Free Web NovelChapter 894: Revenge, huh?
Aelyra left the royal chambers long after the initial rage had passed its most explosive point. This, however, did not mean calm. It only meant a colder, more condensed and dangerous fury. The destroyed room lay behind her, its walls cracked, furniture broken, and servants too terrified to enter without permission. After hours of pacing, thinking about every second of the humiliation suffered in the hall, she had concluded something simple: remaining still only enraged her more.
So she left.
Not as the Monarch of the Stormy Tides. Not shrouded in ceremonial armor, political jewels, or cloaks of authority. She left disguised, concealing her presence with ancient techniques and ordinary clothes. A dark dress of simple fabric, discreet boots, a light cloak, and her hair functionally tied up. Even the natural glow of her aura was muffled by a temporary seal fastened under her collar. To the eyes of any ordinary citizen, she would appear merely as a wealthy woman trying not to draw attention.
The problem was that Aelyra didn’t know how to appear ordinary.
Even walking among crowds, she still moved like someone accustomed to pushing her way through without asking permission. Her posture was too straight, her gaze too demanding, her steps too confident. People instinctively kept their distance, without understanding why. Merchants watched her cautiously. Local guards cast discreet glances. Children noticed before adults that there was something strange about that elegant and irritable woman.
The imperial capital was alive at that hour.
The main streets shone with lanterns suspended between tall buildings of stone and ornate wood. Merchants still traded under colorful awnings. The smell of freshly baked bread mingled with that of seasoned meats, warmed wine, and sea air carried by artificial canals that cut through part of the city. Carriages passed at a steady pace. Musicians played in smaller squares. Couples strolled without haste. Artisans closed their shops while apprentices stacked boxes.
Aelyra hated the normality of it all. As she mentally relived the moment she’d been thrown against a column in front of her peers, the world continued buying flowers and arguing over cheese prices. There was something offensive about life remaining indifferent to her indignation.
She pulled her hood forward a little and kept walking.
Her goal was clear in theory: to find Strax.
In practice, she had no idea where to begin.
Shalom had said he was probably "doing something annoyingly normal," a phrase Aelyra considered absurd at the time. Now, however, looking at crowded taverns, noisy markets, and streets teeming with human distractions, she was beginning to suspect the insolent woman might have been right.
Strax really did seem like the kind of creature capable of humiliating monarchs in the morning and spending the afternoon picking fruit.
The idea enraged her again.
She entered a central square surrounded by wide fountains and stone benches. In the middle, street performers entertained a small crowd with fiery juggling acts. Aelyra barely glanced at them. Her senses searched for something else: unusual power, a hostile presence, draconic energy, any clue out of the ordinary.
Nothing.
There were minor mages, enchanted guards, cheap amulets, swords sold as fake relics, and people lying about prices. But nothing like Strax.
She stopped before a fruit stall.
"Are you going to buy something or just stare at the pears until they surrender?" asked the vendor, an elderly man in a worn apron and a weary expression.
Aelyra slowly turned her head.
The man paled, not understanding why.
"One question," she said quietly. "Have you seen an annoying man around here?" freeωebnovēl.c૦m
The vendor blinked a few times.
"My lady, that describes half the city."
Around them, two people chuckled softly. Aelyra felt like electrocuting the entire block.
"Tall, arrogant, probably surrounded by obnoxious women."
"Ah." The old man thought for a second. "That describes fewer people."
She waited.
"There’s a tavern two streets down. I saw someone similar earlier. Or maybe it was a nobleman being evicted."
Aelyra dropped too many coins on the stall without realizing it and left immediately.
The vendor observed the money, then the direction she had gone.
"Strange person," he murmured.
At the indicated tavern, he found only the usual commotion.
Drunken men, gambling, bad music, and thick smoke. The owner swore he’d never seen anyone like the description. A waitress said she’d seen three women fighting over dessert and a man laughing at them, but that could mean anything. Another customer claimed a snow-white man had beaten six men in an arm wrestling match and then stolen a pie. When Aelyra demanded details, she discovered he was describing someone who had happened three years earlier.
She left even more irritated.
The night wore on. Lanterns replaced the last natural glow of the sky. The capital looked even more beautiful in the dark, as if it preferred to display its wealth under controlled light. Aelyra continued walking, now through more elegant neighborhoods. Boutiques displayed expensive dresses. Jewelry stores protected by runes gleamed behind thick glass. Night cafes welcomed nobles and important merchants.
It was in front of a luxurious confectionery that she finally stopped.
Inside, through the wide window, she saw Scarlett.
The woman sat at the table with complete nonchalance, tasting sweets as if she owned the place. She laughed at something while gesturing theatrically. Tiamat was beside her, surrounded by empty plates and clearly in the middle of a meal that resembled a personal war against the kitchen. Ouroboros drank tea in silence, gazing out the window with a distant expression.
Strax wasn’t there.
Aelyra retreated to the shade of an awning before they could see her.
Her heart pounded with instant anger. They were relaxed. Eating. Laughing. After all.
For a moment, she considered going in and destroying the entire table.
But then she realized something important.
If they were there... Strax must be nearby.
She observed more closely.
Scarlett seemed too engrossed to notice her surroundings. Tiamat was focused on attacking a gigantic pie. Ouroboros, however, was different. Her eyes scanned the streets unhurriedly, attentive in an almost invisible way. She wasn’t looking for obvious danger. She was looking for patterns. Aelyra understood immediately that this was the most dangerous of the three.
She took a step back.
Too late.
Ouroboros moved her eyes directly to where she was hiding.
