chapter 110
The palace had fallen completely silent.
Even the library's candles had burned low.
Most of the servants had already retired for the night.
Yet...
Princess Flora remained exactly where she was.
The ancient chamber hidden behind the iron door felt strangely different from the rest of the library.
Quiet.
Sacred.
Timeless.
Before her rested one of the Heaven Books.
Flora carefully turned another page.
Completely impossible to understand.
She frowned.
"...Not even one word..."
She slowly traced one of the strange characters with her finger.
Nothing.
No matter how she compared them to the ancient dialects she had studied...
there wasn't a single similarity.
"I've studied the Old Imperial language..."
"The Northern Runes..."
"The Eastern Scripts..."
"The Sacred Tongue..."
She quietly laughed to herself.
"...Yet I can't even read the first sentence."
The librarian watched her from a distance.
"You are searching for familiarity."
Flora looked up.
"...Am I?"
He nodded.
"But the Heaven Script belongs to none of mankind's languages."
"It predates every civilization that still exists."
Flora lowered her gaze once more.
"So..."
"...these books have remained unread for centuries?"
"For almost everyone."
The old librarian answered gently.
---
Flora continued turning the brittle pages.
Many had already been damaged by time.
Some corners had crumbled away.
Others were stained beyond recognition.
Several entire pages had been torn from the binding.
She frowned.
"...They're falling apart."
The librarian sighed softly.
"They are older than every kingdom."
"We preserve them..."
"But time claims everything."
Flora carefully turned another page.
Then another.
Most contained only unreadable writing.
Until—
Near the end of the book...
she found something different.
An illustration.
The colors had faded.
Yet four images remained visible.
Flora leaned closer.
The first...
showed two young girls.
They looked almost identical.
Twin sisters.
Each reached toward the other.
Between them...
a brilliant light shone.
"...Twins?"
She slowly turned the page.
The second illustration revealed a man with red hair.
He stood alone.
A sword rested in his hand.
His expression couldn't be seen clearly.
Time had stolen much of the ink.
Flora quietly studied him.
"...Who were you...?"
Another page.
This time...
a young girl.
Orange hair.
Standing beneath countless stars.
Unlike the others...
she smiled.
Warmly.
Kindly.
Almost...
sadly.
Flora couldn't explain why...
but something about that girl's eyes felt strangely familiar.
She stared at the image for a long moment.
Then...
she reached the final surviving page.
At its center...
a single blue mark had been drawn.
Its shape resembled a flower.
Delicate.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
Flora's breathing slowed.
"...A flower..."
The mark looked strangely important.
But before she could study it further...
she noticed the edge of the page.
Everything beyond the center had been ripped away.
The illustration was incomplete.
Nearly half of the symbol was missing.
"...It was torn."
She carefully searched the table.
There was nothing.
The missing page had vanished long ago.
"...So close..."
She whispered.
The librarian slowly approached.
His eyes rested upon the damaged page.
"...That book has looked like that for longer than I have been alive."
Flora looked toward him.
"...Do you know what this mark means?"
The old man slowly shook his head.
"No."
"Because I cannot read what surrounds it."
He gently closed the Heaven Book.
"The pictures remain."
"But the words that once explained them..."
"...are lost to us."
Flora remained silent.
"So no one knows who these people were?"
"Or what this mark truly represents?"
The librarian smiled sadly.
"If anyone alive knows..."
"They have never shared that knowledge."
He looked toward the ancient shelves surrounding them.
"Long ago..."
"There were said to be people blessed directly by the gods."
"A single bloodline."
"They alone could read the language of Heaven."
"They were known as the Keepers of Heaven."
"They served as guardians of these books."
Flora listened quietly.
"What happened to them?"
"No one knows."
"Some believe they disappeared."
"Others believe they hid themselves from the world."
"And some..."
"...believe the bloodline simply came to an end."
Silence settled between them.
Flora looked once more at the incomplete blue flower.
Something about it lingered in her thoughts.
It felt...
important.
Yet she had no idea why.
The librarian gently took the book from the table.
"It's late, Your Highness."
"You should rest."
Flora slowly nodded.
"...Yes."
As she walked toward the door...
she looked back one last time.
The Heaven Books rested silently beneath the candlelight.
Filled with answers...
that no one alive could read.
Outside...
the moon hung high above the palace.
Watching over a young princess...
who had unknowingly taken her first step toward uncovering a history the world itself had forgotten...
Next day___
The Royal Council Hall stood silent beneath the morning light.
Golden rays poured through towering stained-glass windows, casting brilliant colors across the polished marble floor.
At the center of the vast chamber rested a massive circular table carved from ancient white oak.
Around it sat the people upon whom the future of Lumivale depended.
The kingdom's greatest generals.
Its wisest ministers.
Treasury officials.
Provincial governors.
Scholars.
Judges.
