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Chapter 348  Great Nobles Meeting In Edenis Raphiel [2]

Kornel, having taken his place beside a man with long auburn hair and tangerine eyes—a serene smile gracing his features—recognized him immediately as Aslan Edenis Gabriel, the Leader of the Monarch Alliance.

A heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the sound of a chuckle—a mocking, derisive sound that emanated from Lazarus Raven. With a shake of his head and a hand resting on his forehead, he addressed Aslan with a mixture of amusement and contempt.

"This is even more pathetic than I imagined, Aslan," Lazarus said, his gaze piercing as he surveyed the three individuals seated before him. "The Monarch Alliance. Yet, I see only three faces here," he continued, his smile fading as he locked eyes with Aslan.

The other Great Nobles remained silent, their thoughts mirroring Lazarus's skepticism. Why indeed were only three Monarchs present on the opposing side?

Aslan, not bothered by Lazarus's taunts, offered a serene smile as he turned to address Namys Elaryon and Jefer Moonfang. "In ordinary circumstances, I would have extended the invitation for Namys and Jefer to join our ranks as Monarchs of Edenis Raphiel themselves. However, given the nature of today's discussions concerning the affairs of Sancta Vedelia, I shall address them not as fellow Monarchs but as Great Nobles of Sancta Vedelia."

"Lord Aslan," Namys acknowledged with a warm smile, while Jefer simply nodded in agreement.

"Your explanation still leaves questions unanswered, Aslan. There should be twelve Monarchs present, if memory serves," Claudia said, her tone betraying a hint of skepticism.

Even with Namys Elaryon, Jefer Moonfang, and Duncan Tepes representing Sancta Vedelia at the table, the absence of seven Monarchs remained glaringly evident.

"First, Brida Toyreas, or Teraquin as she's known now, has completely vanished from our radars," Aslan began, addressing the conspicuous gaps in their ranks.

Tanya's scoff of disbelief rang loud, her certainty evident that Aslan was privy to Brida's whereabouts. She harbored suspicions that he knew her true identity but chose to remain silent, much like Jefer and Namys, in her estimation.

"Charles Celesta has renounced his status as Monarch," Aslan continued, his words eliciting a reaction from the gathered assembly.

"Why would that shitty King abandon the only redeemable aspect of his reign?" Alea said sharply, her disdain for Charles Celesta evident in her tone. She was still harboring dislike for what he had done to Amael.

Her words stirred a wave of shock among those present as Charles Celesta was still the King of the Kingdom of Celesta which was one of the Sacred Kingdom where one of the three great treasures of Eden was present—the Holy Garden of Eden.

"Ahaha." A laughter bubbled forth from Brutus, one of the Leaders of the Eden's Council. His bald face and thick tanned arms accentuating his strong presence.

"Alea, please," Namys, visibly exasperated by Alea's outburst, attempted to defuse the tension with a gentle admonition.

Sulking, Alea crossed her arms in defiance.

"The reasons behind his abandonment of his duties as Monarch are not our concern," Aslan stated simply, his tone brooking no further discussion on the matter.

Though truth be told, even Aslan himself was not privy to the exact motivations behind Charles's decision. If pressed, he would surmise it had something to do with the seismic shifts occurring within the Kingdom of Celesta, now rebranded as the Holy Celesta Empire.

'What has the Pope in his mind?'

He was certain that the Pope Francis had to do something with all the great reforms that had gone through the Kingdom of Celesta but couldn't understand what he really wanted.

"Queen Vivian has been occupied with duties, much like Draven Stormdila," Aslan continued, providing a brief explanation for her absence from the proceedings.

"What about the two 'experiments' of the Iris Project?" Karl asked curiously, mentioning Myrcella Redhorah and Emilia Raonpherys.

"The next time you refer to them as 'experiments,' I will personally ensure you regret it," Alea interrupted sharply, with an icy gaze.

"Wha—?" Karl's retort was cut short by a stern rebuke from another member of the assembly.

"Enough. Can't you hold your tongue for a moment, Lydia?" Came an exasperated voice, belonging to the man seated just beside Aslan. With his long grey hair and piercing grey eyes. Silas Falkrona.

As the eldest son of Waylen Falkrona, the Supreme Head of the Falkrona House, and brother to Kleines and Thomen Falkrona, Silas was poised to inherit leadership of the esteemed Falkrona House in the near future.

"In ten years, one might have expected a modicum of maturity from you, considering all that has transpired. Yet here you are, still the same arrogant woman incapable of holding her tongue," Silas admonished, his words laced with disappointment.

