Chapter 99

My heart beat rapidly in my chest, sending waves of heat crashing through me. Octavian's words had stirred something deep within me that had never existed before. Rage, guilt, shame, just to name a few. But each burned like a small blazing star. I strode over to my chair, sat next to Kharon, and cleared my throat. The sound of my military cheering quickly drowned me out. "Kharon, I'm scared." My words were but a whisper compared to the sound of rain slamming into the ground and the cries of my legions.

"Don't be Mistress. The domain is yours, and it will never harm you." As if he were like my grandfather, he reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me.

Truly, I was scared. Lately, the thoughts that were alien to me were brimming to the surface, guiding my hand. While the thoughts alone didn't really scare me, it was the thought that I would lose my memories. I didn't want to lose who I was. "Maybe I just need to take a vacation and get away for a few days. It should help."

"Of course, I will happily take care of everything while you are away. All work and no play speed along the descent into madness."

I chuckled slightly at his words, my mind filling in the quote. But he was right. I was spending way too much time working. Perhaps a few day's rest would be nice. He gave me a slight nod as he stood up, pushed himself away from the chair, and walked towards the overlook. My eyes, however, drifted towards the map that now hovered on my screen. Mostly, the speech was over, so I could relax a bit more and hopefully get my mind off of things. Vacation was something that I rarely considered, but it was something that I knew I needed. I'm so thankful for Kharon, though. Him doing what he did made things so much easier.

He was vastly intelligent and did so much to carry everything around here. Though everything he did seemed to be subdued. A gentle push here and a nudge there. Each one stacked up and helped push things onto a course that I didn't expect. But each time something unfolded, it was much to our benefit. Without him, I would be so lost. Once I was back from my mini-vacation, I would let him rest for some time, taking on some of his share of stuff.

I cast one more glance over to the delegates and looked them over once more before going back to what I was working on. Most of them seemed to be human. The most interesting out of the bunch was a giant furry creature that looked much like a minotaur, which was excellent. I've scantly seen anything nonhuman since I've arrived outside of that elf. Sadly, I didn't see too much of her, though I know she came back recently. But that really isn't my field, so it's not like it matters too much. In fact, I told him that as long as I wasn't directly involved with the curse-breaking, I didn't really care what happened. Though I wish I had spoken with her.

The only other being that caught my eye was the strange-looking woman. She reminded me of Nyx with the scales, though it was hard to see everything at this distance. The only thing that was strange to me was a sense of familiarity with her. Which was strange considering that I had never seen her before in my life. The rest, well, didn't really strike my fancy. The last one in there that I had any sense of familiarity with was Redrick, who had finally moved away from my shit list.

I suppose I should be the one to finish the inauguration, but Kharon can manage it. Public speaking isn't something that I enjoyed doing, yet it needed to be done. But I'm sure that he could carry it better than I could. Without thinking about it further, I tore myself away from listening to the speech threatening to draw me further in and instead glanced at the slowly forming map. I've expanded the next part of the domain a few times in the last few days as I tried to get ready for the crusade that Octavian wanted to launch. The best part is that I don't have to worry about making immediate expansion plans, mostly since I can bog them down in certain places, keep the stall going, and use the essence I earn to further increase the size of the next portion. Thankfully, the veterans stationed in that area have been working night and day, so progress has been coming along smoothly. That's not to mention the sheer amount of troops I've been creating there for them to train.

My eyes drifted from the map and back towards the speech that Kharon was wrapping up. "Honored Delegates, we appreciate you coming to the inauguration of Warmaster Octavian, for such an event has been rare throughout our history." Even now, at least to me, his words were monotonous, yet they tugged at me, drawing me back in. "Were this in better times, it would be far more extravagant. But, we make do." He paused as he glanced across at everyone that was arrayed before him.

"For the next week, our forces will prepare for a crusade across Asteria. While we understand our unique circumstances with everyone involved, we ask that the stronghold be avoided at all costs, as anyone who ventures forth will be dealt with immediately. However, any of our soldiers that roam outside of the stronghold will still be considered entities of combat, and can be interacted with freely."

As he spoke, I nodded my head and thought it over. Over the past few days, I've been pushing our situation as a beneficial synergy with the invaders. They help us grow more robust, and we help them grow stronger, though I've carefully orchestrated everything under the guise of a treaty to keep everyone from wandering out. I also forced all soldiers to follow something akin to the geneva convention when it came to combat, which should hopefully sway things slightly in my favor.

"Now, if any of you would like to speak with me, I will happily entertain you in the main building, where refreshments will be served." He motioned towards a few of the soldiers positioned by the entrance to the visitors' overlook. "Please follow the security team, and they will ensure that you arrive there safely."

My eyes wandered from the speech once more as I glanced back at my map, and a quiet sigh escaped from my lips. I definitely need a small vacation. I glanced over towards Octavian and gave him a nod. Now that his grand reveal is done, he can join his troops and get them up to par. All that was really left now was for me to head back to my office and relax. But first, I need to retrieve my daughter and Alessia.

A few hours later:

"Mother, what do you think of this?" Nyx passed a hastily drawn picture of a backpack to me. I took the paper from her, looked it over, and mentally chuckled at it, though I knew my drawing wasn't better than hers.

"I like it. Though, do you want one strap or two?" I put it on the desk and interlaced my fingers as I regarded her. Her silver-hued skin glimmered in the warm light, and a gleeful grin was plastered across her face.

"I think two will do well." She leaned forward in her chair, both hands on the seat.

I nodded, and I picked up a pen to further inspect her drawing. It was just a standard backpack, but with many pockets. Too many if you ask me, so I'll cut them down when I make it for her. "What color do you want it to be?"

"What's your favorite color, mother?" She rocked back and forth on her seat in excitement at her coming gift.

My heart fluttered in my chest as a smile crept across my face. Lately, I've found myself enjoying treating her like a daughter. It all felt so right, and I wasn't complaining. "No, don't base this off of me. Tell me what color you enjoy." I was attempting to push her in her own direction since she had a tendency to copy me. But I wanted her to be her own person. Which was also why I'll be sending her to classes with Alessia and Kharon. So at least she can talk to other people besides me. Perhaps I could even get her to train with Octavian before he leaves.

She pouted at me as she crossed her arms. "But mother." She drew out her words, trying to sway me to her side.

"I want this to be special to you, not me, so pick your own color." I could have been harsher, but I wanted this to be her own choice. Besides, if I was meaner about it, she would shut down on me.

"Fine. I enjoy black then." She pouted once more, but her excitement overwhelmed her annoyance.

I nodded my head as I glanced at the backpack and formed it in my mind. I took out a few of the pockets that she had marked down and instead increased the amount of space that she would have. There would be three main pockets on this bag that were tiered from the largest to the smallest, and I would add a few pockets on the side for her. With but a snap of my finger, a black backpack formed on my desk.

"Did you design the room that you wanted yet?" I shifted the subject before her sheer excitement could destroy the chair she was sitting on.

"Oh! Yes, mother!" She opened up the notebook that I made for her to use and quickly flipped to one of the pages, revealing a small room with a bed that sat in the corner and a desk next to it. It was a bit droll, so I would have to create a few things for her, like posters and some other forms of entertainment. Things that I never really considered before.Oh, the joys of motherhood.