The moans of Orion and the women reverberated so loudly that they echoed beyond the confines of the room, seeping into the hallways. Unbeknownst to them, a hidden figure lurked outside, peering into the room, savouring the scene before her eyes as she indulged herself.
"Meldra!" a voice suddenly boomed from behind, startling her.
Meldra whipped her head around, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Queen Selene standing behind her.
Queen Selene furrowed her brows at the obscure scene of Meldra masturbating near the room where Orion and his wives were engaging in their activities now that he had finally returned home. She could have easily sensed Meldra's presence from her own room and avoided confronting her, but she had restrained her magical energy out of respect for the occupants of the manor.
It would have been rude to let her magical energy roam freely in their presence.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were with Gina, taking care of the children?" she asked, her tone betraying a hint of curiosity.
Meldra's thoughts seemed to freeze, leaving her momentarily speechless. Hastily arranging her dress, she stood before Queen Selene, bowing her head in embarrassment.
Seeing the woman before her too flustered to speak, Queen Selene sighed inwardly and cleared her throat. "Are you free right now, by any chance?" she asked, attempting a less direct approach.
Meldra immediately nodded in response. "I'm free right now; do you need my help with anything, Queen Selene?" she asked, inwardly sighing in relief.
However, contrary to her expectations, Queen Selene shook her head. "Don't worry, I just remembered where to find what I wanted. Sorry for disturbing you," she responded, apologizing. She immediately walked away from the scene with a straight face.
Astounded by her response, Meldra continued to watch until the Queen had disappeared from her sight. She sighed in embarrassment before quickly walking away and returning to her room.
She dared not stand there any longer or risk another person discovering her.
….....
Village
The Village Chief's compound
The Village Chief walked out of his hut, yawning tiredly. He glanced at the guard before him and nodded before focusing on the warrior beside him.
"What is it? I hope you have a good reason for disturbing my sleep," the Village Chief asked, his gaze fixed on the warrior.
The warrior nodded. "Chief, you asked me to inform you two days after Orion concludes his meeting and returns home. I came to tell you that he has just arrived tonight," he responded.
The Village Chief's eyes immediately hardened, and a smile appeared on his lips. "Good. Inform him that he should be at the east side of the Third border city walls tomorrow morning so we can commence burning the Dead Forest," he responded with a serious expression.
At first, he had considered burning the Dead Forest without Orion's presence. However, after thinking that doing so would stir up the Vylkr energy into the air, he remembered that the only being capable of protecting Orion's Cities was a god whom only Orion could personally communicate with and that the god was currently in a meeting with him. He decided to postpone the plan to burn the Dead Forest.
He needed a 100 per cent guarantee that nothing would go wrong.
The warrior nodded in understanding.
"Also, deliver the message to him early tomorrow morning. We'll push the burning of the Dead Forest to the afternoon so he'll have enough time to relax and make it there on time. You may leave," the Village Chief said.
The warrior nodded again and left the Village Chief's compound, with the guard following closely behind him.
The Village Chief turned around and walked back into his hut with a relaxed expression.
…....…
Second border city
Orion walked into Crystalia's room, ready for her first intimate moment. However, seeing her peacefully sleeping on her neatly arranged bed, he couldn't help but smile.
Although Crystalia needed to consume food regularly to prevent harm to her bodily functions, sleep was unnecessary unless she had engaged in intense battles or training sessions that had depleted her magical energy or left her physically exhausted. Since none of these had occurred, her need for sleep meant she felt anxious or nervous about her first time.
Silently, Orion approached the bed and slid in beside her, their bodies close as they often were. Fortunately, he had already bathed and changed into a fresh tulga before coming.
"Good night," Orion whispered, kissing softly on her neck.
Crystalia stirred slightly, her body shifting closer to Orion in response to his presence.
Orion smiled warmly as he wrapped his arms around Crystalia, holding her close as they drifted off to sleep together.
…....
Next morning
Garden
High King Eldric maintained a firm yet dissatisfied expression as he addressed his children. "Remember what I told you all yesterday. The individual you are about to meet has been alive far before our ancestors were born, even before their ancestors found sanctuary in this world. Unfortunately, High Prince Kael will not join you in this endeavour, so you must do your best and excel in any test that Aegis of the Arctic Deity gives you, should he consider giving you a test. Do I make myself clear?" he explained, his gaze penetrating each of his children.
From the Second Prince to the First Princess and from the Third Prince to the Sixth Princess of the royal family, all nodded in understanding with solemn expressions.
While they appeared prepared and resolute to accomplish the task, Fourth Prince Alden wore an even more solemn expression, his gaze sharp as if he were prepared to do anything to succeed in their mission.
'I will show them all that I am not worthless and undeserving of my status. I'll do whatever it takes to secure the Divine artefacts for myself and hand them over to my first brother when he recovers,' Fourth Prince Alden thought, determination blazing in his mind as he pondered how Aegis of the Arctic Deity would assess their worthiness and choose who would receive the Divine artefacts.
