Chapter 12

The Nightshade sect was the last to be called, an unknown sect that recently migrated to Veinna, no one had seen them, and no one knew what business they would dabble in. A sect with no deep roots or strong backer—what ripples could they possibly make in this deep sea?

By the time the sect was called into the hall, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the members. Black silver armour was something Veinna was not used to, something only Celestia had a monopoly on, and yet the people who carried the long trail of large oak chests were all wearing a full set of black silver. Though they had no weapons, no one dared deny their suffocating presence as they marched through the large hall like a well-trained army.

The main leader of the procession reached the throne first and bowed deeply in front of the Queen before turning to the King to bow. He then stood straight before taking off his helmet, to the sound of surprise.

An elf.

His pale, pointed ears were the sign of old royalty, from a family hidden deeply by a shroud of mystery. Pierced with three exquisite gold rings, his black hair hung down his back, and a few locs framed his face. Eleves were valuable sexual commodities; who didn't know that? But catching an elf was not an easy feat; they had something humans did not: magic.

In this world, there are all sorts of powers and principalities. Humans stood at the peak of civilization, yet they could not utilise these powers, but other species could.

"Nightshade?" Aiden asked, looking at the beautiful man standing before his wife. He recognised him as part of the guards she had brought; he did not know they were hired guards.

"We heard of the new Queen and have come to pay our respects; these gifts are all for her Majesty."

Everyone's eyes landed on the Queen, whose expression still remained cordial, as if she were unphased by the sheer amount of wealth she had just obtained. Her eyes were fixed on the elf; his mesmerising green eyes were cocky and rebelious. Bowing to her first was disrespectful to the throne, and he knew it; she had forced him under a contract, but he could still make life difficult for her. Her smile towards him was cold; the nature of his contract meant disobedience meant death, so he could never directly approach her.

"My Queen?" Her silence had tipped Aiden off to something being wrong, he wondered if there was something he didn't have privy to. Anne faced Aiden, stepping out of her anger as her expression warmed up as she looked at her husband.

"Yes, we should reward them."

"It is your day; how would you like to reward them?"

"I naturally need personal guards; we should at least give them this privilege to be the Queen's dog."

At the word dog, Arthur's body flinched subtly. He knelt quickly, a shadow covering his eyes so she couldn't see his expression.

"Alright." Aiden said that after finalising the agreement, the people in armour gave their thanks and greetings before taking the chests away for the servants of the palace to store carefully.

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A sharp 'clang' echoed through the halls as Arthur's helmet hit the cold stone walls of the castle; his face was flushed as he huffed. He swore under his breath. He leaned his back against the wall and sat himself down on the floor.

"Ha…" A small, self-pitying laugh escaped his lips as his head slumped between his shoulders.

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The King and Queen normally never stay at a celebration for the entire duration, so the two were currently in the royal chamber. Aiden's robes were easier to remove than Anne's, who was currently standing like a scarecrow as the servants scurried around getting her clothes off. The two were in silence. Aiden flickered through a book on his bed, wearing a loose silk robe. His hair was let down and sprawled across the white sheets of his bed. Anne admired his pretty face but waited till she was also in a silk robe and was free to collapse on his unassuming figure.

Her body collapsing into his was a shock, but he adapted quickly, hugging her close to his body. It has been a long day; her hair was tied up in a ponytail and smelt beautifully of roses.

"When we first met, you had long red hair; how did it change so fast? Now it's just soft and fluffy."

His words made her laugh. She didn't consider constantly changing her hairstyle to be shocking, but he handled it well.

"The red hair was fake; I just used it to help bridge the gap between my appearance and my siblings." She said it with a coy giggle.

"Really? You should have seen Lucia's face when you came to the welcome ball, you were stunning. I remember not being able to look away."

"Haha, when I met you, you looked so aloof and uninterested! I thought I'd have to run away."

He blushed vividly. "Yeah, I tend to have a habit of looking aloof when meeting other nobles; I'm not very good at flirting."

"I beg to differ; remember what you said to me? You're pretty good at flirting." Anne felt her body warm up, thinking of their first meeting. "You said I would take full responsibility for you. We may not be a love match, but I deeply admire you. And as your husband, I will always protect." Her eyes softened at the memory. "At that point, I thought, 'If I had to leave my life in his hands, I would not be afraid'. You gave me what I needed, reasurance."

She looked up at his red face as her ears felt warm. "I, Anne, never regret my decisions. I will believe you if you tell me you want to make this work, and I will believe you if you show me otherwise." Her words seemed to hitch in her throat, as if she were afraid to keep speaking. "If you tell me you want to love me, Aiden, I will believe you."

