41 Something of the sort

Princess Ley made her entrance into a room steeped in solemnity and authority. The room was lavishly decorated with opulent dark wood furniture upholstered in crimson fabric. Large curtains of dark red velvet covered the windows, allowing only a dim light to filter through, accentuating the tension in the atmosphere.

The room's floor was covered with a navy blue velvet carpet that absorbed any sound, creating an uncomfortable silence. Portraits of ancient monarchs adorned the walls, silently observing those present.

On one side of the room, an imposing ebony throne with gold inlays stood in all its grandeur. Above it, a banner with the royal family emblem waved majestically.

In the center of the room, a massive oak table was meticulously arranged. Upon it, documents and detailed maps covered every inch, evidence of an extremely important meeting.

The officials and nobles in the room were in a state of uncertainty and anxiety. Their gestures were stiff, and they regarded the princess with a mix of respect and fear, awaiting her words. Each of them sat in high-backed chairs, maintaining an upright and formal posture.

In contrast, the princess exuded authority. Her imposing presence filled the room, and her keen gaze scrutinized everyone present. Adorned in a white and blue silk gown, Princess Ley was at the height of her splendor, and her face showed no sign of doubt.

The butler, who had announced her, remained in a corner, with an expression wavering between nervousness and submission. The princess's arrival had disrupted the calm of the entire city.

Among those present, Marquis Rhenar stood at the back of the room. Despite his high title, his role at the moment was that of an observer. The tension was palpable, and no one knew the reason for the princess's unexpected visit.

In the midst of this charged atmosphere, the room awaited Princess Ley's words with bated breath. She had entered their lives with an air of mystery and authority.

"I bring orders from my mother, by order of the empress. You are to cease any current activities and employ all necessary resources to assist me in finding this individual." The princess tossed a sheet onto the table, and it quickly passed from hand to hand.

Several people prepared to take their own notes, but they soon realized why those who read the sheet wore perplexed expressions. There was almost nothing written on the paper. The only vital information was that they were searching for a male individual, belonging to a species with an extreme affinity for nature.

Everyone in the room began to exchange glances, but no one dared to voice the doubts that were on everyone's mind—this task appeared to be close to impossible. But no one wanted to admit it.

The princess grew tired of watching them look at each other without speaking and pointed to one of the officers closest to her.

"What's going on?"

"My lady, perhaps you could provide us with more information, like why you are looking for this person or any other relevant details."

"Why am I looking for him? Are you a fool? I'm looking for him because I want to find him. Do I need your damn approval to search for people?" The princess closed her eyes and repeatedly struck the armrests of her throne, muttering, "damn fools."

For Princess Ley, this entire search was nonsense, but it was an order from her mother, the empress. Her position as the apparent heir was at stake if she couldn't fulfill this task because she wasn't the only one from their family who had come to these lands—her sisters were also competing to complete this mission.

"Listen, all of you, this mission is important to me, and the information on the paper is all I have. I expect you to make your best efforts. If you do, I will reward each of you generously," the princess addressed the officials in a lighter tone.

The prospect of rewards lit up the faces of everyone.

"However, if you fail to find him before my sisters do and cause me to fail this mission, rest assured that what awaits you will be worse than hell."

Cold sweat began to drip down the backs of those present, and their smiles turned to terror.

"Oh, I remember something else. That person was bathed in a powerful magical aura; they must be of a race with a natural affinity for magic."

Silence filled the room for a moment until one of the high-ranking officers, sitting closest to the princess, spoke up.

"If it's someone with an affinity for nature and strong innate magic, it could be an Azure Elf, most likely."

Most agreed, and it seemed like the meeting was about to be adjourned when Rhenar stepped forward and addressed the princess.

"My lady, I believe it would be prudent to specify the reason for the search, especially if the individual you're looking for corresponds to your marriage ritual."

The room fell silent immediately, and for a moment, everyone wore a surprised expression after hearing someone speak out of turn. But they soon changed it to a look of pleasure when they saw who the unlucky person was who would bear the princess's wrath.

"What, even now, a damned pariah like you wants to get into my pants?"

This time, the threat was real, and the princess had started to circulate her energy. She seemed to be waiting for a response, and if it wasn't satisfactory, everyone knew that the marquis would meet his end on the spot.

"I believe it's important because the council has excluded other species that fit the description, like Forest Wens or even Fyr Harpies, as these, during their adolescent stage, are androgynous," Renar responded with an impassive expression.

The princess only had to think for a moment to realize that the marquis was right. But even so, she addressed her council and asked, "Is this true?" When they all fell silent without moving, the answer became obvious.

"As I said, I was informed that I have to search for such an individual. I know nothing more, so don't assume anything else."

Finally, the princess ground her teeth as she made a gesture to Renar to return to his place. It wasn't in her nature to apologize to a failure like him.

Other races and options were discussed, as well as the allocation of resources for various ventures, like infiltrating other cities and factions to monitor their progress and protect their own.

After several days, a cooperation plan slowly took shape, and certain low-probability individuals worth investigating began to be identified.

Finally, after nearly 10 days, the princess received an urgent communication from her mother and gathered her council to give them the update—a council that hadn't included Renar for quite some time, as per the princess's request.

"I've been given new information. The being we seek has anthropomorphic characteristics similar to ours and responds to a name, although the information is not clear, it's something like Rolex or Forex, something of the sort."