They encountered Orion and Crystalia outside and were greeted respectfully by them.
Orion and Crystalia reciprocated with a nod before entering the throne hall. The guard shut the door behind them.
"Mother," Crystalia exclaimed happily as she ran towards Queen Selene and embraced her.
Queen Selene smiled as she returned the embrace. "Alright, now tell me why you two are here this early morning?" she asked, fixing her gaze on Crystalia before glancing at Orion.
"Sorry for not informing you before we arrived; however, we didn't have the time to do so. We came here to tell you that we are ready to try that method and see if it will help free you of the pseudo-divine artefact," Crystalia responded.
When Crystalia's words left her lips, Queen Selene abruptly became stunned and stared at her daughter briefly to ensure she wasn't lying before shifting her attention towards Orion.
Orion nodded in agreement with Crystalia's words.
Queen Selene quickly composed herself and looked at both Crystalia and Orion. "I now understand why you two have come to see me early this morning," Queen Selene said, a sigh escaping her lips. "Well, you don't have to worry about it now because I have already found a solution that might work."
"What kind of solution have you come up with?" Orion asked, his brow furrowing.
Though Crystalia had informed him that Selene would try something dangerous to see if she could get rid of the collar, he still wanted to know what it was and was curious about it.
"With the aid of various elixirs, we will attempt a ritual to destabilize the collar's binding enchantments, gradually weakening it. However, there's a high chance it won't work, as divine energy tends to suppress the counteractive effects of lesser-ranked energies. Nevertheless, it's the safest and most promising solution we've devised," Queen Selene responded, her voice heavy with resignation.
Orion nodded in understanding, his expression thoughtful. He could already sense the slim likelihood of success in Selene's plan.
"You don't need to do that anymore because we're heading to the Garden so you can assimilate with the Divine blood," Crystalia interjected, her voice filled with resolve.
Queen Selene sighed again inwardly, seeking Orion's support in this challenging moment.
Orion nodded in agreement with Crystalia's words.
"We've come to escort you to the Garden so you can assimilate with the Divine blood and free yourself from the pseudo-divine artefact. We shouldn't delay any longer and head over there," Orion replied.
Hearing Orion's words, Queen Selene's shoulders slumped in resignation. "Very well, let's go," she responded with a forced smile.
They exited the throne hall together and went to the palace manor compound. As they arrived, a familiar figure appeared before them.
"Good morning, Your Highness, Princess Crystalia, Warrior Orion," Flintor greeted respectfully with a bow.
Queen Selene and the others returned the greetings.
"Your Highness, I've come to provide the reports from yesterday's survey," Flintor said, holding various files and papers in his grasp.
His task involved assessing the comfort levels of the Prismerions in Orion's cities, including those with partners or single individuals, as well as children and available workforce. He had only completed about 40 per cent of the task so far.
"Ah, I have changed my schedule today, so please pass it to Elara for cross-checking before I review it later," Queen Selene replied.
Flintor nodded.
Just as he was about to leave, Orion immediately asked, "Flintor, I'm sure you've heard about what occurred yesterday. Since Iris and the others were present at the Third Border City, I'm curious why you weren't."
He had noticed Flintor being absent more than usual lately; after not seeing him at the river at the edge of the Third Border City during yesterday's events, Orion became concerned that there was something he wasn't aware of with Flintor currently going on.
A wry smile emerged on Flintor's face upon hearing Orion's words. He cleared his throat and said, "I didn't want to share this information with you all like this, but my wife is pregnant."
Crystalia, who had been listening in on the conversation from the side, couldn't help but feel her eyes widen in surprise at Flintor's words.
Orion's eyes also briefly widened before he quickly recomposed himself and nodded in understanding, "Congratulations then. Inform us about her day delivery so we can prepare and come with our gifts," Orion said.
Crystalia nodded in response, her mind already brimming with various ideas.
Queen Selene inwardly chuckled as she looked at Flintor's embarrassed expression. She had known about Livia being pregnant for a while now. She understood that Flintor hadn't told anybody about it because he didn't want to distract anyone or draw too much attention to himself from the events happening within the Orion Cities.
"Okay, I will make sure to inform all of you when it's time," Flintor responded, his tone serious.
Orion nodded, "Also, when you have the time, I'll take you to see the Four-eared elves," he responded.
Flintor nodded with a smile. After being briefed about what had occurred yesterday, he was eager to meet the Four-eared elves, especially the gods' chosen. "Okay, I'll let you know whenever I'm free," Flintor smiled. "I'll see you all; I have other things I need to take care of before I can return home early and take care of my wife," he added.
Orion, Crystalia, and Queen Selene nodded in response, observing as Flintor walked away.
…....…..
Garden
The Garden was nestled within a wide enclosure of wooden walls intertwined with magical crystal, situated adjacent to the Palace Manor.
Upon entering the Garden, Orion and the others were promptly greeted by the Guardians of the Garden, who swiftly confirmed their identities before rushing off to attend to their various tasks.
As they ventured deeper into the Garden, they soon encountered the Princess of the Garden, who had come to greet them.
Queen Selene and Crystalia offered slight bows to the Princess of the Garden, who returned their greetings with a warm smile before turning her attention toward Orion and stepping in his direction.
Orion greeted the Princess of the Garden with a warm hug and exchanged a brief kiss before they parted.
