From above her throne, Serien looked at an elegant man.
This man was a nobleman of the Mizhar kingdom, a kingdom northeast of Basilica's new frontiers.
The princess's face was static, but her heart was racing and her pupils dilated, that was a new feeling for Serien.
A strange and uneasy feeling started to take hold of her heart and it started when she saw Duke Veron Qallhu.
The man had bronze skin, brown hair, dark, drooping eyes, and he looked youthful despite being middle-aged, which gave his smiling face a unique charm.
"What does the Duke of Mizhar want to come from so far?" Serien asked in a tone that was sure and firm despite her sudden nervousness.
"First, I want to congratulate your highness about the conquering of your kingdom..." Veron bowed subtly.
"Thank you, but I'm not the one who deserves to be congratulated." Serien replied. "Her Majesty..."
"Ah.. Yes, I heard. It's a shame." Veron made a pained expression. "I wanted to meet such a woman."
Serien laid her face tediously in the palm of her hand and smiled slightly. "You will be able to meet her, I assure you."
After so much refraining from talking about Athena, Serien was tired and now, if asked, she would openly talk about her belief in Athena's survival.
Veron didn't understand that smile and affirmation, but he didn't showed his lack of understanding too.
He wanted to look good all the time and now he had one more reason to do so.
As soon as he laid his eyes on Serien's long silvery black hair and delicate face, Veron wanted her.
"So what do you want?" Serien urged him on.
"My king wishes to form an alliance with your kingdom." Veron said with a thin smile. "A few months ago, a bard arrived in our kingdom singing 'The Battle of the Dragon Queen'. I must say that was a fantastic tale..."
At that moment the doors to the throne room opened and a subtly husky voice was heard.
"It's not just a tale." Mifa said. "It is the pure truth."
"You are..."
"Nobody important." Mifa responded as she passed the man. "Serien, six armies have been sighted marching on the northern, eastern, and northwestern borders."
Serien rose from the throne with a frown on her face. "Have you talked to Oliana and summoned Sir Noil?"
"The knights have already left with Athena's platoon. And Oliana is gathering the available Valkyries." Mifa said and Serien sighed in relief. "The problem is that we are three weeks late and they may have already crossed the borders."
"Any chance of victory?" Serien asked in a whisper.
"But of course! There is no chance of defeat." Mifa said confidently. "I too am going to the battlefield. I will defend this kingdom with everything I have until Athena returns."
The war did not last long. They weren't as fast as the wars that Athena was present, but it was still very fast.
This was due to Mifa transforming into a twelve meters tall, dark gray giant wolf that breathed air and fire pressurized that shredded and burned everything in its path.
During the war, Mifa became famous with both allied and enemy soldiers.
Whenever she appeared on the battlefield, the enemy's morale dropped and the morale of the Basilic soldiers exploded.
In a short time she was called by another name and a legend arose with that name.
Legend said that the saint of beasts was the goddess of animals incarnate.
An entity that showed its ferocity on the battlefield. Devouring, tearing apart and burning men as if they were nothing.
Two months was all the allied kingdoms endured until they declared defeat and had to face rebellions by their own people because of a war that only served to sacrifice soldiers.
In order not to take the kingdoms, Serien demanded a sum in damages and ten years of tribute, and they didn't deny it.
Upon returning from the war, Serien and Sahari were stunned by the power Mifa demonstrated and insistently asked how she was so strong.
"That's the power Athena gave me." Mifa said. "She put something inside me that changed my race."
"And what is your race now?"
"I am a fenrir."
Little was known about the fenrir race. Most of the information had about the race was mixed with legends, but it was known that the fenrir is from who originated all the beastmen.
Serien saw in this an opportunity to increase the power of the kingdom. Using Mifa's prowess as a pretext, Serien crowned Mifa as a princess consort.
Even if Mifa wasn't as strong as Athena, she was a force to be reckoned with, and Serien didn't want to lose that power.
Mifa didn't want to, but she didn't complain either as the freedom that came with the title was greater. With it she could enter the reserved wing of the palace library, where older grimoires were stored.
Days passed and Mifa realized that something was different about Serien. Especially when she was with the Duke of Mizhar, Veron.
They were closer and Serien smiled foolishly next to him, just like Mifa smiled when she was with Athena.
