"And that's all..." Raymond finished.
Everyone, even Shiina, who would normally make some comment, was silent. Quetzal had a thoughtful expression, while Luna didn't know how to react to so much information.
"Wh-what... But... she... I..."
She didn't know how to feel. Should she be sad about what happened to Elise? Happy that her father had let go of the hatred he felt for angels to take care of her? Indignant that something so important had been hidden from her? Guilty for not knowing that Sophia had done so much for her that she had never known?
All these conflicting feelings swirled inside her, making it impossible to feel just one thing and organize her thoughts.
Not knowing what to do, she simply remained silent as she gradually calmed down.
"I'm sorry for hiding this from you, Luna..." Raymond apologized.
However, the princess did not respond.
Knock, knock.
"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to his chambers, as well as our visitors," an employee informed through the door.
"Can't it be later? We're busy now." Quetzal sighed
"His Majesty said it's important."
"Ah..." she sighed again. "Alright, we're coming..."
"Maybe it's about Sariel," Raymond commented. "We should go soon."
With that, they all left the room and headed to the king's chambers.
Upon arriving, they found Yaxun waiting for them, seated with a hearty lunch on a table.
Everyone sat down, Shiina in the same armchair as before, and Raymond and Luna together on the sofa.
"So, you arrived first..." The king had an irritated tone.
"And what about Sariel?" Luna asked.
"Right behind you." The traveler entered the room shortly after and sat in a place near the king. "Only Aegreon is missing. Have you seen him anywhere?"
"He went up the mountain as soon as you left." Shiina crossed her legs to adjust her posture.
"Well, eat while we wait for his arrival."
Accepting the suggestion, everyone began to eat in silence.
Luna maintained a distant expression and ate slowly, while Raymond watched her, wondering if she blamed him for hiding such an important story.
Sariel remained as calm as ever, but this time he didn't approach Luna and simply stayed where he was. Shiina also acted casually.
As for Yaxun, he was visibly upset, with a stern face and visibly staring at the traveler.
After waiting for about half an hour, Aegreon finally appeared. As soon as he entered the room, he looked at Sariel and approached the group. He didn't sit down or eat.
"What was it?" The Pillar looked at Yaxun.
"I gathered my advisors and generals, and we decided on your request..."
"And...?"
The king remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Unfortunately, we decided to refuse it."
"What!? For what reason?" The Pillar seemed more surprised than irritated.
Everyone present was also surprised by this news, as they were sure that this was impossible, since Aegreon was part of the Council.
Sariel also seemed surprised, or rather, he made an exaggeratedly surprised expression, as if he wasn't even trying to hide his pretense.
"The eruption interfered with all our current plans. We didn't suffer much damage thanks to Sariel..." The king looked at the traveler. "But we'll have to restore the affected areas."
"That's no reason!" Aegreon shouted.
"Calm down, there's more to be said."
The Pillar waited for him to continue.
"It was a very sudden eruption, so we'll be monitoring the mountain for the next few months. If we send our army to Eden and it erupts again, we'll be in trouble, so we'll have to cancel our trip to the annual exercise."
Aegreon stared at the king with frustration with a hint of anger in his eyes.
"I looked at the mountain," he stared at the traveler. "It won't happen again."
"Still, I can't take any chances," Yaxun replied in an inflexible tone.
Aegreon snorted and glared at Sariel furiously. It was clear that this was his doing; his mocking gaze said so.
However, there was something the Pillar didn't understand, Yaxun was truly telling the truth; everything he said about the volcano forcing them to cancel their trip to Eden had no hint of a lie.
"If you need anything else, I can still help," the King informed him.
Aegreon looked at him, ready to leave the room angrily, but then thought of something.
"Then I'll need to discuss it with you privately."
"Alright, I ask that you leave us."
"Very well." Sariel stood up and walked towards the door.
The others followed closely behind.
"Prepare to leave, we will continue our journey tomorrow morning," Aegreon informed before the door closed.
Then, they all left the place, giving privacy to the two.
"So, what do you want?"
"It was him who made you refuse help, right?"
"It was our decision, he had nothing to do with it."
"So, he bought your silence too..." Aegreon gritted his teeth.
The king did not answer and waited for the Pillar's next words.
"I want you to give me an Alteration Gem and an Illusion Gem."
"What? We only have one of each in the kingdom!" Yaxun jumped up in surprise.
"Give them to me and I consider your debt paid."
Yaxun sat down again and rested his head in his hands.
A Gem of any element, like Illusion or Alteration, is even more powerful than stones, because, besides being much larger, they were also made of an even purer magical power.
Therefore, the Alteration and Illusion Gems that the kingdom possessed were considered national treasures and losing them would not only displease the people but also meant losing a portion of their military arsenal.
The king did not want to give them up, however, he could not refuse another request...
"Alright... go to the treasury that is in the basement of this palace and you can take them." After much consideration, he decided to give in to the Pillar's request.
