Chapter 131.
“Unexpected Events.”
Two weeks and one day earlier.
“Welcome, Duke of Lanish!” greeted the queen seated in the guest lounge in front of a table with two teacups, a hot teapot, two small chests, and several desserts displayed.
“Duke Logan of Lanish greets Her Majesty, the moon of the kingdom of Balsahty. May the gods light your path."
“As does yours, dear duke," she replied with a gentle smile as the light of the sunset bathed her elegant and delicate features. Please take a seat and join me for some tea.
“Thank you very much your majesty," he commented courteously despite being surprised to have been summoned in secret by the queen and not by the king in a fit of rage over the murder of the five spies he and the priestess Darla had planted inside his duchy. Even more curious had been the fact that he found a knight of low position passing information to the first court magician, Marquis Milo de Riva. But the other spies did not know of his existence, even though they work in conjunction with the others. “Forgive my boldness, your majesty, but I would like to know the reason for such a... particular call," he commented, glancing around while removing the hood that covered his handsome face, indicating that he did not feel comfortable with all the secrecy he had to go through to enter the queen’s palace undercover. His carriage had been sent back, appearing that his visit had been rejected while he had been transferred to the horse of one of the queen’s guards while they were hidden from prying eyes.
“There are eyes everywhere," she replied with complete calmness as she reached out her hand on the table and touched a beautiful half-round stone that had not been there before, activating a silencing spell that covered the entire room. Including the small balcony whose door was open. “Let me first offer my condolences for the deterioration of your father’s health," she commented calmly, openly admitting that she also had a spy in the duchy and that she knew what he had been doing in the last few days.
“It seems that it is the queen who has eyes everywhere," replied the duke.
“Don’t we all?” she questioned, looking him in the eye, and giving him to understand that she knew about the spy he had planted in the king’s palace, while she arched an eyebrow elegantly. “Would you like some tea?”
Logan thought about refusing. He was in no mood to participate in the games of the aristocracy, but then thought better of it.
If the queen had shown her cards and was so confident, it was in his best interest to find out how much she knew about his father’s true situation.
“Some tea would be nice, thank you your majesty," he watched as Queen Tathiana carefully observed his appearance, giving the appearance of admiring his dark black hair and deep gray eyes as she caressed the jewel on her bracelet in a gesture seemingly careless.
Logan knew it was all a well-planned trick when, seconds later, one of the female knights guarding the queen came in and served him tea instead of a maid.
Sugar? -asked the queen.
“Two spoonfuls please," he replied as he slyly studied the woman who had just entered without making any noise.
Inspect! thought the duke, as he looked at the young woman, feeling her body tense up after adding the first spoonful of sugar into the delicate cup decorated with golden flowers. As if she could have felt his inspection.
But neither she nor the queen said a word about it.
A blue and a violet window appeared before him, both giving him the same information.
[Name: Tanya
Race: Human
Class: mage
Level: 45
HP: 37,000/37,000
MP: 4000/4000]
So the queen’s personal guard has four circles of mana while appearing to be an elite soldier... How many more secrets does our beloved queen hide under that mask of indifference and weakness? It had never occurred to him before that the queen was anything more than the woman abandoned by the king, whose father supported her unfaithful husband while covering her with gifts. It was just after she suffered an assassination attempt, which everyone suspected the king’s new mistress was the culprit, that everyone was reminded that she was also a Brincy. When her father mobilized his special troops and covered his daughter’s palace with them, taking out all the king’s servants in the process.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Reminding them all to whom the second military power in the kingdom belonged.
Right after that of his own duchy and competing against the now extinct tower of wizards.
“Perfect," he whispered as he enjoyed the newly acquired information.
“I am glad it is to your liking, dear duke," she replied kindly as she took a sip of her own tea. “You may go now, my dear," she ordered her warrior, who obeyed immediately.
As soon as Tanya left the room without a sound, the queen activated the device again.
“Now, my dear duke, would you mind signing here?” She asked, extending to him an enchanted parchment she had taken from one of the two small chests on the table. On the scroll she assured him that she would never poison him or any member of his family in exchange for him keeping silent about the information she revealed during that meeting or any meeting the two of them had either in her palace or in the king’s palace.
