Royal Palace of Elora – Dawn
Morning broke over Elora, spilling pale gold light through the arched windows of the palace. Dew sparkled on the petals of the ancestral sycamore trees, but inside the corridors of the palace—once humming with songs of mana—silence reigned.
Dian walked with measured steps, flanked by Suzine and Gianna. Their shadows trailed behind them as they approached the Queen's wing, where the fate of a kingdom still lay still upon a velvet bed.
Dian's eyes wandered over the patterned tiles as they walked, but his mind was elsewhere.
"Lios is defeated. His crimes laid bare.
The duel sealed the truth.
And now... this kingdom belongs to the ones he tried to claim."
His steps slowed for just a breath.
Queen Emily.
Princess Olivia.
Princess Emma.
They were no longer pawns in Lios' scheme or people of Kingdom of Elves.
They were his now—by oath, by bet, by undeniable right.
Even if they didn't yet accept it.
---
[Ding!]
[New Title Unlocked – "Oathkeeper of Elora"]
[You have seized command through trial and truth. Reputation with Elven Faction increased.]
---
He didn't even blink as the system alert faded. His heart remained steady, but not unmoved.
After the duel, Lios had been stripped of his titles and exiled beyond Elora's borders for attempted regicide and abuse of royal authority. The nobles did not protest—Elder Virenelle's decree had left no room for debate.
Now, Elder Virenelle served as acting monarch, her magic entwined with ancient laws. And though Dian had intended to return home immediately, the elder had clasped his shoulder and requested otherwise:
"Stay a little longer, Lord Skyster. This kingdom owes you more than gratitude. It owes you a future."
The echo of her words still stirred in his chest.
They stopped.
Before them stood the ornate door to the Queen's chamber.
Gianna's breath hitched.
From within, a voice echoed—faint but sharp.
"It… it can't be…"
Dian pushed the door open.
---
Inside the Queen's Chamber
The lavender scent clung to the heavy air. The morning light fell in slanting beams across the Queen's bed, illuminating the pale, unmoving figure of Emily Measter.
By her bedside knelt Olivia and Emma. Olivia's hands were trembling. In one she held her mother's hand, the other gripped an empty vial—clear glass stained by shimmering remnants of a pale potion.
Emma looked up with a helpless, bitter expression.
Gianna stepped forward. "What… what happened?"
Olivia looked up slowly. Her voice was hollow.
"We gave her the vial. The one retrieved from Lios. The one he said could cure her."
"She stirred," Emma added, her voice cracking, "for a moment. Just a breath. Then… nothing."
Gianna's legs gave way beneath her. She sank beside her sisters, tears clinging to her lashes.
Dian stepped closer, watching the limp form of the Queen. Something inside him ached. But he kept his voice even.
"System," he thought. "Why didn't she wake?"
---
[Analyzing contents of residual essence...]
[Substance Detected: Eternal Poison]
[This brew offers temporary relief—but no cure. No known antidote in existence.]
---
His brows frowned. "Hm? Isn't that the same one within me?" He asked in his mind.
" It is host." The system answered.
" Then... can you prepare a cure for her too?" Dian asked.
And a screen flickered infront of him.
---
[Correction. Cure can be synthesized.]
[Required: 500 L.P.]
[Confirm Purchase?]
---
His jaw tightened. He remembered the reward after Lios' downfall—+1000 L.P.
"Do it."
---
[Confirmed. Synthesizing Cure: 18%… 45%… 100%]
[Cure for Eternal Poison added to inventory.]
[Note: Effects irreversible only if administered within 12 hours.]
---
Dian exhaled.
He stepped forward, kneeling beside Gianna. He took her trembling hands in his.
"Don't worr it will be alright," he whispered.
Gianna's eyes turned, a hope emerging in her eyes as she heard, her husband's reassuring voice. " C-can you save her?" She asked, mostly pleaded.
" I can." Dian answered with a smile.
All heads turned. Olivia blinked. Emma flinched.
"What…?" Gianna stared at him, voice barely a breath.
"I have a way," Dian said, standing slowly. "But we must leave. This place—it's too saturated with residual magic and Elven barriers. Her healing must begin elsewhere."He made a believe able excuse.
Suzine's eyes lit up with hope.
Gianna nodded wordlessly.
Olivia's expression shifted—confusion mixed with cautious relief.
But Emma…
"No."
She stood.
" If you have a cure, then why don't heal her her, right now." Her voice firm, unyielding.
"You may have won some stupid bet, but I'm not going with you. I'm not your woman, and you don't own me."
Silence.
Even Olivia looked down, her lips parted in hesitation.
Dian met Emma's glare with unsettling calm.
Then he turned toward the Queen, brushing a lock of blonde hair from her forehead.
"You're wrong," he said softly. "And for yor kind informatio, I do own you now. Believe it or not. And by the very gamble your brother made."
His voice chilled the air.
"I didn't come to Elora to win hearts. I came to take back what was already mine. Now pack your bags—we leave in an hour. That's not a request. That's an order."
And with that, he walked past them—silent and final.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Emma stared after him, fury burning in her eyes. She turned to Gianna, voice breaking.
"How can you marry someone like that?"
Gianna wiped her tears and… laughed.
Suzine smiled beside her, brushing back a strand of Gianna's hair.
"He might be a little tough to you," Suzine said, "but if he said he can cure her... then he definitely will."
Emma scowled, but her heart wavered.
Olivia stood in silence, her gaze lingering on the door.
---
Palace Courtyard
Dian walked briskly across the gardens, the cold wind brushing against his coat. He stopped beside the fountain where mana-water glowed in gentle spirals.
"Jones."
The butler appeared from the shadows.
"Yes, Young Lord?"
"We leave in five minutes. Prepare the carriages. Take the Queen, her daughters, and everyone assigned under my banner."
Jones bowed low. "Understood."
As Jones departed, a soft voice broke the silence.
"Leaving alredy?."
Dian turned.
Elder Virenelle stood beneath a flowering tree, her silver hair catching the breeze, her eyes ancient and unreadable. A old but stong woman.
"I have to," he said.
Virenelle walked close to him. " Can I request you of something, Lord Skyster?" She asked, her voice aged but a little timid.
Dian looked toward her for a moment. " Okay... But if it's reasonable and within my power."
Virenelle aged eyes lit. " Can you take care of my niece and her daughters?"
" Hm? " Dian didn't understand.
Catching his state, Virenelle continued. " I am taking about Emily, Olivia and Emma. Even though they belong to you now, and I don't have anything to offer."
" I will be grateful." She asked.
Dian waited for a moment, then he nodded. "They will be treated well, Don't worry. But... aren't you worried about Qu–I mean Emily, her poison? He asked
"No." Her voice firm. "She will definitely recover, wouldn't she?" A glint in her eyes as she spoke the last words.
Dian's eyes shot open a little more. Does she know...?
She stepped closer, placing something in his palm.
A seed—glowing faintly, pulsing with verdant magic.
---
[Item Acquired: Seed of Verdant Flame]
[Effect: Can summon a guardian tree spirit to defend or heal. Single use.]
---
"For the Queen," Virenelle said. "And for you… should the roots of war ever follow."
Dian looked at the seed.
Then he looked ahead.
Toward home.
Toward fate.
And walked into the future.
---
[Ding!]
[Quest Update: The Blooming Betrayal – 80% Completed]
[Side Quest Unlocked: Road to Recovery – Cure Queen Emily]
[Rewards Upon Completion: +3 Class Levels | Royal Affection × 2 | Unknown Royal Skill Scroll]
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