Chapter 111: 111: Southern Ties
Somewhere in the south
Inside a luxurious mansion with glass walls.
"Do my eyes play tricks on me so? Your royal highness!! Is this you?!"
Drax clamped his hand over the old man’s mouth. "Shhh, don’t announce my presence, Corvin."
The elder, Corvin, was a sparrow beastman. He nodded frantically, his eyes wide with astonishment. As Drax stepped back, he lunged and pulled Drax into an embrace.
"I believed you dead!" Corvin exclaimed, holding Drax tightly as if making sure he was alive and not a hallucination. "You look well, your highness. Where have you been all this time? It’s been—"
Drax shook his head and respectfully stepped back. "It doesn’t matter where I’ve been. All that matters is I’ve come home, and this time I’m ready for my duties."
Corvin, excited as he was, slowly shook his head. "Your highness, come with me." He said, leading Drax to his personal office. Inside, Corvin served some southern wine and both he and Drax sat on a luxurious black sofa.
Drax took a sip of the wine, memories rushing to the front of his mind. The last time he’d tasted southern wine, it was with Princess Orchid. They’d come to the south for a scholar conference, and later that night indulged in each other and sweet wine.
Drax’s grip on the wine glass tightened as his thoughts flittered to Anna. That fraud. How dare she wear the face of his chaos?
Anger rose inside Drax like a volcano about to erupt. He suddenly felt that divorcing her wasn’t enough. Maybe he should have poisoned her, killed her just like—
Corvin touched his arm. "Your highness,"
Drax pulled himself out of his murderous thoughts and removed his hand. "Call me by my name, Corvin. I’m not a prince anymore."
"Nonsense. You will always have royal blood in you."
Drax turned to him, a small smile on his face. "Will i?"
Drax was born to the king and queen of the Southern kingdom. At a young age, he was pampered and spoiled, but brought up to one day inherit the throne. When he was ten, he rebelled against his father and on a whim, went to the West. However, the West is a cold and unforgiving place that doesn’t care about any royalty but its own.
Drax became stranded and unable to return to his throne. In the West, he met Noctis and they became friends. One thing led to another and he got sold, then bought, then bought again by Princess Orchid.
He never expected to fall for his buyer. But he did. More than he could ever put into words.
However, Princess Orchid soon figured out his true lineage. She wanted to find his royal crest, so she could send him back to the south to regain his throne. Drax refused to leave. He was in love, he’d found the woman he would settle down with and build a family , his soulmate. Leave her for a cold throne? The idea was madness to him at the time.
Drax was happy in the East.
Until now. Now he’d learned that his chaos was dead. She died without seeing him reclaim his throne. They never built their family. Or retired and lived happy lives.
The least Drax could do to honor her image was grant her the one thing she wished for him more then the universe.
To see him on the southern throne.
And so here Drax was. In the home of Corvin, his royal tutor from when he was a child. Corvin was loyal to the royal family, and someone Drax respected and loved dearly.
Drax took out the crest, the royal crest. Drax had hidden it the entire time he was in the East. "I need to return home," he said as he handed it over to Corvin.
Corbin’s face turned grim as he took the crest and examined it. "Your highness, I want nothing more than to see you back on the throne. But there’s been a small issue."
Drax frowned, leaning forward. "What is it? Tell me? Is my father okay?"
Corvin nodded solemnly. "The king is healthy and will remain so for a hundred years to come. The problem is your step brother, Elias."
Drax clenched his fist at the mention of that name. Elias. The name tasted like acid and Drax hadn’t even said it yet. At the time Drax ran away, Elias was eight. Drax’s mother was dead, and the king remarried Elias’ mother. It wasn’t hard to guess why the king did that.
"He’s the heir now," Drax said, rubbing his temples with slender fingers.
"Yes. But not to fret, he doesn’t possess half the qualities you do. I’ve tutored the boy and he is lacking in several angles. He’s rude and arrogant and self serving and—"
"But he is the one recognized by the people. By my father."
Corvin didn’t reply immediately. Because Drax was right. Elias was the face of the South, expected to be crowned king once he proved himself in the three tenets of a southern king: character, intellect, and leadership. He was already 18, and being primed to take the throne.
