Chapter 129: Back at the barony.
The next day...
As Dorian arrived at the barony, the first thing he did was head over to the cave where his dragon was meant to be, along with the eggs and the giant incubator he had his workers build for him.
While he was doing this, the elves that Lili and the rest of the soldiers had managed to save from the hidden prisons were all released and housed in the Aurelian barony.
During their arrival, Baroness Aurelian took it upon herself to make them all feel at home.
A total of more than 90 elves were placed in a small village on the east side of the barony.
Of course, after this was done, Baron Telia and the Illusion Mage, Tia Hun, were placed in the barony’s jail, set to be sent to the capital the moment the message about the event reached the king.
With the help of the Monteli family, they were able to use their influence to get the news to the royal kingdom faster.
In the next few days, they were certain to get a message back from the kingdom’s informant.
In the meantime, before judgment would be delivered to the perpetrators, Lady Aurelain would be the one in charge of looking after the elves.
...
The door swung open, and Lady Erica walked into the room with a maid standing right behind her.
On the other side of the table, Lord James was seated, and on chairs across from him were Seraphina and Ishtar, with Killa standing right beside her.
Since she had done her part by convincing her father to build roads connecting their two regions, she figured she would come pay her husband a visit.
At least, that was what she thought until she heard the news.
With a teacup in one hand and her fan in the other, she sighed, then looked at Erica Aurelain.
"This is far more serious than I expected, Mother," she began. "If truly there was a noble under the Count doing something as disgusting as enslaving elves from another region, it is almost certain that the king will react to this, far more seriously than you expect."
James turned his focus to her. "You speak like you know the king personally..."
Ishtar smiled knowingly.
"I do, partially. My father does tell me stories involving the royal capital, and for the most part, I know he mentioned something about the king being obsessed with the safety of demi-humans and all. This was the reason why the king once thought of building a city for demi-humans only."
"Yes, I heard about that as well. The people rejected the idea then due to the huge hatred both races had for each other," Erica chimed in. "I assume he did that to grow connections with the demi-human nation."
"I thought that too," Ishtar added, "until I heard a rumor that the king was having an affair with an elf woman. Then it all made sense why he wanted to protect the demi-humans so much."
She sighed.
"Still, the point is, with this many nobles being involved, there is a high chance the king will look at everyone else as an accomplice as well, Lord Dorian included.
From the king’s point of view, my husband might have killed the entire group of nobles out of spite after being wronged, and his revenge was to expose them while making himself appear innocent."
"Uhn? You’re kidding, right?" Seraphina yelled.
"Lord Dorian went there just to expose them! Sure, I get that he killed them all, but he had a good reason for doing so. Surely you understand that. Are you also doubting him?"
"Doubt? A man like that doesn’t do something without knowing the risks. It’s why I adore him so much," Ishtar responded. "My point was simply that while we trust him and know him as much as we do, it’s unrealistic to expect the same from an angry, grieving king."
"Yes, but my son is currently housing the elves on his own land. If he was truly guilty, wouldn’t it have been far better for him to kill them or have them hidden?" James asked, trying to understand as well.
"Hm..."
Ishtar thought for a while, then she replied,
"This can almost be translated as him saving face, trying to make himself look like the good guy. Trust me, Father, people value lies far more than they do truth. Truths are not fun, but lies are so much better to engage with."
Silence fell upon the room as they all fell into thought from Ishtar’s words.
Truthfully, she was telling the truth, especially since there was still a good chance that some nobles of higher power were also working alongside the baron.
If they were to find out Dorian wanted to expose them, they would do anything to poison the king’s mind before he even heard about it, just as Dorian had predicted.
Suddenly, Ishtar spoke again.
"I really don’t know why you’re so worried, though. Your son is literally the strongest person in the entire kingdom as of this moment. Not only does he have an incredibly powerful dragon, but he also has a very competent army."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Even the king should be aware of this by this point. The news has spread far and wide. He wouldn’t dare mess with someone called a Dragon Monarch, or Master. I can’t really remember the name."
Seraphina carried a concerned look. "You really know a lot, don’t you? It’s kind of scary."
"Is it?" Ishtar turned to her. "Pardon me, I do have a thing for knowledge."
"We can clearly see that," replied Erica with a slight, nervous laugh.
"Yeah," James laughed softly as well.
The room fell silent once again, this time a bit awkward since everyone was still trying to hide the fact they were worried about what was to become of Dorian.
For the most part, they knew if any of them were to speak about it, it would make it seem as though they were more worried than they let on, so they chose to keep quiet and simply stare into space.
Then suddenly,
"I-I should probably take my leave now. I need to check up on Darling and make sure he is alright with the construction,"
Seraphina uttered as she slowly stood up from the chair.
Right after, Ishtar spoke as well. "I should follow her. I haven’t seen him since I arrived back. This is a better time than ever."
She stood up as well.
Before she could even stand up straight, Seraphina had already given her the stink eye.
Going to meet Lord Dorian was one thing, but she knew for a fact if Ishtar got close again, she would undoubtedly try to have him all to herself.
"Do you have to come along?" she asked sarcastically.
"Why, what do you mean? Of course, if you’re going, I am going as well." Ishtar covered her lower lips with her fan. "As his future wife, it’s only natural for me to want to be at his side at all times, just like you want to as well."
Seraphina pouted. "Whatever," she grumbled, then stormed right out.
An intrigued smile played on Ishtar’s face as she watched her storm out of the room in anger. "Such an adorable princess."
After uttering those words, she bowed her head one more time to Dorian’s parents before exiting the room with her knight.
...
[A\N]
School has really been messing with me lately, do be patient with the quality, I promise something good later on.