CHAPTER 235: UNEXPECTED ALLIANCE

Kelith burst into the dining hall with a bright "Baby!", launching herself at Hades just as he began to rise from his chair. He never had the chance—she collided with him mid-movement, forcing him to fall back into the seat as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her cheek nuzzled insistently against his, her voice trembling with affection.

"Mama missed you so much! Baby, did you miss me too?"

Eight days apart wasn’t long by anyone else’s standards, but for these two, it might as well have been an eternity. Their bond was a world of its own, and everyone present simply watched the scene unfold with practiced acceptance.

Peri sighed under her breath. "If only the others could see this side of her."

Luna giggled softly. "Who? Her soldiers, or the ones who saw her face right before dying?"

Marilyn chimed in, hands on her lap. "Both. They would be shattered. Her Majesty becomes a completely different being once she slips into her queen persona."

While the trio murmured among themselves, Hades patted his mother’s back, chuckling helplessly. "Glad to see you back, Mom. You’ve been working pretty hard these days."

Kaelith sniffled dramatically. "Exactly! That witch over there tortured your poor mother!" She jabbed a finger at Avalin.

The raven-haired woman stood quietly in the corner, expression flat—save for the tiny twitch at the edge of her lips that betrayed her desire to retort.

Ignoring her, Kaelith turned her face back to her son. "Comfort me, baby."

Hades smiled helplessly and stroked her head. "You did great, Mom. There, there."

No one reacted. Luna and the others had long accepted that the elder Aethernox needed her son’s praise like air.

Eventually, Kaelith straightened and glanced at the women. "How are you girls? Getting along well?"

Luna offered a warm smile. "We’re doing well, mother. How was your expedition?"

Kaelith’s shoulders sank. "Don’t remind me. The worst part of ruling is constantly traveling around the nation. When people are in trouble, it’s fine—I don’t mind. But visiting city after city with no problems..." She groaned. "It’s just boring."

"I believe you understand the implication of those words, Your Majesty," Avalin said, cold as ice.

Kaelith scoffed. "Yeah, yeah... not like anyone here is going to judge me."

She whipped her head toward her son again. "Am I bad, baby?"

Hades shook his head gently. "No, mother. And you should be happy. Peace in Aethernox is what you’ve always aimed for, isn’t it?"

Kaelith lowered her head, nodding meekly.

Avalin huffed, arms crossed. ’That’s right. Tell her, Prince.’

With a reluctant pout, Kaelith finally released her son and took the chair beside him. Avalin gave a small nod, and the maids hurried forward to begin setting the table for dinner.

Hades and the others hadn’t eaten either. Despite the late hour, they had waited—every one of them—for her return.

Once everyone settled, Kaelith leaned forward, her tone soft but probing. "How is the training going, Hades? I haven’t spoken to Vulcan in a while. I hope he isn’t pushing you too much."

Hades instinctively glanced at his wives. His shoulders stiffened. "No, mother. He isn’t—"

But his hopes died immediately.

Luna spoke without hesitation, "He came back with several broken bones, a dislocated jaw, deep gashes across his chest—those left scars, by the way—and a dozen smaller injuries. That was just two days ago."

Peri didn’t even look up from the table setting. "And mana drunkenness. Don’t forget that. He got so over-saturated one night, he could barely recognize us."

Kaelith’s eyes went sharp, her warmth vanishing in a blink as she turned toward her son, waiting for an explanation.

Hades sighed deeply. "Mom... this is the third time I’m saying this in this house. Sir Vulcan isn’t doing anything I haven’t agreed to. I need this. So please... let’s drop the subject, okay?"

He met her gaze steadily. He wasn’t willing to let anything interfere with the pace of his training—not even her.

"Alright... I understand," Kaelith said with a bright, innocent smile.

Hades narrowed his eyes immediately. That smile was never innocent.

"Mom... don’t talk to Sir Vulcan about this either. Please."

He didn’t even leave room for ambiguity—he already knew exactly what she was planning.

Kaelith’s lips pushed into a pout. "That’s unfair..."

Peri let out a long, amused sigh. "And here I thought she was slick."

Dinner arrived shortly after, and the five of them slipped into light chatter, deliberately steering conversation away from the bruised topic of Hades’s training.

