The next day, Elora walked into her study to handle her queenly duties. She sat on the foam armchair, noting that a new desk as replaced the one that met its unfortunate end.
Her old advisor looked focused, though his heart was beating in his throat after hearing about the events of yesterday. He didn't dare to be careless; he was close to retirement, and any problem he could jeopardize it.
Elora glanced at the old advisor, who had also served for the last queen, with a hint of envy. Here someone who would soon enjoy their retirement while she was nowhere near hers.
"Your Highness, these are the documents you need to sign and taxes you need to implement," he said as he dropped the papers onto her desk.
"BAM!" The desk shook with its weight, frightening Elora so much that her eyes darted to the pile of documents, which formed a hill, blocking the old man's face.
Her lips twitched as she moved back subconsciously, "Umm... Sir Charleston, is this all for me?" She pointed at the documents and herself. Her gaze was filled with hope that It wasn't. But it shattered like glass when he nodded and brought out another stack from his dimensional bag.
Elora's eyes zeroed in on the door; these queenly duties were not her cup of tea. Do they want to kill her with work? What scam is this? Isn't the queen supposed to have a relaxing life?
No, no, bloody hell no. She shook her head in denial, causing the old man to fear something was wrong with her.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" He called out before Elora snapped back to reality. She collapsed into the chair, feeling exhausted when she hadn't even started with anything.
She turned her gaze to the old man, reading his screaming thoughts (I hope her Majesty doesn't fall ill; there is so much work to do. It has been three years without a queen, and all the duties are piling up. She still had to organize a royal party to announce her coronation, and all the representatives of other kingdoms were coming...)
Elora paled from all the work she was going to do and dropped her head on the desk, doubting if she would ever rest when all this was over; she shivered listening to the long list of things still going in the man's head and couldn't help but mute his thoughts from her mind.
She resigned to her fate, she knew she had to finish this or face an even greater mountain of work. The sooner she got through it, the sooner she could rest. She turned to her advisor, who was practically a PA by now.
"Are these documents sorted by priority?"
Seeing his clueless expression, she explained, "The documents should be sorted by importance. I shouldn't be dealing with trivial matters that you could handle yourself." The old man's face grew thoughtful, realizing the wisdom of her words. Why hadn't it been done this way before?
Elora almost broke out in sweat for the formal queen- had she been handling everything when she had an advisor she could fully use?
"Post a notice for the position of the queen's assistant across the kingdom. I will interview the candidates personally." She issued the decree, and the hidden guards vanished into thin air to carry out the order.
She stood up from her desk, not touching any paper till it was sorted out, she wasn't about to work herself to the bone.
"That's all for today. We'll continue this after an assistant is hired. You may go.'' She dismissed the old man, who left the study, surprised at her unique approach.
Elora rang the bell on her desk, and the butler entered. "Your Majesty, you sent for me," He said, bowing respectfully, willingly to serve her with all his heart and power, already convinced by her change.
"Tell the maid to prepare the royal hot spring for me and hire a few personal maids from me to choose from," Elora ordered, moving away from the desk.
"Yes, your Majesty." He bowed and teleported away. Elora looked at the empty space, gritted her teeth, and tsk in envy. It seems she has to advance to adept so she can teleport wherever she wants.
First, she has to take a long soak and soothe her tired mind after the scare she had been through a moment ago.
Following her memories, she reached the hot spring. She passed through the hallways and stopped in front of a water screen in a scheduled area.
Passing through the water screen, it was as if she was transported to another place. In front of her lay an underground grotto illuminated by golden lights shining through from an opening above. A waterfall cascaded into a pristine, emerald-colored pool in the center.
Glowing crystals lined the cave wall. The water was hot, and mist swirling around, creating an enthralling glow.
Elora felt her body heat up instantly; the beauty of this hot spring soothed her soul. This was going to be her new favorite spot.
She slowly pulled off her clothes and dropped to them on ground, she walked unhurriedly into the pool. As soon as her body dipped inside she moaned out in pleasure.
She sank deeper, leaving only her face visible, and gazed through the opening of the cave at the blue sky above.
She allowed the current to push her anywhere it pleased; she enjoyed the tranquility. Her milky fingers rose from the water, droplets of water sliding off as she clicked them. A green hue left her fingers, and the wooden board filled with refreshments floated towards her.
She opened the wine to take a sip when she was interrupted by the butler, "Excuse me, your Majesty. There's an incoming letter," The butler reported.
Elora frowned in confusion before her mind clicked; her lips parted and spoke an ancient language, and the magic barrier surrounding the castles opened slightly, allowing a white dot to fly in.
It dashed towards Elora and she extended her hand as the winged creature dropped the letter on her palm.
She gazed at the tiny creature curiously; its wings were larger than its head. It was so magical - able to find and deliver messages with unfailing accuracy.
She removed her gaze and opened the letter, and the words inside left her stunned.