“I see that you are very well prepared.”
“I prefer to be a cautious woman," she argued as she handed him a quill and ink for him to sign, which she also took from the same chest where the parchment had been. And as soon as he signed it, she opened the second chest and turned it so that he could see its contents.
Inside rested a vial of holy water potion.
To say the duke was surprised to see it was an understatement. Especially after the prohibition he knew the king had given.
“I will speak bluntly, my dear duke. I believe it would be in your best interest to join me and the rebel faction.”
Logan almost dropped the delicate porcelain bowl with which he was drinking a sweet fruity tea when he heard that.
“I beg your pardon?” He cleared his throat. He had heard murmurs, barely whispers from a group of nobles who were tired of the regime imposed by the king and he knew that discontent had grown after Medhas lost the support of the tower mages, allowing one of the three best defenses in the kingdom to vanish between his fingers in the blink of an eye. That coupled with the open gall shown to the health of the previous duke whose family had for generations supported the crown, and yet the crown had turned against them only because it coveted not only their powerful army but also their vast fortune and mines, had raised the misgivings of the aristocracy. Despite knowing that the king would not hesitate to use the heroes against them.
The queen’s gray eyes flashed with cunning as she noted his wariness and unwillingness to accept the deal.
“I see that despite the king’s best efforts to prevent the circulation of potions not authorized by him within the kingdom, the duke was able to find a solution to his problem," she commented. And Logan tensed, fear shining in his gaze for half a second before he managed to regain control of his features.
But before he could refute her statement, the queen stepped forward.
“In that case, let me rephrase my offer," she commented with a confident smile. “Give me your full support and cooperation in gaining full control of the crown in exchange for the independence of the Duchy of Lanish. Of course, I assure you that you will no longer have to worry about having to marry my daughter. I assure you that it was never my intention that she would not wear the crown of this kingdom on her head,” she commented. “Besides, I would rather have you as a friendly ally than as a possible son-in-law by force. Don’t you think it is an excellent deal, my dear duke?”
****
Current date.
What the hell? How can they interfere with the manifestation of another god’s system? Kalysto worried after several minutes of absolute silence and darkness in which she had failed to invoke her system on several occasions. As she was beginning to suspect that unlike the tower in the duchy of Lanish, this one had not been built by the goddess Mhiralla.
After several minutes of exasperating silence, the smell of rottenness flooded her nose and suddenly something brushed against her ankle.
Kalysto jumped, startled at the sudden contact, backing away from it.
“Ice daggers!” She summoned immediately, noting with relief that she could feel the coldness of her daggers forming in the palms of her hands. And though she couldn’t see them, she clenched them tightly, fearing to lose them.
Only the sound of her breathing was the only thing that interrupted the eerie silence that kept his hair standing on end. At least two more minutes passed as she kept trying unsuccessfully to open any window in her system while trying to think of a plan to get out of there.
It was then that she felt a breath against her neck.
She immediately turned, slashing with her daggers at whatever was stalking her, but the edge of her daggers found nothing but air.
She still jumped backwards, almost stumbling against a stone, but quickly regaining her balance.
“Ice manipulation!” She conjured, making sure to lengthen them so that the next time that thing decided to approach it, it could reach it. “Ice creation! Ice manipulation!” She summoned, making sure to cover the five meters around her feet with ice spikes.
Calm down! Whatever it is lurking in the shadows is trying to make you wear yourself out first and show all your cards! Either that or make you run out of mana! It was then that she used the mantra that was so familiar to her. Maybe they need to use darkness as a weapon because otherwise they would be too weak to fight.
“Come on, Kalysto! ¡Focus!” And although she didn’t see any sign announcing the activation of the ability, she could feel the characteristic coldness that washed over her every time she used it. “Two can play this game,” she whispered with a smile the moment a good idea came to her mind and raised her head towards the ceiling. “Fire blast!” She shouted, launching a flame that spread across the ceiling of the cave and illuminating the surroundings for a few seconds.
Allowing her to see the hundreds of specters surrounding the walls of the cave she was in.