Midway through the meal, Hades asked, "So? When are we leaving for the summit?"

Kaelith hummed thoughtfully, and the atmosphere around the table shifted—sharp, heavy, almost suffocating. His wives straightened subtly, each of them tense but choosing to remain silent.

After a moment, Kaelith said, "Before that, you need to escort the Elven Queen to the summit, dear."

Peri’s brows shot up. Hades looked equally startled.

"Beatrice? But why?"

Kaelith folded her arms on the table. "She’s agreed to form an alliance with Aethernox. With that, she’ll have the right to participate in this meeting. And it’s important that this alliance becomes official in Sir Argon’s presence."

Peri leaned back, eyes wide. "Mom agreed to the alliance? She never told me anything."

Kaelith let out a slow sigh. "I offered her that alliance back when Xelrath attacked Torseque. She hesitated for a long time... but suddenly, she changed her mind. She sent me a letter saying she was ready."

Hades frowned. *Why the sudden change?*

Had Beatrice done this because of him? Because of what happened in Torseque? Or... something else entirely?

He couldn’t tell.

Kaelith went on, oblivious to the knots forming in his thoughts. "That’s why you need to escort her safely to the venue. Once Xelrath hears about the alliance, he might try to corner Beatrice."

A ripple of tension coursed through everyone at the table.

No one there was ignorant of Beatrice’s history. She had once made a verbal alliance with Xelrath—supplies in exchange for protection over Torseque. A temporary, fragile pact, but one that had kept her nation afloat.

Until recently.

The Dragon King shattered that agreement when he attacked Torseque, aiming to trap both Hades and Kaelith. The betrayal was public, violent, and humiliating.

Thankfully, Torseque hadn’t suffered irreversible damage, and Beatrice survived the assault. The nation wasn’t doomed... but it wasn’t healing either.

And Torseque couldn’t afford more scars.

This attack was the second close disaster in a short span—right after Samarella’s incident. The people were growing restless. Angry. Scared. Protests had begun to rise, claiming the Queen’s decisions were failing them, that she was no longer fit to rule.

Doubt in leadership was worse than any wound Xelrath could inflict.

And Beatrice was standing right in the center of it all.

So this alliance wasn’t just politics—it was hope. A promise that the elven nation wasn’t standing alone anymore, that a strong ruler with true power had stepped behind them.

"Won’t this create more conflict?" Luna asked suddenly.

All eyes turned to her as the silver-haired woman continued with calm honesty, "No offense... but most of the world sees Lord Zerathos as a rogue Primordial. Someone who brings destruction wherever he goes."

Her words made Marilyn and a few maids shift uneasily, but no one could deny the truth behind them.

Only a very small fraction of the world didn’t fear Zerathos. So naturally, that meant many elves might believe that aligning with Aethernox—the Primordial’s devotees—would bring more danger than protection.

However—

"That’s not our concern," Kaelith said firmly. "It’s Beatrice’s responsibility. They are her people. I’m certain she thought everything through before accepting this alliance."

Peri looked down, releasing a quiet sigh.

*I hope you really did, Mama,* she murmured internally.

She was relieved her mother finally accepted help... but terrified that this decision would make things even harder for her.

Then Hades’s voice brushed gently into her mind:

[Don’t worry, Peri. Beatrice won’t be facing this alone.]

She lifted her gaze. Hades was already looking at her, his expression warm and steady.

Peri returned a small, grateful smile.

A moment later, Kaelith spoke again. "You’ll leave tomorrow, son. Bring Beatrice safely to Emberclad Capital by the third day, okay?"

Hades nodded. "I’ll need to study the map."

He had never set foot in Emberclad before—so navigating to the capital would require preparation.

However, "Why do you need a map when there is someone who has grown up in that nation?"

Hades blinked and then, he realized who she was talking about.

"Right..." he nodded.

While he was sure Averis could help him reach his destination he was unsure if she really wanted to go back home.

Given what he have heard, her relationship with her family members...is not that great. Under those circumstances, would she really agree to come along?

’Well, I will ask her tomorrow.’ For now, he wanted to focus on the people around him.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, leave a review.