When the queen entered the room, Lord Brice and his aides rose from their seats and respectfully bowed in her presence.

"My queen, you are glowing this fine morning. Did you do something new with your hair? Or is it that you slept well?" Lord Brice asked with a smile.

Rianna's cheeks burned as she struggled to suppress the telltale signs of embarrassment.

"I didn't do anything differently. Excuse me," Rianna said as she brushed past them, heading determinedly towards the king.

Lord Brice appeared bewildered as he observed Rianna taking a seat next to the king and reaching out to grasp his hand. Normally, the Queen would be reserved and would have told him off. He couldn't help but notice the way her hand tightened around the king's and how she looked at him, which made the old man's eyebrows rise in surprise.

'Well, isn't this interesting? She's acting shyer than normal... And she's grabbed Cyndre's hand? I wonder what he did to get back in her good graces?' Lord Brice thought.

Cyndre's gaze shifted to Rianna, and a warm smile spread across his face.

"I'm glad to see you this morning, my queen. You are looking exceptionally lovely," he whispered to her.

"Don't push your luck," Rianna whispered back, but the corner of her mouth twitched.

'His Majesty did do something to get out of the dog house, and it's got her all flustered. Hmm, now I need to ask him how he did it. But that will have to be for another time,' Lord Brice thought and chuckled.

"Alright, Lord Brice... Now, we can get into the matters of the Kingdom. I have other things to attend to. So please make it quick," Cyndre said in an authoritative tone.

"Ah, yes, Your Majesty... I have some unfortunate news. It's regarding the Prime Minister," Lord Brice stated.

Both Rianna and Cyndre cast frustrated glances in the direction of Lord Brice, their expressions clearly conveying their irritation.

"What has Duval done now?" Cyndre inquired as he rubbed his temples. He knew that if it concerned the Prime Minister, the news was bound to be troublesome.

"He has summoned the other Major Noble Lords to the Capital for an emergency session... Word is he wishes to ban the Dark Elf—"

"Lady Rya!" Rianna's sudden interruption startled everyone in the room. It was highly unusual for her to interject in front of her husband's council, but she felt an inexplicable need to defend the dark elf.

"I-I apologize, My Queen... He wants to ban Lady Rya from entering the capital. He warned that her presence in the palace would shatter the harmony between the Divine Three and our kingdom, bringing about ruin... I fear that he wishes to turn her over to the Alliance to be executed," Lord Brice told the King.

Rianna was overcome by an intense surge of anger welling up inside her. She fought to keep it under control, but she needed to get her feelings off of her chest, so she stood up from her chair.

"You will not hand over Lady Rya to the Alliance! Do you hear me? She's a guest of the crown and under my protection," Rianna growled as she glared at the Head of Fiafyr.

Brice had never seen the Queen this animated before. Unsure of what to do, he glanced at his aides for support. They were just as perplexed as he was and only shrugged their shoulders in response.

Cyndre rose from his seat and leaned in close, his voice barely above a whisper, as he spoke into her ear.

"Rianna, are you okay? I've never seen you like this. Is there anything I can do to help?" Cyndre pleaded, and Rianna calmed down after realizing what she had done.

'What the hell came over me? I'm not sure what's going on. Why did I get angry? Why did I defend her? She did heal me from that unknown poison in my body... And my son does love her... So maybe that's why I feel a need to help her. Yeah, that must be it... She's a good woman, and I need to do everything I can to help her,' Rianna wondered as she calmed herself before whispering back.

"Cyndre... We can't let them take our son's love away. And I think she's good for him... I think we should support her and keep her protected. We have no idea how long this peace treaty will last. And the Divine Three might come after her... Hopefully, they snuck into the Palace last night and are safe," Rianna explained, and Cyndre smiled.

'So this Lady Rya did pass my wife's test. She must have done something amazing for Rianna to get her trust. If my wife trusts her, then I should too.' Cyndre thought as he nodded his head.

"Well... I had a feeling that he would pull something like this after I informed him about our son's letter... That's one of the other reasons why I hurried over here last night. Duval can't ratify his orders unless I'm there to witness it. We can take our time to return to the capital... Even if it is an Emergency Session, we can draw it out for five days, maybe seven if we play things right," Cyndre whispered back.

Rianna was impressed with her husband. She didn't know he was capable of thinking outside the box, which sent a small shiver up her spine.

"You knew that Duval was going to pull a stunt like this?" Rianna inquired as she looked into his eyes.

"I wasn't a hundred percent sure. But I had a hunch after I informed him about Lady Rya's race... My main reason for coming here was to see our son, but this was a happy accident," Cyndre explained.

