ruin you. I'll start by sabotaging your grand invasion! I'll force your descent early and drag you all into a catastrophic, bloody war. Hehehe!
Rommath watched in rapt attention. For the first ti in his life, he realized that watching a grub eat could be genuinely captivating.
"Everything will turn out fine," Rommath finally said. He pulled his gaze away from the feeding larva, stood up, and wrapped an arm around his Queen. "This is just the beginning."
As his wife, the Queen easily heard the renewed hope burning in his voice. "Yes, everything will get better," she murmured softly.
In truth, aside from their absolute sovereignty over a nation, they hadn't lost all that much. As long as Rommath didn't succumb to despair, letting him obsess over raising a broodmother was hardly a bad thing.Far to the south lay the fledgling city of Sophia.
Because the city was being built entirely from scratch, it lacked even the most basic infrastructure. The sprawling settlent was a sea of canvas tents and rudintary shanties. However, thanks to the grueling, feverish labor of countless slaves, the massive outer defensive walls had finally taken shape. Even if it was just a skeletal frawork, it provided a deep sense of security to the laborers and slaves. It ant the feral swarms couldn't easily crawl into their camp while they slept.
Amidst the bustling construction in the heart of the city, Kaelen led lissa into the grand command tent belonging to his Butterfly Mother, Sophia.
"Mother, this is lissa. She is a broodmother of the Dragonlouse Race," Kaelen announced, bowing respectfully. He proceeded to give a full, unvarnished account of how he had encountered her while purging the coastal regions to the south, hiding nothing.
From the mont Kaelen and lissa stepped into the tent, Butterfly Mother Sophia hadn't spoken a single word. She simply stared at lissa, her brows slightly raised, making zero effort to mask her intense, scrutinizing gaze.
Under that heavy stare, lissa felt her skin crawl. It was a completely different kind of dread than the terrifying, oppressive aura she had faced outside the royal castle. She didn't know whether to stand still or take a seat.
lissa offered a deep bow and a polite smile, but it earned her nothing but apathy from Sophia. The worst part was Kaelen standing rigidly beside her, equally silent.
The suffocating, awkward atmosphere dragged on for what felt like an eternity.
"I am sowhat disappointed in you," Sophia finally said, breaking the heavy silence.
She pulled her gaze away from lissa and locked eyes with Kaelen, her words draining the color from his face.
"You have only just returned to the Horde. All of your energy should be focused on eradicating the feral swarms and flawlessly executing the tasks the Horde assigned you. Did you think securing the south was the end of it? What about the central plains? The north? The continental coastlines? Have you ever heard of the commanders of the Third Legion and Fourth Legion halting their crusades?"
It was a severe reprimand, and the fault lay squarely on Kaelen's shoulders.
As a giant prince born of an outsider, his bloodline was undeniable, but to earn the true acknowledgnt of the entire Stoneheart Horde, he had a very long road ahead of him. He needed to accumulate earth-shattering military rits to forge the reputation and faith he currently lacked.
Yet here he was, bringing a woman to et her. It deeply disappointed Sophia.
Kaelen's older brothers were all unparalleled prodigies. Though Sophia hadn't t them personally, her ti in the Horde had taught her their legends. The First Prince, Caelus, was a phantom; even Orion's wife rarely ntioned him. The Second Prince, Kronos, despite also being born of a different race, had lived on this continent his whole life and was far more accepted by the Horde than Kaelen.
As for the Third Prince, Pallas, who had been raised in the royal keep since childhood, his prestige was absolute. In the Stoneheart Horde, saying "the Giant Prince" invariably ant Pallas. Even Caelus was rely referred to respectfully as the First Prince.
Crucially, all three of those princes had been deployed to the brutal frontlines to temper themselves. Struggle ant growth.
Knowing how far behind he was, instead of desperately trying to catch up, Kaelen was distracted by won. It made Sophia furious.
"Kaelen, you are a grown man. I have no intention of stopping you from taking lovers or interfering in your private life," Sophia said, her voice dropping into a stern, commanding register that reminded him of her harsh scoldings from his childhood. "But not now."
"You are a giant prince of the Stoneheart Horde. You are destined to shoulder the heavy burdens of this empire. You must learn to live under the constant scrutiny of countless subjects. That is your honor, and the Horde's honor."
She narrowed her eyes. "Furthermore, you are the King of our Dark Butterfly Race. You carry the hope of our entire people's revival on your shoulders."
Sophia's voice turned ice-cold. She stepped forward and forcefully threw open the heavy flaps of the tent.
"Look out there, Kaelen," she commanded. "Look at the walls. Look at our people. Look at them dragging heavy stone and lumber with their fragile bodies."
"They are master assassins. They are peerless illusionists. But for you—for their King—they have laid down their weapons, stripped off their armor, and beco common laborers."
She was speaking of the entire Dark Butterfly Race. When these hardened warriors had learned that this new city belonged to their King, and that it was to be nad 'Sophia' after their Butterfly Mother, countless of them had broken down in tears. After endless wandering and suffering, they finally had a ho. From the frail elders to the youngest children, every mber of the race had poured into the settlent, desperate to contribute their own sweat and blood to build it.
Sophia spun around, her furious gaze locking onto the Dragonlouse broodmother.
"As for you. If you are harboring ambitions of becoming Kaelen's wife... you are not worthy."
She cut lissa down without a shred of rcy or tact.
The harsh truth was a closely guarded secret within the Stoneheart Horde: every single giant prince possessed the innate potential to reach Demigod status. Therefore, any woman who wished to stand as Kaelen's true equal needed to possess that sa Demigod potential. Anything less, and she would inevitably beco a heavy burden—just as Sophia felt she had beco to Orion.
Why were Caelus, Kronos, and Pallas, despite being fully grown n, all still unmarried? This was the exact reason. To beco the wife of a giant prince, transcendent talent, boundless potential, and exalted status were absolute prerequisites.
User Comments
0 comments from readers