"Why did your mother not hear of your engagement from you?"
The question did not sound loud.
But it struck hard.
Llandra felt it in her chest.
Why hadn't she told them?
She had told herself it was simple.
Life had been chaotic.
Battles.
Politics.
Infrastructure.
The Empire.
The Chronicle.
An oversight.
That was what she had called it.
But standing before Vaelrith Moonshadow, another possibility whispered inside her.
Had she been afraid?
Afraid her parents would disapprove of her choosing a human?
Afraid they would question her sharing him with three other women?
Afraid Jax wasn't royal?
Or elven?
Or anything they had expected for the youngest daughter of the Silverbough Throne?
Her gaze drifted briefly toward the other Vixens.
They were unusually quiet.
Because they were thinking the same thing.
None of them had informed their families.
Not one.
"I am truly sorry," Llandra said.
Her voice remained composed, but softer now.
"That was a regrettable oversight. The engagement itself was... sudden."
Nyxian smiled.
"Very sudden."
Llandra ignored her.
"There was no intent to deceive anyone."
She hesitated.
"Do they know now?"
Vaelrith answered without hesitation.
"We reported the matter several days ago when we confirmed your well-being."
The alley suddenly felt considerably smaller.
Nyxian tilted her head.
"Do they know he's engaged to the rest of us?"
Dawn did not flinch.
"They know what we know. It is our sworn duty to inform the King of what we learn."
Bunny's ears slowly lowered.
Zee swallowed.
Nyxian's smile disappeared.
Llandra closed her eyes.
"My mother knows."
"Yes."
"About Jax."
"Yes."
"And Bunny."
"Yes."
"And Zee."
"Yes."
Llandra opened one eye.
"And Nyxian."
Vaelrith paused.
Nyxian placed a hand against her chest.
"Why did that one require thought?"
Vaelrith looked at her.
"It did not."
"It felt like it did."
Jax stepped forward before Llandra could begin imagining the letter her mother was undoubtedly preparing.
"Well," he said lightly, "any friends of Llandra's are friends of ours."
One of the Veil operatives raised an eyebrow.
"We are not here to become your friends."
Nyxian smiled.
"That's okay. I hear 'no' as 'not yet.'"
Dawn looked at her.
Nyxian winked.
Dawn looked away.
Jax continued as if nothing had happened.
"You should join us for dinner tonight."
He gestured toward the main road.
"Proper hospitality. You can see where Llandra has been living."
One of the Veil members narrowed his eyes.
"What makes you think we haven't already been inside your residence?"
Jax smiled.
"Because you're still alive."
Silence.
The Veil operative studied him.
Jax's expression never changed.
Then Vaelrith spoke.
"He is correct."
The operative looked at him.
Vaelrith continued.
"We observed the grounds. We did not enter the residence."
They had mapped the exterior.
Observed guard rotations.
Documented the pool.
The heated springs.
The fountains.
The unusual lighting systems.
And certain...
Nightly acoustics.
Those details had been diplomatically summarized in reports to the King.
Extremely diplomatically.
"Then a proper introduction is in order," Jax said.
And just like that, the interrogation ended.
At least for the moment.
The Complex
The people of Solmere had several names for the sprawling estate overlooking the crystal lakes.
The Complex.
The Darquebane Estate.
The House of Vixens.
Nyxian preferred the last one.
Llandra did not.
From the outside, Vaelrith had already found the property impressive.
Inside—
The Royal Veil stopped.
Not visibly.
They were too disciplined for that.
But they stopped.
The temperature was perfect.
Not warm.
Not cold.
Perfect.
Vaelrith felt no active fire enchantments.
No heating stones.
No significant mana draw.
Yet the entire residence maintained an even temperature.
Lights illuminated the halls without flame.
Water flowed from fixtures built directly into walls.
Dawn turned one.
Cold water.
She turned another.
Hot.
Immediately.
She stared at it.
"How?"
"Jaxy things," Bunny answered.
Dawn looked at her.
Bunny shrugged.
"That's what I call things he explains that I don't understand."
The kitchen was worse.