And members of the royal family.
At the head of the council...
sat King Victor.
Beside him sat Queen Anastasia, calmly reading through several reports while the discussion unfolded.
The atmosphere was heavier than usual.
No one smiled.
For today's topic concerned not politics...
but survival.
King Victor closed the final report before him.
"...Begin."
The Minister of Agriculture slowly rose.
He looked older than his years.
Dark circles rested beneath his eyes.
He bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesties."
"Our newest reports have arrived from every province of Lumivale."
A servant carefully unrolled a large map across the council table.
Small colored markers covered nearly every corner of the kingdom.
"The Curse continues to spread."
"Our eastern farmlands have lost another nine percent of their harvest."
"The northern valleys report increasing soil decay."
"Monster attacks have forced three farming villages to be abandoned."
The minister lowered his head.
"If this pattern continues..."
"...our reserves will remain stable for only a few more years."
Silence settled over the chamber.
Another minister stood.
"The situation is not unique to Lumivale."
He gestured toward an even larger map.
Not of a kingdom...
But of the entire known world.
Five great continents.
A world forever changed by the Curse.
"The continent of Asterra continues to lose fertile land each year."
"Our neighboring kingdoms report similar hardships."
He moved his hand across the map.
"The northern continent, Nivorheim, survives only through its rare mineral trade."
"The southern jungles of Solkara grow increasingly dangerous as monsters claim more territory."
"The ancient kingdoms of Elyndor preserve remarkable knowledge..."
"...yet even their inventions cannot restore the dying land."
Finally...
his hand rested upon the western continent.
"The Holy Valdrian Empire remains politically stable."
"The four kingdoms beneath the Empire continue supporting one another through trade and centralized rule."
He sighed softly.
"But stability alone cannot fill empty stomachs."
The chamber remained silent.
Then—
Another minister rose.
"There is, however..."
"...one kingdom unlike any other."
His finger rested upon a single point on the map.
Stonehaven.
"Their harvests remain abundant."
"Their rivers continue flowing."
"Their orchards bloom as though untouched by the Curse."
"No scholar has yet discovered the reason."
The Minister of Trade nodded.
"For nearly two decades..."
"Our alliance with Stonehaven has prevented widespread famine throughout Lumivale."
"They receive military protection."
"We receive grain."
"A partnership from which both kingdoms benefit."
King Victor folded his hands.
"And our military?"
General Roland rose immediately.
"Monster attacks continue increasing."
"Our border patrols now encounter organized hordes nearly every month."
He paused.
"One thousand years ago..."
"It is said humanity commanded armies beyond imagination."
"Those days are gone."
"The Curse has stolen not only our land..."
"...but our people."
He looked around the council.
"Today..."
"A kingdom capable of fielding ten thousand trained soldiers is considered a great power."
"Lumivale commands nearly fourteen thousand."
"The largest standing army in the known world."
A quiet sense of pride spread through the chamber.
General Roland continued.
"Our strength has protected not only ourselves..."
"...but our allies."
King Victor nodded once.
"Then Lumivale shall continue standing between humanity..."
"...and extinction."
Before anyone could speak—
A chair slowly scraped against the marble floor.
The King's younger brother rose gracefully.
The Second Prince.
He bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty."
Victor met his gaze.
"You may speak."
The prince clasped his hands behind his back.
"I believe..."
"...there is a way to secure Lumivale's future."
Several ministers looked toward him.
"The Crown Prince of Stonehaven has recently come of age."
"Our alliance has already benefited both kingdoms greatly."
He paused before continuing.
"If that alliance were strengthened through marriage..."
"...our two nations would become inseparable."
Silence.
The prince slowly looked toward the throne.
"I therefore propose..."
"...that Princess Flora be betrothed to the Crown Prince of Stonehaven."
Whispers spread throughout the chamber.
Several ministers exchanged uncertain glances.
Others quietly considered the proposal.
Stonehaven possessed what Lumivale desperately needed.
Food.
Lumivale possessed what Stonehaven lacked.
Military strength.
From a political standpoint...
the proposal carried undeniable merit.
Queen Anastasia slowly placed her report upon the table.
"No."
Her voice was soft.
Yet it echoed throughout the chamber.
The Second Prince remained composed.
"May I ask Your Majesty's reasoning?"
The Queen eyes met his.
"My daughter is not a tool with which kingdoms bargain."
The prince inclined his head respectfully.
"I understand a mother's feelings."
"But today..."
"...we speak not as parents."
"We speak as rulers."
He turned toward the council.
"History remembers those willing to sacrifice personal desires..."
"...for the survival of their people."
Then...
he looked back toward the King.
"Can we truly ask our citizens to sacrifice everything..."
"...if the Royal Family refuses to do the same?"
The chamber fell into complete silence.
King Victor slowly lifted his gaze.
His expression remained calm.
