*Rayan's POV*
The crystal-lit bathhouse echoed with soft splashes as Elena and Toha settled into the mineral springs. Steam rose around them, carrying the scent of healing herbs, but the atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension. I couldn't shake the image of walking in on Natasha and me—naked, entangled, the aftermath of my drugged stupidity written across their shocked faces.
From the adjacent chambers, I could hear their conversation through the thin walls.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Toha's gentle voice carried clearly. "That Rayan... with Natasha?"
Elena's laugh surprised me—light, almost amused. "Bother me? Toha, I'm delighted. Natasha will also carry his child now. Wouldn't it be nice seeing out kids playing around."
"But she's his childhood friend," Toha pressed, her tone curious but strained. "They have history, bonds you don't share. What if he loves her more because of that?"
The water stilled. I pressed closer to the wall, my heart hammering.
Elena's voice turned cold, sharp as winter steel. "I don't mind him having mistresses, Toha. But treating any of them as my equal?" The danger in her tone made my blood freeze. "That would be... unacceptable. I am his wife. His queen. Some lines cannot be crossed." She spoke while giving toha a warning that prince only belong to princess.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed through the bathhouse. A female soldier burst through the doors, her armor clanking as she dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty! Emergency report!"
"Speak quickly," Elena commanded, already rising from the water.
"The slave traders have escaped from their cells. All seven of them. They've taken weapons from the armory and fled into the western forest. Queen Maria has declared a high alert."
The water exploded as Elena shot to her feet. "Toha, we have to go Now." Her voice had transformed from princess to warrior queen in seconds. "Send word to Ivy and Natasha. We hunt them down before they reach human territory."
As they rushed to dress, I myself wanted to join. The memories of my pathetic action still lingering in my brain. After changing my outfit I appeared in the doorway, my heart pounding with desperate need to prove myself. "Elena, take me with you guys."
She didn't even look up from strapping on her leather armor. "Absolutely not."
"Please," I begged, hating how my voice cracked. "I can help. I need to—"
"It's too dangerous for you, Rayan." Her tone was final, dismissive. "Stay here where you're safe."
My ego shattered like glass, but desperation drove me forward. "I'm begging you. Please."
Natasha emerged from her chambers, still moving gingerly from our earlier encounter. Her golden eyes met mine with understanding. "Elena, I'll protect him. Watch his back."
"As will I," Ivy added, her blue eyes fierce. "Between the three of us, he'll be safer than in the palace."
Elena's jaw tightened, but she nodded curtly. "Fine. But make sure to keep yourself safe."
---
The forest was a maze of shadows as we tracked the escaped prisoners. Elena moved like she knew every corner of it, her magic tracing their path through broken branches and scattered leaves. Her abilities were breathtaking—every step precise, every gesture commanding the very elements to reveal our quarry's location.
"Seven men, armed with swords,bows," she murmured, her black eyes glowing with tracking magic. "They're heading for the river crossing."
We found them at a clearing, the slavers already arguing among themselves about which direction to flee. The leader Gorr, the burly bastard who'd caged those children, spotted us first.
"Elven bitch!" he roared, raising a stolen blade. "Should've stayed home playing princess!"
The battle erupted in chaos. Elena became a force of nature, her sword dancing as she cut through their ranks. Ivy moved like a shadow, her strikes precise and lethal. Natasha's arrows found their marks with deadly accuracy. Even Toha held her own, her healing magic twisted into offensive barriers that sent men flying.
And me? I charged forward with my sword raised, thinking I could contribute something to prove my worth.
The first slaver I engaged knocked me flat quite quickly. My sword went skittering across the forest floor as pain exploded through my jaw. A boot connected with my ribs, driving the air from my lungs.
"Rayan!" Elena's scream cut through the battle.
I looked up to see a slaver's blade descending toward my chest. Elena threw herself between us, the steel catching her across the shoulder instead of piercing my heart. Her blood splattered warm across my face.
"No!" The word tore from my throat as rage and shame flooded my veins.
Elena's counterattack was magnificent and terrible. Beaten lioness became more aggressive.With her injured arm hanging useless, she still carved through the remaining slavers like they were made of parchment. Gorr fell last, his head rolling away from his shoulders as Elena's blade completed its arc.
