Free Web NovelChapter 231: 231:Awake.
The dark ceiling of their chamber greeted him. Warm afternoon light poured through the windows, the faint sound of distant palace activity echoing outside.
He glanced at the watch and only an hour had passed since he passed out.
Atheline sat up slowly. His hand rubbed his chest it felt tight and uncomfortable. It seems the tour through memory lane was still affecting him.
Just looking at his environment at the moment, the world had really changed for the better in both of their parts in the novel at the moment but he still didn’t know anything more than that.
The system seemed to have only shown him part of the novel until their current lives so there was no glimpse of the future.
It seems he would always just marvel at what happened before and after successfully crossing the boundary of the novel.
He stared at the empty air in front of him where the system notification appeared.
He frowned at the prompt displayed before him.
[Hidden Narrative Divergence Detected.]
[Source Point: Hunting Competition encounter – Queen & High Elf Extra]
[Status: Active Rewrite Ongoing]
The system screen vanished right afterwards before he could ask any questions.
The room fell silent once more. For a long moment, Atheline remained sitting on the edge of the bed.
The dream lingered. A forgotten meeting, a queen who had looked back, and a life that should never have become his.
He rubbed his temples. The memories felt strangely vivid as though he had not merely watched the novel but lived through pieces of it.
Atheline was left with conflicting thoughts that he couldn’t really place it. It seems he had been unknowingly rewriting the novel and there was probably not going to be any effect that he knew of.
The butterfly had really flown away.
Eventually, he exhaled and lay back against the pillows. The room was warm, quiet, and safe. A stark contrast to the memories of the underground prisons and the lonely queen.
His eyes closed. Just for a moment and without realizing it he fell asleep again.
.
.
.
When he woke the second time, sunlight had changed. The bright afternoon glow had softened into gold. It looked like several hours had passed.
He tried to blink his sleep away and the first thing he noticed was warmth. The second was a weight on him. Something rested lightly against his shoulder.
Atheline blinked again then looked down. Lilith rested beside him but not asleep as he had expected. She was reading.
One arm resting against him while a thick report sat open in her lap. The scene was so ordinary that it took several seconds for his brain to process it. Lilith was currently sitting on their bed reading paperwork.
Atheline stared.
She glanced down her lips lifting into a small smile.
"You’re awake."
He groaned and nodded." Apparently, when did you get here?"
Her hand lazily ran through his hair the comfortable feeling dulling his senses further.
"I’ve been here for quite some time you were too far gone to notice."
"How long have I been asleep?"
"You slept for four hours."
"That’s longer than I intended," he said quietly, "I intended for one."
"Your body must have been too tired."
Atheline laughed softly.
"I think it’s the bed," he smiled up at her, " it has your scent."
She chuckled at that and tagged a strand of his hair," You never cease to amaze me at how you can turn the most innocent of conversations into something sexual."
"Oh please, I meant your scent is comforting. You’re the one with a dirty mind," he accused.
Lilith ignored him which usually meant he was correct. For a few moments neither spoke. The atmosphere remained comfortable. freēwēbnovel.com
Eventually, she closed the report. Atheline lifted his hand and placed it on her thigh.
"How was the meeting?"
"It was as interesting as you’d expect."
"Did anyone die?"
"No."
"Then it couldn’t have been that interesting."
There was a small pause then surprisingly the corner of her mouth twitched upward.
Atheline considered that a victory. He stretched slowly before settling back against the headboard.
"What happened?"
Lilith shifted slightly. Without thinking, she leaned closer until her shoulder rested comfortably against his side. Neither acknowledged it.
"Predictably, half the council wants war immediately."
"Only half?"
"They were disappointingly restrained."
"Tragic."
"Hm."
Atheline could already guess who was against her. It was probably those from the noble factions and the finance section. He reached for the tea set on the nearby table.
The tea had long gone cold. A servant apparently anticipated this because a fresh pot sat beside it.
He poured two cups and handed one to her. Lilith accepted automatically. A very queenly action, somewhat ruined by the fact that she was sitting cross-legged on their bed.
For several moments they drank quietly. Then her expression became thoughtful.
"There are problems."
"Besides the possible continental war and the warring council?"
"Yes."
"Good."
She stared.
"You find that reassuring?"
"If that’s not the problem then it means you found something more interesting. It’s scratching at my curious heart."
Lilith considered that then nodded.
"Fair."
Atheline took another sip.
"What did you find?"
She placed her cup down.
"The northern kingdom’s disappearance is wrong."
That immediately got his attention.
"We already established that the moment we found them missing."
"Let me finish," she glared at him. Atheline shrugged, " The royal family vanishing is expected."
"Agreed."
"But they didn’t prepare beforehand."
"Also agreed."
She leaned back slightly.
"But someone helped them and I’m not talking about the main manipulator."
He frowned.
"You found evidence?" freewebnσvel.cøm
"Not direct evidence."
Of course not. If it were direct evidence, somebody would already be dead.
Lilith continued with her golden eyes narrowed.
"You’re thinking about the source of their support," Atheline quoted which his finger, " the mysterious person trying to kill me?"
"Yes, the fact that they’re distributed everywhere is a concerning matter."
Atheline slowly set down his cup.
"You think they’re already out of the human kingdom already," he thoughtfully said," with the extension of this Protector influence across the human and elven continent, I would not be surprised."
She was quiet for a moment.
"Should we extend our search to the other continents?" She quietly asked.
Her brows were furrowed as she spoke. Atheline could see her worry. Searching all the continents would make things worse.
He shook his head.
"There is no need," he carefully said, " if I were the protector, I would keep the Gladia royal family on the continent. I don’t even think they’ve left Gladia itself. "
She glanced at him briefly.
"Why do you say that?"
"The royal family is a sort of leverage in all this conflict. I’m sure one of the other human kingdoms will find them but they won’t hand them over that easily."
He met her gaze and continued.
"Thats just my assumptions but I can put my heart on the line. They are still in Gladia. Who would waste a lot of resources just to transport useless people? They’re pawns, and nothing more."
She nodded. "I thought as much. You’re more clever than I thought."
Atheline chuckled. "You just focused on my looks and body too much that you forgot everything else."
"You can’t blame me?"
"What kingdom do you expect to resist us then?"
