Chapter 127: Chapter 127 - Mad Princess (Part 2)
The Plains of Ardent Dawn of Tricus had become completely silent.
Neither army had moved.
Neither army had said anything.
Thousands of soldiers froze under the sky concealed under clouds.
Wind was the only thing left.
It had brought the smell of crushed grass to the battlefield.
Princess Lilia KingHeart stood where she had stopped.
She didn’t even blink.
She didn’t utter a sound.
Her emerald eyes looked into the direction where hope had faded.
Her hands hung silently at her sides.
Breathe seemed to be impossible.
"...Adrian..."
These words were spoken in a barely audible voice.
There was no answer.
Silence was the response.
It was louder than a clash of swords.
Arthur stood a few paces behind her.
His instincts urged him to comfort her.
To protect her.
To speak.
To say something.
But there were no words.
Lucas lowered his head.
Commander of the Royal Knights had dealt with dragons, monsters.
Nothing had prepared him for looking at his princess in such grief.
Seraiya soldiers didn’t move.
Many of them dried their tears in silence.
Some knelt down.
They didn’t kneel because they were told to.
They knelt because they grieved.
Lilia slowly turned towards the gray sky.
Memories started coming.
Her father’s kind smile.
Her mother’s warm hug.
Adrian’s laugh when he was running across the palace gardens.
Sunsets on the western balcony.
Another teacup which she had never poured.
White flowers which always made her heart ache.
An empty chair next to her.
A feeling of warmth which she couldn’t understand.
She didn’t know why she always felt it.
Now...
It became overwhelming.
All her losses which she had never remembered gathered in one unbearable moment.
A drop of tear fell on the ground.
Then the other one.
Golden glow started forming around each of them.
Arthur noticed it first.
"...Your Highness?"
Small sparks of light formed around Lilia’s hands.
Legendary Divine Mark on the back of her right hand started glowing.
At first...
It was weak.
Like the first rays of sunrise.
But then...
Its glow grew stronger.
Ancient golden runes started spreading across her arm.
Running up it like sunlight’s rivers.
Air vibrated around.
The ground was trembling under her feet.
Royal Mages of Seraiya army looked at her in disbelief.
"Impossible..."
"That mana..."
"It has never appeared before."
Lucas instinctively took a step back.
Mana pressure grew higher and higher.
Gently but majestically.
It didn’t carry hatred and destruction.
It carried power.
The power of a sovereign.
High above the battlefield...
Dark clouds opened.
Single ray of sunlight descended onto Lilia.
Mana started rising around her like numerous feathers flying in the wind.
Long blonde hair flew behind her.
Emerald gemstones on her white armor glowed brightly.
Legendary Divine Mark kept growing.
Ancient runes which were forgotten even by royal scholars kept appearing one by one.
The oldest Royal Mage fell on his knees.
His voice trembled.
"The Royal Blessing..."
"The ancient records were right."
Each Mage beside him did the same.
One by one.
Not because they were ordered to.
Because they realized the process of awakening.
Amongst the stars of the sky...
Quiet voice observed the events below.
Goddess Miasa.
Her golden eyes reflected the battlefields.
"So..."
"King’s bloodline has finally awakened."
She smiled sadly.
"Lilia..."
"You wanted to protect your family."
Goddess Miasa gently closed her eyes.
"Power born out of love is beautiful."
"But the power born out of grief..."
"...it always costs some price."
Golden mana covered the battlefield.
It calmed frightened horses wherever it was passing.
Wounded found their pain getting easier.
Exhausted soldiers found their strength returning to their body.
Arthur looked around in amazement.
"The army..."
"Their fear is disappearing."
Lucas tightened his grip on his sword.
"They’re growing taller."
Royal Mages rushed to examine this phenomenon.
"It isn’t an ordinary enhancement magic."
"It increases resolve."
"It responds to the hearts of those who are standing next to their ruler."
Oldest Mage whispered.
"This is the ancient royal magic."
"Blessing of the first monarch."
Lilia slowly opened her eyes.
They were still emerald.
But now there were faint circles of golden light in them.
She looked at the battlefield.
Not with anger.
Not with hatred.
But with perfect clarity.
That frightened 16-year old princess who went to the border seeking for peace had faded.
Now there was someone who carried the burden of the whole kingdom on her shoulders.
She finally understood what her father tried to tell her.
Ruler couldn’t choose the time of his history.
His history just came to him.
Arthur quietly approached.
He knelt down.
Not before a grieving princess.
Before the one who now carried the future of Seraiya.
"Your Highness."
Lilia looked at him.