Silence settled over the clearing, broken only by our ragged breathing and the distant sound of other hunting parties calling out confirmations that the remaining prisoners were dealt with.
"Is everyone..." Toha began, then rushed to Elena's side. Her healing magic flowed, sealing the wound I'd caused by being weak, useless, pathetic.
I couldn't meet anyone's eyes.
---
The village celebrated our return with cheers and grateful embraces. Queen Maria herself greeted our party at the palace gates, her regal bearing softened by obvious relief.
"Well done, all of you," she announced to the gathered crowd. "Soldiers were able to capture others. But two are still missing. Anyway The threat has been eliminated. Our people are safe ."
The others accepted the praise graciously, sharing stories of the hunt and the final battle. I stood apart, still tasting shame and Elena's blood on my shirt.
---
Night fell heavy and suffocating. Elena and I sat on the edge of our bed, the space between us feeling like a chasm. My hands trembled in my lap.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "For being pathetic. For cheating on you with Natasha. For getting you hurt because I'm too weak to—"
"Rayan." Her hand covered mine, warm and steady. "You'll grow stronger. You're young still, learning to be the prince our people need."
But her words felt hollow. We both knew the truth—I was a liability, or to put it harshly a breeding stud.
Elena rose suddenly, moving to the side table where a crystal pitcher sat filled with water.( The same water Luna had dosed with that cursed aphrodisiac. ) Elena drank deeply, then handed me the cup.
"Drink," she said softly. "It's contains .... medicine. We both need... it."
I had some suspicion and wanted to refuse, to wallow in my self-loathing, but her black eyes held a command I couldn't disobey. The liquid burned down my throat, and within moments, familiar heat began spreading through my veins.
What followed was intense,Elena pulling me into passion I wasn't ready to feel. My body responded even as my mind reeled with inadequacy. We moved together with increasing urgency, her gasps mixing with my own, but all I could think about was how I'd failed her, failed everyone.
As we reached our crescendo together, something impossible happened.
A sound—like crystal chimes mixed with distant thunder—echoed inside my skull. Elena, lost in her own pleasure, didn't seem to hear it.
Then, floating in the air before my eyes, translucent and glowing with eldritch light, appeared... words.
**[ELVEN REPOPULATION SYSTEM - INITIALIZING]**
**[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]**
**[CONGRATULATIONS! PRINCESS ELENA HAS BEEN IMPREGNATED]**
**[BLOODLINE CONTINUATION PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED]**
I blinked hard, certain I was hallucinating , but the glowing text remained. Elena had collapsed against my chest, spent and breathing heavily, completely unaware of the impossible display above us.
A voice spoke directly into my mind—feminine, melodic, but undeniably artificial.
*"Greetings, Prince Rayan. I am the Elven Repopulation System, designed to ensure the survival and prosperity of your bloodline. Through the act of conception, you have unlocked your true potential."*
"What... what are you?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over Elena's soft breathing.
*"I am a gift from your ancestors, embedded in your royal blood and awakened by the urgent need of your people. Each successful pregnancy will grant you enhanced abilities—strength. Your children will inherit special abilities corresponding to their mothers' traits and power blessed by world tree."*
The floating display shifted, showing what looked like a status screen:
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 2]**
**[STRENGTH: +5]**
**[AGILITY: +3]**
**[MAGIC CAPACITY: +10]**
**[LEADERSHIP: +2]**
**[PREGNANCIES ACHIEVED: 1]**
**[SPECIAL CHILDREN POTENTIAL: High]**
*"Your first children with Princess Elena will possess enhanced magical abilities and natural leadership qualities Like their mother ."*
I stared at the impossible information, feeling strength already beginning to flow through my limbs. The weakness, the pathetic helplessness I'd felt during the battle—it was already fading, replaced by determination .
"Why did you mention children instead of child?"
"Congratulation again, it's a twin."
I could not say anything. Shouldn't I be happy? I should but.. ain't I just a kid! It's too much for me.
*"This system will guide your growth, Prince Rayan. Embrace your duty to rebuild the elven race, and in return, become the leader your people truly need."*
The display flickered and vanished, leaving me alone with Elena's sleeping form and the stunning knowledge that everything—absolutely everything—had just changed.
For the first time since that disastrous battle, I smiled. Who knows what fate holds?!