(This can be bad...) Mifa thought when she saw them in the garden.
Mifa didn't like Veron. They spoke little, but she couldn't form a good impression of the man who always had a smile on his face.
(I'll keep an eye on him.)
Another two months passed and Athena had been away for ten months.
Serien was very happy wearing a beautiful evening gown, jewels that brought out the black of her hair and flowers that matched the purple of her eyes.
"Are you really going to marry Duke Voron?" Mifa asked.
She was wearing a short white dress, her hair was loose and falling with all its volume over her face.
She was sitting in an armchair near Serien's bedroom window and reading one of the grimoires she spent so much time reading.
"It's 'Veron', Mifa. And yes, I will marry him." Serien said with a huge smile.
Mifa breathed her disapproval. "You know he can be an enemy, right?"
"..."
"Look, I don't want to hinder your happiness, but you are acting as the ruler of Athena's kingdom and I must warn you that in the first aggressive move he makes, I will kill him."
"I'll keep that in mind." Serien replied in a low voice and she was no longer smiling.
Serien and Veron's wedding was majestic.
All of Basilian celebrated and partied with the couple who took a carriage ride through the capital.
Without a king or queen to perform the ceremony, Mifa was the one who married them even though she was reluctant and vigilant towards the groom.
Months passed and during that time, Veron traveled frequently between the kingdoms.
Normally, Veron was to have been stripped of all titles given by the king of Mizhar and would lose possession of his territory in his home kingdom, but that didn't happen.
Veron remained Duke of Mizhar and still had possession of his territories, and it was very suspicious to Mifa that had placed a spy among Veron's servants.
"That's weird..." Mifa told Serien.
"What is weird?"
"Your husband travels so often."
"Apparently he has to manage his possessions..." Serien said as she read some documents. "Do you still keep your spy with him?"
"..."
"Be calm, I won't tell him." Serien looked at Mifa. "But I want to know if I can still trust him as much as you do."
"Afraid he has another wife in Mizhar?"
"No... You know I don't trust him blindly either."
"Really? I thought you were crushing on him."
"I love him, but I also loved my dad." Serien replied.
With that answer, Mifa got her answer to her doubt for Serien's sense of priorities.
For Serien, the kingdom always came first. Friends, family and love came after her people.
She had what it took to be a good queen, but she wasn't strong enough to protect her people and that made her disqualify herself.
Time passed, Serien became pregnant and Mifa continued her surveillance of Veron while researching spells that could bring Athena back.
Veron's movements got weirder at this time. He began to travel more often and his core friendships with the nobles of Basilica increased considerably.
And one night, in bed with Serien, Veron made his first obvious slip.
"My love, don't you think if you had the nobles helping you run the kingdom, things wouldn't be lighter for you?"
At that moment Serien was silent. She didn't want him to get in more trouble.
He knew that the political power of the nobles had been abolished in Basilica and yet he was trying to get Serien to empower those same nobles.
Serien was in her eighth month of pregnancy and she didn't want Veron to be killed before her child was born and so she made the matter drop without even starting.
After that, Veron went on to meet former Dukes of Basilica. They had several secret meetings in isolated places. But just as Mifa had placed a spy among Veron's servants, Serien had spies with every noble in the kingdom and was aware of what was happening.
(Why?) Serien asked in her mind when she received the information.
She already knew the answer. Veron was just a puppet of the King of Mizhar. She didn't know the whole plan, but with the obvious stuff from the information gathered, she was able to deduce some of what was going on.
Veron was urging the nobles to act and take control of the kingdom. The purpose of this act was still unknown to Serien, but it was crystal clear that Veron, her husband, her first love, was a damned traitor.
But it was too early to make his actions public. Serien had a big belly and spent most of her time in bed. She wanted more time, just a little more... So she hid the information about the matter.
This information was something that Mifa's spy couldn't get from just being Veron's servant, and Serien took advantage of that fact.
She didn't know that love could be so detrimental to the decisions a person should make.
This love that made her want her husband to meet her child, made her make a stupid decision.
(Just another month...)
Serien... /(=_=/)
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After killing the rebel nobles in the throne room, Mifa walked through the palace corridors leaving a trail of blood behind.
