It's been 3months since the queen, the prime minister, and the duke had their plan. While Gale has been moving between barracks and meeting different generals, the queen and the prime minister are both cooped up in their respective offices with their whole entourage.
Seeing this sudden moment in the royal family, all the noble families and ministers started to speculate their theories.
While some believed that the recent delegation of Duke Westwind failed to achieve peace and a large-scale war with Quanog Empire is imminent, others thought that there is going to be a peace agreement with Quanog's Empire and the empire's envoys would soon visit the capital.
Amidst all of this, in a large white palace located at the nobles colony in the capital of Summers Bloom, a burly old man has a different opinion.
The old man, Marques Verm Van Rose, looked up to his son while putting down the report on the desk.
In a rough scratch paper-like tone, he said, "So?"
Count Willis knows what his father means, so he answered in a non-stuttering way.
"Any of the speculations could be true, Queen, the Prime Minister, and Duke Westwind's preparation could be for a war or a reception."
Marques Rose responded with ridicule, "Spoken like a true idiot. Good, you are not losing your edge. I am sure if there is a third option on this report, you would still say a 50-50-50 chance, you dumb monkey!!"
For Willis, this reaction from his father is normal. Most of the time, his father asking for his opinion is for nothing but to ridicule him. That does not mean he can abstain from responding to his father, as it could lead to more serious consequences, some of which have already left a permanent mark on his body.
Marques Rose asked, "Is this all?"
A maid to his right responded with "Yes! Master".
Immediately a vase on the table flew and hit her right on the temple. As she collapsed to the ground bleeding, marques stood from the seat and approached the maid. He pulled her up by her hair and said, "Look here whore, I didn't pay you to know the toilet breaks of the Royal Family."
Instinctively, the maid's scared eyes darted around the room to look for help, but once they fell on Count Willis, she closed her eyes and resigned to her fate.
Seeing this, Marques Rose laughed mockingly, "What is this? Miss Whore has no confidence in her prince charming? hahaha"
Marques went behind the maid and held her in his embrace with one hand tightly holding her breast. The maid clenched her teeth, to not let any sound.
Showcasing this to his son, Marques Rose said in a low tone, "Remember, you can be his exclusive cock sleeve, and your daughter can live, as long as I find you to be useful."
While the maid Meena is scared and shaking like drenched in cold rain, her husband is stoic as ever. Getting no response from his son, Marques Rose soon lost interest and pushed the maid away.
As the maid tumbled to the ground, Marques Rose sat in his seat and went into contemplation. The bleeding maid stood up where she fell, and the room was once again silent.
After some time, Marques Rose dismissed both husband and wife with a wave of his hand. While they were at the door, he thought out loud, "Could there be a problem with the prince?"
The couple went outside without reacting to his voice. Both remained silent as they walked the long corridor and downstairs to Willis's room.
Once the door to the room was closed, Meena was about to collapse due to the release of her mental pressure and the loss of blood, but Willis caught her right before she hit the floor.
He brought her to the chair and slowly set her down. Meena looked up to her husband and said to him, "I am fine."
But seeing as Willis's hand moved to her wound, she dodged her head back and said in a hurry, "Don't!", despite her protest, Willis stopped one of her hands with his, and using his other hand, he held on to her wound.
Although she tried to push him away with her free hand, she was not able to. Slowly tears formed in her eyes as she pleaded with him to stop, but Willis remained as stoic as ever.
By the time Willis removed his hand, her pleading became muffled crying. The wound on her head healed, leaving only a red bruise. This is Willis's blood trait {Compati} that he inherited from his mother. It could take the suffering of others onto oneself.
Anywhere on Gondwana, healing type blood traits are valued. But unlike most healing type traits, Willis's blood trait does not heal the target wound. It just transfers the suffering onto the owner.
Willis ignored his wife's crying and said in a monotone, "Is there a problem with the prince?"
Meena tried to control her sobbing but to no avail. Instead, she responded in that state, "no... no... I don't think so... I don't know..."
Willis looked down to his sobbing wife and said in a cold tone, "there isn't."
Meena looked up at her husband and nodded her head.
----
Someone else is also contemplating Arata's future, far away from Summers Bloom's greens. Oasis is a white metropolis city-state right in the middle of a desert. This city-state is the center of most followed religion Libra.