"But," Corvin leaned forward. "There is something you can do."
Drax nodded, listening with rapt attention. "What is it?"
"I will appeal for you to the council. If they learn that you are back, as the first prince, you will be granted audience. It’s your right. However, this is as far as I can take you. The council will decide what happens next."
Drax nodded. He still remembers how things worked. Even though the king was powerful, he still needed the council. And if the council didn’t approve, Drax would not become king.
"You’ve been kind to me, Corvin. I appreciate it," Drax said, raising his glass to toast to Corvin. Their glasses clinked together with a gentle chime.
"It’s my pleasure to serve the future King, your highness. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. Nina will be esctatic to see you again. She never stopped talking about you."
Nina was Corvin’s daughter, and also Drax’s childhood friend. They had been a mischievous pair, often causing trouble in the palace. Thinking of her made a fond smile appear on Drax’s face.
"I’d like to see her again. Thank you."
***
The next morning, as Anna paced her room burdened with thoughts of raising affinity and reviving freaking agriculture, Kai returned with a brilliant, dazzling smile.
"Cutie~" his sing-song voice echoed through the walls of the cottage, pulling Anna out of her overthinking. "Cutie! Where are you? I have the most wonderful news ever!"
Anna walked out to meet him, but then he was also coming to her room, so they met in the doorway.
Kai cupped her face, squishing her cheeks up and laughing excitedly. "So! I told you I’d find work right, I just did!"
Anna grinned, his excitement was so infectious that she couldn’t keep worrying anymore. "That’s incredible, Kai. Thank you."
Ray, alerted by the noise, emerged from the other room. "What sort of work is this?" He asked, folding his arms and leaning on the wall. "Does it involve sunlight?"
Kai shot him a pointed look. "Who said I was concerned about you? Please."
"Be nice," Anna said as she slapped his arm. Then she froze.
She just stared at him.
Leila appeared, floating around Kai’s head and grinning like a maniac. Then she pulled up the screen containing Kai’s information. Anna stared at his affinity still at 10.
Strangers. He sees me as a stranger. We’ve kissed and even slept in the same bed...and he made me cum. But he thinks of me as a stranger.
Anna’s thoughts made her heart twist bitterly. At least Ray was interested. Even though it didn’t mean much.
Kai, noticing her changed expression, frowned. "What’s the matter cutie?" He asked.
Anna opened her mouth to reply then decided against it. What does she even say? "Why is your affinity low?" That sounded stupid to her just thinking about it.
So she forced on a smile and shook her head. "Nothing at all. When do we meet the boss?"
Kai slung an arm around her shoulder. "Today."
Someone it made sense. Not the fact that they were meeting the boss today, no. But the fact that he always liked putting his arm around her shoulders.
Wasn’t that something friends did?
The more Anna thought about it, the more her head pounded and ached.
Maybe work will make things better.
Anna excused herself to go and pack, even though she knew she had nothing to pack. She just needed an excuse to get out and have some alone time. But the moment the door slammed shut, Leila was on her.
[Hostie, your task has been divided into phases! Phase one is currently active. Here are your tasks: Reviving Soil Microbes.]
"I didn’t need microbes to plant the strawberries."
[Yes! Very smart! That’s because your yellow spores act as soil healing, not just patching up your husbands when they’re on the verge of corruption.]
Anna rolled her eyes, ignoring Leila’s sarcasm. "Well?"
[Howverr, your spores are not a sustainable method of healing the soil. Because the moment they are cut off, that’s it. The soil dies again.]
"But...I gave Bella some solid spores."
[Yeah, I forgot to tell you but, she won’t be able to grow anything. The reason your strawberries grew so well is because you were always around, feeding them with your spore even though you weren’t aware.]
Anna’s heart sank. She truly thought she left Bella with a legacy of some sort.
[Here is your first assignment! Restore microbial growth in 1 square meter of soil and maintain it for seven days. Deadline: 30 days. Cost: 15,000 points. Reward: Premium Soil DLC packs, one pack of fast growing hardy seeds, and 30,000 points cashback. Good luck Hostie! Win!]