But everyone present understood...
The real debate...
Had only just begun.
Silence hung over the Royal Council Hall.
Not a single minister dared interrupt.
The Second Prince's proposal still lingered in the air.
From a political standpoint...
it was difficult to reject.
An alliance sealed by marriage could secure food for generations.
It could strengthen Lumivale's influence.
It could stabilize the eastern continent.
Yet—
King Victor's expression remained unreadable.
At last, he spoke.
"...Is that all?"
The Second Prince bowed.
"It is."
Victor nodded once.
"Then allow me to answer."
The King rose from his throne.
The sound of his footsteps echoed softly through the chamber as he descended the marble steps.
He did not raise his voice.
He did not glare.
Yet every eye followed him.
"You believe Princess Flora should marry for the kingdom."
The Second Prince answered without hesitation.
"I do."
Victor stopped in the center of the hall.
"You speak as though I intend to place the Crown upon her head tomorrow."
A faint murmur spread among the ministers.
The King continued.
"You misunderstand the purpose of a Crown Princess."
He slowly looked around the chamber.
"A Crown Princess is not declared because she is already prepared to rule."
"She is declared so that the kingdom itself may prepare."
"So that every noble..."
"Every governor..."
"Every commander..."
"And every citizen..."
"May know who shall one day inherit the throne."
His voice remained calm.
"If a king waits until his final breath to name an heir..."
"He leaves behind uncertainty."
"And uncertainty has destroyed more kingdoms than monsters ever have."
Several elderly ministers silently nodded.
Victor continued.
"Princess Flora has dedicated herself to becoming worthy of this kingdom."
"She rises before dawn."
"She trains until her body can endure no more."
"There are ministers seated within this very hall..."
"...who know less of our laws than my daughter."
An uncomfortable silence followed.
More than one minister lowered his eyes.
The Second Prince remained unmoved.
"Her education is admirable."
"But knowledge alone does not make a ruler."
"A sovereign bears responsibilities beyond books."
He stepped forward.
"Has Princess Flora ever governed a province?"
"No."
"Has she negotiated treaties between kingdoms?"
"No."
"Has she commanded an army in war?"
"No."
He folded his hands.
"Then, with all due respect..."
"How can we proclaim her heir to the greatest kingdom in the world?"
A few nobles quietly murmured in agreement.
The prince wasn't insulting Flora.
He was asking a question many had secretly wondered.
Victor smiled faintly.
"An excellent question."
The council looked surprised.
The King turned toward his brother.
"Tell me."
"When I was named Crown Prince..."
"Had I governed a province?"
The Second Prince hesitated.
"...No."
"Had I negotiated with foreign kings?"
"No."
"Had I led armies into battle?"
"...No."
Victor nodded.
"Yet I was still declared heir."
"Not because I had already become a great king..."
"But because I was expected to become one."
The chamber grew still.
"My daughter is no different."
The Second Prince's expression hardened slightly.
"There is one difference."
Victor waited.
The prince spoke clearly.
"Princess Flora is not your son."
Several ministers stiffened.
The atmosphere froze.
The prince continued.
"Never in Lumivale's history has a woman ruled alone."
"Our traditions have always placed the Crown upon a prince."
"If Princess Flora one day marries..."
"Will not another kingdom gain influence over Lumivale?"
"Would it not be wiser..."
"...to let her strengthen our alliances through marriage..."
"...while another heir inherits the throne?"
Not a sound could be heard.
Every eye slowly turned toward the throne.
Queen Anastasia.
Until now...
She had remained silent.
She calmly rose to her feet.
Her elegant gown brushed lightly across the marble floor.
Her expression was gentle.
Yet the quiet authority she carried filled the chamber.
She looked directly at the Second Prince.
"My lord."
"You speak often of tradition."
"So let us speak of it."
She took a slow step forward.
"Traditions are created by people."
"They are not laws of nature."
"They exist to serve the kingdom."
"They are not meant to imprison it."
Her golden eyes swept across the council.
"A thousand years ago..."
"The Curse changed the world."
"Kingdoms fell."
"Empires crumbled."
"Humanity itself was forced to change."
She paused.
"If our world has changed..."
"Then why must our future remain chained to the past?"
No one answered.
The hall remained silent.
Finally...
King Victor stepped beside his Queen.
He looked upon every noble present.
"This is my decision."
His voice carried through the chamber.
"On the day Princess Flora reaches her fourteenth birthday..."
"She shall be formally invested as the Crown Princess of Lumivale."
"The first woman in our kingdom's history..."
"...to stand as the sole heir to the throne."
No one spoke.
No one objected.
The King had made his judgment.
It was final.
But as the ministers bowed their heads in acceptance...
The Second Prince slowly clenched his fists beneath his sleeves.
His face remained respectful.
His heart...
Did not.
...CHAPTER 110ENDS...