Princess Selene slowly opened her eyes once more.
The memories faded quietly from the strategy chamber.
The blood.
The dying king.
The burning palace.
The night Norvoss stopped kneeling.
That single victory had become the foundation of everything afterward.
After the fall of Kingdom of Qtorn, Norvoss recovered with frightening speed.
Resources returned.
Trade stabilized.
Their armies strengthened.
And under Selene and King Idris' leadership—
the kingdom transformed from prey into predator.
Conquest followed.
Not merely for greed.
But to ensure no nation could ever target upon Norvoss again.
And despite their reputation—
Norvoss rarely destroyed civilizations without reason.
Cities that surrendered peacefully were often preserved.
Trade continued.
Citizens were integrated rather than slaughtered.
Fear created control more effectively than ruin.
Selene quietly rested one hand against the massive war table while staring at the conquered territories.
Then—
the strategy chamber doors opened again.
General Aerys stepped inside.
Now older.
Far more feared.
The once-young soldier had long since become the blade of Norvoss itself.
He approached before lowering his head respectfully.
"Reporting for duty, my princess."
Then after a brief pause, his sharp eyes studied her expression slightly.
"You seem thoughtful."
Selene remained silent for a moment.
Then finally smiled faintly.
"I was remembering Qtorn."
Aerys immediately understood.
That night.
The beginning.
His gaze lowered briefly toward the old scar hidden beneath his armor.
The wound that nearly killed him.
"The night Norvoss was reborn," he said quietly.
Selene nodded once.
"And the night we learned something important."
Aerys looked toward her.
Selene's golden eyes slowly shifted back toward the war map.
"That mercy without strength…"
Her voice became colder.
"…is merely another form of helplessness."
Princess Selene finally stepped away from the war table.
The atmosphere between them carried the ease of people who no longer required excessive formality to understand each other.
Selene folded her arms lightly.
"Did you rest well?"
Aerys nodded once.
"Yes, my princess."
A faint scar remained visible near the edge of his neck beneath the armor collar.
One of many left behind from years of conquest.
Selene observed him briefly before speaking again.
"You still overwork yourself."
Aerys answered calmly:
"And you still sleep too little."
For a brief second—
the corner of Selene's lips lifted slightly.
Then suddenly—
cough… cough…
Both turned toward the chamber entrance.
King Idris slowly entered the room while covering his mouth briefly.
The older king's movements remained steady…
but age had clearly begun catching him little by little.
Aerys immediately straightened and bowed respectfully.
"My king."
Selene's expression softened slightly upon seeing her father.
"You should be resting."
Idris gave a quiet scoff afterward.
"And allow the two of you to discuss war without me?"
Another light cough escaped him.
"Norvoss would probably conquer half the continent before dinner."
Even Aerys looked faintly amused by that one.
The king slowly approached the war table afterward, his gaze settling across the countless conquered territories.
Then finally:
"So."
His eyes shifted toward Selene.
"What are your thoughts regarding Kingdom of Lumeris?"
Princess Selene remained silent for several moments after her father's question.
Her fingers lightly traced across the map near Kingdom of Lumeris.
Then finally:
"I believe Aerys and our intels was correct."
General Aerys quietly lifted his gaze toward her.
Selene's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"Lumeris would become… troublesome."
The room grew quieter afterward.
Because everyone present understood what those words meant coming from Selene.
She did not lightly acknowledge threats.
King Idris folded his arms slowly.
"Because of the dragons?"
Selene nodded once.
"Yes."
Then her voice became colder.
"This is the first time Norvoss has potentially faced a nation protected directly by dragons."
Aerys stepped closer toward the map afterward.
"Not merely dragons," he added calmly.
"Experienced dragons."
His finger rested near the territory of Lumeris.
"Ebruhan alone changes battlefield calculations entirely."
"Air superiority."
"Extreme mobility."
"Siege destruction."
"Morale impact."
Aerys' expression hardened slightly.
"And unlike lesser dragons…"
"…he fights intelligently."
Selene quietly continued afterward:
"And then there is the black dragon."
The atmosphere subtly shifted again.
Even King Idris became more serious at that topic.
Selene's gaze lowered slightly in thought.
"Lady Dark Flame…"
"She is still young."
"But there is something deeply abnormal about her."
Aerys nodded immediately.
"I sensed it too."
Neither of them fully understood why.
But instinct warned them regardless.
Selene slowly crossed her arms.
"If war against Lumeris ever occurs…"
"…it cannot become a conventional campaign."
King Idris looked toward his daughter carefully.
"You believe Norvoss could lose?"
Selene answered immediately.
"Yes."
That blunt honesty briefly silenced the room.
Then she continued calmly:
"If we underestimate dragons."
"If we allow emotional decisions."
"If we fight on their terms."
"Then yes."
A faint smile appeared afterward.
"But…"
Her golden eyes sharpened once more.
"Every creature has patterns."
"Every kingdom has weaknesses."
"And every power in this world…"
"…can bleed."
General Aerys studied the map silently for several moments before finally asking:
"What is your plan, my princess?"
Princess Selene did not answer immediately.
She slowly walked around the massive war table while thinking.
Then finally:
"Gather every capable mage we can find."
Her tone carried absolute certainty.
"I want researchers."
"Military scholars."
"Ancient historians."
"Dragon specialists."
"Anyone who possesses knowledge regarding dragons."
King Idris narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You intend to prepare before conflict begins."
Selene nodded once.
"We cannot afford ignorance."
She stopped walking afterward.
"And I want every commander studying old dragon records immediately."
Aerys listened carefully.
