Valerian, The Legendary

Fragrantia did not forget to alert the eldest prince and General Un. She also told them to be wary of any underhanded means or oddities in the army, after all, not everyone could be trusted. At first, Ignis was surprised by this, but he could not take a step back at this moment, or his relationship with Adele will be strained.

Taking note, the army was mobilized. It will take them seven days to march at the borderline shared with the Sapientia nation. This was their new strategy. To save the army from mishaps, they will leave most of the soldiers at the borderline to guard it against invasion, while General Un will disguise himself as the bodyguard of the Prince and stay by his side to prevent him from getting blindsided.

Ignis was a mage, he did not have a physical fitness of a warrior, in the situation of attack, General Un will be able to protect him from physical harm and vice versa. The army was mobilized, the secret troops were out to verify the news from Valerian and at the same time, Azula was asked to gather information from various sources to confirm the matter. The princess was also responsible for leaking the rumors against the Sapientia empire, to control public opinion and incite internal troubles.

This will also slow down the progress of the conspiracy planned by the two enemies. The precautions were taken just to make sure that things are under control. Fragrantia made an appointment with her daughter-in-law. Yes, it was an official appointment and Princess Adele was called to the study of the empress in the evening after Ignis left the palace.

Adele was confused and worried about the reason for this summon. Her handmaid was an older lady, who said, “They must be having designs against you, my lady. You must be wary of them.”

Adele did not take the maid seriously, after all, she was used to such behavior from this servant of hers. She thought that the entire world was out to kill her princess, and it was her life’s essence to protect her.

After tidying up her clothes, the princess made her way to the empress’s study under the leadership of a maid. When she arrived at the place, she could almost taste the tension in the air. The guards outside saw her arrival and informed Fragrantia, who nodded and called her inside the room.

She sat with her chin pinched in the fingers of her left hand, while the elbow of the same was placed against the armrest of the chair. The mood was somber and Adele was aware of this, after all this war was too sudden.

.....

Adele came to stand in front of her and bowed to Fragrantia as she greeted her. Fragrantia nodded and gestured for her to take a seat. Adele followed her words and sat down. The empress said, “How are you feeling now, Adele?”

“I am feeling much better, mother.”, said the girl.

Fragrantia nodded and asked, “I know it is a tough time, but I would like to ask you a few things. Before you even think about it, know that my queries can hurt you emotionally to the point where you might wish to kill me.”

Adele was surprised by this statement, but after thinking for a few minutes, she said, “Mother, I agree, please ask me anything and I will answer what you ask me with all honesty.”

Fragrantia nodded and asked, “Have the family treated you badly? Or is Ignis troubling you?”

Adele was surprised but she shook his head and said, “The family has been very nice to me, I can tell that they all are sincere with their emotions. As for Ignis, he loves me and I love him. Our relationship is healthy.”

Fragrantia nodded and continued asking, “Can you tell me what you knew about the alliance of Sapientia with Valkyrian?”

Adele thought for a bit and said, “From what I know of this matter. The Valkyrian chiefs visited the royal palace and they offered my father to form an alliance with them. Later when the court was discussing this matter, I told them about my relation with Ignis and said that if the alliance put a strain on the connection with Lumen Empire, then they will be in for a losing deal.”

Fragrantia nodded and spoke with a sigh, “Child you probably do not know this yet, but your family and the entire royal court of the Sapientia empire are in cohort with the Valkyrians. The ongoing war is a play to cease territories from us, in return for Ignis.”

Adele was shocked and gazed at Fragrantia with wide eyes. The empress stood up from her chair and said, “Your family is eager to expand their territory, and this has been their agenda for a few years now. However, those fools do not know that the Valkyrians are going to use them and create a deeper rift between our two nations.”

Adele snapped out of her shock and asked with a stammer, “Mother what do you mean?”

Fragrantia gazed at her and said, “The valkyrians plan to kill Ignis in the Sapientian territory making us lose control and wind the flames of war for them to reap benefits.”

Adele was shocked and fished out her soul communication bead, which was snatched by Fragrantia, who asked, “Do you wish for Ignis to die?”

Adele stood up and shook her head vigorously. The Fragrantia asked, “What if your family stands against him and tries to attack him at all costs?”

The princess clenched her fists and said, “Kill anyone who harms Ignis.”

Fragrantia nodded and patted her head gently as she said, “Adele, the next few days will be crucial, and we need to nab all the culprits behind this. I will not and I cannot spare anyone even if they are from the royal family.”

Adele nodded, she was righteous and fair since she was a young child. She will not favor even her family if they were in the wrong. This was obvious to the people when she stood by Valerian against her parents. Fragrantia was happy for having her as a daughter-in-law, but that did not mean she was trusting her to enter her heart.

Adele asked, “Mother, Ignis knew all this and still went to Sapientia?”

Fragrantia nodded and said, “Do not worry, he is not alone, Val will be there to support him.”

Adele was even more surprised and asked, “Valerian? That child? How will he help Ignis?”

The empress smiled subtly and said, “This information is something he passed on to me, also he is a grade six battlemage, do not underestimate him. He is strong enough to face a small group of people by himself.”

Adele nodded, she was doubtful but she did not say anything, after all, she knew nothing about Valerian’s origin, or his skills. How could she judge him, on the contrary, she was grateful that the child was going to aid her husband, despite being so young. Suddenly she thought of something and asked, “Mother, where did Valerian find this information?”

Fragrantia held her forehead and in an exasperated voice, she said, “This brat went out for a few days and is currently in the Valkyrian region. He is making his way to help Ignis now.”

Adele was stunned, she asked, “What do you mean? How did he run off to Valkyria? That wretched place is lingering with death and monsters.”

Fragrantia shook her head and said in a serious tone, “That is a long story and we do not have much time. Go back and rest, try to not reveal that we are aware of the ploy to your family or your servants.”

The girl nodded and said, “Mother, do you need me to do something?”

Fragrantia shook her head and said, “You do not worry, if I did need your help, I will come to you, my dear. Do not worry.”

Adele nodded and with a bow, she left the room with gentle steps. She was confused and angry over the reason why her family was doing this. But she was unable to figure out the reason, and since she married in the Lumen Empire, her assets and forces back in Sapientia were rendered useless. By now they might have been digested by other factions.

...

Valerian sighed as he rode on the back of the thunder falcon. Priscilla asked, “What is the matter, Your Highness?”

The young man said, “Ignis is moving to the Sapientia and so are we, in this state, the other two borders will be left unguarded. The generals are competent but having a royal member on their sides would make them efficient. I am afraid that the other two heads of this snake will try to bite when they find the chance to.”

Priscilla understood his words and sighed along with him, but they were in a bind and things were too tricky to deal with.