For a long moment, none of them said anything.
Then she asked softly,
"Arthur..."
"...have I failed?"
Arthur’s heart ached.
He shook his head.
"No."
"You sought for peace."
"You followed the teachings of His Majesty."
"You have given hope a chance to survive."
He lowered his gaze.
"There were people who refused to grab it."
Lilia slowly nodded.
Another tear slid down from her cheek.
But this time...
She wiped it away with her own hand.
The golden glow surrounding her gradually subsided.
Legendary Divine Mark didn’t blaze anymore.
It glowed with peaceful, constant brilliance.
Like the rising Sun.
Royal Mages bowed deeply.
"The ancient Royal Mark is fully awake."
"Sovereign’s Blessing..."
"...it has chosen its Queen."
Lilia looked at the distant west one last time.
Wind took away her last tear.
In her heart...
Gentle princess was still there.
But now...
She also had something much heavier.
Duty.
Responsibility.
And the determination to ensure that no family under her rule wouldn’t suffer such loss again.
That crown which she had once feared seemed to be too heavy for her anymore.
It had become her promise.
The golden aura enveloping Lilia gradually calmed down.
There were no more fluctuations.
It flowed smoothly, like the sunrise.
The Legendary Divine Mark engraved on the back of her hand had changed.
That simple crest had transformed into a complex golden emblem covered with ancient royal runes which were unknown to any scholar of Seraiya for more than a thousand years.
The battlefield became silent.
Neither side dared make a move.
Even the wind seemed to wait for her command.
Slowly lifting her head, Lilia opened her emerald eyes.
There were rings of brilliant gold shining inside them.
They were calm.
Steady.
But so profound that nothing could be read in those eyes anymore.
A chill ran down Arthur’s spine.
He had grown up with her.
He taught her how to wield a sword.
He had seen her laughing, crying and falling many times.
However...
This young woman standing in front of him was different somehow.
It wasn’t about the power.
It was about presence.
As if generations of Seraiya’s rulers stood behind her.
Same feelings were shared by Lucas.
He squeezed the hilt of his sword tightly.
"... Your Highness... "
Lilia turned her attention to the west horizon.
Peace had been promised there, but now those fields were shrouded in clouds.
Closing her eyes, Lilia waited for several moments.
When she opened them again...
There was no hesitation in her.
Turning towards the Royal Knights, Lilia said:
"Commander Lucas."
Instantly kneeling down, Lucas replied:
"Your Highness."
"I order you to prepare every fortress on the western frontier to defend their borders."
"Double the number of patrol soldiers."
"Evacuate every village near the border."
"Every child..."
"Every elder..."
"Every citizen."
"They are our priority."
Kneeling deeply, Lucas answered:
"It shall be done."
Then Lilia turned to Arthur.
"Arthur."
"Gather the Royal Hands."
"Protect my mother."
"Protect the capital."
"Nothing happens to our citizens."
Placing a hand on his heart, Arthur responded:
"As you command."
The ministers exchanged uneasy glances.
After a while, one of them asked:
"Your Highness..."
"How are we supposed to act against Tricus?"
Lilia remained silent for several moments.
However, when she finally started speaking, her voice was calm.
But everyone on the battlefield could hear her.
"From this day forth..."
"The Kingdom of Seraiya shall regard Tricus as our enemy."
"We will wage war on them."
"We will take revenge on my father, my elder sister and my younger brother."
"And we will make sure that no other ruler ever tries to harm our citizens without paying for it."
"I, Lilia KingHeart, First of her name, Regent of Kingdom shall witness with my own eyes the destruction of Victor and his people."
" Burn everything, kill everything and bring down the whole kingdom to the ground."
Her words weren’t spoken loudly or angrily.
There was the weight of the law in them.
The weight of a sovereign.
Looking into her eyes, Arthur realized something for the first time.
There was no sign of that cheerful princess who had sworn to protect in her eyes.
Only someone bearing the loneliness of the entire kingdom in those eyes.
Feeling heaviness in his heart, Lucas murmured to Arthur:
"Her eyes..."
Answering him quietly, Arthur said:
"... They’re no longer the eyes of a sixteen-year-old girl."
"They’re the eyes of someone who gave up her childhood."
They didn’t know whether to feel proud...
Or sad.
Overhead, the golden aura of the Legendary Divine Mark enveloped the clouds before fading away.
The battlefield remained frozen.
Both armies understood that history changed right here.
The gentle princess who had crossed the border searching for peace had returned as the ruler of Seraiya.
And from that day forth...
Every decision she made would have the weight of a crown on it.
