[TWS] Chapter 276 – If You Love Someone, Let Them Go

It was clear that the queen wanted to claim such a thing as impossible again, but she must have held herself back while staring into the empty grave. After a moment of thought, she sighed heavily and pressed a hand to her forehead.

“If this is true, then it would be the first time in the history of our race that something like that happened,” she said. “Assuming that an external party succeeded in taking hold of this elder and extracting sensitive information from his mind, this is a serious issue of national security. Our top agents are in danger. People are in danger.”

“I’m afraid that, with so much time having passed, their influence might have spread wide,” Silvia commented. “I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it even reaches your inner circles, Your Majesty. Even if whoever did all of this isn’t exactly aiming for you, your friend, or the Tree, planting a spy or multiple ones near the queen would be the next logical step for any shady organization. I would advise caution.”

“I will need to immediately gather a small, trusted committee to go through all the important reports about any deaths, kidnappings, disappearances, or changes in our ranks in the last century. That’s the only way I can think of that would allow us to single out possible traitors from the other, loyal subjects.” The queen rubbed her chin while deep in thought. “I need to get to the bottom of this. A covert investigation might be necessary. If that elder is still alive, we have to find him.”

“Can’t you just read everyone’s mind like you did with Fievedem?” Miria asked, tilting her head curiously.

“That’s an option but it would definitely have a much higher chance of spooking the enemy than looking through the archives. Someone would inevitably notice that many people are called in for screening even if we tried to hide it. An order to reexamine some old documents should pass by with less suspicion and is easier to cover up with some made-up reason. We should save the mind reading until the pool of potential culprits narrows a little bit from the entire palace staff or even the citizens,” Civienne explained.

“This won’t be easy if even just a few of the most important departments are being closely monitored. We have no idea what to expect, Little Lavender,” Althea added.

“I know, Teacher. We will need to work with people we can definitely trust. And there aren’t many.” The queen moved a finger to her lips and started biting on her nail while looking for answers to her troubles.

The other woman smiled warmly. Perhaps this gesture wasn’t a fully conscious one and reminded the Dragon lady of the queen’s younger self. People often weren’t even aware of those little signals their bodies sent until someone else pointed them out, just like Miria tilting her head whenever she was curious about something.

“I’m glad Imadil and Cynthia are back. We can certainly rely on the Keeper and his daughter. I can only hope that they will be willing to help. We haven’t exactly parted on best terms back then even if they remain as respectful as ever. I will need to honestly apologize again and perhaps come up with some compensation for all they had suffered. The other Spellsong families won’t be happy but it’s not the time to worry about that. We have bigger problems on our plate,” the queen murmured to herself, lost in her thoughts.

Asterios and the girls just stood with her in silence, not wanting to interrupt. It looked like Althea waited for her to finish too, possibly used to witnessing her past pupil in this faint trance.

“Fievedem. She’s always been a loyal child. To our people, and to her friends. I’ve already confirmed that she isn’t compromised. I think it’s time she received a well-earned promotion. No one will doubt it after how she has handled the recent incident in the human lands. We can grant her enough clearance to include her in the investigation.” Civienne’s eyes moved quicker and quicker, jumping from point to point without focusing on anything specific.

She then froze for a moment and suddenly turned to Asterios, her generous chest swaying heavily as it stretched the material of her dress to its limits. It was a task of insurmountable will not to stare right at the two massive peaks jiggling seductively in front of Asterios and the girls. The queen definitely knew how to distract her opponents. If she even was dressing like this intentionally.

“Outsiders… Delegation… Yes, that could work…” she whispered to herself while meeting Ast’s gaze. “It might be presumptuous of me after everything that has happened, and you already having listened to my plea to aid Althea, but I might have to ask if we could request your help with this issue. I’m aware that it might not concern you, but we would owe you an even bigger debt, this time from the entire nation rather than my personal self.”

Althea nodded. “It wouldn’t be suspicious for the diplomatic delegation to partake in the matters of the royal court. It should be perceived as our willingness to show how we operate and allow our guests to feel involved with the inner workings of the nation. A good step towards uniting our kingdoms.”

The two women looked at him together. Asterios pondered over it for a moment and moved his gaze to his mates. As expected, they showered him with charming smiles full of faith and confidence. They were all willing to follow his decision no matter what it was.

