In one of the many taverns of the capital, a group of men was gathered around a wooden round table, filled with drinks and snacks. The smell of old wood and spilled beer permeated the environment, as people celebrated the birth of the First Prince and the Fifth Princess.
— The King should fuck more — said one of the men, letting out a laugh. — If he's going to declare a special holiday for every royal brat, I hope he gets the two crowned whores pregnant more often.
This caught the attention of many and drew laughter from a few. The royal family was so beloved that it was hard to find anyone who hated them enough to openly declare their aversion.
— You should stop drinking now, Faqir — warned the tavern keeper, a robust woman with fire-red hair, wearing a linen dress that had once been white. Her expression was serious, and her voice was booming.
Many believed she had giant blood in her veins, and that wasn't impossible. Her father came from the Great Savanna of Gotrukk, the kingdom of barbarians, where half-giants were not lacking.
— What is it, Delila? — laughed the man with yellow teeth. — Is it forbidden to speak the truth?
— I'm saying my tavern isn't a place for people who badmouth Queen Karina — the woman slammed the counter, which responded with a dull thud.
At that moment, all eyes fell on the tavern keeper, and they silently agreed. The fact that the royal family was loved was largely due to the second queen. Karina was benevolent and charitable; the people loved her, and this reflected in the King's actions.
— Now — Delila continued — go back to drinking and, Faqir, shut that hole you call a mouth.
People laughed and went back to drinking, while at the table where Faqir was with his friends, an awkward silence reigned.
— Did you hear about the Princess? — asked Aristor, a young man whose only attractive feature was his golden brown eyes.
— Which one? — asked Daniel, a stocky man with a thick black beard.
— The new Princess, the newborn — Aristor replied in a conspiratorial whisper, while looking at the counter where Delila was busy with her chores.
— Oh, I know about her — said Gall, Delila's son, a slim and small man like a halfling. — My aunt, my mother's sister, works at the White Palace. She said the girl had so much mana that even she, who doesn't know how to use mana, could feel and see the magical aura the girl emanated.
— Besides that — Aristor continued — it seems the King went to see the Princess in her birth bed, but didn't go see the prince.
— Isn't that bad for your dear mother's Second Queen? — Faqir joined the conversation. — The First Queen, Queen Helena, won't let that slide. She is a Deucalion, after all.
The men looked at each other as if they were predicting the future and shouted for more beer. Perhaps if they drowned in alcohol first, they wouldn't have to face the future they foresaw.
As the tavern filled with laughter and discussions, far away, the flames of the hearths warmed the halls of noble mansions. In one of these noble houses, Lord Grandaenor Lancer, the Lord of the High Plains, was received along with his wife by Lord Eugene of the Lowlands.
Lord Grandaenor Lancer was a twenty-nine-year-old man, stocky, with sharp amber eyes like an eagle's. His family, the Lancers, had ruled the central plains of the kingdom for over two hundred years.
On the other hand, Lord Eugene of the Lowlands was a man too tall, too skinny, with a nose too large and curly hair. His drooping black eyes gave him a perpetually sickly appearance.
— So? Why the trouble of sending a messenger boy to my person? — asked Lord Grandaenor as he sat next to his wife on a sofa covered in black sheep's wool.
Lord Eugene sat in his armchair near the fireplace and smiled a smile that sent chills down Lord Grandaenor's spine.
— I called you here to talk about the future. The future of the kingdom.
Lord Grandaenor looked at the man for whom he had no regard. He wondered what someone like Lord Eugene had to do with the kingdom's future. It was almost a joke.
— Let's go — sighed Lord Grandaenor, glancing sideways at his wife, who only nodded, accustomed to her husband's impatience.
Grandaenor was the lord of an ancient and respected house. Like other lords of ancient houses, he had the power to think about the kingdom's future. Unlike Lord Eugene, who hailed from a brothel and possessed neither lands, armies, nor influence to speak of the kingdom's future. In Grandaenor's view, Eugene's words held little value.
However, Lord Eugene was not intimidated. Maintaining his enigmatic smile, he raised a thin, skeletal hand as if physically stopping the couple from leaving.
— Calm down, Lord Grandaenor — said Eugene, his voice a sweet and poisonous murmur. — What I have to tell you could change the course of this kingdom, especially in such uncertain times.
Grandaenor hesitated, his gaze steady and suspicious. The mention of uncertain times was a poignant reminder of the recent Starfall, an event that shook the kingdom as much as the birth of the new heirs.
— Speak up, Lord Eugene — Lady Lancer said, her voice calm and authoritative. — What do you have to say, after all?
Lord Eugene leaned back in his armchair, letting out a sigh as if savoring the moment. His dark gaze rested on Grandaenor.
— I was in the Queen's Tower on the night of the births — he began, his voice taking on a darker tone. — And I witnessed something I had never seen in all my life. If what I have been told is correct, the fifth princess... the magical aura emanating from her was unlike anything seen before. Princess Athena possesses a power that can change the course of the kingdom's history.
— If what you say is true — Lady Lancer began. — And the fifth princess has such an absurd amount of mana, there is nothing to worry about.
She more than anyone knew this. Her first two children had died from mana poisoning. She still felt the pain of losing them so prematurely, and if the fifth princess had also been born with such a curse, it was sad, but the child would not live a week.
Lord Grandaenor was thoughtful. Unlike his children, the princess's mother, Queen Karina, was a skilled mage. If she could keep the princess alive, the kingdom's history could really change.
— My Lady, are you talking about Mana Poisoning? — Eugene asked with a crooked smile. — I don't know how, but the queen already fixed it.
Upon hearing this, the couple's eyes widened in surprise.
