Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42 Crown Relief
Elara’s POV
Vance and Jasper cursed me silently, their rage burning hot.
Their jaws clenched tight, but they couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
I glanced at the galactic website’s response and grinned with pure satisfaction.
As long as those bastards are suffering, I’m thriving.
Nothing fueled someone’s energy quite like a little mischief—and right now, I was buzzing with it. Despite all the chaos I’d stirred up, exhaustion hadn’t touched me. I felt electric, fully charged.
With Thorne’s problem handled, even the beef shank in my grip looked absolutely perfect.
I cooked every single piece—and crafted seven fresh vine bracelets while I was at it.
The pattern had become clear: each bracelet only reduced their spirit collapse once, regardless of the severity. Since my abilities had grown stronger, their old bracelets were now worthless. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
For lunch, I prepared toasted bread, rich borscht, flame-seared beef, and golden-fried mushrooms. The mushrooms got special treatment—I minced and seasoned meat, packed it inside each cap, then sizzled them in fragrant sesame oil. The aroma exploded instantly.
"Damn, that’s incredible," I whispered.
Before heading out with the meals, I indulged myself first.
A quick time check showed well past noon—quite behind schedule.
Hope those guys haven’t completely lost their minds yet.
I grabbed a plate of freshly washed strawberries and made my way to the wards.
——
Meanwhile, Giselle had been hauled across multiple planets since the previous night. Some roaming beastmen operated legitimate enterprises—like Xander.
The criminals? They masqueraded as Valerion Empire citizens while dealing with insectoids.
Once Xander had sold Giselle off, her fate no longer concerned him.
Helena erupted in fury. She stormed the royal palace that very evening. Rosalind commanded Cassian to spearhead Giselle’s rescue. As compensation, the royal family granted the Sterling family an expansive stretch of pristine, fertile territory.
This gesture appeased Helena temporarily, but Giselle’s predicament had grown dire—she was already imprisoned within the insectoids’ central stronghold.
Cassian divided his forces into two units: one covertly pursued "Si," while the other swept every space station searching for Giselle. When intelligence confirmed Giselle’s location inside the insectoids’ fortress, the Valerion Empire had no alternative but to deploy the fleet.
Giselle alone wouldn’t justify such massive resources. However, the Sterling family maintained control over the empire’s final salt lake. Every female in their lineage possessed at least A-class spiritual abilities, and half the system’s males were bound to serve them.
Even the royal bloodline had to yield to those complex, formidable connections.
"If only that old witch Helena hadn’t produced so many daughters."
"And that fool Cassian actually had the nerve to move against the Sterling family behind my back."
At this realization, Rosalind struck Cassian viciously across his face.
"You’re exactly like your pathetic father," Rosalind snarled. She hesitated, then added with ice-cold contempt, "Actually, I was mistaken. You’re far worse. Your father was stupid but attractive. You’re simply useless garbage."
Rosalind dismissed Cassian’ mortified expression and continued, "Retrieve Giselle immediately. Fail, and you’ll spend eternity mining on Ore-core World."
Cassian’ eyes bulged with horror.
Ore-core World? She’s threatening exile?
Seeing him paralyzed by terror, Rosalind scoffed, "Leave. Don’t interfere with the rescue operation."
After banishing Cassian, Rosalind collapsed onto her throne, skull pounding mercilessly. Both of her cherished sons remained trapped in that sanctuary.
"Have you resolved Thorne’s disaster?" she demanded.
"Your Majesty, it’s finished. But there’s another matter I haven’t mentioned yet..." Secretary Liam Mercer regarded Rosalind with profound concern. He struggled to find the right words.
"Speak plainly," Rosalind commanded harshly.
Liam inhaled deeply. "The system has paired the youngest prince and the others in the sanctuary with the Sterling family’s young mistress."
Rosalind’s world tilted into darkness. Giselle? Has the system been corrupted? At this pace, how much longer could she maintain her throne?
"Investigate whether Nexus World has been breached," she ordered.
Nexus World served as the galaxy’s central intelligence—defended by elite robots and shielded by cutting-edge technology. It governed the entire galactic network.
Rosalind’s migraine intensified. She was convinced the system had been compromised.
Liam bowed swiftly and clarified, "Your Majesty, not the current Sterling family mistress. The former one."
Rosalind’s agony evaporated instantly. "That female without any spiritual abilities?"
Liam confirmed with a nod. "Correct. Her name is Elara. Since the Sterling family disowned her, she’s technically no longer part of their lineage."
Rosalind exhaled an enormous sigh of relief. If Dorian had been matched to Giselle, she would have executed him without a moment’s hesitation.
Better to sacrifice her own child than become the galaxy’s ultimate joke.
Males couldn’t initiate divorce proceedings. If paired with Giselle, death would be the only dignified escape.
And that boy...
Thoughts of her adorable fox son melted Rosalind’s harsh expression. "You’ll oversee their provisions from this point forward," she declared. "I allowed the previous department to handle things to create the illusion they’d been abandoned. I never intended for them to genuinely suffer. Deliver these supplies personally. And evaluate Dorian and that boy while you’re there."
