The queen scanned the room and spotted the four cloaked women standing behind Quinus. She furrowed her brow, trying to discern which one was the dark elf her son had mentioned.


    ''Is that one the dark elf? Or is it the other one,'' Rianna thought as she glanced between Rya and Yuliana. ''Two of them are well-endowed, so one of them is this "Rya" my son wrote about, while the other two cloaked women are well-shapen, from what I can tell... But they aren''t at my level, so those two aren''t her. Hmm... Three of them must be Rya''s friends, but why are they wearing cloaks? What do they have to hide?''


    ''Fuck... She''s staring daggers at me. Just breathe, Rya. Just remember that etiquette training that Fyrella did for me. You can do this. For Quin,'' Rya thought to herself as she took off her cloak and stood next to Quinus. Rya slowly removed her hood, revealing her white hair, azure eyes, and pointy ears.


    She could see the surprised look on the Queen''s face when her eyes landed on her.


    ''Huh? If it weren''t for her ears she would have passed as a human. A very beautiful human at that... Gah! My son is just like his father! He can''t say no to women with a body like mine! Cyndre is lucky that I''m kind and understanding. However, I have my limits. I will not have my son marry a hussy! I will not allow it!'' the Queen thought to herself as she observed Rya, ''She seems confident. But this could all be a rouge to make my son her puppet by using her beauty and curves to her advantage. She''s pretty, I''ll give her that. But she must prove herself worthy of being my son''s bride.''


    Rianna observed Rya as she stood up, ''Hmmm... She has good manners. Hold on!? That last name is from a famous Wood Elf family... I remember! It''s from the Royal House of the fallen Kingdom of the Wood Elves! One of them survived?''


    "Mother!? That is uncalled for!" Quinus interjected.


    "Yes, my queen. My intentions are nothing but pure. My feelings for Prince Quinus are true and honest. He''s the only one with whom I wish to spend the rest of my life with. And I will do everything in my power to keep him safe and happy. My only wish is to be the woman he needs and the partner he can depend on," Rya explained.


    "I was afraid to fall in love with your son, your Majesty. It was a love I never knew existed... And I learned a very valuable lesson when I tried to fight these feelings. I attempted to resist falling for him, but I couldn''t. His presence always drew me in deeper, no matter how hard I resisted. I wanted him... but I knew deep down that he would be better off without me. Especially when I was dumb enough to get collared... I learned the hard way how dangerous the ambitions of powerful people can be when they prioritize their own best interests.


    "They will sacrifice anything and anyone to get what they want... I had to watch myself kill innocent soldiers while my body was controlled. I almost killed a good friend and saw Quin at death''s door because of my mistakes... I also witnessed corrupt nobles using the civilians for their own gain.


    "When Quin freed me. I made sure that all of those who dared to hurt my love paid dearly. I made sure that the Black Roses were destroyed so they could never hurt him again. If my love wants to be with me, then I will destroy anyone who dares try to stop us, no matter who it is. I will do whatever it takes to be with him. To stand by his side and to support him," Rya said confidently, "Whether that be destroying the Kingdom of Marn to free the wood elves, fighting against the Divine Three and their false Gods, or even facing a God. If it is in my power, I will destroy them. If it is beyond my power, I will find another way to defeat them... And for Duke Alaric... I will turn every ally against him, I will cut off his funding, and I will weaken his influence to the point where no one will follow him. If it is necessary, I will even kill him myself. I refuse to let his insanity and anger poison the happiness of the person I love... Because Quin is my one and only. I refuse to let him go through life without me by his side."


    Rianna stared at the dark elf, ''What does she want? Hmmm, she seems willing to play along and do what is needed. Maybe she is not a lost cause after all... Still, this is not something I can agree to so easily. If I say yes, the church will throw a fit. Not that I care, but they are a major political power that can cause a civil war.''


    Rianna looked her in the eye, "If you wish to be by my son''s side, you will have to prove yourself worthy of that position. And not just to me but to the Church, the people, and the Kingdom as well. You will have to go through the proper channels. First, you must visit our High Priestess, Mother Astra, in the capital''s Temple of Balance. If the Goddess shows you favor while doing the ritual before the Idol. Then, we can move on to getting the Prime Minister to accept you as a possible candidate, which is already an uphill battle because he is the main driving force behind signing a peace treaty with the Alliance. I''m sure you know about the arranged marriage with the Divine Three''s Princess. That can''t be broken without starting a war. But if you get a connection with the goddess, we may have a chance. But it won''t be easy."


    Rianna couldn''t help but start to like the girl, ''Well, she has a fire in her, that is for sure. But is that enough? And there''s the issue of her becoming pregnant. Female Elves'' reproduction cycles are extremely long and only happen once every decade or so. So, her chances of having a child with my son are improbable. That means we will have to rely on a mistress. That is the only way for my grandson to be born. Hmmm, but can she accept that?''


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    "No, Your Majesty. I will not try to argue with you on the matter. I have thought about this, and if Quin wants me, then I will accept any condition, no matter what it is. A-And I know that it''s a long shot even to hope to have a baby, but if there is a possibility that we can have a child... Then, I will do anything to make it happen. Because I love him, and I want to have a family with him," Rya said with a gentle smile.


    Dalia hesitated for a moment but then summoned the courage to join Rya by her side. She revealed her identity to the queen when she pulled down her hood. She was nervous as the queen stared at her.


