"Why did you keep it a secret?" Lith asked.

"How could I tell Zinya that her beloved parents had sold her like cattle just like they tried to do with me? She already had a hard life and I didn't want to shatter her illusion of having more than just her sister by her side." Kamila replied.

"After she became able to see and took my last name, I didn't tell her either because I thought it was the end of it. I would have never imagined that my parents would have the gall to come to Lutia and introduce themselves."

"They did what?" Lith had a hard time not making another call to put Kamila's parents on his hit-list. Many people in both the Kingdom and the Council would be glad to take out two shady merchants just to curry his favor.

"Those bastards used our incoming third anniversary to come and ask your parents if we were already planning something. Elina was so happy to have someone who would join her plea for a grandchild or two that I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

"Elina and Zinya were so happy and I was too ashamed of my family to do more than damage control. I'm sorry, this is all my fault. If I had been more honest from the start, none of this would have happened.

"You were right on our first date. Starting a relationship on a lie never works." Her voice broke, but she managed to not cry.

Lith had walked a marathon in her shoes back on Earth so he understood how Kamila felt. He had never talked about his first parents with anyone because he considered the matter closed after being emancipated, just like Kamila did.

"You didn't lie to me nor to my parents. I know all your story since our first date while Mom and Dad simply respected your privacy. They didn't talk to you about Orpal and Trion either, but not because they have any ill will, it's just that those names still bring them a lot of pain.

"Just tell them the truth and they'll understand. Our families have more in common than we would like." Lith smiled, trying to reassure her, before saying: "Do you want me to ask Faluel to eat your parents? Who knows, maybe they taste like lasagna."

"Thanks, but I think they taste like shit and I don't want to give her stomachache." Kamila said with a small smile. "I'll go fix this mess as soon as I'm done with work, it can't wait any longer."

They kept chatting, drawing strength from each other until the Jirni knocked on the door, tired of waiting.

***

Jiera Continent, ex-city of Hervor, inside Thrud's mansion.

After Jakra, the Emerald Dragon had joined her, the Mad Queen at first had thought about rebuilding her city and made it a safe haven for humans. To use Hervor as a field test about how to restore order after destroying the Royal Court.

Thrud didn't expect people to just sit tight and obey her every command just because she had killed the usurpers to her throne. She was aware that, without the Royals, the Griffon Kingdom was likely to split into three factions.

The Mage Association would likely push toward a ruling system similar to the Gorgon Empire, if not even being annexed to it. The Army, instead, would fight to seize the power for itself while the noble families that would try to restore the Kingdom by putting themselves on the throne.

"If I let the civil war happen, I can count myself lucky if I keep one third of the Griffon Kingdom. The Army would rather join an outstanding general like Salaark than submit to me and the Association would go to the Empire, leaving me with the crumbs.

"With no military strength nor magical knowledge, my newborn Kingdom wouldn't last more than a few weeks. To avoid that, I need overwhelming strength so to force the key members of all three factions to submit before the situation spirals out of control.

"Moreover, whoever emerges victorious will have to face the threat of the Undead Courts and the Master's Organization. If they have half a brain, they will not miss the chance to strike while the Kingdom is at its weakest." Thrud said.

"That's not true, my Queen. You already have overwhelming strength. The Golden Griffon academy will stand by your side and so will I. It will provide you with not only faithful servants, but it will also allow you to convert your enemies into allies.

"I already explained to you how the slave array of the academy makes all of its students submit to your will. The Golden Griffon has its own army, comprised only of powerful mages with centuries of battle experience and study of magic.

"On top of that, it only takes your most powerful enemies a brief stay inside Huryole to end up swelling the ranks of your army." Jakra said.

The Emerald Dragon stood by her side in front of a huge map of the Garlen continent and traced with his finger a path that would lead the lost academy to pass through the biggest army camps before reaching Valeron, the capital of the Kingdom.

"I considered that already, but it's not enough." Thrud shook her head, making her long hair hit his nose and making his mind go blank for a second with its sweet scent.

The Mad Queen was 1.78 meters (5'10") tall, with hip-length ash blonde hair that framed the delicate features of her oval face. Her rosy skin was flawless, emphasizing the contrast between her silver eyes and her full red lips.

Not even the thick training suit she wore to spar with her general could hide her soft curves or the sensual grace of every one of her moves. Thrud had inherited a big part of Tyris's beauty, which made her a gorgeous woman even before she underwent Arthan's Madness time and time again.

Not only did the machine refine her body similarly to what happened to an Awakened during a breakthrough, but it also filtered out the human portion of her blood while enhancing Tyris's with each cycle.

"No matter how powerful the Golden Griffon is, it's still an artifact as old as the knowledge it holds. Magic has progressed so much from its creation that to truly exploit the power of my soldiers, I first need to teach them modern magic.

"On top of that, I expect my opponents to go all-out. Which means facing Royal Guards and all the powerful magical items that the various factions have developed over time.

"I doubt I'll put even a dent on Valeron's walls if I don't provide my warriors with the proper tools. To do that, I need to hoard huge amounts of magical metals and powerful mana crystals so that as soon as I teach Royal Forgemastery to my subjects, they can start mass produce them." Thrud said.

Jakra would have liked to exploit Thrud's ego and make her underestimate the Kingdom, but the same spell that forced him to be loyal also made him appreciate her tactical mind.