“Would you call that man a father?” Lith asked.
“No.” Varegrave’s voice was filled with spite. “He brings fear instead of safety and he harms those he’s sworn to protect. That’s no father, that’s an abomination.”
“Then you have your orders.” Lith couldn’t risk Elysia understanding that he was placing a hit so he took a softer approach on the matter.
“Yes, My Liege.” The Demon’s eyes burned with violet light as he was infused with enough power to turn him into a bright violet core.
“Wait.” Kamila was back, checking that Elysia was still asleep before continuing. “This is the list of circumstances of death that ensure a man’s family to receive the Kingdom’s assistance after his untimely demise.”
“How kind of you, My Lady.” Varegrave took the booklet from her with both hands before storing it inside Soluspedia and choosing the best way to perform his mission.
***
Verhen Mansion, on the night of the Gala.
Unlike the event organized to celebrate Lith’s twentieth birthday, Elisya’s Royal Gala involved only the upper echelons of the Kingdom and they had all been forewarned to leave politics outside the door or write a last will before coming.
“Any insult to my wife could trigger me, Elysia, or both. I can vouch for my self-control but not for that of the baby.” Lith had explained the Royals before making them decide to whom they would send invitations to the gala.
“Any insult to my daughter, instead, might trigger a war and if that happens, I have no authority to stop it. It’s your choice, Your Majesty.”
“Are you telling us that a less than two months old baby can already kill a man despite the protective arrays of your home?” Meron was flabbergasted.
“The baby? Absolutely not.” Lith’s answer just confused him more. “Her godmother, grandparents, and every relative from the Desert and the Empire who demanded to attend, however, can and they will.”
“I see.” Queen Sylpha quickly struck through several names from the guest list. “How many are we talking about?”
“Leegaain, Salaark, their latest son, Shargein, part of the Nest, part of the Brood, the Magic Empress-” Lith was still counting on his fingers when the King stopped him.
“We get it.” Meron said with a sigh. “We’ll limit the invitations to people who respect beasts or at least are capable of keeping their mouth shut when necessary.”
‘I would love to see their faces when I tell them that Baba Yaga and Lochra Silverwing are coming as well as Solus’ guests, but that would arouse too many questions.’ Lith inwardly smiled.
When the night of the Gala arrived, the Royals discovered that the usual safety protocols had been replaced by something quicker and much more high-end.
They drove their muscle car-shaped DoLorean in the Mansion’s Park, noticing that once again Lith had gone all out with his Light Mastery.
There were plenty of holograms and hard-light statues decorating the garden. Fireworks constantly exploded in the sky, creating light but producing no noise in order to not scare guests and animals alike.
The play area for the kids was fully equipped with new rides and heavily guarded.
A red and black carpet led the guest to the entrance of the Mansion and on either side stood honor guards in high uniforms. Those on the right side wore black armor whose plates were shaped like feathers and came from the Desert.
Those on the left, instead, wore a red suit of armor whose scales were shaped like blazing flames and came from the Empire. The raw pressure their mere presence exuded made even bright violet-cored Awakened feel threatened.
‘Are they really all from the Brood and the Nest?’ King Meron was flabbergasted.
‘I guess that Magus Verhen wasn’t exaggerating.’ Sylpha replied. ‘One wrong move might really trigger a war.’
Lith and Kamila were waiting at the entrance again, where they welcomed the Royals and ushered them in.
“How come there was no line?” The King asked.
They had come fashionably late to both make sure to arrive last like protocol dictated and avoid waiting for their turn.
“Because the tools that Overlord Salaark has provided to her Praetorians are better than those of the Royal Forgemasters and with Dragon Eyes it doesn’t take long to take a sweep of carriages and people alike.” Lith replied.
“The honor guards didn’t just pay you homage, Your Majesty.” Kamila added. “They also scanned you on your way here and telepathically compared notes about any anomaly they might have perceived.”
“Remarkable.” Queen Sylpha said.
‘That’s terrifying!’ She actually thought. ‘Let’s hope we moved fast enough to keep those damned Divine Beasts from cracking the cloaking runes of our equipment and the Saefel Set.’
When the Royals stepped inside and the page announced their arrival, they discovered that the Main Hall of the Verhen Mansion was already full beyond belief. Literally.
Sylpha was the one who had approved and signed for all the blueprints but even Meron could tell by memory that there was something different about the room from their previous visit.
“Is it me or is it bigger on the inside?” He asked.
“It’s not you.” Sylpha activated Life Vision, spotting an incredibly complex spell that encompassed most of the Mansion, stretching the space so that it could comfortably host the guests without making them feel packed like sardines.
“A spell? Not an array?” Meron blurted out in surprise once the Queen shared the readings with him.
“Yes.” A feminine voice replied, forcing them to turn to their left. “Arrays are annoying. You need to rewrite them from scratch just to alter a small thing. Spells, instead, just do what you want them to do.”
Salaark, the Blood Desert Overlord, wore a magnificent bright red gala dress and a blue ribbon on her slender left shoulder that identified her as a relative from the father’s side of the baby.
She gave the Royals a small bow that they quickly returned.
“To what do we owe the pleasure of you personally waiting for us and greeting us first?” King Meron asked.
“According to your etiquette, aside from the parents, no one can approach the baby before the Royals.” Salaark tried and failed to contain her annoyance. “Please, follow me. We’d better get this over with or you’ll end up making more enemies than you can fight.”
Sylpha nodded and followed the Overlord. She didn’t miss the glares of hostility from the members of the Nest, the Brood, the Council, and other people that she could swear she knew from somewhere but couldn’t put her finger on who they were.
Elysia’s crib was placed in a side room as big as a three-room apartment. It would allow multiple people to get in without making them feel crowded and the baby trapped.
The room was devoid of furniture and the crib was hidden from view by four guards armed to the teeth each standing on one side of the crib. They kept their wings spread so as to block any form of sight, be it mystical or natural.
“Halt!” Two more guards stood at the entrance, glaring at the newcomers and crossing their weapons to stop their advance. “No one enters before getting scanned.”
