12 Kingdom of Ethia

Melva was finally alone without Vance close at her tail to demand her touch. She didn't want to waste the chance that was given to her. This was the closest thing to freedom she had ever got after leaving Ichorhold. And as someone who had an adventurous spirit like her, the first thing that crossed her mind was touring the palace.

The council meeting seemed to be going to last for a while, so no one would realise if she went somewhere and came back before they finished. When she was about to leave the drawing room, a palace guard who had been standing by the door stopped her.

"How can I assist you, milady?" asked the palace guard. He looked human under his guard uniform, except for his pointy ears that reminded her of Linwood's. They must belong to the same race of demons.

"I wish to have a tour around the palace. Will you be my guide?" Melva thought she might be able to get to know more about Ethia from him as he had been serving here. "May I have your name?"

"Webster Dorrington, milady. The honour is mine," said the guard as he opened the door for her to go through. "Which part of the palace do you want to see first, Lady Melva?"

"I just came here from a town called Ichorhold. I was hoping that I could know more about the Kingdom of Ethia. Is there a place I can go?"

"There is, actually," said the guard after a few seconds of consideration. "The parlour has a lot of tapestries and paintings that tell the history of Ethia."

"Wonderful. Please show me the way, Sir Webster."

Sir Webster escorted Melva towards the parlour, which they had passed by on the way to the drawing room earlier. She had noticed the first time she had walked past here that the walls were beautifully decorated by a lot of paintings and tapestries, but she had not understood the meaning then. This time, Sir Webster explained the pictures in chronological order.

He started with a map of Ethia Kingdom, which consisted of five regions—Nightwind in the centre, Blackburn in its Northwest, Davenport in its Northeast, Deathfall in its Southeast, and Willowdale in its Southwest. The five regions were huddled together in the centre of the map, forming an X figure.

Kingdom of Ethia were surrounded by the ocean, but she didn't remember getting on a ship when she had come here. She had ridden the carriage and even though she had been blindfolded, she would have known if they had switched vehicles. It was strange, indeed. How had she got here without getting on a ship?

The palace stood in Nightwind, because it was right in the centre of Ethia. It only took Melva and Vance half an hour from his manor to the palace by riding a carriage, but the other might need hours before they could get here from their regions. She wondered whether the dukes were required to visit the palace every single day, because it must be taxing to travel back and forth between regions.

Sir Webster continued his explanation as though he was in a lecture. "If you have not known yet, each region has its own demon race. Werewolf for Nightwind, vampire for Blackburn, siren for Davenport, ghoul for Deathfall, and fairy for Willowdale. I, for instance, am from—"

"Willowdale," answered Melva in his stead. It was quite obvious from their similar physical characteristics that Linwood and Sir Webster were from the same region and they belonged to the same race.

She was not really familiar with all the demon races he had mentioned to her. Vampires and werewolves were some of the most common rumours circulating around in Ichorhold. They had been described as the worst demons out there with their fangs and their tendency to prey on humans. The monsters who came to hunt humans at night, particularly on the blood moon. It was difficult to be sure as they were only rumours made up by townspeople, however, rumours were usually based on a tiny kernel of truth.

As for ghouls, sirens, and fairies, she had never heard of them at all. She was not aware of what they were capable of doing. But demons were demons; they never had a good reputation. She was doubtful they were any better.

"Yes, milady. Although not all inhabitants in Willowdale are fairies, some are of different races. Some are humans like you, Lady Melva." Sir Webster looked hesitant before he added, "I know a handful of humans who have a very wrong idea of us, however, it is different in Willowdale. We can live side by side with humans there. I wish the wrong idea could be righted." It was as though he knew what was on her mind while he was explaining to her about the demon races.

"It sounds amazing. I would like to visit Willowdale someday if an opportunity arises," said Melva sincerely.

She was truthfully intrigued with the five regions of Ethia. Venturing out into the world where demons lived was something she had been thinking about after finding out that she was trapped in a cage—or in other word, the Nightwind's Manor. It made roaming around in the wilderness much more appealing.

Sir Webster continued to the next painting of a war. "Unfortunately, the peace in Ethia cannot last long because we are constantly at a war with the neighbouring kingdom, Lacrad. The war that took place a decade ago was the worst for us. We lost so many good people."

"That was unexpected," commented Melva with a frown. "I thought Ethia was a very powerful kingdom, considering the five demon races combining their strengths. It is surely a huge advantage and it cannot be taken lightly."

"Indeed, we are strong, however, they possess the loyalty of the dragon races, milady. We are helpless against the dragons as they are much more powerful than anything imaginable."

"Dragons are real?" asked Melva in surprise.

Dragons were considered the most powerful mythical creature, according to the folklore that had been passed down generation to generation in Ichorhold. But unlike demons, whom the townspeople knew for sure were real because some unfortunate people had come across them in their path, dragons were never seen by anyone. Thus, dragons were believed to only exist in folklores and myths. She had never thought of the possibility that they were real.

"Yes, milady. I have fought some of them. I was fortunate enough to return alive and well. The others in the royal army were not quite fortunate." Sir Webster's expression turned grim as he reminisced about the people Ethia had lost over the war.

"I am sorry," said Melva, suddenly feeling bad for reopening his old wounds. She should have not asked him to tell her stories about the war. War never remained as good memories, no matter if it was won or not, for there were still casualties to be mourned.

"It is fine, milady. It has been a decade since the last war. We have recovered." Sir Webster then moved towards the next painting, which was the formal painting of the King and the Dukes. "You have met the five dukes, of course. Each of them rule over each region and report directly to the King. I have been serving here as a palace guard for over a century and the five dukes are still the same people since then."

Melva gasped in surprise. "That is such a long time. How old are you, Sir Webster, if I may ask? Are all of you immortal?"

Sir Webster smiled at Melva's inquisitive questions. "Time means nothing to us, milady. I am two hundred and five years old—still very young amongst my kind. Some of the strongest are immortal. Some others merely live a very long time."

If time meant nothing for them, it didn't explain why Vance was so upset that he had lost two years of his life because of his slumber. He had gone as far as agreeing to marrying her even if he had been so against it. Was it because of the competition for the throne? Was he afraid that he would lose his advancement?

Another question came up in her mind. If the King was immortal, why would he need an heir? He could rule Ethia forever. Was the King planning to retire and step down from the throne? If he had no plans on retiring, what was the purpose of choosing an heir now? For a guarantee if something bad were to happen?

"I don't see the Queen nor the other royal family members," said Melva, hoping that Sir Webster would tell about the King's family and his decision to choose his successor from one of the dukes.

Sir Webster's face fell as his hand clenched around the hilt of his sword in frustration. "All the royal family members passed away during the last war. Only the King survived. We failed to protect them."

"Please don't blame yourself, Sir Webster. It was a war. It was not anyone's fault," reassured Melva. The answers of all her questions would lead back to the war. She probably should stop inquiring, for his expression turned even more somber the more questions she asked.

Another guard approached them and bowed at Melva before speaking to Sir Webster. "The King has requested for your presence in the courtroom, Sir."

Sir Webster glanced at Melva to ask for permission to cut short their tour and she nodded in understanding. "You can go. There are guards stationed in every corner of the palace. I will not lose my way."

After Sir Webster left to go to the courtroom, Melva eyed the door towards the exit. There was only one thing in her mind: she was finally free.