He chuckled quietly, feeling their affection warm up his chest, and returned his attention to the two ladies. “Since we have been sent here by King Welrond on a diplomatic mission to bring our people closer, I think it’s in our best interest to offer our help with your troubles. But, it would be wise to discuss these matters with him first since the situation is much more serious than anyone would have expected. If it’s connected to the poison cult, then it definitely concerns him and the others just as much.”

“That’s true. We should discuss how to officially proceed so that we can make a public announcement. I will have to get in touch with Welrond through the Mirror Cube as soon as possible, perhaps right after we finish here,” the queen agreed. “I wanted to focus on fully treating Althea first, but this unfortunately cannot wait. I hope the antidote you have provided us will be able to cure her completely. I feel like we might need to borrow the strength of our guardian deity once more.”

“I’m already feeling better.” Althea showed a soft smile.

“We can’t be too hasty. Give it at least a day to take full effect. Then we can celebrate.” Asterios tried to keep their expectations in check.

“Yes, of course.” The queen nodded. “That should be enough to get things going. In the meanwhile, you are allowed to freely move through the town, including every part of the royal palace. I will make sure that everyone knows about your unrestricted access. If you wish to spend a night here, speak to the servants and they will lead you to the royal chambers. The entire city stands open to you if you would rather choose a different place to rest. I’ve heard that this is your first visit to our capital so please enjoy yourselves to the fullest.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Asterios made a polite bow and the girls curtsied too.

“I will excuse myself first, then. You should have no issues leaving on your own.” She respectfully lowered her head in response. “Right now, I’m speaking not as the queen but as the elf Civienne. Thank you for taking a look at my esteemed teacher. I’m sorry for the impolite test in the throne room. I hope you won’t think of me too badly for those actions. They regard a person I hold dear. I had to be sure.”

Raising herself, she exchanged a glance with the other woman and nodded politely at the others before walking away. They stood in silence as the queen disappeared amongst the trees, heading the way they had come from. The quiet atmosphere was broken only by the soft rumbling of mud as Althea returned the empty grave to its initial state.

“Please, forgive her deception if you manage to find it in yourself.” The Dragon lady glanced at Asterios hopefully after standing up. “She is usually much more careful and scrupulous with all matters regarding the kingdom. It’s when things get highly personal that Civienne finds it hard to remain calm. She has unfortunately grown too attached to me during the time we spent together.”

“That’s not the best trait a ruler should have.” Grea snorted.

“Yes. You can say that I’m her only weakness.” A melancholic smile tugged at the corners of Althea’s lips. “As you can imagine, I’m someone akin to a mentor for the queen candidates. Since the throne is usually hereditary, I mostly teach their daughters. If you are wondering why not sons and kings, then that tradition comes from the elf race worshiping the Divine Treemother, the supposed progenitor of their race. It’s a long story, but they believe that she loved her people so much that she gave her own life to make sure that they would prosper forever. In short words, she turned herself into the Tree of Life and watches over her children through the spiritual link she shares with all of them.”

“It must have been an incredibly hard decision to hurt the Tree back then,” Selene pointed out.

“Oh, it was. The majority of people would have rebelled. That’s why only the selected few knew about the plan. The queen of that time bore a heavy responsibility on her shoulders for her possibly blasphemous resolution. If it had failed, she would forever have been branded as the one who killed the Divine Treemother. Thankfully, she succeeded and the blame shifted on the Dragons while part of the Tree could be saved as intended, continuing to bless the people in secrecy,” Althea explained. “Though, I’m sure there were individuals who blamed the Tree for their constant suffering and were glad to see it gone. It’s not impossible that their remnants caught wind of the Tree’s survival and are trying to fully finish it off. Maybe the elder was even one of them rather than being forced to comply.”

“We are unfortunately too much in the dark about this.” Asterios sighed.

“I agree. There are many unknowns. But, I seem to have strayed a little bit too far away from the core topic of this conversation.” Althea let out a gentle chuckle and waved her hand, making a long bench sprout from the ground and gesturing at everyone to sit with her. “The future queens are raised to put the lives of the people above their own, the good of the nation above everything else. Part of their upbringing includes training to, as serious as it sounds, sever the emotional ties with all their relatives and close ones. It isn’t as bad as to get rid of their familial love and care but prepares them to make some tough decisions and to understand that death comes for everyone, no matter at which point and in what way, be it natural or not.”

