Revelations (2)

Crack

A cracking sound reverberated inside the carriage as a line of fissure appeared along its once pristine surface, a testament to the chilling killing intent of Lilia and the unleashing of her Zid.

As this was going on, Alex could hear the pegasi outside, their panicked cries filling the air with a sense of urgency and agitation, prompting him to intervene and stop Lilia.

"Hey, hey, calm down, or you might destroy the carriage," he urged softly, his hands tenderly cradling her cheeks.

His gesture appeared to jolt Lilia back to reality, causing her to retract her murderous intent. Moments later, she slumped against Alex's shoulder.

Shortly after, Alex felt a surge of mana seep into the carriage, washing over them.

'It must be grandma checking on us,' Alex remarked.

A few seconds later, the mana slowly retracted, leaving the couple alone once again.

"Haa...haa...haa," Lilia breathed raggedly as sweat poured over her face.

The use of Zid while she was already in a weakened state caused her to almost pass out once again as the strain on her body was too much, yet she didn't care about that; her eyes remained cold.

She was currently thinking of millions of ways to kill Felix, of course, after spending a long time torturing him.

Lilia absolutely abhorred traitors; the mere mention of one filled her with profound disgust, igniting a fierce fury within her.

Knowing that, one could only be happy for Alex that Lilia didn't actually consider his cheating as a betrayal; otherwise, only the gods know what might have happened to him.

When she considered that the betrayal was directed at Alex, her husband, her anger flared up again.

No one knew the place he held in her heart; perhaps even Alex didn't fully grasp how important he was to Lilia.

Besides being the love of her life and her husband, Alex was also the one who had kept Lilia going when she had almost succumbed to depression after completely losing her powers. He also took care of her daughters, considering them as his own and raising them as such. Just for that, he was an indispensable person in her life and in the lives of her daughters. He had his flaws, but who was perfect?

Much like Alex didn't know what he would have said to the girls if their mother were to pass away, Lilia also had no idea what she would say to the girls if their father had succumbed.

The worst part was that if he hadn't survived, it might have taken them days, perhaps even weeks, before they found out he was dead. And that's assuming she used her tracking method; otherwise, it might have taken them much longer, or they might never have found his body at all!

Fighting against the deep bone fatigue she was feeling, Lilia pushed her body away from Alex's and glared at him. "Why didn't you mention this sooner?!"

Witnessing her angry expression, Alex could only offer a wry smile. "I didn't want to worry you about something that's already happened, and..." His expression turned serious. "I reserve the right to be the one to destroy that son of a bitch, and I don't want you or someone else getting involved and stealing my kill."

Lilia stared at him for a while before speaking. "You still should have said something, and..." She flashed him a cold smile. "I don't think killing just that bastard is enough. We need to eradicate his whole family; they're all bastards to begin with."

"Woah, calm down," Alex chuckled. "We'll eliminate anyone connected to the attempt on my life and those involved in the old man's death, but no one else. We don't want to harm innocents for something they didn't do."

Lilia's eyes narrowed, seemingly reluctant; it appeared as though she wouldn't be satisfied until she had truly eradicated Felix's entire family.

After a moment, she sighed with resignation. "Okay, we won't take action against those who weren't involved," she said, then fell silent before asking, "So, what happened to Iris and her daughters?"

"...."

"Sorry, I kind of zoned out when you mentioned you almost died," Lilia said, scratching her head with a sheepish smile.

"Sigh, I mentioned that they were being held in the Dulandal forest. That's what the other bastard told me. Back then, he thought I would die, so I suppose there was no reason for him to lie to me, so it must be true, Iris and the girls are there."

Lilia immediately stiffened at the mention of the Dulandal forest.

"Yes, I understand. Saving them is going to be difficult," Alex acknowledged, having guessed what Lilia was thinking.

As previously explained, Dulandal was a cursed forest, but beyond that, it was one of the most perilous places on the Imperion continent, rivaling, if not exceeding, the danger posed by the pocket dimension portal that opened every two years in the Elysian mountains, rumored to contain treasures capable of enhancing one's soul's power.

The reason this forest was feared and avoided by all was due to the impossibility of escape once entered. It was as if a mystical barrier encased the perimeter, preventing any exit. One could venture in, but never emerge from its depths.

"Difficult is an understatement," Lilia shook her head. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but Dulandal is essentially a prison. It's where the major powers of the continent send their most troublesome individuals or criminals they can't handle. Once inside, they never come out. That's why the Dulandal forest has become infested with the worst beings on this continent," Lilia explained.

"I already knew that," Alex replied. "That's why I didn't attempt to rescue them. With my current strength, I'd probably be more of a hindrance than a help," he explained.

"Did the elven race take any action?" Lilia inquired.

"I don't think they're even aware of her disappearance, and even if they are, it's doubtful they'll do anything. Some of them might even feel it's for the best," Alex sighed.

Iris wasn't an human, or rather, she wasn't a full-fledged human. She was actually a half-elf, born from an elf father and a human mother, but she wasn't any half-elf as her father was the actual king of elves.

It might seem great that she is the daughter of a king, but it's actually the opposite. For the elves, a race where the only type of relationship that existed was monogamous, the king himself having a child with another woman, a human to boot, was considered a disgrace. That's why the majority of the royal court dislikes Iris.

Even her own father didn't show much emotion towards her, as she was considered his shame. That's why he didn't hesitate to unceremoniously use her as a political tool between his kingdom and the Fiore Empire.

That's how Iris ended up becoming part of the Blackwood ducal family as an in-law. But since the Blackwood family wasn't actually fond of her, they arranged her marriage to Felix Blackwood, the family's black sheep.

Since the elves already disliked Iris, they were quite content with this arrangement and never bothered to check on her. It was even doubtful if the king, her father, knew that she had given birth to four children.

"Well, Iris is at level 6, so she might be able to protect herself and her daughters for some time at least. Still, we should quickly find a way to bring them back from there," Lilia suggested, her tone tinged with urgency.

"We?" Alex raised a brow.

"Yes, we," Lilia nodded firmly, "Iris's daughters are your daughters, so they're your family, and your family is my family," Lilia affirmed.

'It does seem to make sense in a sort of odd way,' Alex thought to himself, 'in any case...'

Alex leaned closer and pressed his lips against Lilia's. After breaking the kiss, he murmured, "Thanks for being so understanding."

"Hehe, am I not the best wife ever?" Lilia chuckled, a playful glint in her eyes.

Alex chuckled and kissed her again, "Absolutely," he murmured against her lips.

At that moment, two voices sounded outside of the carriage.

"The best wife huh?"