One of the things that captivated her about Cyndre was his unwavering honesty and his genuine concern for her well-being. She could feel herself being drawn to him once more, and she was so taken by the moment that she would have kissed him if it weren't for the presence of Lord Brice and his aides in the room.

"Cyndre... You have your moments... Even if they're rare," Rianna whispered back.

"So my good moments are only rare, aye?... It seems I need to work on that," he replied with a self-deprecating tone and smiled.

Rianna let out a light-hearted giggle and then made her way back to her seat. Cyndre couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction knowing that his wife was starting to open up to him. However, he was also aware that he needed to assert himself when it came to dealing with Duval and his schemes.

"I apologize for my outburst. Please continue," Rianna stated as her normal demeanor returned.

"As you command, My Queen," Lord Brice responded, "So, Duval is hell-bent on getting Princess Hilda to meet up with Prince Quinus. I think that the main goal for this meeting is to trap Lady Rya and force Prince Quinus into a marriage. Duval plans to have him wed the Princess and unite the kingdom with the Alliance. But my aides informed me that this marriage could leave the Fiafyr Kingdom open and vulnerable to the Divine Three," Lord Brice informed the King and Queen.

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"Is there a way we can stop him? Or is he beyond reasoning?" Rianna inquired.

"Well, this is a long shot, but we could use the church to help us... If Lady Rya can speak to the idol of Goddess Iyomelka, then the people will see her as a messenger from the goddess. It will stop the other nobles from following Duval's plan," Lord Brice explained. Rianna perked up at the mention of Iyomelka. She remembered the ceremony when she first came over to Fiafyr, and the priestesses performed the blessing ceremony. They were all stunned when the idol's eyes glowed a faint white light, which made the priestesses go crazy with excitement. Rianna was the first in many decades to get the Idol to respond.

At first, Rianna couldn't understand the significance of the situation, but as she spent more time in the kingdom, she delved deeper into the lore of the goddess. She discovered that, unlike other gods, the goddess never directly disclosed information to her followers; instead, she seemed to encourage them to seek out the answers for themselves.

"B-But she's a Dark Elf, and the goddess could be furious with us," one of the aides stuttered.

The aide was met with a sea of disbelieving stares from everyone in the room.

'That aide has no tact... Or common sense,' Cyndre and Rianna thought at the same time.

"That's what everyone said about me when I arrived in the Kingdom, right? What makes you think that she wouldn't be worthy?" Rianna questioned the aide and pointed out the flaws in his argument.

"M-My Queen... Do you all believe Goddess Iyomelka would be okay with an outsider performing the Temple of Balance's ritual for her favor?... I know that our Queen worshiped a different Pantheon, but she is a human like the rest of us. And a Dark Elf is a creature of—"

"That's enough, Sigmund... This is the best option we have to hold back Duval's plans," Lord Brice told him.

"My apologies, Lord Brice," the aide stated.

Cyndre nodded, "Do we have a backup plan if she doesn't succeed?" Cyndre asked.

"If the Goddess rejects her, we will have no choice but to send her into hiding... Or have her leave the kingdom," Lord Brice replied.

"She won't fail," Rianna stated with conviction.

Lord Brice and his advisors harbored lingering doubts, but they nodded in agreement nonetheless while Cyndre beamed at his wife's unwavering assurance.

"Of course she won't. If Lady Rya has won my Queen over, then she's more than worthy to receive the goddess' blessing," Cyndre remarked.

Lord Brice was eager to challenge the statement, but he wisely chose to remain silent. He had witnessed the Queen's behavior on a few occasions in the past, but he couldn't recall the exact circumstances or reasons behind it.

'I need to keep an eye on her behavior. It seems a bit strange that she's acting this way. She's practically glowing. Maybe seeing the crown prince after all this time has changed her demeanor... Hmm, something feels off about her... It must be a mother's love, or maybe it's something else,' Lord Brice pondered.

After a moment of silence, Cyndre turned back to Lord Brice and asked, "Any word on how my brother plans to play this? He's been silent, and it's putting me on edge."

"Nothing at the moment, my King. He hasn't moved any forces from his territory," Lord Brice replied, and the aides nodded.

"I see," Cyndre mumbled as he tapped his fingers against the table anxiously.

Rianna found herself contemplating in much the same way as her husband.

"Do we have an idea of how he's going to side in the emergency session?" Rianna inquired.

"We believe so, My Queen. But we can't be certain," one of the aides replied.

Rianna's expression twisted into a look of pure revulsion as a vivid memory of her brother-in-law's despicable actions came rushing back to her. She couldn't shake the feeling of regret, wishing that Duval hadn't intervened to stop Cyndre from carrying out the execution of his own brother after the failed assassination attempt of their only son. Now, 19 years later, Alaric was still scheming and plotting, and the bitter taste of missed justice lingered in Rianna's mind.