"Get your useless Wings burned Silas!" Alea snorted. "Don't dare to talk to me in such tone. I am a Queen whereas you are still your incapable father's main toy." "Mind your words." Silas narrowed his eyes as his monstrous mana at the high peak of a Monarch leaked out. "If not for my younger brother's memory, I would have killed you for such insolence."

"Younger brother memories? Who are you kidding with?!" Alea erupted angrily as she slapped the table breaking it in the process. The other nobles could only grunt in annoyance as they had nothing to rest their arms on now.

"Since when have you had any compassion for Kleines or even Thomen, in the first place?" Alea asked angrily. "Hell! The only thing you hold dear in your life is your status as Heir to your bloody House!"

"..."

"Your nephew Edwin died….My sister—your sister-in-law died in Celesta. My husband—your brother died. Then your other brother, Thomen died! My son, Connor—your other nephew! Elona, your niece died too! Did…you shed a single tear for them?" She shot back with a furious look. She was incapable of saying that he had been useless because she had been too. She had been in Sancta Vedelia was incapable of protecting her older sister Thelma, her husband and her eldest son, Connor. They all did things on their own, hiding things from her before leaving her out of nowhere without giving her a single explanation behind their death.

"..." Silas just stayed silent.

"Yeah. That's what I thought," Alea sat back with a scoff. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Beside her, Namys sighed softly before reaching out to pat Alea's hair in a gesture of comfort. Despite her appearance and age—considering that elves matured very slowly—Namys remained remarkably youthful compared to the others gathered in the room. Yet, it was her innate kindness and compassion that prompted her to offer comfort to her troubled friend.

"That was quite the spectacle, at least," Lazarus muttered with a bored expression, his gaze drifting lazily around the room.

"Let's address the main issue, please," Melfina intervened, wearily.

It was a familiar refrain at gatherings of the Great Nobles of Sancta Vedelia—an endless cycle of bickering and tension that seemed to yield little progress. Melfina couldn't help but feel a pang of exhaustion at the thought, knowing that the situation would only worsen if Duncan Tepes and Reiner Dolphis were present as well.

"I do agree. Let's resolve this matter expeditiously," Alector chimed in agreement.

Aslan nodded, his expression grave. "The Alliance of Utopia is preparing to launch an attack on Sancta Vedelia. Our spies have confirmed this beyond a shadow of a doubt. It seems they make no effort to conceal their intentions, desiring only to instill fear and uncertainty in their adversaries—you."

"Excuse me, but can we cease pretending for a moment?" Tanya cut off, her irritation thinly veiled.

"Tanya?" Melfina sighed. As expected if it wasn't Alea, someone else would take the lead in creating a quarrel.

"No, because I detect a thick sense of hypocrisy emanating from you, Lord Aslan," Tanya continued, her voice edged with scorn. "Do you take us all for fools? Perhaps that may be the case for some, but I, for one, am not so easily deceived. You are not our ally in this matter but rather a neutral party at best, and at worst..." Tanya's gaze narrowed, her glowing greenish-yellow eyes flashing with intensity. "An ally of Utopia."

"Tanya!" Namys exclaimed, rising from her seat in shock at her friend's outburst.

"Don't give me that look, Namys! Whose side are you on? Your country faces an imminent threat of attack! Are you truly prepared to align yourself with these Monarchs who advocate for some Eden-given truce with our enemies? I will never accept such terms! Not a single inch of my territory will be ceded to these traitors!" Tanya stated, her voice dripping coldly.

"I wholeheartedly agree with Queen Teraquin," Karl Dolphis said, raising his hand in support. "Sancta Vedelia rightfully belongs to us."

"I too stand with Tanya," Alea unexpectedly added her support, surprising even Tanya with her alignment.

"...What?" Tanya's surprise was evident as she turned to Alea, her gaze searching for any hint of deception.

"Don't be so shocked. I'm simply acknowledging the truth," Alea clarified, noticing Tanya's bewildered expression.

"Whatever," Tanya responded dismissively, averting her gaze.

"Why, Alea? Shouldn't we at least consider their offer for the sake of peace?" Namys asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"I don't trust them," Alea stated firmly, shaking her head. "The only reason they wish to return to Sancta Vedelia is—"

"—For the Holy Tree of Eden," Lazarus finished her sentence, his gaze narrowing as he turned to Aslan. "What exactly did you promise them, Aslan? A share of our territory? The blessing of the Holy Tree? Do you truly believe we are naive enough to overlook the possibility that you've already brokered a similar deal with the Alliance of Utopia in pursuit of peace?"

A heavy silence descended upon the room at Lazarus's pointed words, each Head grappling with their own conflicted thoughts and suspicions.

Tanya's gaze turned colder still, her wariness towards Aslan and Edenis Raphiel deepening with each passing moment.