Even through the shadow, through the hood, through the magic seal, Aelyra felt the precise eye contact. There was no surprise on the woman’s face. Only tired recognition.
Then Ouroboros raised her cup and took another sip, as if to say: I saw you.
Aelyra retreated completely and turned the corner.
Her pride ached almost physically.
"Ridiculous," she murmured to herself. "All ridiculous."
She continued walking faster now, entering less busy streets. If Ouroboros had identified her so easily, she needed to be more careful. The problem was that caution had never been her main talent.
She crossed a narrow bridge over a silent canal, passed through a smaller square surrounded by pruned trees, and entered a quiet residential street. There, the city noise subsided. Noble houses occupied both sides, protected by elegant gates and inner gardens.
That’s when she heard laughter.
A feminine laugh, light and sincere.
Then another, louder, almost childlike.
Aelyra moved to the next corner and peeked.
In a small park lit by lanterns, Strax sat on a stone bench. He didn’t have his usual appearance. He had dark hair now and different features, shaped by simple magic. Still, she would recognize him in any form by his nonchalant posture.
Beside him, Ouroboros laughed.
It wasn’t a restrained or polite smile. She laughed genuinely, leaning slightly as Strax said something impossible to hear from a distance. There were small flowers scattered on the bench between them, as if he had randomly picked them and assembled a crooked crown that now rested on her head.
Strax seemed proud of himself.
Ouroboros seemed happy.
Aelyra stood motionless. That confused her more than any blow.
She expected to find a monster, a conqueror, an arrogant beast prowling the city. Instead, she found someone intent on making a woman smile in the middle of the night.
She felt angry at not knowing how to process it.
Then Strax suddenly raised his face.
His eyes landed directly on the corner where she was.
Even disguised, even seated, even at a distance, the feeling was that of a predator sensing movement in the bushes.
He smiled.
He raised his hand and waved casually.
As if greeting a neighbor.
Aelyra felt her blood boil.
She turned immediately and walked away with heavy steps, refusing to run. Behind her, she heard Ouroboros ask something and Strax answer in an amused tone.
She didn’t want to know what.
She walked down the street, jaw clenched, hands pressed under her cloak.
She had gone out to hunt him.
She had ended up spying on a romantic encounter and being discovered as a novice.
"I’m going to kill him," she whispered again, though even to herself the threat sounded less convincing.
After a few steps, she added with even more irritation:
"And maybe that tea lady too."
But, deep down, an unsettling idea was beginning to take root. freewebnøvel.com
If she wanted to defeat him, attacking furiously on the first impulse would truly be foolish.
Which meant Shalom was right.
That, above all, was the worst part of the night.
—
[Not far from there]
The balcony of the elegant restaurant jutted out beyond the main facade like a silent box overlooking the heart of the capital. From there, the city seemed less threatening and more human. Wide streets crisscrossed rows of old buildings and recent renovations, slate roofs gleamed in the soft afternoon light, and small crowds moved like organized streams between markets, squares, and elevated bridges. The constant murmur of urban life rose in layers: carriage wheels, merchants’ cries, distant bells, occasional laughter, the clinking of cutlery and glasses from the lower tables. It was the kind of scene that made the existence of wars between gods, ancient monsters, and proud monarchs seem impossible.
Seated at the furthest outdoor table, Tiamat and Scarlett enjoyed a lunch that, to any ordinary observer, would seem merely the meal of two elegant women on a journey. There were plates of grilled meats covered in herbs, vegetables roasted in butter, freshly baked bread, and a jug of light wine condensing droplets on the glass surface. The table was perfectly set: white tablecloth, silver cutlery, and small vases with discreet flowers. The contrast between this refined normality and the nature of the two women was almost comical.
Tiamat ate without any concern for excessive etiquette. She maintained a posture too relaxed for the environment, legs lazily crossed, elbow resting on the chair, and a knife twirling between her fingers when not cutting something on her plate. Her presence was heavy even at rest, as if any chair beneath her needed to work overtime to avoid breaking. Her golden eyes observed the city with casual interest, always attentive to what could become amusement.
Scarlett, on the other hand, seemed born for that kind of place. Every movement was measured without seeming artificial. She held the cutlery lightly, kept her back straight, and possessed the irritating talent of transforming simple gestures into something elegant. Still, behind her impeccable posture, the same playful mischief always shone in her eyes.
Tiamat speared a piece of meat, chewed slowly, and glanced at the main avenue below, where dozens of people crisscrossed.
"That woman will probably try to attack Strax in the middle of town."
She spoke as if commenting on the possibility of rain in the late afternoon. There was no alarm in her tone, just practical observation. For Tiamat, predictable impulsiveness was almost a natural law.
Scarlett finished chewing calmly. She took a small sip of wine, then picked up a delicate white cloth beside her plate and wiped the corner of her mouth with impeccable precision. Only then did she answer, without any hurry.
"She’ll take a hit and die. She’s quite weak."
Tiamat let out a laugh loud enough for some nearby customers to discreetly glance at the table. Neither of them cared.
"Calling her weak is cruel," said Tiamat, cutting another generous piece of food. "She’s just plain stupid. That weighs more than weakness."
Scarlett folded the cloth and returned it to its place as if concluding a ritual.
"Stupidity in powerful people often seems like weakness when it encounters someone truly strong."
She rested her chin on her hand and watched a cart laden with fruit pass below. Children ran after it trying to steal fallen pieces. A guard pretended not to see.
"Want to bet... how long until we hear explosions?" Scarlet said.
Tiamat smiled and said, "KA-"
KABOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
A huge explosion of water flew into the sky and a rain began.
The two looked at each other smiling, "It didn’t even take long~" Scarlet said.