Without answering or even thanking him, Aegreon turned and left the room.
*****
After a long day, the two princesses returned to the bedroom and tried to sleep.
Luna would have slept peacefully if it weren't for Quetzal's anxiety, who was tossing and turning all the time, as if she was extremely uncomfortable.
"Something wrong?" Luna turned to her.
"No..." A mere murmur was the answer she received.
"Is it because of Pagui?"
Quetzal sat up in bed and looked at Luna with a worried expression.
Noticing her feelings, Luna sat up and took her hands.
"Don't worry, he must be hiding somewhere. I'm sure he's fine..."
"What if he was on the mountain during the eruption?"
"Animals are intelligent, they can sense danger better than we sometimes, he must have sensed what was going to happen and moved away a little... he'll be back!"
Those words helped Quetzal calm down a bit, but she was still uneasy that something had happened to him.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
She was about to lie down again when there was a loud knock at the door.
"Quetzal! Open this door now!" Yaxun shouted from the other side.
"What is it? We're trying to sleep!"
"Open now or I'll break down this door!" he ordered angrily.
"Tsc! What the hell does he want now?" She got up, walked slowly to the door, and opened it, finding her father with rage etched on his face.
"What is it?"
"Why is this thing here?" He pointed at Luna.
"She's sleeping with me, is there a problem?" Quetzal began to get irritated with her father's rudeness.
"Of course there is! How dare you allow a murderer of your mother in her room?"
"Didn't you order me to stay with her all the time? I'm just doing what you asked!" She used Yaxun's own words against him and challenged him.
Hearing this, the king's face contorted in a way Quetzal had never seen before.
Realizing that the situation was becoming tense, Luna got up and approached the two.
"I'm sorry! If I had known it would be a problem, I wouldn't have stayed here..." She tried to calm them both.
"Don't listen to him," Quetzal grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her. "She's going to stay here! Whether you like it or not!"
Luna tried to break free from Quetzal, fearing that it would only irritate Yaxun even more. However, before she could say anything or even act, the king, with an open palm, hit her hard and violently in the face, leaving a large red mark on her white, sensitive skin.
The blow was so strong that Luna lost her balance and almost fell if it hadn't been for Quetzal holding her at the moment.
Quetzal, incredulous at what had happened, unconsciously released Luna, looking at both of them as if she were still processing it.
Luna, who had never been assaulted in her life, left the room running and crying. Somehow, even with her eyes blurred by tears, she managed to get away without colliding with any walls or people.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" Quetzal shouted with a fury she had never felt before after Luna disappeared.
"Thanks to her, your mother is dead!"
"SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, SHE WAS BORN AFTER THIS DAMN WAR!"
Quetzal had always despised this blind hatred that people had for Luna. She understood the resentment they had for the race itself, but she saw no point in blaming someone for the sins of their ancestors without having taken part in the conflict.
"She's deceiving you just like they did with us centuries ago! Don't be fooled by her act!"
In contrast, Yaxun just wanted to protect his daughter, although he chose the worst way to do it.
"THE ONLY MONSTER HERE IS YOU! I REFUSE TO CALL YOU FATHER!" Tears of rage began to escape from her face.
Perplexed by what he had just heard, Yaxun's fury was replaced by indignation.
"How dare you..."
"Someone as kind as my mother would never marry an ogre like you! No wonder she preferred to stay at her house in the forest than here! I would run away from you too if I was her!"
At that moment, she was saying things without thinking. Her mother always had a smile on her face when she was with her father, and at no time did she show that she was unhappy with the marriage.
"Your mother had family there! Have you forgotten how many times I visited you?!"
Yaxun was controlling himself so as not to do anything absurd at that moment. He had already fought with some people for insulting his marriage in a way infinitely smaller than his daughter was doing now.
"If you were a good husband, she would have been here on the day of that attack and would still be alive today! She's dead because of you! And not because of the Angels!"
That was the last straw for Yaxun who, before he realized it, acted in the same way he had with Luna and slapped his own daughter, with much less force than he had done previously.
The blow made her turn her face, and she remained in the same position for some time.
Yaxun, startled by what he had just done, tried to apologize
"I'm sorry! I..."
"That just proves you're just a troglodyte who solves everything with violence!" Her voice trembled with rage.
"My daughter, I..."
"DON'T CALL ME THAT, I'M NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!" Quetzal slammed the door shut.
Her mother had never even raised her voice against her, much less hit her, unlike her father who, for the slightest reason, would yell at her.
The people of the forest were extremely friendly and peaceful, and her mother was known to be the personification of both of these things.
"Quetzal, I didn't mean to!"
The king, still regretting what he had done, tried to talk.
Obviously he hadn't meant to, but he always had trouble dealing with any kind of argument, since his wife was the one who usually dealt with it.
"SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!"
Hesitantly, he realized that nothing he said would work, so he returned to his room, shoulders slumped.