Soldiers slammed weapons against shields in approval. Young nobles grinned openly and even veterans laughed into their drinks.

Unlike humans, dark elves did not fear war. They enjoyed bloodshed just like demons. This was why they were feared. Welding dark aether demanded blood lust and the only way to reduce it was mainly killing beasts and the corrupted.

With the war in the air, nothing united the kingdom faster than someone threatening the royal family.

A dark elf knight nearly spilled his drink laughing.

"They tried assassinating him during the competition?"

"Humans truly are suicidal."

"Remember the spears and arrows phenomenon at the end of the competition, maybe it was at that time."

Another noble smirked.

"At least they saved us the trouble of finding justification."

"You think Her Majesty will actually destroy the kingdom?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

The noble took another slow sip of wine.

"Whether the future king asks her not to."

That earned several thoughtful hums because everyone in the empire had noticed the same terrifying thing recently.

The queen listened to her husband. It wasn’t blind obedience but she doted on him a little too much, so it was hard not to notice especially with the rumours about the moon crystals. The distribution was said to be left under him.

This was deeply strange to most dark elves. The queen had spent years treating nearly everyone else like temporary inconveniences at best.

Yet now?

She had delayed the war.

That alone shocked the empire more than the assassination attempt itself.

A younger officer leaned against a balcony railing overlooking the celebrations below.

"So does this mean we’re mobilizing?"

An older deputy commander beside him smiled faintly his gaze narrowing slightly.

"We never stopped."

Far below them, the capital roared with excitement. Shops distributed free alcohol.

Imperial soldiers openly discussed battle formations in the streets like children discussing holiday plans.

The atmosphere was almost festive. This didn’t stem from the dark elves hating humans necessarily, it was mainly because dark elves respected power above everything else and someone had challenged their future king directly.

Atheline had proved himself useful and filled with potential. That had been more than enough. Which meant the response from the kingdom became expected.

A group of young nobles nearby suddenly burst into laughter as new rumors spread through the crowd.

"They fled the palace?"

"The entire royal family!"

"Cowards."

"No wonder Her Majesty threatened annihilation immediately."

"She gave them seven days though."

That made several older nobles pause thoughtfully.

A woman dressed in a black military uniform narrowed her eyes slightly.

"That part concerns me."

"Why?"

"Because it means this isn’t emotional."

The laughter nearby quieted somewhat.

The officer continued calmly.

"If Her Majesty acted out of anger as usual, Gladia kingdom would already be burning." Her gaze lifted toward the palace above the city. "Giving an ultimatum means she’s thinking carefully about the consequences and everything."

.

.

.

Far above the celebrations, hidden within the palace itself was the main council chamber. The mood had become much colder, all the festivities gone the moment news arrived.

The council chamber stood silent beneath the throne room while the highest-ranking dark elf officials gathered around a circular black table.

No servants or guards remained inside. Only the people powerful enough to discuss continental war directly.

The noble elder finally broke the silence.

"So," he sighed heavily," this became troublesome quickly."

Commander Thulem snorted.

"Troublesome? The humans attempted to assassinate his highness."

"Allegedly."

"They fled their capital."

"That part certainly damaged their defense."

Silence returned briefly.

The noble elder slowly folded his hands together. Things had not been going smoothly since their queen married, it seems as though everything was just coming down at once.

’I should have postponed the hunting ceremony and just focused on the moon crystals’

"The real issue is the treaty." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Several expressions darkened immediately.

Yes.

That was always the issue.

The Great Continental Treaty prevented continental wars from spiraling endlessly out of control. Breaking it openly would drag every kingdom into conflict eventually. And unfortunately, the enemy clearly understood that.

Since they had been in power for so long, they could see that something was amiss in this whole arrangement. It was just too coincidental.

The female councilor tapped her fingers lightly against the table.

"They expected Her Majesty to invade immediately."

"Obviously."

"Which means this entire situation was prepared."

General Thulem leaned back in his chair.

"Then let’s reward the effort by destroying them."

"Stop thinking like a brute, that would still trigger treaty complications."

"And?"

"And continental war is expensive."

Councillor Renault, Cassian’s father, finally spoke carefully.

"What about his highness?"

The others looked at him in slight surprise. The man’s golden eyes met their gaze for just a second before lowering them.

"You can really speak Renault, " General Thulem said, in a boorish tone.

Some of the councillors nodded in agreement.

"This concerns the safety of our kingdom," he quietly replied.

The room fell silent since they were all in agreement. His question came back to their minds.

The noble elder narrowed his eyes.

"You think this delay was his influence?"

"Possibly."

General Thulem scoffed.

"Our queen does not take orders."

"No," Councillor Renault agreed calmly. "But she does take suggestions."

That silence afterward carried an uncomfortable truth. The general looked irritated now.

"...I still dislike how much influence he has already."

Someone chuckled at that." If I remember correctly Thulem, you were the first to approach him instead of the queen when it came to the moon crystals. Your thoughts were pretty clear then."

"And that is why I’m saying, I do not like his influence. It makes me uneasy."

"And yet," another council member murmured, "none of us can do anything about it. He has gained even more prestige now."

Politically speaking, Atheline had been perfect so far. He stabilized the queen’s more destructive impulses without weakening her authority.

He conquered the hunting competition, united two elven kingdoms and now he had accidentally given the empire legal justification for military expansion.

Honestly, he was performing suspiciously well.

The noble elder exhaled slowly.

"Continue mobilization quietly."

No one objected.

"Prepare for all possibilities."

Meaning war.

General Thulem smiled faintly.

’Finally, I have the perfect excuse to get the largest share of the moon crystals.’