My Liege And I

The Cause

Chapter 68

Queen Elora
Furia

"Lord Liege attained victory and rescued the abducted. Many thanks," the queen watched the back of the Liege Lord, as he gazed into the palace garden through the floor-to-roof-length window.

"We both know this mission was child play to me." He shrugged and crossed his hands behind his back, beneath his black wings.

The Liege Lord always had pure white feathers streaked with brown, till he possessed the abyss fire. The darkness and putridness of such evil power darkened his wings, even affecting his eyes to be empty and glass-like.

The secret card that Furia held, the checkmate even Nevoria was not aware of, the Liege Lord. The Drakko had always been an overlooked population. Small in number, who would spare them a second glance? When they lived in Gurio, there was a law over what power they could not cultivate so that the Drakko would not overgrow Gurio in power and dominate.

That hindered their ability to explore their limitations. Which was no longer the case now that Gurio resided among the Furians, a people that understood them and gave allowance for Gurio to be at its best. Trust and being of the same kind was what bound them to be a unit that was undefeated and inseparable.

"Did anyone see your wings, My Lord?"

"Not so. I hid my wings and acted as humanly as possible."

It was not yet time for outsiders to know that the Liege Lord had finally gained control over the fire that was last seen centuries ago. The abyss fire was a menace, the fire that had died with the Drakko king, who once ruled over the world and built an empire for the Drakko.

Then, the Drakko people grew prideful, just as Nevoria currently, not realizing their stability relied on the one leading.

It was inevitable when the Drakko king passed on that so did the light of the Drakko switch off. In his never-ending thirst for power, the Drakko king overdid cultivating that his body became worn till he coughed blood to his death. He had overexaggerated his limits.

"I heard that My Lord intends to begin 14-day cultivation."

The Lord Liege finally turned to face her and frowned. "Get to the point, My Queen."

"My Lord should care for his health as it is of uttermost importance." Their eyes locked and she breathed out hopelessly. "With my days drawing near to an end, Lord Liege has to live strong to ensure the light of Furia does not dim."

"I would not—"

"Elora needs your guardianship. In my absence, she will entirely rely on you."

Surprisingly his face snarled, though they were words of earnestness.

"Queen Elora, shall we stop these lies and deceitfulness? Since when has there been a princess who took the throne when she was not worthy of the crown?"

"She is—"

"Unworthy, My Queen!" The pits of his eyes glimmered with darkness so deep. "I saw Elora, the other day I took a bath. Make me understand how a pure Furian princess cannot breathe underwater. While moreover, no female bird can be tamed by another without so much as a fight, then how come in my hands she melted like ice? She acted worse than a girl that had just become of age."

Queen Elora blinked more than needed, then awkwardly cleared her throat. "The Lord Liege shall not touch a princess. It is not allowed." Her sentence construction was poor.

"Come out, shall we, Your Majesty?"

"With what," she nervously bit her lip.

"Yes, I touched her. Once, twice, three times! And for that reason, I am fully aware without a doubt that she is with child!"

Queen Elora painfully closed her eyes. Regretting that such news had come out before the time she had wanted.

"She cannot become queen," The Liege Lord emphasized. "A queen cannot carry the child of a spawn."

"But... I..." Queen Elora fumbled with her words, unable to speak sense.

"Have you forgotten the plan? We have waited for this for so long, to take over Huticah and expand this nation to be a force to be reckoned with. This is why I spend most of my days cultivating. While you are deserting the cause!"

"The child will be ours, Emperor Huizhong will never get to find out. Besides, afterward, can Elora be with child again, one who is a pure breed and to be queen."

"No," the Liege Lord cooly objected. "The child must die if Elora should be queen. We will not raise a spawn."

"Liege Lord! You have no right to proclaim death, nothing permits you."

"Shall I remind you that family relations fall beneath the cause?"

"The last time I heeded that, I lost my daughter and I am still paying for it!"

Subtly, the air lightened, as if a presence that had been amongst them lifted. Queen Elora felt it, and so did the Liege Lord as his face now carried a smirk. They both understood what just happened, no words needed.

Elora had been listening all this while and ran out. It was one of the things her teachers were teaching her, to tread lightly and walk without being noticed. No wonder they had not been able to tell she was listening all along.

"It will not be an easy few months. She has a spawn who will drink her blood dry, a leach she carries, no wonder she looks weak and lifeless." He twiddled with his thumb as if in thought. "But maybe I do not need to object to her being with child, the spawn will take care of matters for me. Who knows if she will survive such a pregnancy, after all."

Queen Elora crushed inside. These were her fears as well. Furians were delicate creatures, the opposite of dragons. No purebred had before managed to survive carrying a dragon child.

The only one who was raped and forced into such pregnancy by Nevoria as a great experiment, believing that if a Furian gave them a child, they would produce the most powerful ruler exceeding the Drakko king who reigned back then; she had died alongside her child, six months in.

"She will not die, her life shall be protected as long as I live. Previously, it was the Nevorians who had the pregnant Furian while she carried the child, a people who do not fully understand us. Surely, it will go well this time."

"What is the point? The child will but cause us pains we wish to not face." The Liege Lord shook his head in surrender.

From her past knowledge, Queen Elora could tell he was done with the meeting and departing, and she, with sadness, watched him give her back and leave.

"My Lord, I heard you brought someone back from Nevoria."

That stopped him.

"I hope My Lord will not bring troubles for us."

He laughed, annoyance contained in it. "Any trouble I cause will not measure to the mess you have created. It does not dishonor, discredit, or take away from the cause. While you are doing all of that. Do better, Elora."

~Author's Note~

How do you feel about Li Lian being pregnant? Are things going according to what you would like?

S.V