She was on her way to Serien's room, where Veron was also, but she wasn't counting on what the duke had already planned.
Veron was in the bedroom with two of his children in his arms when the door opened with a bloody hand staining the white wood.
Upon opening the door, Mifa looked at Veron with a bloodlust that had been growing for almost two years, but when she stepped into the room, strange writings that were drawn on the floor glowed and began to tie themselves on her body.
Veron, who smiled kindly at his children, smiled victoriously while looking at Mifa from above.
"I see you got rid of that garbage for me." Said the man.
"W-what is this? What did you do?" Mifa asked and looked at Serien she seemed to be in a state of hypnosis while nursing her daughter. "Serien!"
Serien looked at Mifa with empty eyes, smiled and looked back at the girl who was sucking her breast hungrily.
"She can't do anything." Veron said as he laid his children down in the crib. "In order to not have to hurt my sweet love, I had to put her under an illusion."
"Bastard!" Mifa growled and screamed as she was hit by excruciating pain in her wrists and ankles.
"No, no... If you are so wild and disloyal to your master, the slavery seal will torture you."
Veron went to the closet and from inside a drawer took a dark metal collar and put it around Mifa's neck.
"My slaves have to wear this." Veron said as he walked away. "Um! Looks good on a bitch like you. Huhuhu..."
"What's your goal now?" Mifa asked, kneeling with fierce eyes.
"I will have Serien hand over the kingdom to me and together with his majesty, the king of Mizhar, I will rule the continent. The first man, the first emperor, to conquer the entire continent."
"As if the Basilicians were going to obey you..." Mifa scoffed and the pain was equal, making Mifa clench her teeth.
"If they don't obey, I will simply threaten to kill Serien, you, the children and make them obey."
Veron did not know that Basilica's coronation was something different.
One could only become king or queen in two ways and one of them, not even Serien knew.
Unlike any other kingdom, if someone with Serien's blood didn't crown him using the coronation skill, the people would never recognize him.
It was a strange skill that belonged solely to Serien's family. This skill had a territorial effect and only within the original territory of Basilica.
This skill caused a kind of brainwashing and engraved the face of the new ruler in people's minds.
The people may or may not be loyal to the new ruler, but they would always recognize the crowned one as ruler as long they recognized that person appearance.
Well, maybe, if there was enough time for the people, they would recognize the person just like in other kingdoms.
Anyway, Mifa knew all this because she had read it in an old diary in the forbidden wing of the library. Now she was Veron's slave, but that didn't mean she would voluntarily tell him everything that she knew.
Veron looked at Mifa's claws and felt a little nervous. Mifa was his, but that didn't mean she couldn't attack him.
"Let me tell you about the slavery seal. If-"
"Whatever I do to you, I will be punished equivalently." Mifa said with fierce eyes. "I know this spell."
Mifa had already read so many books and grimorios that she could be called an expert in magic. She knew all the spells had in the library and the 'Slavery Seal' was one of them.
"If I insult you or disobey you, I will feel pain. If I hurt you, I will be hurt in the same place, if I kill you..." Mifa said and Veron opened a big smile.
"Glad you know your place. Now..." Veron looked at Serien. "My sweet Serien..." The man kissed Serien's forehead affectionately and then caressed his daughter's face. "I will be the ruler of the kingdom, right?"
"..." Serien looked at the man and smiled sweetly.
"She was so against me putting my plan into action..." Veron smiled at Mifa who made a disgusted expression. "She even begged me to not do that. But of course she would be. Like it or not, she is the queen of this kingdom."
Mifa said nothing. Because if she did, she would feel pain for contradicting her master. But also why she saw an opportunity in this action.
"Then why don't you go to the throne room and sit on the throne? Didn't you get Serien's permission? You're almost the king of Basilica now." Mifa said.
She wanted to inflate Veron's ego as she, surreptitiously, began cast a ritual magic in her mind to awaken Serien.
This was a flaw of 'Slavery Seal'. The slave could still use magic and skill freely, but could not undo 'Slavery Seal' alone.
"Hm…" Veron narrowed his eyes still smiling. "You're right, let's go."
Veron left the room feeling victorious and Mifa followed behind as she cast the spell on Serien.
As a ritual, the magic would take a while to take effect, but once Serien regained consciousness, she would be free, or so Mifa hoped.
