Dragons’ Cry Genesis (Part 15)
Although I made a promise to Dragon Mom, the truth was that it was going to be somewhat of a challenge to locate them, not because we lacked clues or couldn’t find them, but something much simpler. I didn’t have time.
Freya didn’t lie to me. That was the reality. We had lots of work to deal with daily. We had our hands too full to do anything else with letters and envoys coming in and going out. Moreover, there were lots personal letters from my moms. Perhaps the private letters I sent them last time sent off some sort of weird trigger for them. They practically sent me a letter on the daily. At first, I thought it was something crucial, but then I discovered that it wasn’t the case. They were basically reports about what they were doing every day, how much they missed me and their calculations for when they’d get to see me again. Oh, there was more. They asked if the other sneaked over to see me. They also asked about the girls. While they were at it, they’d sneak in their feelings they wanted to share with me.
You think it was sweet, do you? It wasn’t. Not. One. Bit.
At first, there was a blissful feeling to be derived from it, as I got to know that my two moms still loved me. Soon, though, I realised an issue after I read them. Receiving a letter from them didn’t imply that was it, because I had to write back! I had to write back, not to mention that I had to write my response within the day. Not only that, I also had to ensure my tone was gentle, on top of trying to avoid exposing my irritation. I had to reach the word count, as well; else, they wrote back woefully sobbing, “Do you hate me now, Son?” Seriously, I eventually started thinking my two moms were more ridiculous than my wives…
The most terrifying part was that I couldn’t ask Freya to respond, as I had to personally pen my letter. Therefore, I had to write two different letters every night, lest they discover I copy pasted when they met, in which case, I’d be in for it. My original plan was to look into the matter pertaining to the dragons at night when I had time. I wanted to look through the files for clues, search for the villagers of the particular village, and then find an opportunity to visit it. Instead, I had to handle the alliance’s affairs during work hours; then, I had to write letters at night besides taking care of my wives and girls. As a result, I couldn’t find any chance to look into the dragons’ case.
Although Dragon Mom looked forward to hearing more – evident by the fact that she wanted to ask me something every morning – it agonised her to see me so exhausted and half-asleep in the mornings. I felt very sorry for Dragon Mom. She saw hope, yet she was helpless. She had to rely on me. I knew I needed to get to the bottom of it for Mom as soon as possible, or else, she was likely to land herself in trouble if she went out. The thing was that I needed time, nevertheless.
I questioned why I had so much work. I swear I was meeting people I was familiar with every day, but they brought something different to the table every day. I just couldn’t figure out why there was so much to sort out with an alliance. I was very annoyed, honestly. I wanted to tell those below me, “Can’t you do something yourselves for a change?!” But I knew they might do something harmful if I did that. Elves and humans hadn’t shown any noticeable changes with regards to their opinions of each other. The only reason they formed an alliance was because of me. Once I was missing from the picture, the alliance, which had yet to settle down, was very likely to face problems, for the reason that there was no problem if they wanted to cut themselves off from the alliance. What means did we have of punishing a nation?
The elven nation had always been a self-sustaining nation, while the most powerful empire, Rosvenor Empire, was fine without our two nations. As for our North, we didn’t need either nation, either, after adopting an industrial system. As for metal mines and other stuff, the North had begun to mine all those we had located. In other words, the alliance between our three nations was meaningless and superficial. The only reason for its existence was my wilful desire.
I had to be very careful when dealing with matters associated with the alliance. I absolutely couldn’t delay. I could only hopelessly watch elves and humans entering and leaving my Imperial Palace. I also began to build an embassy for humans and elves nearby the Imperial Palace. Trying to do that on top of our national affairs work, which was a lot to begin with, kept me and Freya busy all day long.
I went limp in my chair and rubbed my eyes. In a tired tone, I asked, “Freya, how much work is there tomorrow?”
The Imperial Palace was quiet at that hour. Even the flames in the corridor had dimmed down. Only the footsteps of guards were occasionally audible. Luna had fallen asleep on a bench, covered in a thin blanket.
