The Guardians mobilized their strength in order to create a defensive perimeter to prevent the enraged army’s advance.
While all this was happening around him, William stared at the lifeless body in his arms. Empress Sidonie’s body was still warm, but he knew that this warmth would soon disappear, and be replaced by coldness.
It would be very easy for him to turn her into an undead, but he couldn’t do that. The moment he used Undead Magic to bring her back to life, the Young Empress would spend eternity in an undying body, and her soul would be put under a curse of servitude as well.
William couldn’t do that. He couldn’t possibly do that.
Empress Sidonie’s last words made William finally realize how serious she was in becoming his lover.
“She said that if there came a time when the Hellan Kingdom were to really face the threat of total annihilation, we would join the war and prevent that from happening.”
A voice filled with pity, and regret said beside William.
“I had a hunch when I first saw you in the Anaesha Dynasty, but now, I am sure of it.” Evexius sighed. “Our Empress favors you, and even went as far as to drag our entire army into this war. It’s quite regrettable that her feelings were one-sided.”
William gently closed Empress Sidonie’s eyes before removing the torc that was wrapped around his arm. This was given to him by Cernunnos when he visited the Centaur Tribe back at the Whimsical Forest.
The Half-Elf had worn it like an arm bracelet all this time. It had accompanied him since the beginning of war, and Cernunnos had watched everything that William had experienced since he left the domain of the Lord of the Forest.
“Your Excellency, please, bestow your mercy upon this lady,” William said as he placed the golden Torc on Empress Sidonie’s chest. “Look favorably upon her, this one time.”
A few seconds later, Cernunnos voice reached William’s ears.
“Are you sure?” Cernunnos asked. “This bracelet is supposed to save your life once. Do you really want to give this opportunity to another?”
“Yes,” William replied. “Please, save her.”
The golden torc glowed as Cernunnos granted William’s request.
“Fine. You Humans are truly fascinating creatures. It was entertaining to watch your struggles. May you not regret this decision in the future, Little Will.”
The Lord of the Wilds wanted to say something, but after careful consideration he decided to just let the matter rest. This was a matter between Humans, and he decided that Humans should be the ones to resolve it as well.
Cernunnos was the protector of the balance of nature. He didn’t want to dabble its hands in the affairs of mankind.
The wound on Empress Sidonie’s chest healed at a rapid pace. Soon, her expression became ruddy as a gentle warmth washed over her body.
Suddenly, the lady in the red-headed boy’s arm drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes abruptly opened, and the first thing she saw was William’s relieved expression.
Her hand unconsciously moved towards her chest, where a gaping hole used to exist. Feeling her skin under her palms, Empress Sidonie looked at the Half-Elf that was looking down at her with gentle eyes and asked a question.
“I’m alive?” Empress Sidonie asked.
“Yes,” William replied. “You are alive.”
“How?”
“It’s a long story. I will tell you another time.”
Evexius’ eyes widened when he saw the Young Empress come back to life. As a person that had reached his current rank, he had already affirmed that Empress Sidonie had died.
He didn’t hear Cernunnos and William’s exchange, and only thought that the boy was giving the Empress a parting gift when he placed the golden torc on her body.
The Young Empress tried to stand, but her body was still weak, so William supported her to stand upright. The two of them then gazed at the battle between the Kraetor Empire and the Guardian of the Elves.
The Protectors had already torn Eneru’s body limb by limb, and were about to join the battle when they noticed the Young Empress leaning on William’s body.
“Stop the war,” Empress Sidonie ordered. “Much blood has already been spilled. There’s no need to add more.”
William gave a mental order for the Undead Legion to interfere as well.
The moment Nuckelavee faced the Kraetor Army, all of them froze in place. They had seen how this monster had one-sidedly beaten up Drauum, and massacred the Elven Army. None of them dared to challenge its notoriety.
The Guardians of the Silvermoon Continent breathed a sigh of relief when William’s Army moved in to stand between the Kraetor Army and the Elven Survivors. They were hard-pressed earlier because they were only defending.
They didn’t dare kill any warrior of the Kraetor Empire because they knew that if they did that, they would step beyond the point of no return.
They couldn’t afford for such a thing to happen!
“The Empress lives!” Nero shouted with all his might. “The fighting ends now!”
Prince Jason, who was commanding the army, turned his head to look at where his Empress had fallen. When he saw that she was indeed alive, relief flooded his heart. However, this was soon replaced by jealousy when he saw that her slender body was leaning on William, who was supporting her.
“Cease all actions!” Prince Jason ordered. “The Empress lives! Long live to her Majesty!”