Selene's gaze sharpened.
"Ancient battle notes."
"Dragon attack patterns."
"behavior."
"Flight limitations."
"Weaknesses."
"Territorial instincts."
"Everything."
Her voice lowered slightly afterward.
"We will make certain our officers understand exactly what we are facing."
Aerys crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Most historical dragon records are fragmented."
"Many kingdoms avoided fighting dragons entirely."
Selene answered calmly:
"Then we gather fragments."
"And build understanding from them."
Her eyes slowly shifted toward the map again.
"Dragons are powerful."
"But power without understanding creates fear."
A faint smile appeared.
"And fear clouds judgment."
King Idris quietly observed his daughter.
"You already speak as though war is inevitable."
Selene paused briefly at that.
Then answered honestly:
"No."
"I simply refuse to be unprepared if it arrives."
Aerys gave a slow nod afterward.
That answer alone explained why Norvoss survived while other kingdoms vanished.
Selene never waited for danger to appear before preparing against it.
Another cough suddenly interrupted the chamber.
cough… cough…
King Idris lowered his head slightly while one hand pressed against the edge of the war table.
This time—
the cough sounded heavier.
Rougher.
Selene's expression immediately changed.
"Father?"
The older king suddenly bent forward slightly as another painful cough escaped him.
Aerys reacted instantly, stepping forward to support him before he could lose balance.
"My king."
At the same moment, Princess Selene grabbed her father's arm firmly from the other side.
The calm strategist from moments ago vanished completely.
Now she simply looked like a worried daughter again.
"Sit down."
Idris waved one hand weakly despite leaning against them both.
"I am fine."
cough… cough…
"Do not… worry."
Selene frowned immediately.
"That does not sound fine."
Aerys' expression hardened slightly as well.
"You should summon the royal physicians again, my king."
Idris gave a tired scoff.
"The physicians have already drowned me in enough medicine to kill a horse."
Another cough interrupted him midway.
Selene's grip tightened slightly around his arm.
For a brief moment—
the strategy chamber no longer felt like the center of a rising empire.
It simply felt like:
a daughter watching her father age
and a loyal commander watching the king who rebuilt a nation slowly weaken over time
---
Idris eventually straightened himself again with visible effort.
Then looked toward both of them.
"You two worry too much."
Aerys answered immediately:
"With respect, my king…"
"That is our duty."
A faint smile appeared on Idris' face after hearing that.
And Selene?
She stayed silent.
But the slight tension in her eyes revealed something she rarely showed openly.
Fear.
Not of kingdoms.
Not of dragons.
But of losing one of the few people left from the old days of Norvoss.
Royal physicians hurried into the strategy chamber shortly afterward.
Several immediately bowed deeply the moment they saw King Idris leaning against the table while coughing.
Princess Selene's expression had become visibly colder now.
Not the calculated coldness she used during politics.
This one carried frustration.
Fear.
And exhaustion.
"Make certain my father recovers."
Her voice cut sharply across the chamber.
"I hired all of you for that purpose."
The physicians lowered their heads further instantly.
"Y-Yes, my princess."
Selene stepped closer.
"Not to stand here while he suffers like this."
The pressure in the room immediately intensified.
Even veteran physicians looked nervous beneath her gaze.
One older physician quickly answered:
"We are trying our best, Princess Selene."
"We shall increase his treatments immediately."
Another added hurriedly:
"We will prepare stronger medicine and revise the recovery schedule—"
"Then do it," Selene interrupted instantly.
No anger.
No shouting.
Which somehow made it heavier.
Aerys quietly watched nearby.
He had seen Selene face kings, rebellions, assassinations, and dragons without flinching.
But when it came to her father—
her composure always cracked slightly.
King Idris eventually sighed tiredly afterward.
"You terrify the poor physicians more than war itself, daughter."
One younger physician nearly looked ready to agree before immediately lowering his head again
For the first time in several moments—
a faint smile briefly appeared on Aerys' face.
Selene, however, remained serious.
Because unlike kingdoms…
there were some battles strategy alone could not guarantee victory against.
The royal physicians carefully guided King Idris out of the strategy chamber for further treatment.
The older king still attempted to wave dismissively despite the concern surrounding him.
"I am not dying yet," he muttered tiredly.
One physician immediately answered:
"We would prefer to keep it that way, my king."
As the chamber doors finally closed behind them—
silence settled across the room once more.
Only Princess Selene and General Aerys remained.
Aerys looked toward her quietly.
"Princess?"
Selene answered immediately.
"I am fine."
Too quickly.
She turned her face slightly away afterward.
But not quickly enough.
Aerys noticed the faint moisture gathering near her eyes.
For a moment—
the terrifying conqueror feared across kingdoms disappeared again.
Leaving behind only a daughter frightened of losing her father.
Aerys remained silent briefly before speaking carefully:
"He is strong."
Selene laughed faintly at that.
A weak laugh.
"He said the same thing after being stabbed during the western rebellion."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"And after the famine years."
"And after the plague."
Her voice softened further.
"He always says he is fine."
Aerys quietly stepped beside her near the war table.
Not too close.
Just enough.
The kind of distance built from years of trust.
"He survived all of those."
Selene wiped near her eyes quickly before anyone else could have seen it.
Then immediately straightened herself again.
Composure rebuilding piece by piece.
"I know."
But her next words came out quieter.
"…I simply dislike being reminded that even kings grow old."
That line lingered heavily in the chamber.
Because both of them understood something unspoken.
Norvoss had been rebuilt by King Idris and Selene together.
And someday—
one of them would have to continue without the other.