NOVEL NEXT 241. Rexford and Laila
"The production capacity for all of this is extraordinary," Ravenna mused, finally turning back to Nille. "Tell me, are the ships ready to sail back to the free cities and establish their patrol routes?"
"They certainly are, Your Highness," Nille confirmed with a proud smile. "The retrofitting is nearly complete as I said. We've managed to turn forty cargo vessels into a fully steam-powered fleet by tomorrow. They are just awaiting your final command."
Dawn Palace, Imperial Capital of Conley Empire, Conley Empire, South of Vassal States Region of Ancorna
Dawn Palace, the seat of the Conley Empire, was an architectural masterpiece of solemn grandeur. Its halls were constructed from pristine white marble veined with silver, soaring arches carved into geometric precision, and towering windows fitted with blue-tinted glass that muted the harsh desert sun. The air was perpetually cool, scented with rare mountain incense and the faint metallic tang of newly polished armor.
Just outside the lavish, obsidian-domed throne room, in a silent, high-ceilinged corridor, two figures spoke in hushed, tense tones.
A handsome man in his mid-twenties, wore silk robes that bespoke the wealth of a high noble, yet his dark eyes were shadowed with agitation. Pacing before him was a lady of similar age, her beautiful blonde hair braided with silver thread.
"We can't stay stuck here forever, Rexford," Laila whispered, her voice laced with desperation. She smoothed the expensive silk of her gown with trembling fingers. "You also heard the news, didn't you? Her Highness Ravenna is in a far better position now, a Beast Slayer, and rumored to have the Saintess at her side now."
Rexford stopped pacing, his expression grim. "I agree, Laila, but our current situation is far too complicated now. We are under constant scrutiny as guests of the state here in Conley, and even if Her Highness is now in a position to re-establish her harem and openly welcome us, we aren't in a safe position to be able to escape without alerting their highest command."
"We have to try!" Laila insisted, her hands clenching into fists. "How can you be so apathetic to our future with her highness?"
Rexford's eyes hardened into a serious glare, the authority he once wielded in Ravenna's West Wing shining through. "Her Highness put me responsible for the safety of everyone she loves, Laila. I can't risk your lives and provoke a disaster that will break her heart," he countered, his voice low and firm.
As he prepared to continue, the tense quiet of the corridor shattered. Multiple people: soldiers, ministers, and high-ranking generals, suddenly rushed to and fro from the throne room in hurried, chaotic steps.
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Laila seized the opportunity, stopping one of the passing soldiers and questioning him in a crisp Conley-Ancornan dialect. "Where are you runnin'? What's goin' on?"
The soldier, too excited to maintain full discipline, paused just long enough to deliver the astonishing news. "Lady Laila, it's a stroke of fortune! Prince Landon has announced a rebellion against the Ancorna Empire! We'll think it's the best opportunity to advance forward! From our last defeat at Morgen Dukedom of the Estra Kingdom!"
The soldier vanished into the throng, leaving Rexford and Laila standing in stunned silence. They exchanged a single, profound glance, the communication of those who knew each other's schemes intimately.
"I will have carriages ready at the Western Gate," Laila stated, the plan already clicking into place.
Rexford turned instantly, his mind racing through escape logistics. "Have two prepared at the Eastern Gate as distractions," he replied, the ghost of a dangerous smirk touching his lips. "I will set up the diversion."
Both figures then melted away into opposite ends of the corridor, driven by the shared knowledge that war had finally gifted them their chance at freedom.
Republic City of Otto, Southern Islands, in the Luminous Seas, off the Coast of Hilde Kingdom, Eastern Continent
Republic City of Otto, the once-proud jewel of the Southern Islands, was now choked by chaos and confusion. The coastal border regions, ceded to the Kim Dukedom by the Treaty of Red Encirclement, were in a desperate state. The sounds of forceful eviction mingled with the angry shouts of citizens who found themselves suddenly foreigners in their own homes.
"What do you mean we need to sign up to be Ancornan Citizens to remain in our own homes!" The air was thick with the desperate multilingual clamor, arguments flared in Hilde, Ancornan, and the mixed Conley-Ancornan dialects, foreign languages of western regions as people pushed against the lines of newly appointed Kim Dukedom guards. For generations, these families had claimed their homes along the shoreline, making their living on the docks and in the warehouses; now, nearly a century of belonging was being violently stripped away.
The core issue, surrender of autonomy for survival, was being broadcast by a weary, frustrated City Councilman from atop a temporary fortification. His voice, strained but amplified by the magic of crushed jasmine flowers, struggled to rise above the deafening noise of the crowd.
"Either you join the Ancorna Empire and remain in the border region or evict inland!" he shouted, repeating the brutal terms of the treaty in the Hilde language. "Her Highness Ravenna has signed a treaty with us to protect this island that we call home! If not for this, we will be slaughtered at the hands of those we called brothers and sisters across the strip! Bolita had joined hands with Conley to force upon our legacy!".
The message, that fear of foreign conquest outweighed the cost of lost independence, was sound, but the execution was tearing the city apart. The Treaty of Red Encirclement was coming into effect, forcing a sudden and dramatic shift of population.
"Please remain calm, we will get through this," the Councilman pleaded, his voice cracking, but his words were utterly drowned out by the chaotic torrent of the crowd's arguments, protests, and desperate movements. The air hung heavy with resentment, the palpable sense of a sovereignty surrendered for survival. Ravenna had offered walls of steel and gold, but the people were experiencing the cold, sharp reality of the cage.