Chapter 589: Heart To Heart Talk With Elsa[1]

Lareth watched Elsa disappear up the stairs before returning his attention to Damian. The old elf adjusted his golden spectacles and waited until the queen was out of earshot before speaking.

"Sire... The arrangements you requested will be completed in a month. When do you plan to make use of it?" he asked respectfully, his expression composed despite the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the palace.

"In a month or so, after the council of princes... As for the extras, pack it up, I’ll be leaving with it..." Damian said, reaching for his goblet and taking another sip of wine.

Lareth nodded calmly. "I understand... I’ll head over to a certain how God vein crystals are needed to create your training chamber, then the excess will be presented to you. But I will take me a few hours."

He bowed his head slightly, already calculating the arrangements required to collect the God vein crystals without disrupting the palace’s other affairs.

Damian chuckled, his attention shifting toward the distant staircase as a mischievous smile bloomed across his face.

"Take your time, I’m not in a hurry to leave," he said, making no effort to conceal his intentions.

"Understood." Lareth bowed once more and walked away, leaving Damian alone in the dining hall.

Damian abandoned the table filled with delicacies and made his way upstairs, following Elsa’s lingering fragrance through the palace. The corridors were vast, decorated with golden carvings and elaborate tapestries depicting the history of Gildreach. He eventually entered a massive passage lined with several golden statues of Lazarus, each sculpted to portray the former ruler in a different pose of majesty.

Damian’s brows narrowed as he examined them. The statues were certainly impressive, but the thought of keeping so many monuments dedicated to a man he had killed only yesterday struck him as amusing. Still, he made no complaint. Lazarus had ruled Gildreach for thousands of years, and expecting the entire palace to erase his presence overnight would have been unreasonable.

"Normally I would be against changing the initial plan of heading over to the Dark Continent after the council of princes but since you will be training with a Godess and God veins, it’s worth the three year wait," the Abyss’s voice came from within him.

Damian nodded firmly. The Dark Continent was notorious for its dangers, and he had no intention of entering it while his soul remained damaged and his strength insufficient. The resources rumored to exist there could

"It’s in my best interest to enter there that as strong as I can possibly be," Damian replied inwardly. Three years was a small price to pay if it meant entering that hostile land with a greater chance of survival.

He stopped in front of Lazarus’ former chambers. The door had been left open, and he could see Elsa sitting on a sofa inside, drinking wine while gazing through a massive window overlooking the city.

Sunlight spilled across the golden furnishings, illuminating the delicate embroidery on her dress and the quiet loneliness in her posture. Her eyes briefly shifted toward Damian as he entered before returning to the view outside.

"When are we going to have our wedding?" she asked.

Damian walked past her and took a seat on the sofa opposite hers. He settled his enormous frame comfortably before answering,

"After the council of princes and before I enter secluded cultivation with you."

Elsa’s body shifted slightly at his response, though she made no obvious effort to reveal her reaction. She continued twirling the wine in her cup, her expression remaining composed as she considered his answer.

Damian noticed the subtle change but chose not to comment on it immediately. For all her confidence and royal dignity, Elsa seemed to have a difficult time deciding how to approach the personal side of their relationship.

"You know all thrones of power are linked to their palaces... You can travel to each palace by summoning a gateway into the throne of power. Entering and then releasing it. The gate you will walk through is station at the palace basement which leads to the throne of power of that realm," Elsa said all of a sudden.

Damian’s expression brightened with immediate interest. He leaned forward, a sheepish smile spreading across his face as he studied her.

"Ooh, my... Are you telling me this is that I can come here more often?" he chuckled mischievously.

Elsa’s face turned red. "Of course not... I’m just telling you what I think you should know. It’s up to you to use it if you want or not," she snapped, trying to sound indifferent despite the color spreading across her cheeks.

Damian laughed out loud. The sound filled the chamber, and Elsa frowned at him while he continued laughing for several moments. Eventually, he settled back into his seat, still wearing a smile as he looked at her. Her reaction was more entertaining than he had expected, and he found himself enjoying the fact that the woman who had ruled Gildreach for centuries could be so easily flustered by a little teasing.

"Lazarus must have left you all alone for a while for you to be so defensive towards affection. Are you afraid I will do the same?" Damian asked.

Elsa’s eyes narrowed, and she looked away toward the window. For a moment, she said nothing, her fingers tightening slightly around the stem of her goblet.

"You already have seven concubines. If a man restricted to one man and partner can abandon her to search for replacements, what stops you who has the ability to have access to many from doing the same?" Her voice was quieter now, but the concern behind her words was unmistakable.

Damian nodded while rubbing his chin. "True... Quite true... But I must say... All my girls live in the same place as me, so we get to spend time with each other everyday. As far as I’m concerned I have never abandoned any one of them."

Elsa’s eyes dilated for a moment. She had expected him to dismiss her concerns or offer some empty promise about loyalty, but instead he answered with the simple certainty of someone who considered his relationships an ordinary part of his life. Still, she quickly regained her composure, refusing to let his words reassure her too easily...

"You never know, you haven’t lived for five thosuand years," she replied coldly.

Damian nodded firmly. He considered her argument for a moment and found it perfectly reasonable. A promise made over a few years could hardly guarantee what a person would become after several millennia. People changed, circumstances changed, and even genuine affection could weaken with time. He had no intention of making promises he could not guarantee.

"I most likely won’t live that long to be honest, I’ll probably be dead before I get to abandon my women... You shouldn’t be worried about that," he shrugged indifferently.

Buzz!

Elsa’s eyes tightened as she stared at him deeply. The casual manner in which he had spoken those words unsettled her more than she expected.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice suddenly losing its earlier sharpness.

Damian chuckled lightly, as though he had just remembered that he had neglected to mention an inconvenient detail. He leaned back against the sofa, his expression relaxed, but the light in his eyes carried a weariness that had not been there moments ago.

"My victory against Dantalion did not come without a cost.... That fight damaged my soul and cut my lifespan down to five thosuand years. And my battle against your husband, cut it further by another five hundred."

As he spoke, his hair began changing. The dark strands slowly faded into white, leaving only the purple and golden stripes that marked his inherited powers. The transformation was gradual, yet impossible to ignore. It was as if the revelation had stripped away the imposing image he had carefully maintained, exposing a truth hidden beneath his monstrous strength.

Elsa’s eyes widened. She stared at Damian, searching his face for any hint that he was joking, but found none.

The man sitting opposite her had seemed invincible ever since he entered Gildreach. He had killed Lazarus, crushed Drogath with terrifying ease and forced an entire gathering of nobles to their knees without the slightest hesitation. She had believed that someone capable of such things stood beyond the reach of ordinary threats.

Yet he was dying inside.