NOVEL WEB Chapter 117: Three weeks later
Three weeks later;
At the Shipyard forge, the heat rose in waves that danced across Melissa's face as she leaned over a table covered in blueprints.
"Hey, you there. Tighten the bolt properly," she called out, narrowing her eyes at the half-built engine.
As the worker there followed her order, she growled at her assistant. "If this damn coil doesn't hold, I swear I'll personally punish the entire design team."
The assistant chuckled nervously. "It's only the first prototype, ma'am…"
"Which means it should work. First impressions matter," she muttered, pushing her goggles onto her forehead, and the heat hit her eyes. However, those eyes were blazing in anger, in a mix of frustration. "We're building the future flagship of the Imperial Navy, not a fishing boat."
At the edge of the workshop, her friend and a business partner who invested 1,000,000 gold coins to earn partnership and further ever using her connections in the military to bring up the contract, Evelyne, watched silently for a moment before stepping forward. "Any Progress?"
"Not fast enough," Melissa replied, clenching the blueprint sheet.
Evelyne let out a sigh and patted her shoulder. "Ever since your husband left on that weird journey to redefine himself or whatever, you have busied yourself too much, and you are losing your cool too much. You should relax once in a while."
Melissa snapped at her. "Who said I was losing cool. I just want to do this perfectly and prepare myself, and…"
"See… you just lost your cool once again." As Evelyn pointed out, Melissa averted her gaze and sighed inwardly. "Kael… I…"
*
Meanwhile, in the State Library, Imperial City;
In a quieter corner of the grand library, Laura sat curled in a corner chair, surrounded by stacks of books. The reading room was officially closed, but the guards didn't bother her anymore. Everyone knew she practically lived there now.
She turned a page, then stopped. Her eyes rested on a passage, but her mind wandered. Kael's voice echoed faintly in her head. "Too much knowledge will fry up your brain, my love. Give it some rest."
She smiled sadly and closed the volume. She just looked out the tall windows, eyes fixed on the sky. "My love… when will you return…"
*
Elsewhere, Amanda adjusted her gloves as she dismounted from her horse. She handed the reins to a stable boy and strode toward the trade office, boots clicking sharply on the cobbled path.
The streets of the imperial city were no longer as bustling as it was three weeks ago. Soldiers could be seen patrolling everywhere, from affluent neighborhoods to the slums.
"Prime Minister Amanda," a clerk greeted, bowing. "The Ardan shipment arrived early."
"Finally. Now, let's go there and inspect it. Her Majesty wants to make sure those crystals aren't tainted with any curses," She said seriously.
"No way. That's impossible." The clerk was taken aback. "The Ardan Trading Company was well known for its honesty.
She gave him a sideways look. "And my dear younger sister is well known to destroy businesses if any mistake is made, whether it is incidental or accidental. She wouldn't even hesitate to cut down everything in the way that tried to protect a criminal. I need to check it in person for their sake. You know how the situation is currently in the Queendom, due to all martial law imposition."
The clerk's face instantly paled when she heard the words, younger sister and the martial law. "Yes… Please come this way…" The clerk hastened her footsteps, going toward the storage facility.
Later on, Amanda stepped out of the trading office and looked at the dimly lit sky with dark clouds looming over the imperial city. She couldn't help but sigh and shake her head. "Without Kael ruling the shadows, the imperial city couldn't even see the sunlight. I would rather have you, Kael, my husband, run around and chop the heads of nobles than let Athena control this city."
*
At the Temple;
Seraphina lit the last of the candles on the altar, the scent of incense heavy in the air.
"Blessed are the forgotten, for the stars remember them," she murmured.
The young priestess next to her struggled with the chant. "Sister Seraphina, can you go slower?"
"Sure," she said gently, starting over with more patience. She guided the girl's hands. "Like this. Breathe. The light will answer in time."
After the ceremony, she stayed behind, fingers running absentmindedly over the carved edge of the altar.
"You used to feel much happier and at peace, serving the unfortunate who came to the temple for help. You were not focused lately. Is it due to the fact that there are fewer and fewer people coming to the temple these days, Sister?" Father Jovan said, approaching quietly.
"It's not what you think, Father," she replied. "It just… I guess I miss home. But there is no one there."
He looked at her for a couple of seconds in silence, but didn't say anything in the end and simply nodded.
*
Back at the estate, the halls were too quiet as the moon rose in the sky.
The stewardess stood at the entrance of the sitting room, arms folded, watching the empty couches.
She muttered to herself, "Used to be laughter in this house… shouting too, but still lively." Her voice softened. "Master Kael held them all together, even when they pretended not to notice. After he left, the princesses became too busy with their own lives. There hasn't been a single day when all four of them gathered at the dining table. Sigh…"
She walked slowly toward the hearth and picked up a fallen scarf. She ran her fingers over the fabric, then folded it neatly and set it on the armrest.
"Wherever you are, Master Kael, Lady Mia," she whispered, "I hope you are safe."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world;
The desert stretched endlessly in all directions, a sea of scorched sand under a blistering sun. No wind. No shade. Just heat and silence, broken only by the sound of boots dragging along.
Kael rode atop the spectral wolf, legs dangling lazily off one side. His entire body was drenched in sweat, his breath was quite uneven.
"This sucks," muttered Orin, wiping sweat from his forehead. His armor creaked with every step. "I think my eyeballs are sweating."
"Eyeballs don't sweat," grumbled Leiza, but her voice was just as hoarse as his. "Do they?"
"You guys done dying yet?" Shiera snapped, marching at the front with the grace of someone pretending she wasn't miserable. Her cloak was tied around her waist, and her usually sharp expression was halfway to homicidal.
She spun around suddenly, pointing at Kael. "This is all your fault, you know!"
Kael raised an eyebrow, reclining further on his ghostly mount. "How exactly?"
"You teleported us to the middle of a burning wasteland, genius!" she shouted. "Why would you even pick this place?"
"Oh, I don't know," Kael said dryly, "Maybe because we were surrounded by exploding lava slimes? Or did you forget you almost became stew?"
"I had it under control."
"Sure you did," he said, grinning. "Right up until you screamed 'Get us out of here!'"