"She must come back home three times a year, once during the new years, once during the summer, and once during the harvest season. She should stay for at least a few days. That's the bare minimum we're willing to agree to," Roan demanded.
Although he faced the king of the Alzar Kingdom, he showed neither fear nor restraint. Well, perhaps it was because he failed to understand the scale of this 'Alzar Kingdom' since he only had New Havens as a measuring stick. Even Elizabeth was blown away by the enormity and power behind this titanic human civilization when she came to the surface world. King Harth, the king of the Alzar Kingdom, and Lord Korogin, the Master of Strategy and leader of the Royal Assembly, stood at the apex of millions of subjects, occupying half of the human world! How could New Havens, a small speck of a town with a few hundred people, begin to compare? They were on entirely different scales!
The conversation continued for a while longer with some back-and-forth 'negotiating' though it was more one-sided demands from Roan and Victoria. Faced against their relentless onslaught, King Harth felt a headache. The problems surrounding his newborn child were too great to mishandle here. It was imperative to maintain a cordial, if not amicable, relationship with the new surrogate family. Although he could call it quits and leave, he was already here and one step from solving his greatest headache. If he left, he would have to start over from the beginning and that would be a massive waste of time. Thankfully, Lord Korogin stepped in and helped ease the conversation. Together, they managed to come to an arrangement that left both sides satisfied.
"Is this acceptable to you?" Lord Korogin asked. "This is our bottom line."
"What do you think, dear?" Roan asked his wife.
"We will agree to these terms," Victoria replied.
"Thank you." Making a solemn bow, he continued, "On my name, King Harth Etuvel Reindel, I swear that if you ever need anything, you only need to give the word, and I will do everything in my power to assist you. I will remember this debt for the rest of my life."
"It's no big deal," Victoria smiled. "I always wanted a daughter, so this works out for me too. What's her name?"
"Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel."
"Elizabeth… I like the name. If you don't mind, we'll be raising her as Elizabeth Silvera."
"That is fine with me. Do as you would your own family."
"We intend to."
King Harth nodded with satisfaction and proceeded to dismantle the completed Holy Reingolian Medallion around his neck. It was a ceremonial trinket joined from two separated pieces: a lion and a snake. As the sole possession of the monarch, the medallion served as a symbol of the crown power in the Alzar Kingdom! When he decided to split it again and pass it to Elizabeth, that was equivalent to announcing the heir apparent. A slight hint of surprise crossed Lord Korogin, Sir Winstin, and Lady Christina's faces, though Roan and Victoria were lost on the meaning. Only the mysterious woman remained stoic as the frozen icy mountains. Just as Elizabeth was about to be handed over, this woman finally made her move.
Initially, Roan and Victoria wanted to ask a lot of questions about this woman. Who was she? What was she doing here? And why did she say nothing? She remained quiet and motionless as could be. Aside from her subtle breathing, anyone would have thought she was a statue… or dead. Her face was completely expressionless and unmovable, which unnerved Roan and Victoria. Rather than a human, it was like they were facing a 'thing' with a human mask. And there was the matter of her 'perfection'. Roan and Victoria felt uncomfortable having to interact with this woman. Like a white, untouched canvas, it would tarnish and dirty the immaculate beauty if they did. This divine and heavenly presence warded off their questions, forcing them to quell their curiosity until now.
No one made a move or a sound. They simply watched this woman walk up and hand off the Whiteangel Bow. Roan dumbly accepted the item and restrained the urge to stare at her stupidly. He could understand the Holy Reingolian Medallion from King Harth since it was a symbol of Elizabeth's eventual inheritance. It had deep meaning and emotional significance. On the other hand… there was this bow. Admittedly, it was a beautifully crafted bow that Roan could never see an equal to. He might even call it peerless. However, that was it. A bow was a bow in the end, how could it carry any special significance? He had to wonder if this woman was okay in the head… Ignoring their inquiring gazes, she whispered something into Elizabeth's ear.
Huh? What did she say? I couldn't hear her clearly.
Elizabeth grew distressed for some reason. She felt like she missed something important. It was not related to affection… No, it was something else entirely, something that she should have heard… What did this woman whisper to her? In the end, was it really her mother, Sonae Nor, or was it just someone else with the Whiteangel Bow? And why did she remember this scene now? Was it meant to highlight the final words spoken by that woman? Furthermore, where did this woman come from? From King Harth's words, she intended to go somewhere, but where would that be? This recollection brought more questions than answers and left Elizabeth puzzled. If she had the opportunity again, she would ask Sir Winstin or Auntie Christina about this woman. Surely, they should know a thing or two.
The scene soon faded to black, and Elizabeth returned to the lonely abyss again. She wanted to experience her memories again, to see if she could figure out what that woman said, but it appeared impossible. It was a bit of a shame. As she floated in this darkness, she found it amusing. Back when the Lannisail explosion nearly killed her, she eventually woke up in her Core. That was the first time she officially met with her teacher, the spirit Rena. Now that she thought about it, Rena's origins were connected to the Whiteangel Bow and her mother too. Just what was their relationship and what were their true identities? How was everything connected?
Ah… Even though the memory ended, I'm still finding more questions left unanswered, Elizabeth thought annoyedly. Why does everyone have to hide secrets? Can't someone be upfront for once…
Her eyelids drooped down as her body relaxed. Was this the sweet embrace of death? If it was, then it did not seem so bad… or that was what she thought. When she opened her eyes again, she was graced by the night sky of Liguang. Although it was a moonless night, the various stars sparkled in the sky like a million jewels. She would have loved to sit back and admire it, except her clarity came flooding back in an instant. She realized this was no time to look at the stars. The Featherwind Sect just made their earth-shattering move on Liguang and the Imperial Council would be following up any moment. She needed to figure out what happened and reorganize the troops.
She wanted to move, but there was something lying on top of her. It was too dark to see what it was, but she was in a hurry. Without a second thought, she shoved the debris off her and stood up. When her eyes finally adapted to the darkness though, she sucked in a cold breath. The 'thing' she carelessly moved aside was a corpse! Judging from their uniform, it was a soldier from the Alzar Kingdom. The Featherwind Sect's attack was powerful enough to fix a look of pure terror on their face. It was frightening to behold. Furthermore, their back was crunched up in such an abnormal manner that it sent shivers down Elizabeth's back. Clearly, they did not die in a pleasant way.
Like magic, her own body began aching too. Blood ran out of her nose and mouth in distressing amounts, and the side of her head was covered in blood too. Apparently, she did not emerge from the attack unscathed as she hoped. Then again, the fact that she fell unconscious was already an indication of her poor condition. She wiped away the mess and tried to calm her erratic breathing down. Her pulse was racing so fast that it felt like her body was about to explode. She decided to inspect the rest of her injuries first. Her chest armor was caved in, probably by some flying debris, and rendered unusable. She sustained a few bruises, open wounds, and fractured ribs underneath which Elizabeth considered a good trade. The problem was her left arm… It felt stiff and bruised. Every movement hurt. How was she supposed to use her bow like this? Her legs were relatively fine and though they were scratched up and bleeding, she could still move. In summary, her condition was not bad, considering the state of Liguang…