Empress Sidonie looked at the capital of the Anaesha Dynasty from the balcony of her room. So far, everything had been moving smoothly and in accordance with her plans. If she wished for it, she could give an order to attack the Elves and she would win without fail.
However, she didn’t wish for that.
“I do not wish for dominion… is it?” Empress Sidonie muttered as she remembered the red-headed boy who had refused her offer to make him the Sovereign of the entire continent.
She had stared straight into his eyes when he said that, and only a pair of beautiful clear, green eyes, with her own reflection on them stared back at her.
There was no falsehood in William’s words, only genuine sincerity. Also, when she saw herself in his eyes, when she saw that he was looking at her, and only her, she wasn’t able to stop her heart from skipping a beat.
< Back then, you wouldn’t say these words, Sidonie. You have changed. >
‘I’m not the only one who changed. You did as well, right, Big Sister?’
< Well, I guess this is what they call growing up. Still, we sure have the favor of Advantage. Are you sure you don’t want to serve the continent to our darling on a silver platter? >
Empress Sidonie shook her head. Giving over the control of the continent might solve William’s problems, and make him happy, but it will not make him love her. He would feel gratitude, yes, and she could guilt trip him, and she could probably succeed, but what of it?
In the end, she would only feel hollow and empty inside.
“It’s funny,” Empress Sidonie said as she faced Morgana inside their shared Mindscape. “I could literally pick any man in this continent, and perhaps the entire world, and all of them would happily open their heart to me.
“They would say they love me. They would offer me the moon, and the stars, just to show me how much they love me, and yet… I can’t even make a shepherd my lover. Isn’t that ironic?”
< Yes. It’s the biggest joke ever. If our Charm had only worked on Darling then I would have already tied him on the bed and… >
Empress Sidonie could only shake her head, because she could already guess what Morgana was thinking of doing to William. Of course, she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t curious. However, since they shared the same body, she had to set certain rules so that her other half wouldn’t get carried away and do things that they might regret in the future.
< Sidonie. I may not be as smart as you, but the way I see it, the Elves, Conner, and probably Darling have no choice but to seek an audience with you, in order to negotiate. What will you do when that time comes? >
Sidonie nodded because she had also thought of this. Since she was the one with the bigger share of the pie, and a strong army behind her back, the one that would decide the outcome of this war was her, and only her.
With a wave of her hand, cities would be trampled. With a smile, a nation would fall to ruin. This was the power she possessed, and yet, she, too, didn’t want dominion.
In the past, she dreamed of being the sole ruler of the Southern Continent, but now, her goal was different.
What she wanted now was love.
Love that would melt her heart and make her the happiest woman in the world.
A love that would make her feel complete… and a love that could sate her Sin.
A Sin that knew no bounds.
No boundaries.
A sin that could bring the world to ruin.
“They said that behind every great man is a great woman,” Sidonie said softly. “However, the person we chose isn’t someone great.”
< Yes. He’s not that great. >
“He’s arrogant and a narcissist. These are the people I hate the most.”
< That’s right. We hate people like this the most. >
Empress Sidonie smiled as she looked in the West, where the sun was supposed to set. However, due to the dark clouds that hung in the sky, she had almost forgotten how beautiful a sunset was.
The most beautiful lady in the continent sighed. What she planned to do was difficult, and the rewards were uncertain. However, she was sure of one thing.
“All is fair in love and war,” Empress Sidonie said. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
< Sidonie. Whatever route you choose, I will always be on your side. >
“Thank you, Big Sister.”
Night came, and the countless stars twinkled in the sky. The two moons of Hestia cast their light upon the world, and yet, within the Southern Continent, their beauty couldn’t be seen.
One by one, the lights, powered by magic crystals, illuminated the city. They were like small candles in the night. Candles whose light would disappear, as long as she wished for it.
——
Two flying carriages soared in the sky. They were being pulled by two green dragons of the Centennial Rank. In front of these two dragons was the Qilin, Eneru.
They had just left the capital of Briar Glen and were now headed towards the Anaesha Dynasty.
Elandorr and Alessio brought six of their trusted subordinates to accompany them on this journey to Veritas, the capital city of the Anaesha Dynasty.
They were the envoy of the Elven Race who would negotiate with Empress Sidonie in order to reach a compromise.
Only a handful of people knew that Alessio was the leader of The Organization, Deus, in their continent, and among those individuals was Elandorr’s Patriarch.
Elandorr had made Alessio his adviser in this expedition, so the latter also enjoyed the limelight in the Elven Army. The reason why he accompanied Elandorr in this mission was due to his counterpart, Berthold, who was also a big shot in the Kraetor Empire.
He was afraid that if he didn’t accompany Elandorr in this mission, Berthold would make his move and put the Elves at a disadvantage. There was also the threat of the young Empress using her Charm on Elandorr.
They had already brought several artifacts that would prevent them from getting Charmed. There were also Elves that had this unique power, so they had developed ways on how to deal with it.
Eneru came with them as insurance that the Kraetor Empire wouldn’t do anything funny. Although the Qilin was weaker than the Ancient Golem, that didn’t mean that he was not powerful in his own right.
Also, Eneru had the unique ability that could instantly teleport all of them away as a last resort. A Myriad Beast couldn’t be charmed so easily. The Ant Queen was only charmed by Sidonie due to the side effects of the Continental Spell that descended upon the land.
If not for it, Empress Sidonie wouldn’t have been able to charm it as easily as she did.
“Remember, do not act arrogant in front of her,” Alessio advised. “We are the one seeking a compromise, so you’d better control your temper, Lord Elandorr.”
“Thank you for your reminder, Sir Alessio,” Elandorr replied. “I will play my part well. Even though bowing my head to a Human makes my skin crawl, I will do it for the sake of the bigger picture.”
“Good.” Alessio nodded. “As long as you understand.”
The two flying carriages travelled swiftly, but it would still take them a week to arrive at their destination.
—-
Meanwhile, a four-tailed fox landed on the ground, a few miles away from Lont. riding on its back was a delicate looking boy, who seemed ill suited to traveling alone at night.
“Let’s rest here for the night, Luna,” Kenneth said as he dismounted his loyal companion. “I will go alone to Lont when morning comes.”
The Black Fox nuzzled its partner. “I understand. I will remain with you until morning, to make sure that you will be able to rest properly. We have been traveling for days, and I know that you’re very tired.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Kenneth brushed the side of Luna’s face as the image of William, doing the same to Ella, appeared inside his mind.
“It’s been so long since I saw you, Will,” Kenneth said softly. “I pray that you’re doing fine.”