With a smug attitude, Veron entered the throne room, passed the servants cleaning the bodies without even looking, and started up the ten steps that led to the thrones.
This caught the attention of the knights present there. No one climbed the steps except Athena, Serien or Mifa.
There were some exceptions like messengers and servants, but these were for work and Veron didn't work in Basilica.
As soon as Veron reached the last step and touched the arm of Athena's throne, the swords were drawn all at once.
Veron quickly turned around with wide eyes. This was the second time Mifa had seen him without a smile.
"Lord, step away from the throne!" Said in a low voice the knight on the left side of the thrones.
"What do you think you are doing?" Veron said in a choked voice. "Her Highness, Princess Serien has ordered me to take care of the affairs of the kingdom, right Miss Mifa?"
Mifa smiled, she would feel pain, but it would be worth it. "He is lying!" Mifa said, the marks on her body glowed and she screamed as she fell writhing in pain.
The knights looked at Mifa and were momentarily stunned, but then turned back to Veron.
"What have you done to the princess consort?"
"N-no, I didn't do anything!" Veron was beginning to see his mistake.
He got carried away by greed and forgot to prepare the ground for such a situation.
Perhaps if he had looked at the servants cleaning the bodies there, he would have seen the mind control crystal he had given Duke Ewllen, but his pomp would not allow it.
Few words from Mifa made Veron fall into that situation. No, that wasn't Mifa's fault, but his greed, his anxiety for true power.
"Mifa, do you think it will stay this way? I'll get out of here without a single scratch."
Mifa smiled a pained but victorious smile. "Yeah? And how are you going to do that?"
"Transform into giant wolf form and kill everyone here!" Veron shouted the order, but Mifa refused, screamed and fainted from the pain.
The knights looked at Mifa and their faces, which were invisible to Veron because of the helmets, were twisted in anger.
The throne room soon became a battleground.
The knights advanced with skills, spells and fencing towards Veron who responded with his spells.
He didn't have more mana than the knights who also used martial energy, but he was more skillful.
Veron cast spells with speed and low mana consumption. This opened a breach in the encirclement of the knights and the man took the opportunity to flee after knocking out four knights.
He ran through the corridors with twenty-six other knights in his track.
He used {Haste} to increase his speed and get away from the knights. When he entered the room, he used {Petrify} on the door, turning it into a hard wall of stone.
However, Serien was inside the room and was already conscious.
Without waiting for Veron turn to her, Serien launch {Holy Arrow} and hit Veron in the back.
Or so it should be.
When Serien's magic struck her husband's back, the golden arrow of light shattered without causing any harm.
"Seri..." Veron said with a troubled look. "You..."
"You bastard!" Serien roared with an expression of an angry lioness. "You threatened your own children!"
Even though she was trapped in an illusion, Serien was still there, in the back of her mind, listening to everything that was happening in the room.
She couldn't forgive Veron for using her children like that. She felt her heart being crushed by the love she felt for that man and from the debris, hatred and disgust aroused.
Serien cast another four holy spells with a real desire to kill Veron. Those were {Holyfire}, {Hand of Justice}, {Sacred Judgment} and {Divine Rain}, but nothing happened to Veron who approached with each spell cast.
Every time a spell hit Veron, his chest glowed green and nothing else happened. With tears in his eyes, Veron cast {Sleep} on Serien who fell asleep in his arms instantly.
He was in a hurry, the stone wall he created was starting to crack with every impact that came from the outside.
Veron laid Serien on the bed and went to the crib where three babies slept despite all the noise.
Thena, a girl with thick black hair, Seron, a boy with silvery brown hair, and Verien, a boy with silver hair.
With the exception of the hair, the three were very similar, no, identical. Veron loved them with all his heart and couldn't bear to be away from his children forever.
"Seri, forgive me." Veron whispered an apology he thought was futile and hugged Thena and Verien.
When the knights entered, Veron and two of the babies were gone. Serien screamed like a wounded animal when she woke up and couldn't find her children.
Since then, the princess has never been the same.
Serien has two paths I think... One is to become a dark lady full of malice towards men. Or two, become a frail, almost insane woman.
Vote, add to your library and comment if you like it.
Please let me know if you find some error.
See ya.
Good sleeping.
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