"We believe Duke Alaric is going to side with the Prime Minister... If Lady Rya is a healer—"

"She is... I've witnessed it," Rianna interrupted while thinking about countering Alaric.

"Ah, yes, My Queen... Then he would probably support the Prime Minister's decision to try and break up the prince's relationship with her," the aide concluded.

Cyndre sighed and leaned back on his throne while rubbing his temples, "That's too simple and juvenile for my brother... He hates Duval, and there has to be more to his motives than this. He wouldn't risk handing over the kingdom to the Divine Three. I'm sure he has a plan to use Princess Hilda, but is she a willing participant, or is she a pawn to be thrown away after she served her usefulness?"

"That's a great question, my King," Lord Brice commented as he pondered the situation.

"My husband is correct. There's no way he would side with Duval without something in it for himself," Rianna added.

"Well... He can't do anything to the prince with a healer by his side. He's probably banking on the fact that she might die at the hands of the paladins," Lord Brice pointed out.

Rianna's fury flared up again upon hearing the words, but it subsided when Cyndre reached for her hand and clasped it firmly. The tension melted away as she tightly gripped his hand, feeling a sense of comfort wash over her.

"And if we can prove to the people that she has received Goddess Iyomelka's favor, then his plan would be ruined. But we need to find out what else he has up his sleeve. I can't see him giving up the fight so easily," Cyndre stated, and Rianna nodded.

"We are trying our best, Your Majesty," Lord Brice replied.

The Queen was becoming restless, so Cyndre gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Rianna looked over at him and nodded. She didn't know why she was so irritated. She just wanted to see her son and have him be safe. But the news of Duval and Alaric trying to split them up was a bit too much for her to handle, and she was getting hungry again.

"My husband is correct... We need more information and less assumptions. I suggest you gather more intel, Lord Brice," Rianna suggested in a calmer tone.

"We will do that, my Queen," Lord Brice said with a bow.

"When did Duval first order the session?" Cyndre asked.

"This morning, my liege," an aide replied.

"So, we have four days before Duval has the authority to begin the session. We have three days to get our affairs in order and one day for Lady Rya to perform the ceremony," Cyndre deduced, "Brice. I need you to get the wheels in motion. If I step foot in the capital, then Duval can commence the session. So I'll stay here in Lomar until the last minute. I'm counting on you, my friend," Cyndre told him.

Lord Brice smiled and bowed, "As you command, my King. We will speak to Mother Astra about the ritual and make sure everything is in order so Duval can't weasel his way out of this request like he normally does. And we'll see if we can find a loophole in the emergency measure to derail whatever he had planned for Lady Rya and the Crown Prince... Anyway, I'll leave you with your wife, My King," Lord Brice and his aides left the chamber and left the King and Queen alone.

"I hate having to sit back and wait for the news," Rianna said, and Cyndre smiled.

"I've never seen you like this, my love. You're usually more patient," Cyndre commented.

Rianna's face flushed with embarrassment, "I-I know... It's just that I don't like Duval and Alaric scheming behind our backs," Rianna admitted.

"And their schemes will fail. I promise you that," Cyndre reassured her. Rianna couldn't help herself but grab the sides of Cyndre's head and pull him in for a kiss. Cyndre was taken aback at first but reciprocated and deepened the kiss.

"You better be right because if you're not, then you can say goodbye to kisses like this," Rianna whispered once they broke the kiss.

"All the more motivation for me to put them in their place," Cyndre said with a smirk.

Rianna giggled as she sat down next to her husband and snuggled up against him. Cyndre was surprised by her actions, but he wasn't going to complain. He wrapped an arm around his wife, and the two stayed like that for an hour before her stomach started growling.

"Are you hungry again, my love?" Cyndre asked.

"Yeah... And it's your fault for making me burn all that energy last night... That's why I'm this way," Rianna joked.

Cyndre chuckled, "I'm sorry, Love... You can punish me later. But let's get you fed first," Cyndre said as the couple got up.

"Oh? I'm going to punish you, huh?... Sounds kinky," Rianna teased, and Cyndre smirked.

"Don't start something you can't finish," he warned.

Rianna just laughed and playfully pushed her husband, "I can't believe how insatiable I am lately," she admitted.

"Well, luckily, it is an easy fix," Cyndre whispered, and Rianna smirked.

"I guess... But remember... You aren't allowed to touch me without my permission," Rianna teased.

Cyndre smiled and grabbed his wife's rear, "Then you better give me permission... Or I'll just have to take matters into my own hands," Cyndre warned, and Rianna's breath hitched.

She should have scolded him but gave him a seductive smirk instead. She was going down a road that she knew was a mistake, but she didn't care.

"Maybe later," Rianna teased as the couple exited the chamber.