“Is that why she is so… cold?” Tina asked.

“No. That’s not it. And she wasn’t always like this.” Althea shook her head. “Civienne was a bright and gentle girl. The kindness, care, and love for her future subjects showed openly on her face, in her actions, and words. That is until she lost her mother. We still don’t know what happened. The queen was found in her chambers, seemingly nothing wrong with her body. A rebellious group existing at that time claimed it as their doing. You should be familiar with them. They were the ones responsible for the incident in your lands.”

“The corrupted summoning circle near Glimmervale?” Silvia’s brows rose slightly.

“Yes.” The Dragon lady nodded. “But, it was still too early in Civienne’s education. She hasn’t fully embraced the teachings and such a loss impacted her heavily. She was furious and personally led an inquisition to uproot the villainous group from the sacred elven ground. Not a single person was spared. Afterward, she crumbled in my arms and cried for days. Then, she grew distant, cold, unemotional. Her training continued as a very young queen and I thought she had taken the lessons on emotional solitude a bit more seriously than her predecessors due to what happened. It was natural. She didn’t want to be hurt like that again.”

“But she didn’t.” Asterios understood.

“After some time, I began noticing something unusual. She was visiting me much more often than anyone ever had. I’m a kind of deity to the elves. They revere me and try to limit their time bothering me with their insignificant presence. At first, I shrugged it off as her eagerness to learn and fill in the shoes left by her mother as soon as possible, but that wasn’t it.” Althea released a delicate sigh. “It looks like I failed to realize that she was just putting on a mask. Because of how doting I always was on her, and because of the timing of her loss, she must have imprinted on me as her new motherly figure. Instead of severing all the ties after her suffering, she has developed an even stronger bond with me, and only me. Perhaps it was what allowed her to push through and accept the emotional solitude becoming of the queen.”

“So, while emotionally cutting herself off literally everyone else just as she was supposed to, the queen has also clung to the connection between the two of you so hard that she’s now capable of flipping over the entire world if a single hair falls off your head?” Grea raised a brow at her.

“That seems to be the case.” Althea smiled wryly. “Now you can see why she was so desperate to reach out to you and confirm the information she gained from interrogating Fievedem, ignoring quite a few risks and dangers along the way. I’m the queen’s weakness that should never have existed in the first place. My mere existence puts everyone at risk.”

Asterios quickly reached out and took a hold of Althea’s slender hand, meeting her eyes with a firm gaze. “I hope you weren’t thinking about letting the poison take your life.”

“I would lie if I denied that claim.” She gripped his fingers.

“No! That’s not right!” Miria shouted with her eyes on the verge of tears. “You can’t kill yourself just because someone loves you!”

“Sometimes, the right choices require the hardest decisions.” The Dragon lady used her other hand to brush over Miria’s cheek. “But, I know how much that would hurt Civienne. I was waiting for a good opportunity. I was waiting to make sure that she accepted the inevitable, that she wouldn’t do anything inappropriate after my passing.”

“If you love someone, let them go…” Tina whispered.

“Exactly.” Althea nodded with a sad expression.

“No, not like that.” The blue-haired girl shook her head, finding the woman’s slightly confused gaze. “The only options aren’t live or die. There is one more.”

“What other choice is there?” Althea’s brows furrowed softly.

“Leave,” Asterios answered, catching on to his beloved mate’s thought process.

“Leave what?” The woman was even more perplexed.

“This place,” he clarified. “You aren’t locked or bound here, are you?”

“No, I’m not. At least not by any magical means. What keeps me here is my promise. Yet, I can’t just—”

“Sometimes, the right choices require the hardest decisions,” Silvia repeated her earlier words.

“Does it have to be you who teaches the princesses? Do you have to do it personally, face to face? Do you really need to stay in this hidden chamber all the time?” Asterios asked.

Althea took a moment to think before replying. “No. The Coven of Elders is familiar with most if not all customs and teachings. Besides using this chamber as my place to teach future generations, I use it to hide and protect myself from the gaze of the world. I’m a relic of the past in this realm even if True Dragons are long gone.”

“What if we promised to protect you?” Asterios offered. “That I would protect you? Like my own mate?”