    "Nightshade? Could this be related to the Nightshade tribe?" Rianna asked.


    ''How did they get her to agree to take a human as her mate? Hm... I''m concerned that my son may have used a slave collar on her. It''s hard to see under that cloak, but that has to be the reason why she''s here, right?... Gah! It doesn''t add up, though. She seems genuinely attracted to young Percy,'' the queen thought.


    "No, mother. She is my wife''s companion and friend. She''s an adventurer and she fell for Percy," Quinus replied.


    ''There has to be more... Beastkins are notorious for being hard to tame. So there''s no way she submitted to humans without a fight... Unless they somehow earned her trust. Or my son has lied and used a slave collar. It might have been Rya''s idea to convince him to do such a terrible act,'' the queen pondered.


    ''She''s pregnant? And she looks no older than 18 or maybe 19 years old. Hmmm, this is quite surprising... So, she''s carrying Percy''s children!?... How am I going to explain to Wina that her son is marrying a wolfkin demi-human? It would be fun to see her reaction to the news if things weren''t so damn tense at the moment. Especially since the church will not like this,'' Rianna thought.


    "Y-Yes, Your Majesty. The High Elves abandoned my people in their time of need, and the Lesser Elders of the hidden villages would have taken my daughter away and killed her due to her father''s actions. So, I fled the forest and brought my daughter to Ironside. I needed time to rebuild the kingdom''s Elder Tree. But when my daughter became Lady Rya''s lady-in-waiting. It took me some time to process everything, but I realized that the only place she could be safe was by Lady Rya''s side," Yuliana answered.


    "Rya!... That''s her name!... I''ve held my tongue long enough as you refer to her as "the dark elf" and not her name. She''s my daughter, and I would appreciate it if you''d treat her as such," Yuliana snapped at Rianna, cutting her off.


    "Listen, Queen Rianna. I don''t know you, and I''m not one of your subjects. I do not have any desire to become one if this is how you will treat my daughter. Though she may not share my blood, the moment I learned about the hardship that this 27-year-old girl had endured after losing her parents, I was deeply moved. I made the decision that she could benefit from having a mother and a big sister. She accomplished more than you could ever understand. So, I adopted her into my family. She may have a different skin color than us. But she''s not a monster and deserves to be treated with respect. I can see that your son loves her, and I know that he''ll protect her. So, if you have a problem with that, you can keep it to yourself," Yuliana finished.


    ''She doesn''t act like a child to me... Maybe she''s been through more than I realized and that''s why she acts more like a 27-year-old human... I''m still not used to calling a 27-year-old elf a child though. But that''s elves for you... Maybe she still has her innocence... That''s why she fell for my son. I''m a fool for not seeing it before. Plus, my son is a good judge of character. If this is the woman that caught his eye, then I should try to accept her... But we still need to go through those stupid hoops in hopes of stopping any uprisings. We can''t have the kingdom tear itself apart, even if it isn''t her fault.'' Rianna thought.


    Rianna studied the young woman before her. She recalled the rumors about her and the arranged marriage. Johnathan Dule was having a hard time getting a woman for his son. Most of the women in the kingdom had refused him. So, he tried a different tactic and looked for a woman in the Minor Noble families.


    That''s when word got out that he married a poor girl who was injured by a monster at a young age. The Minor Lord assumed that no one wanted to marry his daughter due to all the scars, but when a House of a Major Family requested a betrothal. He jumped on the opportunity, not caring about his daughter''s opinion. Things weren''t good between them as Tayna refused to consummate the marriage, and there were rumblings about the end of a Major Noble House if Johan couldn''t get a child from his wife. So it was a shock to Rianna when she saw Tayna in the same room as well as traveling with her husband this entire time.


    "Thank you, Your Majesty. I''m absolutely certain that only the most wonderful rumors surround her. Isn''t that right, my darling?"


    The queen looked dumbfounded. ''What is happening right now? Did she really just call him honey? I-I definitely need to invite her over for tea soon. I really want to figure out how this all happened. And why does Johan look so... different? There''s something not right here. There''s something that I''m missing, and it''s bugging me...''


    "Huh? Oh yes! You see, I can tell you aren''t fully sold on Lady Rya... I understand. When I first met her, I did the same thing. But she has done more for me than I can ever repay. She healed me, took care of me, and became my friend. She also healed my husband and told me that he was a perfect man for me, and I didn''t see it like the fool that I was. And it was all because of her. So, I owe her my happiness and my life. That''s why we''re here... So, give her a chance... She hasn''t failed anyone," Tayna finished with a curtsy.


    ''A dark elf saved her. And she''s praising her. Hmmm, she seems sincere, and Johan is a good judge of character. Okay, so far, everyone who has met Rya has only given high praise to her. Maybe Douglas has something to add. But I''ll ask him when no one is around,'' Rianna thought, ''I better wrap this up so I can speak to Quinus alone before I do the same with Rya at the tea party.''


    After the meeting, everyone exited the room, leaving only Rianna''s guards behind. As Quinus prepared to depart with Rya, Rianna halted him and signaled for Rya to leave.


    The Prince observed the Dark Elf''s departure from the room, and as the figure disappeared, he made his way back to his mother. The heavy doors closed behind him, and a few moments later, Rianna signaled for Lady Nelumbo and her guards to withdraw as well. Left alone, the queen fixed her intense gaze on her son, filling the silence with unspoken thoughts.