Or better.
Vaelrith had not decided.
Cold storage.
Freezing compartments.
Cooking surfaces that heated evenly.
Ovens with controlled temperatures.
Water purification.
Waste removal.
Food preservation.
Jax explained each invention casually.
Vaelrith listened.
Carefully.
Very carefully.
Etherevalis had magic older than most human kingdoms.
Elven enchantments had been refined over centuries.
Their cities existed in harmony with nature in ways other races had never replicated.
And yet—
Vaelrith opened the refrigerated storage again.
Cold air brushed his face.
"This requires no active ice mage?"
"No."
"No ice enchantment?"
"No."
"No frost stone replacement?"
Jax shook his head.
"Heart of Winter powers the network. The smaller frost crystals regulate temperature locally."
Vaelrith closed the door.
Opened it again.
Still cold.
He closed it.
Dawn watched him.
"Father."
"What?"
"You have opened that six times."
"I am investigating."
"The cheese has not changed."
"I am aware."
He opened it again.
The cheese remained cold.
Vaelrith closed the door.
Remarkable.
Dinner was worse.
Definitely worse.
Not because the food was poor.
Because it was exceptional.
Jax cooked.
The High Commander of the Royal Veil watched one of the most politically influential men on the continent prepare dinner for four women.
No servants.
No attendants.
No royal chefs.
Jax cooked.
Bunny stole food from a tray.
Jax slapped her hand away.
She waited until he turned around and stole another piece.
Zee prepared the table.
Nyxian sat on a counter offering advice that nobody requested.
Llandra was pouring drinks.
Vaelrith watched his niece.
Princess Llandra Silverthorne.
Daughter of King Thalorien.
Daughter of Queen Lysara.
Born into one of the oldest royal bloodlines on the continent.
She was setting a table.
And smiling.
Dawn noticed too.
"She never did that at home."
Vaelrith looked at his daughter.
"She was not required to."
"Neither is she now."
Vaelrith looked back.
Dawn was right.
No one had ordered Llandra to do anything.
There was no staff assigning tasks.
No protocol.
They simply...
Moved.
Jax cooked.
Zee organized.
Llandra set the table.
Bunny stole food.
Nyxian continued contributing nothing.
"I am providing emotional support," Nyxian announced.
Vaelrith stared at her.
She pointed toward him.
"And I am making friends."
Dawn sighed.
"Not yet."
Nyxian smiled.
Not yet.
Progress.
Dinner lasted nearly three hours.
The Veil had intended to leave afterward.
They did not.
The conversation moved from Frostveil to Crystalshire.
From the dimensional gate network to the Frost Giants.
From the Empire to trade.
Then Bunny somehow began explaining the rules of a drinking game she had invented.
Vaelrith never discovered the rules.
He wasn't convinced Bunny knew them either.
The Veil relaxed.
Slightly.
Then Zee made the offer.
"You are welcome to stay tonight."
Vaelrith looked toward her.
"We have accommodations elsewhere."
"Why?" Bunny asked.
The question was so direct that Vaelrith momentarily had no answer.
Bunny continued.
"We have rooms."
She pointed upward.
"Lots of rooms."
Nyxian smiled.
"And you've already been watching the house."
Three members of the Veil suddenly became very interested in their drinks.
"You may as well enjoy the beds," Nyxian continued.
Vaelrith looked at his operatives.
They had been traveling for weeks.
Sleeping outdoors.
Rotating watches.
Maintaining surveillance.
One night would not compromise the mission.
"We accept," he said.
That was his first mistake.
The Third Floor
The guest accommodations were exceptional.
Each member of the Veil received a private room.
A private bathing chamber.
Temperature controls.
Beds that somehow adjusted beneath their weight.
Dawn sat on hers.
Then bounced slightly.
She looked at Llandra.
"What is this made from?"
"I don't know."
"You live here."
"I don't know how most things in this house work."
Llandra smiled.
"Jax explains them."
"And?"
"I smile and tell him he's brilliant."
Dawn laughed.
Llandra joined her.