She paused with her mouth slightly hanging open, blinking at him with a blank expression. The chuckle that escaped a few of the girls brought her back from the sudden stupor.

“You can’t seriously think to put a lesser being such as myself on par with your—”

“They are all lesser beings,” he interrupted her firmly, then quickly glanced to the sides. “No offense.”

“None taken, Master.” Miria giggled.

“Oh, I just love being below you.” Grea grinned at him while licking her lips.

He rolled his eyes at the lustful demon lady and noticed that Tina did the same. They chuckled together as a faint shade of rosiness blossomed over her plump cheeks.

“The point is,” Asterios turned to look at Althea, “if we go by all the draconic customs and beliefs on racial hierarchy, you would be leaps and bounds above any of my current mates. I don’t think Lesser Dragons are as far from True Dragons as the latter portrays it. And even so, they would be considered way superior to humans or beastfolk. So, that argument is invalid.”

Althea moved her gaze from person to person and met a myriad of smiles and nods from all the girls. Asterios didn’t like even thinking about them like that, not to mention talking, but in the eyes of those prideful True Dragons, it was completely true. Something that their new Lesser Dragon friend knew even better than they did.

“I’m… sorry.” She chuckled weakly. “Your suggestion was so sudden that I instinctively returned to thinking of you as any other True Dragon.”

“It’s alright. I bet it’s still a huge shock.” He smirked at her. “I really wish it wasn’t, though. It just confirms how big assholes those guys are. But, I digress. What do you think about it?”

“I don’t know,” she replied with an honest tone. “I would have never expected such an offer. It’s just too surreal. It would be of no surprise if you demanded me to become your slave. But to be treated on par with your mates? That’s unheard of.”

“What would I need to do to take you as my slave?” Asterios asked, partially knowing the answer.

“Beat me into submission. Which wouldn’t be an issue with my current, weakened state,” she answered matter-of-factly. “A Lesser Dragon will cower in front of a True Dragon, but when one would aim to capture them, they would obviously fight for their life. Though, considering the pressure of your aura, it wouldn’t be much of a fight even at the peak of their power.”

“So, Master’s strength isn’t the problem here, right?” Bryn chimed in.

“Not in the slightest.” Althea shook her head. “If you are wondering if I find him capable of protecting me, then I believe so. That’s also part of the reason why I was so shocked. Such a powerful True Dragon could have anyone he wanted rather than a sick, dying woman on her deathbed, even as a disposable slave.”

“You might not be so sick anymore tomorrow.” He smiled kindly, giving her hand a tender squeeze. “But, while this True Dragon might be powerful, there’s one crucial thing he lacks.”

“Which is?” She peered into his crimson irises in search of an answer.

“Knowledge,” he replied. “And perhaps experience. Let’s make that two.”

Althea cocked her head to the back, causing her mesmerizing, emerald hair to wave enchantingly.

“Ah. You need a teacher.” She nodded to herself.

“Very much so.” Asterios smiled at the Dragon lady. “I keep gaining strength but I lack too much everywhere else. I’m like a dog trying to dress up as a Wyvern. Some parts overlap, others not so much. Without proper training, I will just remain a clueless pup trying to imitate something greater.”

She smiled back at him with a slightly more radiant expression. “No True Dragon would ever compare themselves to a dog. You really know nothing about them.”

“Then teach him!” Miria beamed at her. “Become Master’s mentor!”

“You seem to have lived amongst them in the past, or at least in the same realm. While you aren’t exactly a True Dragon, I’m sure you’ve been taught a lot about them and gathered your own information over the course of your life. That’s why I would like to offer you protection in return for your teachings.” Asterios held Althea’s gaze while lowering his head to show how serious and sincere he was.

“Everyone benefits from this arrangement,” Silvia added. “We get your experience. You get freedom. Civienne’s weakness disappears from the board.”

“It’s really worth it. I swear.” Grea snickered and earned herself a chop on the head.

Althea glanced over everyone once more before returning her attention to Asterios. Looking him in the eyes for a moment longer, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Raise your head, please.” She guided his face up with her smooth hand. “Can you give me some time to think about this?”

“Of course. Let’s first make sure that you recover properly. I don’t think we will solve the queen’s issues overnight anyway.” He chuckled.