— How? — Lady Lancer asked. — How did she do it?
— How would I know? — Eugene shrugged. — I know nothing about simple magics, let alone ancient magic.
— Ancient magic? — Grandaenor asked.
— What? You didn't know? Her Majesty, Queen Karina, is an Arcanist.
— Arcanist? — Lady Lancer raised her eyebrows in doubt. — They're-
— Yes, extinct — Eugene said, staring fixedly at the couple. — I thought so too, but Queen Karina has proven to be genuine.
— Anyway — Grandaenor interrupted. — Where are you going with this conversation?
— Civil war — Eugene declared. — That's where I'm going.
Lord Grandaenor frowned in disgust. It hadn't been long since the last civil war. You could still find corpses in their rusty armor in the swamps and fields of the Death Valley.
— Even if the kingdom never had a crowned queen — Eugene continued. — With the power she has and Queen Karina being so loved by the people, the First Prince, who would normally be the heir by right, will have to compete for the throne with his sister.
— That wouldn't be possible — Grandaenor retorted. — No woman has ever sat on Basilica's throne.
— Wrong, my husband — Lady Lancer disagreed, her voice trembling but still composed. — Four hundred years ago, Queen Pearl ascended the throne until her son, Artios I, came of age to rule.
— Yes, but she was just the Regent Queen, not a Crowned Queen.
— That still sets a precedent — Eugene said with a more serious tone. — The First Prince has only the First Queen, his mother, and the Deucalions by his side. And we all agree they're not very popular with the people.
— Should you be talking about them like that? — Grandaenor asked. — You yourself aren't part of the Deucalion Faction?
Eugene stared at the man in front of him for a moment. It was true that he had become noble due to Queen Helena's favors and that, for the purpose of raising funds, he had approached the faction that rivaled the King. But he was not on anyone's side.
Lord Eugene was the son of a prostitute. He was born and raised in a brothel among prostitutes, mercenaries, bandits, and even nobles. He made his way, studied alchemy and medicine, managing to synthesize an effective and cheap contraceptive. What he wanted, for many, was a mystery, but at its core it was as clear as day.
— I am on the people's side, Lord Grandaenor — Eugene stood up and walked to the balcony of his room. — The people are always the victims of the nobles' conflicts. If they need soldiers, we recruit the plebeians. If we need disposable pawns, we make the plebeians spin. It's always the people who suffer from our decisions — Eugene turned to face the couple. His pale and thin skin looked even more horrendous in the pale light of winter. — Don't you agree?
Lord Grandaenor looked at his wife, both with thoughtful looks.
— What do you have in mind?
Lord Eugene smiled a smile that caused more pity than fear and sat back down, telling the couple his plan.
It was late afternoon on the third day of winter when a carriage drawn by six white horses stopped in the courtyard of Queen's Tower, Queen Helena's palace.
Inside the palace, still bedridden and weakened from the arduous task of bringing a child into the world, the Queen slept soundly in her room bathed in the golden light of the sunset.
She was a beautiful woman. Her dark brown hair shimmered like bronze in the sunlight streaming through the window. Her face and body possessed a unique charm that could melt any man's heart with love and lust.
— Shh! She's sleeping — whispered Celina, the Third Princess.
— Celia, be quiet, okay? — Serien asked the youngest. — Mom needs to rest.
— Come on, girls, give the Queen a very gentle kiss and let's see your brother — said the governess.
Following the governess's instructions, the Princesses climbed onto the Queen's large bed with utmost care to kiss her cheek. But as they got close enough to kiss her, Helena opened her beautiful ruby eyes and embraced her daughters, who started giggling.
— How are my beautiful princesses? — Queen Helena asked with a radiant smile as she kissed her daughters.
— We're fine, mommy — replied the eldest, First Princess Serien, her purple eyes sparkling with joy to see her mother well.
All the girls had black hair like the King's, and except for Serien, they all had red eyes like the Queen's and looked like small porcelain dolls due to their beauty.
— Sorry to disturb your rest, Majesty — said Felana, the governess. — They really wanted to see you and the Prince.
The queen looked at the woman with eyes full of gratitude.
— It's alright — smiled Helena. — Nothing makes me happier than being with my girls.
— Where is he, mommy? — asked Celia. Her large, red eyes shone with curiosity like those of a rabbit.
The Queen caressed her youngest daughter's face and looked at the maids standing by the door. Without needing words, the eldest among them moved to the adjoining room and returned carrying the Prince wrapped in white silk and cotton.
After the Queen held her son in her arms, she was surrounded by fascinated daughters with the small, pink baby.
— His cheeks are so chubby — said Cecilia, the third daughter.
— What's his name? — asked Serena, the second daughter.
— Girls, say hi to Artios V — announced the Queen with a voice full of tenderness. — Your younger brother and future king.
Meanwhile, in the royal chambers of the White Palace, Queen Karina held her little daughter in her arms with a worried expression on her face.
— Majesty, I know you're worried, but you need to rest — said the palace governess. — Please, let me take care of the princess?
Since that night when she brought Athena into this world, Karina had been worried. She was overwhelmed with happiness for having given birth to her daughter, but she feared that her seal would not be enough to contain the power her daughter had, and she was always checking the arcane runes she had placed on Athena.
The Queen looked at the servant, and her green eyes lit up. Like a dome, the queen's bed was covered by an energy field that prevents other people from entering.
— My Queen?!
— I will stay with my daughter — said Karina with a line of sweat running down her forehead. A simple Force Field was already too much for her at that moment. — Until I'm sure she'll be fine, she'll stay by my side — Karina looked at her daughter's small face and stroked her cheek with the back of her index finger. — I will protect you no matter what happens.