The sound caught Vaelrith's attention from the hallway.
He looked through the open door.
The two women sat together.
For a moment, he remembered Greenwood.
Two younger elves.
Training bows.
Dirty boots.
Dawn insisting Llandra had cheated.
Llandra explaining that winning and cheating were entirely different concepts.
Years had passed.
Dawn had joined the Royal Veil.
Llandra had become an adventurer.
Their lives had separated.
And yet the laughter sounded exactly the same.
Vaelrith continued down the hall.
He stopped at the stairs.
The second floor was below them.
He looked toward Llandra.
"What is on the second floor?"
Llandra answered calmly.
"The master floor."
Dawn stepped into the hallway.
"The entire second floor?"
"Yes."
"One bedroom?"
"Primarily."
Dawn stared at her.
Llandra maintained perfect composure.
Zee smiled sweetly.
"We require the space."
Two Veil operatives coughed.
Llandra lifted her chin.
"A true lady does not present her bedroom without proper preparation. There could be... disarray."
Bunny tilted her head.
"But they're spies."
Everyone looked at her.
Bunny continued.
"Won't they see it eventually?"
Nyxian folded her arms.
"We are all adults."
Her smile widened.
"If they're curious about our equipment and nightly activities, I say we give them a guided tour."
The Royal Veil unanimously decided the second floor required no inspection.
Dawn looked slowly toward Llandra.
One eyebrow lifted.
Llandra returned the look.
Then shrugged.
Dawn's mouth opened slightly.
My, my.
The Princess of Etherevalis had changed.
Dawn wasn't entirely sure she disapproved.
The First Night
The Complex became quiet.
Vaelrith slept.
For approximately one hour.
Then he opened his eyes.
A sound had traveled through the residence.
He stared at the ceiling.
Silence.
Perhaps he had imagined it.
Another sound.
Vaelrith closed his eyes.
The rooms were remarkably insulated.
Jax had explained that.
Sound-dampening materials.
Layered walls.
Privacy enhancements.
Apparently there were limitations.
Vaelrith rolled onto his side.
Somewhere down the hall, a door opened.
Then another.
He remained in bed.
A third door opened.
Vaelrith sighed.
He rose.
Three members of the Royal Veil stood in the hallway.
Dawn opened her door.
She looked at them.
They looked at her.
No one spoke.
A muffled sound traveled upward.
One operative shook his head.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
He folded his arms.
"That is not real."
Dawn blinked.
"What?"
"Nobody enjoys sex that much."
Silence.
Vaelrith closed his eyes.
The operative continued.
"And nobody has that much stamina."
Another Veil member nodded.
"I agree."
"You agree?" Dawn asked.
"It must be intentional."
Vaelrith opened his eyes.
"Intentional."
"Counter-surveillance."
The elf was completely serious.
"They knew we were staying here."
Another sound traveled through the floor.
The operative pointed downward.
"That is psychological warfare."
Dawn stared at him.
"Your theory is that Princess Llandra is participating in an elaborate sexual performance to compromise the Royal Veil?"
The operative hesitated.
"When you say it like that—"
"There is no other way to say it."
A laugh echoed faintly from below.
Bunny.
The first operative shook his head again.
"Impossible."
Dawn slowly returned to her room.
Vaelrith did the same.
No one slept well.
The next morning, the Vixens arrived for breakfast.
Llandra looked radiant.
Zee looked rested.
Bunny was practically bouncing.
Nyxian stretched as she walked.
"Good morning."
The Royal Veil stared at them.
Nyxian stopped.
"What?"
No one answered.
She looked at Dawn.
"Sleep well?"
Dawn's eyes narrowed.
Nyxian smiled.
"Not yet."
Dawn looked away.
Nyxian's smile widened.
Vaelrith watched Llandra.
She sat beside Jax.
He handed her a cup before she asked for it.
Llandra accepted it without looking.
She already knew what it was.
She took a drink.
Jax continued speaking with Zee.
Llandra leaned against him.
Simple.
Natural.
Vaelrith looked toward Dawn.
His daughter was watching them too.
There was something in her expression.
