The guests were shocked. They had never received any information that the queen had a twin sister. Leona and Leonie were so identical that it was impossible to tell them apart.
Lyanna thought to herself that if they had known the queen had a sister, they could have arranged a marriage between her and Thalion instead of the queen. It was too late to regret now; they had no choice since Sabrina had already brought up the marriage proposal. On the other hand, Thalion became even happier, thinking he could have both twins as his wives. What a lucky man he is, he thought.
"Can you please repeat that again?" said Leona.
"To seal the relationship between our two countries and to ensure the bond is never broken, please marry my son," said Sabrina.
"Hahaha, humans are funny," said Leonie.
"We can form the alliance without marriage. Or are you saying you don't trust me?" asked Leona.
"No, not like that, Queen Leona," answered Sabrina.
"Are you saying I am not good enough for you?" asked Thalion.
"It doesn't matter whether you are good enough or not, but there will be no marriage," said Leona.
"Don't underestimate me! I can be more useful than that peasant sitting there. I can help you transform this—"
Before he could finish talking, he was punched so hard that he flew back and hit the wall.
"How dare you insult my husband!" said Leonie.
I could have stopped that, but this girl just hit him without displaying any hostility or murderous intent? By the way, when did I become your husband? Elfan thought to himself.
"Sister, come on!" shouted Leona.
"You care about this pest?" asked Leonie.
"Hell no, but if you kill him quickly, how will I beat him too?" said Leona.
"You two are killing no one, and as for you, heal him and come sit down," said Elfan.
Leonie did as instructed, though she kept on whining.
Lyanna knelt down and asked for forgiveness for her brother, and Elfan assured her it was okay. They formed an alliance with Elzaran, but it did not go as expected. While kneeling, she shouted, "Please help us repel Orcathia, and Aranthor will be grateful."
"Oh, and why should we do that?" asked Leona.
"We will share profits with you from our mana stone mine," said Lyanna.
"I thought the mine was at the border and was the cause of the war going on in your country," said Leona.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Lyanna, Thalion, and Sabrina were horrified. They thought Elzaran knew nothing about what was happening outside their country. Leona continued, "I will not risk the lives of my people for profits, please understand. However, our alliance still stands."
The meeting ended in failure, and they were given ten days to leave the country. They were disappointed, but they had no choice but to accept it. Three days later, Lyanna was invited to the palace secretly. She entered Leona's office and greeted them warmly. This time, she was honest about everything, including the poverty and corruption that plagued Aranthor. Elfan felt sorry for her, but they had invited her here to help her.
"Actually, the reason we called you here is simple: we will help you fight Orcathia," said Leona.
"Really? Thank you, Queen Leona, you are as wise as they say you are," said Lyanna, praising Leona.
"Not only that, even after the war, we will give you loans with low interest, lend you soldiers to deal with corrupt nobles, and even try to help your economy grow," said Leona.
"The queen is wise; however, I don't believe all that is free, right?" asked Lyanna.
"I like working with smart people," said Leona. She continued, staring directly into Lyanna's eyes, "You will be the queen of Aranthor, and the country will become Elzaran's vassal state."
Lyanna was silent.
"You can say no, and we will not force you."
Lyanna had no choice but to accept the deal. She would get the throne she always wanted, but she would be Elzaran's puppet.
"Why did you choose me and not my brother?" asked Lyanna.
"Because that thing disrespected my husband."
Lyanna understood that the dark elf was not a figurehead as rumors said, but the beloved of the queen. The meeting ended on that note. It was decided that Elzaran would help Aranthor in the war, and after the war ended, Lyanna would be the queen. What would happen to Thalion, you ask? He was already marked by the Crimson Shadows. The Crimson Shadows are a squad that specializes in information gathering and assassination. They only report to Leona, and Elfan doesn't know about them. Some of them protect him secretly along with the Black Blazers. This squad is vicious and merciless.
The Crimson Shadows were created by Leona Aceso in secret, known only to a few: Leonie, Anna, and Eli. Their primary goal was to secretly protect Elfan and deal with political opposition that might threaten the state. While the Black Blazers also dealt with such matters, they were known to high political officials like ministers. Leona, however, wanted an independent squad that answered only to her.
During the times when Elfan's reforms were implemented, not everyone accepted the change. There was a town north, close to the capital, where only Golden Elves lived. They refused to accept the changes and did not recognize Elfan as their king. Leona tasked someone from the Aceso family to negotiate with them. She kept the matter from her kind-hearted husband, not wanting him to be involved. The negotiations went nowhere, and instead, the Golden Elves threatened to turn that town and the surrounding towns into an independent state for High Elves only. The worst thing about the situation was that the town was close to the capital. Leona ordered the Crimson Shadows to deal with the matter swiftly and set an example.
The Crimson Shadows executed the mission with terrifying efficiency. One night, they silently infiltrated the town, eliminating every single inhabitant without leaving a trace of their presence. When the sun rose the next morning, the town was eerily silent, devoid of life. Not a single creature, not even a chicken or mouse, was left alive. The Crimson Shadows had erased the entire population, setting a brutal example.
The news of the massacre spread quickly to the neighboring towns, instilling fear and obedience. They realized that the title of "Bloody Queen" was not just for show; Leona was capable of ruthless actions to maintain control and order. The other towns began to cooperate fully, understanding the consequences of defiance. The abandoned town was soon repopulated with homeless people invited to live there, and it was as if nothing had ever happened.
Elfan always tried to negotiate to find common ground, whereas his wife used force to get what she wanted. Thalion's days were numbered. Thus began the war between Aranthor and Elzaran against Orcathia.