Steel and Mana

Chapter 131 – Visitors (2)

Elena was standing in her guest room, freshly out of the bathroom, where she had enjoyed a long, hot bath. Although she was familiar with scented soap, the ones here were especially sweet and to her liking. It was hard to believe that in the middle of such a harsh winter, in a place considered the end of the world, such luxury was available for her.

"No..." she whispered, forming a small smile, pulling on her soft robes not because she felt cold but because she loved their fresh smell. The room was surprisingly warm, yet no fireplace was in sight, replaced with metal pipes running along the floor and walls.

All of these were not here to sell her luxury but were everyday inventions available for everybody. She didn't want to believe it at first, but then Merlin took her on a tour of the city, visiting some of his students and demonstrating to her that every house had the same privileges. Everyone had metal pipes running into their homes, heating their rooms, and from every wall, with a turn of a knob, hot water was pouring out without fail. This was something that trumped the capital city as luxuries like these were reserved for the top players of the noble families and not for the mundane masses.

"Returning to Greyback is going to be a pain..." She moaned, turning away from the window and from watching the clear night sky. Glancing at her bed, with a giggle, she jumped on it, letting her body sink into its soft embrace. "Mhmh~! This feels nice~ I am not even mad at the smug look of that little twerp!"

Thinking about Merlin, she couldn't help but chuckle again before her thoughts traveled to the tiny details she was allowed to learn about. Touring the palace was just as interesting as touring the city, hearing how it was built, how the different departments under the Sovereign came about, and then meeting with them. She found it hard to believe these people were once thought to be barbarians when most of them were just as knowledgeable and cultured as anybody in the capital city.

"Maybe even better...?"

She couldn't help but ask herself that question many times, as she knew enough nobles who were preoccupied with looking and sounding refined, but that was only a fake front—a farce. What they were truly looking for was validation from the other nobles while enjoying debauchery at home, behind closed doors. Because of that, she was still not entirely convinced deep within, but she had to acknowledge that people here didn't feel like they were faking it. She had experience seeing through the fancy, decorated veils of nobles, and right now, she felt like she wasn't facing one. But that did not mean there wasn't any... to determine that, she had to meet this Sovereign they were talking about non-stop. Luckily, that meeting wasn't far away, as she was promised to be taken to him the next day. 

The morning for her started early, as her excitement threw Elena out of her comfy bed the moment the sun was up. At first, she thought about trying to go back to sleep, but her giddy mind forced her out, making her wash, dress up, and head out of her room just in time that she collided with a tiny body, headbutting her boobs. 

"S-sorry!" Elena said at once, looking at the girl with mismatched eyes, wearing a traditional maid suit... and for some reason, a set of cat ears on a headband and a tail, disappearing within the fabric of her skirt.

"It's fine! It was soft~!" She chuckled, yawning a little, "You are up early, as Sacchy predicted!"

"Sacchy?" Elena gawked because calling a queen like that would be unthinkable in any other place, especially by servants.

"Sasha. Ah, don't look at me like that; I am the second wife! Luna!" She giggled, sticking out her tongue.

"The... second wife?" she asked again, surprised not because this elusive Sovereign had multiple wives but because one of them was parading around as a maid, wearing funny animal ears.

"Uhm. Sasha was the first, then came Yuri, but she didn't become official until much later on. I was conquered second, while Yuri became a concubine, but everyone knows she is just as official as the rest of us. So yeah, anyone new would be only the fifth!"

"Wait, who is the fourth?"

"Oh, that spot is already reserved for someone she just doesn't know yet!" Luna added with a mischievous grin, but Elena felt that the conversation had a deeper meaning. Was she warning her? If she had any idea about making a move on their husband, would she be the last in line with no real power? Huh... was this kid from the capital?

"Don't worry. I have a certain integrity and am not in the mood to compete with other women for a man. I am... more of a monogamy enjoyer myself."

"Oh, I see!" She giggled, tilting her head, playing with her long, black twin tails, twisting it around her finger. "Hungry? The breakfast is ready in the dining room; Sacchy is already there!"

"Sure, but before we go... what's this?" Elena asked, reaching out and gently pulling on the cat's tail, wanting to find out where it was attached to the dress.

"Nyauh! D-d-don't pull on it! Pervert..."

The loud moan and her shivering body made Elena release it in panic as she realized where it was attached. This... was like the debauchery she was familiar with, alright. But it also was not, as being the wife of a ruler, who could throw the first stone at them for what they were enjoying within their own palace?

"Khm. Let us... go?" Elena said after clearing her throat, trying not to think about it too much.

"Sure!" she agreed, leading Elena, walking before her happily and humming an upbeat tune, making Elena watch her plump bottom twist left and right.

"He likes them young, huh?" She uttered subconsciously, already too late to take it back.