Freya looked at her files and replied, “Mm, you have work tomorrow. You basically have work all day. Consequently, you still have to remain in the Imperial Palace.”
I hopelessly touched my head: “Do I really not have spare time? None at all? Can nobody’s issue be delayed for a bit? Is there something that’s not urgent? I don’t want to bother with determining a universal measurement system. Freya, see if you can free up some time for me.”
Freya smiled hopelessly: “If it was possible, I, naturally, would adjust your schedule for you. I know what you want to do, but you are aware of how annoying humanity’s people are. They insist that it is you they must see, so I have no means of making time for you.”
I knew humanity’s demanding nature. Elizabeth, personally, said that we were allying. In reality, they were very reluctant to see the alliance, because humans and their innate ego placed them on a pedestal where they looked down on us and elves. If they needed to communicate with us, they demanded to see me. Damn, they were annoying. The issue remained, though; I couldn’t delay my meetings with them. As such, I had to see the man tomorrow and discuss an absolutely pointless matter. Humanity was so annoying when it came to their ego and demands, so annoying that I felt hopeless. They kept citing, “Her Majesty’s dignity,” for the smallest of things, in turn, annoying me to no end. I wanted to say, “Your Empress is my mom. What dignity and prestige do I need to consider?”
Elizabeth was just a gentle mother to me, but I had to go.
I rubbed my face: “Is there really no helping it? This is very important to Dragon Mom. If we continue delaying this, it’s unfair on her. If we didn’t have a proper plan for this, we shouldn’t have told her. If she can’t help it and goes out there alone, what are we to do? I’m not worried so much about her getting in trouble, since I don’t believe there’s anybody who could hurt her… The main concern is if she finds dragons. If I, hypothetically, found them with her, we’d have the initiative, and I could try to alter her thinking; however, if she, alone, finds them and doesn’t return, we’ll have lost a dragon. Therefore, we must ensure we’re there when Dragon Mom meets other dragons. We can delay this, but Dragon Mom can’t wait.”
Freya nodded: “I know. Without a doubt, it is something we must be attentive of. In saying that, I do not think we need to wait that long, do we…?”
I irritably threw a file onto the table: “Can’t say for sure there. Judging from this workload, I don’t think we can finish it off in a month or two. We don’t know if Dragon Mom can be patient until then. Though a month or two is insignificant to a dragon, I don’t think she can resist the urge when what she wants is in front of her, particularly since we’re with her, exciting her.”
Freya bowed: “Sorry, Your Majesty. I was slightly too hasty in my handling of that.”
“It’s all right. I planned to tell her, so it didn’t matter that you told her then. It’s not your fault. The main problem is we didn’t expect there to be so much work that I’d have no time to deal with it. Thus, we’re holding a wolf by its ears. On a positive note, we aren’t completely stuck…”
I took in a deep breath and stood up. Luna shuddered. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. I had no idea how Luna did it, but she woke up whenever I stand up. Smiling, she asked, “Are you heading back now, Your Majesty?”
I nodded: “Mm.”
Luna stood up and picked up my cloak. I turned my head to look at Freya. Freya looked at me with a dumbfounded look. She didn’t seem to know what exactly I was thinking. I took in a deep breath and explained, “It’s all right. I do have an idea. I can bring my moms over.”
“Her Majesty and Her Highness?!” exclaimed Freya, surprised,
I nodded: “It’s fine. I write to them every night, don’t I? I just need to mention it in my letter. I’m sure they’ll come over. If those people want respect, then would three monarchs holding their discussions here not be considered “respect?” I’ll let them know, so don’t worry.”
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Two days later, the elders, who were watching Vyvyan pack her stuff, trembled as they asked her, “Is that so? Are you heading to the North?”
Vyvyan nodded: “Yes. My son needs me, so naturally, I must go. I leave matters here to you!”
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“You are going to the North despite everybody being against it?”
Elizabeth picked up her luggage. She then handed a sword to a Valkyrie and coldly responded, “Kill all those who stop me. My son needs me. How can I not go?!”
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