Not suspicion.
Not judgment.
Envy.
Vaelrith understood.
The Second Day
The Veil intended to leave after breakfast.
Then Jax showed them the training arena.
They stayed.
Dawn sparred with Llandra.
She lost.
Badly.
Dawn lay flat on her back.
Llandra stood over her.
"Again?"
Dawn stared upward.
"You were not this fast at Greenwood."
"No."
"You were not this strong."
"No."
"You couldn't have blocked that strike."
"Probably not."
Dawn sat up.
"What happened to you?"
Llandra smiled.
"Life."
Dawn did not find the answer satisfactory.
Vaelrith found it fascinating.
The afternoon was spent at the pool.
The Royal Veil had no intention of participating.
Bunny changed that.
Vaelrith never discovered how.
One moment his operatives were observing.
The next, two of them were in the water.
Dawn sat beside Llandra.
Their feet beneath the surface.
Jax was across the pool.
Bunny was attempting to climb onto his shoulders.
Nyxian was actively sabotaging her.
Zee was pretending not to help Nyxian.
Dawn watched.
"You are happy."
Llandra looked at her.
"Yes."
There was no hesitation.
Dawn smiled.
"I can see that."
Llandra leaned back on her hands.
"I didn't know I wasn't."
Dawn's expression changed.
Llandra looked toward Jax.
"I wasn't unhappy before."
She paused.
"I had my family. My training. My adventures."
Her smile softened.
"But I was always looking for the next thing."
Dawn listened.
"The next city."
"The next raid."
"The next level."
"The next accomplishment."
Llandra watched Bunny finally climb onto Jax's shoulders.
Nyxian immediately grabbed Bunny's ankle.
All three disappeared beneath the water.
Zee laughed.
Llandra smiled.
"I don't feel like I'm looking anymore."
Dawn looked away.
That hurt more than she expected.
Not because she wanted Llandra's life.
Not exactly.
She loved the Royal Veil.
She loved her father.
She was proud of what she had accomplished.
But she understood the feeling Llandra described.
Looking.
Always looking.
Dawn had simply never considered the possibility that she was supposed to find something.
Vaelrith watched from across the terrace.
He saw his daughter's expression.
And understood.
The Second Night
The Royal Veil stayed again.
No one discussed the decision.
The beds were exceptional.
The food was incredible.
The baths were extraordinary.
The training facilities surpassed nearly every private academy Vaelrith had visited.
Leaving would have been inefficient.
That was the official explanation.
The second night was worse.
One of the operatives appeared in the hallway carrying his pillow.
Vaelrith stared at him.
"Where are you going?"
"The training arena."
"Why?"
"Sound-dampening wards."
Vaelrith considered it.
Then Dawn's door opened.
She carried her pillow.
Vaelrith stared at his daughter.
Dawn stared back.
Neither spoke.
They went to the training arena.
By morning, three members of the Royal Veil had joined them.
The entire unit slept on training mats.
The next morning, Nyxian discovered them.
She stood in the doorway.
Silent.
Five elite elven intelligence operatives lay scattered across the training floor.
Nyxian covered her mouth.
Vaelrith opened one eye.
"Do not."
Nyxian nodded.
She turned.
Took two steps.
Then sprinted from the room.
"BUNNY!"
Vaelrith closed his eye.
Perhaps the Empire was hiring.
The Answer
They stayed one more day.
Vaelrith told himself it was because Llandra needed time to prepare for the journey.
It was not entirely a lie.
The Vixens packed.
Jax organized supplies.
The dimensional caravan was prepared.
Vaelrith watched.
Llandra moved through the Complex.
She knew every room.
Every system.
Every strange invention.
She complained when Bunny misplaced something.
Corrected Nyxian.
Helped Zee.
Argued with Jax over how many dresses she needed.
Jax suggested five.
Llandra packed twelve.
Nyxian packed twenty-seven.
Bunny packed one.
Zee packed for Bunny.
This was not a royal court.
There were no protocols.
No advisors.
No attendants.
No carefully arranged appearances.
It was chaos.