He was silent for a while, and as she waited anxiously for his answer, her heart beat in her chest, but soon his answer came with a kiss. An intoxicating, kiss that took over her soul as he held her in his arms like she was the most precious thing in the world at that second. He broke away from her, letting her lie on the bed as he propped his body up with his arms, looking down at her face, which looked simply divine under candlelight. "Anne, I have nothing to give you, but I want to love you. I know I can't protect you, nor can I promise to conquer the world for you, but I will devote my life to you and our family. Till death…"

His words were interrupted, but her hands wrapping around his neck brought him down to her lips.

That was all she needed.

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"What?"

Anne was shocked. She looked at Lilian, who had an open letter that she had read out. Her outfit today was different from the normal servant's uniform; instead, she dressed like a female palace guard. Light armour and a chainmail bodice. She had done her make-up today, so her lips were a tender red and her complexion was light. "Lucia is getting married."

Anne felt odd, but what could she say?

"I see. Let's give them a gift since I won't be able to leave anytime soon." Lilian nodded before helping Anne and taking her hand. The two were in the garden for a walk. Anne had dressed up more casually today; her hair was undecorated and free, and her dress was thin and light, making her feel more comfortable moving around the palace. It had been a few weeks since she had settled at the castle, and it was about time for her to join the women's social circle in Veinna, starting with a light teaparty. The invitations had been sent out already, and a date had been picked; all that was left was the planning. She started the day looking through the numerous acres of land that were on palace grounds to find a good place for the party. Royal tea parties were rare and very respected; only women over a certain rank could attend, and they would bring their daughters, who were ready to debut, along to meet other girls their age.

Anne felt excited; a tea party was something she had never done, so she thought long and hard about the main activities for the day. Because people would come from quite far, they would leave their houses at the crack of dawn to arrive by noon. Rooms needed to be provided for the ladies to rest and keep their things, as well as more servants and guards. Most Queens avoided such parties as they were very tasking, but Anne wanted to meet other girls her age; she felt rather alone as Aiden had been increasingly busy due to the upcoming harvest, and Lilian had spent more and more time helping with Nightshade and training her regimen. so she was mostly alone in the palace.

"I feel terribly bored here," she said, exasperated. She let her body flop on the grass floor and bask in the sun. Lilian laughed.

"Isn't this what you wanted? Peace? You should enjoy it." She replied snarkly, making Anne whine.

"You should also be courting right now; are you planning to spend the rest of your life alone?" Anne clapped back.

"Well, if he's good enough, I don't mind giving him my time." Lilian said, amused by Anne's relaxed, spoiled facade.

"What about Lieutenant Evander? I heard he's been asking you to spar." Anne replied with a glint of mischief.

"That fragile boy? One insult, and he goes all teary-eyed. I really can't bear it."

The two entered a comfortable phase of silence as they listened to the rustling breeze and the chirping of birds. "Then, are you waiting for Merlin to come ba-"

"I am NOT!"

Anne gasped at her sudden outburst before breaking into a sneaky smile. "Oh my gosh! You're waiting for Merlin!" but after a second, her face scrunched up. "Merlin!? He's like, Super old!"

Lilian's face flushed as she pursed her lips, looking away in defiance. "I know, it's not like we could ever work out anyway."

Anne looked at Lilian with a disgusted face, "Wait, so you like older men? This entire time?"

"Shut up!"

The two bickered as they made their way back to the main building. When Lilian finally left, Anne was alone. Deciding to have a look at the grand library used by the scholars who studied in the castle, she took a small basket of food and decided to find a book to read as she ate.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her as she came across Deborah, who also had the same idea as her, on her way to the library.

Seeing the Queen, she was flustered. She bowed quickly to greet her, "Your Majesty! It's a pleasure to-" She didn't manage to finish her greeting before Anne passed by, leaving her bowing as the servants snickered. Deborah shook in anger as tears formed in her eyes as she swiftly ran away, her hands grasping tightly at her dress, scrunching it up.

"You probably shouldn't antagonise her like that; if you do, she'll become antagonistic towards you." The voice she heard was Arthurs, who seemed to phase out of the shadows like an assaisin making her jump.

"What are you doing here?"

He rolled his eyes.

"I've been here all day; did you think Lilian came alone? I'm here to relay some news from the kid you helped last time."

"What kid?"

"The girl, Priscilla, of Orian. She sent you a letter." Arthur reached out, giving her a letter with Orian's royal seal on it. She opened it and read through it, her facial expression becoming more and more unreadable until she was done. Tearing the letter in shreds, she let it's fragments scatter in the wind. "Do you want to go and help?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Of course, the little girl has brains and guts; why would I help? I have some time before the tea party to spare. Do you want to come?"

"What?" Her question took him a bit by surprise, since when did she ask his opinion on things like this? But her gaze made him feel uncomfortable. "… I'll go with you, at least to protect you."

"Then we should get ready then."