“”Long live to her Majesty!””
“”Long live to her Majesty!””
“”Long live to her Majesty!””
The cheers of the Kraetor Army reverberated in the air, and the conflict had been averted.
Empress Sidonie, who was leaning on William’s body, raised her head to look at her beloved.
“Back in the Aenasha Dynasty, one of the conditions that was written on the contract was for you to grant a request from me,” Empress Sidonie said in a soft voice. Clearly, she had still not fully recovered and was still suffering from lethargy.
“I remember,” William replied.
There was indeed a clause in the contract where the Empress could ask one favor from William and Elandorr. This particular condition was vague, but William still agreed to it. As long as it didn’t go past his bottom line, he was willing to grant Empress Sidonie’s request.
“I want to call on that request right now. Can I?”
“As long as it is within what I can do.”
Empress Sidonie smiled as her hand reached out to touch the collar on William’s neck.
“I want you to place this collar on my neck,” Empress Sidonie said. “I want to belong to you.”
Evexius and the Guardians that were standing beside the two were dumbfounded by Empress Sidonie’s request. Although they were looking elsewhere, they had been secretly listening to the two people’s conversation.
When they heard that the Princess wanted to wear William’s slave collar, all of them turned their heads to look at the young lady with shocked expressions.
However, none of them said anything. The beautiful lady was doing this of her own free will. This was not a forced enslavement. They only looked at Empress Sidonie with serious expressions and waited for William’s answer.
“You… want to become my slave?” WIlliam asked in disbelief. For a brief moment, he thought that he had misheard the young lady’s request, so he decided to ask for confirmation.
“Yes,” Empress Sidonie answered firmly. “I want to be yours. Will you grant this request?”
The beautiful Empress looked at William with pleading eyes as she leaned weakly on his body. William stared straight to her eyes, looking for any signs of falsehood. However, the only thing he saw was his own reflection staring back at him.
Right now, the beauty in his arms was staring only at him, and no other. Even if William didn’t want to admit it, he was moved by Empress Sidonie’s determination.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
William thought long and hard, but he didn’t see any downsides in the Empress’ request. In fact, it was to his advantage. Although he didn’t want to say it out loud, he was wary of Empress Sidonie’s powerful charm.
If she were to really become serious, she could bring the downfall of Empires in the world of Hestia. If she were to become William’s slave, the Half-Elf could keep her in check and prevent the worst case scenario from happening.
William raised his hand and touched the collar on his neck. A soft sound of metal being unlocked reached Empress Sidonie’s ears.
The Collar of Wisteria had already been passed over by Celine to William. It meant that its current owner was none other than him. Naturally, if he placed the collar on a person, that person would become his slave.
Only William would be able to take the collar off that person’s neck, and grant them back their freedom. Naturally, the enslavement would only last for four years. When the four years had passed, the effect of the collar would vanish and the beautiful Empress would once again regain her freedom, even if William didn’t remove her collar.
“I’ll ask you one last time,” William said with a serious expression. “Are you sure about this?”
Instead of answering, Empress Sidonie closed her eyes and raised her chin, presenting her smooth and sensuous neck to William. It was her way of telling the Half-Elf to place the collar on her neck without worries.
Evexius and the Protectors heard a soft clicking sound as William secured the Collar of Wisteria around Empress Sidonie’s neck.
The beautiful lady immediately felt a connection between her and William and it made her heart skip a beat. When she opened her eyes, she saw a faint red leash that connected the collar on her neck to William’s wrist.
This proved that she was now William’s slave, however, the Half-Elf was not aware of this. William couldn’t see the leash that bound him and the beautiful Empress in his arms. It was a special ability that was exclusive to those that had been born with the bloodline of the Kraetor Royal Family.
This ability allowed them to find the location of their partner, wherever they may be in the world. Even if William were to hide under a lady’s skirt, Empress Sidonie would be able to find him without fail.
It was a secret that was only known to the Kraetor Royal Family, who was one of the major factions in the Central Continent.
Evexius sighed when he saw the collar on the young lady’s neck. He then shifted his attention to William. The Grand Archmage of the Kraetor Empire had seen how the boy performed in the battle against the Elves.
Frankly, he had to admit that a young man like William was truly hard to find.
‘I guess this is fine as well,’ Evexius mused. ‘I’m sure that Emperor Leonidas will also agree.’
The Protectors exchanged a glance at each other before smiling inwardly. This was an unexpected turn of events, but overall the Kraetor Empire profited a lot from this war.
They also looked at William with expectations and wondered how the boy would react after finding out that he had just made a decision that he couldn’t take back, even if he cried a river.