Vaelrith watched Llandra smile.
He finally understood.
Dawn stood beside him.
"Her strength," she said.
Vaelrith looked at his daughter.
"You noticed."
"Everyone has noticed."
Dawn folded her arms.
"She is stronger than she should be."
"Yes."
"Faster."
"Yes."
"Her progression is impossible."
"Highly improbable."
Dawn looked at him.
"Father."
"Impossible."
"Thank you."
They watched Llandra.
"Do you think Jax is responsible?" Dawn asked.
Vaelrith did not answer immediately.
He had considered potions.
Forbidden magic.
Ancient artifacts.
Training methods.
Elixirs.
Mana manipulation.
He had considered dozens of possibilities.
But after three days inside the Complex—
Vaelrith considered something else.
"Perhaps."
Dawn waited.
Vaelrith looked toward Jax.
He was helping Zee secure supplies.
Bunny was behind him.
Attempting to secretly add snacks to the inventory.
Jax caught her without turning around.
Bunny froze.
Slowly removed the snacks.
Waited.
Then tried again.
Llandra laughed.
That laugh.
Vaelrith had heard it dozens of times over the last three days.
More than he remembered hearing it during entire years of her childhood.
Dawn spoke quietly.
"Is she happy because she's stronger?"
Vaelrith watched his niece.
"No."
Dawn looked at him.
Vaelrith finally understood what had been bothering him.
The order.
He had assumed progression created confidence.
Confidence created freedom.
Freedom created happiness.
Logical.
Clean.
Wrong.
"The happiness came first," Vaelrith said.
Dawn's brow furrowed.
"How can you know that?"
Vaelrith smiled faintly.
"Because I knew her before you did."
Dawn looked toward Llandra.
Vaelrith continued.
"She spent her entire life searching for something."
"What?"
"I don't believe she knew."
He watched Jax take the snacks from Bunny.
Bunny protested.
Jax handed her one.
Bunny immediately hugged him.
Nyxian appeared and demanded one as well.
Zee sighed.
Llandra laughed again.
Vaelrith looked at Dawn.
"She stopped searching."
Dawn was quiet.
Then she looked away.
Vaelrith saw it again.
Jealousy.
Not of Jax.
Not of the wealth.
Not of the strength.
Of certainty.
Llandra knew where she belonged.
Dawn was still looking.
Vaelrith placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"You will find yours."
Dawn smiled faintly.
"I have mine."
Vaelrith raised an eyebrow.
Dawn sighed.
"That sounded considerably more convincing in my head."
"Most lies do."
Dawn elbowed him lightly.
Vaelrith almost smiled.
Almost.
The dimensional caravan waited outside.
Grim and Steed stood harnessed.
The Vixens finished loading.
Llandra walked toward them.
She looked different.
Not physically.
Though that too was undeniable.
Something deeper.
Vaelrith had spent his life studying people.
Motivation.
Fear.
Deception.
Desire.
He knew when someone was pretending.
Llandra was not pretending.
Whatever was happening around Jax Darquebane—
Whatever strange progression had transformed four adventurers into some of the most powerful women on the continent—
Vaelrith still intended to understand it.
But now he knew one thing.
His niece was not trapped.
She was not manipulated.
She was not lost.
For perhaps the first time in her life—
Llandra Silverthorne had found exactly where she wanted to be.
And if Vaelrith's newest suspicion was correct...
Her happiness was not a symptom of her strength.
Her strength might be a symptom of her happiness.
That possibility should have sounded ridiculous.
Instead—
After three nights in the House of Vixens...
Vaelrith Moonshadow was beginning to suspect there were some questions he was better off investigating from a considerable distance.
Preferably somewhere with sound-dampening wards.
The caravan began its journey toward Etherevalis.
Toward the Silverbough Throne.
Toward Llandra's parents.
Llandra sat beside Jax.
Calm.
Happy.
Completely unaware that Vaelrith had finally solved one mystery.
Unfortunately for her—
There was another waiting at home.
Her mother knew she was engaged.
And Queen Lysara Silverthorne had questions.