In a lone empty hall with pillars so high that the roof might reach heaven, a woman is at her modest desk, which is in stark contrast to her beauty and the grandeur of the hall.
She looked at the papers in front of her and scrunched her face. After thinking for some time, she rang the bell on her desk. A woman in armor entered the long hall and kneeled in front of the desk.
"Lima," the beautiful lady asked, "what is happening in Summer's Bloom? Why are the Quanog Empire, Gemini, Kingdom of Tristo, and even the beasts are moving?"
Lima was confused and responded, "Your highness Milliam, while the empire has a territorial dispute with Summer's Bloom, Gemini, Tristo, and the beasts have nothing to do with Summer's Bloom."
After saying that, Lima continued, "Most probably Gemini is moving to oversee the blessing of the new prince, and Tristo might be moving to strengthen their defenses against the empire. As for the beasts, I have no idea."
Milliam responds, "A movement of the high bishop of Gemini to oversee the blessing of a prince from a nation such as Summer's Bloom is too much. Those stuck up will never give such honor to a secular state. And why move now when the hatchling is but 6moons old. Maybe the bishop is going to build the ceremony podium with his very own hand, hahaha."
Lima had an uncomfortable smile as she thought, [God!, with one sentence, she insulted both the prince of our ally and bishop of our main competition, will the temple of libra will be okay?]
Milliam continued, not heeding the thoughts of Lima, "And when did Tristo become Kingdom of Pigs? Why do they need all these dried rations that could feed twice their population in spring? If they eat like this, and their hearts would give out before their gates, hahaha."
Lima is now sweating bullets at Milliam's speech as she reassured herself [I should not doubt Lady Libra's choice! I am sure her highness speaks rough but is pure at heart. Yes! Right! that is why Lady Libra chose Miss Milliam as the head! I must believe in Lady Libra's judgment]
Milliam continued, "For the beasts, maybe they got horny, hahaha"
Lima, [It is nothing but words! the heart! the heart is where you should look at Lima! Even though her words are coarse I am sure Miss Milliam's heart is kind and tend-]
Milliam turned her head to look at Lima while chewing on her feather pen and said, "Oi, Lima, why don't we just kill that baby."
Lima,[this bitchhhhh!! It is a mistake. Lady Libra made a mistake!]
Lima holding her frustration, said, "Your highness ple- please don't joke around, ha- haha."
Milliam responded while swirling the pen in her ear, "I am not joking though! That hatchling is a variable and the least possible reason for all this chaos, but if we eliminate him now, there will be no surprises later, you know."
Lima felt like hitting the beautiful face of Milliam to sunder, but with a strained voice, she said, "Lady Milliam, the prince is but a baby, and killing a life so young is cruel. Also, as you said, the prince is the least possible cause."
Milliam countered immediately with, "But every life is precious, and ending any of it is cruel."
Lima, [Then don't order me to kill this and kill that, you psychotic bitch!]
Milliam continued," and as you know, when you gamble, the black horse might come victorious unexpectedly, right!"
Lima,[I don't know! and I don't gamble! and it is called a DARK HORSE, not a black horse, you idiot!]
Milliam looking at the now fuming Lima said with a stunned tone, "Lima! that was harsh! how can you call your lady an idiot."
Lima immediately responded with, "Ah! I am sorry, my lady, I did not mea-, wait! I did not say anything!"
Milliam immediately counter, "Well, you thought about it!"
Looking at Lima being lost and trying to find her words, Milliam laughed. She got up from her desk and said, "Welp, it's not like the temple is capable of assassinating him anyway, right?"
Lima came back and responded, "With it not turning into a full-scale war, no, we cannot. There are too many powerhouses in Summer's Bloom."
Milliam sat on her old desk and started tapping it. After some time, she ordered, "Lima, release the intel about Gemini to Summer's Bloom. The information did not come from us, okay! Also, you leave to the Kingdom of Tristo and learn what exactly is happening there. The beasts will not cross the cape, at least not yet, and as for the Empire, let's see what the Summer's Bloom can do against those expansionists."
Once given the order, Lima saluted and left the hall. Alone in the hall, Milliam said while looking at the miniature scale, a representation of Lady Libra, on the desk, "A Darkhorse, huh?! are you the one tipping the scale of Lady Libra, hatchling?"
Where is chapter 13?
corrected! this is chapter 13.