"I do look young, I know that!" Luna answered without getting angry, looking over her shoulder while her green eye was glowing with a snarky attitude. "But aren't you fancying our Prime Minister, Lady Elena?"

"...!?"

She wanted to refute her at once, but the words were stuck in her throat for some reason. Whatever thought flashed through her mind, she just couldn't put it into words. Was Luna right? No, that can't be... although she never looked at Merlin as a kid after learning what type of man he was... Yes, man. Thinking about it, the way he talked, walked, and acted made Elena regard him just as much as an adult as herself, ignoring that he did look like a kid.

"Don't think too much about it!" Luna added with a cheeky laugh, stopping before the door of the dining room. "I learned a valuable lesson from Yuri, something I lacked before: Go with the flow! Since then, I realized that living here is infinitely better than living in the capital!"

"Are you from the city?" Elena asked, catching onto her words.

"I was from a servant family that no longer exists. I thought of this place as a barbarian, no man's land. But just like you yesterday, I was proved wrong. Now, I am a happy little girl with tons of free time, a sexy and strong husband, and surrounded by great, honest friends! Which of those three is available for us in the capital? Hm? Especially if you are from a family like I am..."

She didn't wait for Elena's answer and simply pushed open the door, leading her in. Within the room, sitting at a rounded table, Sasha was holding a little baby in her arms, breastfeeding her, while there sat a woman she hadn't met yesterday. Her golden hair was tied up, and she was doing the same thing—holding another baby, feeding him with a gentle smile on her face.

"Good morning." Sasha exclaimed softly, interrupting Elena's thoughts and prompting her to sit down with them. "Did you sleep well?"

"Y-yes, perfectly!" Her answer came swiftly, trying not to look too much, but her eyes quickly asserted that the two babies had to be the heirs to the throne.

"Morning!" Shouted Merlin, who just entered from the opposite direction, making Elena flinch, but neither of the two women cowered to cover their bodies.

"Isn't this..." Elena stuttered, becoming flustered because no matter how open and modern she thought she was, she felt embarrassed for some reason. Additionally, something else was bubbling in her that she was trying to ignore. She couldn't help but keep watching Merlin sit down as if this were a regular occurrence, trying to see him ogle at the girls... But it didn't happen.

"It's okay~!" Sasha giggled while answering, "Merlin is like family; plus, when we first met, I mistook him for a girl. Then he pulled down his pants, proving to us that he was, in fact, a boy!"

"T-t-t-that, that, that! That is confitail... detail... confiscate... confidential information! Not fair! I was very young! It was a long time ago! Slander! This is psychological bullying! Abuse of power!"

The sudden and wild stuttering, rambling, and mismatching words were so new for Elena that she couldn't help but break into a loud laughter as she never imagined that Merlin could be pushed into such a state. He was cute when embarrassed...

"Wait..." She thought, going bright red in her face. What... what was she thinking?! "Damn it, girl, he is a kid! Get yourself together! Focus." After somewhat scolding herself, she didn't wait for them to notice her changing expressions, "So, today, I can visit the castle?" She asked, quickly changing topics before her thoughts overflowed and slipped out of her mouth.

"Yes, but I need to warn you before!" Sasha nodded, her face turning a bit more intense than Elena expected, "Only you can come, and whatever you will see will most likely shock you."

Of course, she nodded as a reply, not letting her determination falter, but she couldn't help but begin thinking what she meant by that...

...

....

......

"Any change in the situation?" I asked, walking up the stairs of the wall and seeing my father standing at the top.

"It is slowly receding! Compared to the previous week's threshold and today's, the freezing death zone has shrunk by a half meter!"

"Then it still has ample energy stored within itself." I hummed, reaching him and looking towards the frozen corpse in the distance. "At least we know it will dissipate, and we can move in to investigate when that happens."

"It is a great blockage in the meanwhile, but now I am afraid."

"You? Afraid?" I chuckled, but I also had the same feeling as him.

"Yeah. What if next year something even bigger comes?"

"We will deal with it." I answered, not daring to say anything else. If I did, that would compromise my thoughts, which would be the first step towards giving up. So what if monsters like these exist? So be it; a little bit of pressure will make us stronger! This is nothing more than a problem that we need to solve.

"That's why you are my son!"

"A pigeon has arrived!" my mom called, arriving behind me with an open letter. "It's from Sasha; she will escort Elena over in a few hours. Are we sure we should let her in? Show her this much?"

"I am, mother! Let her see what type of power we have already. I would bet a lot on the fact she thinks only something like a flying ship could bring a creature like that down. I can't think of a better way to demonstrate our power without telling her all of our secrets and inventions! Nothing can live up to human imagination when it is let to run wild and unbridled, hehe~!"