Three days went by. The humans did not retreat. I learned about it the same way I learned most things in Vaelmora — Albedo appeared in whatever room I was in, maintained a specific distance, and delivered information as if she had already reviewed it multiple times.
"The eastern settlements have ignored the message," she said. "Extraction activities are on the rise, and they've stationed about eighty armed men from a company on the Kelvrath ridge."
I was sitting by the window in the study, watching the courtyard below. Elyra was tending her garden, while Fenra was engaged in what looked like a very one-sided sparring session with three wolf beastmen who kept getting knocked down.
"Increased," I said.
"Significantly. It appears they interpreted our patience as weakness."
I nodded slowly.
That was a very common mistake.
"Send Sylvara," I said.
A pause. "Just Sylvara."
"Just Sylvara."
Another pause, shorter this time. "Understood."
Albedo started to leave but then paused.
"Lord Helios," she said. I looked at her; she remained facing the door, with her silver hair draped over one shoulder and her posture flawless.
"They've also sent a formal declaration, claiming the eastern territories as their ancestral land that predates Vaelmora's founding." She hesitated briefly. "It's not a strong legal claim, but the fact that they put it in writing suggests they plan to escalate."
"Let them escalate," I said.
She turned her head slightly, revealing her profile. There was something in her expression—not exactly a smile, but close to one.
"Of course," she said, and left.
---
Sylvara entered my study before leaving. She didn't knock but directly opened the door, walked in, and stood with her hands clasped in front of her, appearing completely unfazed by whatever she was about to do.
"You summoned me," she said.
"I did. What do you need from me before you go?"
She tilted her head. "Instructions."
"You have judgment. Use it. I want them gone from the ridge and the forest within two days. How you achieve that is your concern."
She examined me as she always did, as if she was deciphering something hidden within my words.
"No casualties?" she asked.
"Preferably not. Scared men go home and tell stories. Dead men just make their kingdoms angry."
A quiet moment. Sylvara then crossed the room, paused before my chair, and looked down at me with her calm violet eyes.
"My lord is truly wise," she said.
Her praise caught me off guard, but I quickly kept my composure.
"It's simply common knowledge," I replied. "The same principles."
She maintained my gaze for a moment before doing something unexpected — she reached out with both hands and straightened my coat collar, acting calmly and deliberately, as if it was a familiar gesture.
"I'll return before nightfall on the second day," she said.
"I know."
She left, so I glanced at my collar and then looked up at the ceiling.
---
The day Sylvara departed, Seraphel chose to make a dramatic spectacle of it.
I saw her in the upper hall, standing at the window and watching the eastern road with one hand pressed against the glass, wearing an expression of deep theatrical distress.
"She'll be fine," I said, passing behind her.
"I know she'll be fine," Seraphel said without turning. "That's not what concerns me."
I stopped. "Then what concerns you."
She turned away from the window and looked at me with deep red eyes, each seeming to hold about seven different grievances.
"You sent her alone," she said. "To face eighty armed men—without even a second glance."
"Because I know what she can do, and she can easily handle eighty armed men."
"Of course she can. That's beside the point." She crossed her arms. "The issue is you sent her without any apparent regard for her safety, which some of us find troubling."
I looked at her. "Some of us mean you."
"Some of us mean me, yes."
I stepped back two paces to where she stood. She remained firm, chin raised, her red eyes steady, clearly devoted to her outrage.
"Seraphel," I said. "If I believed Sylvara was in any danger, I wouldn't have sent her. I sent her because she's capable and because bringing eighty frightened men home alive benefits Vaelmora more than having eighty dead men and risking war."
She paused, and a change flickered across her face.
"You've considered this," she said.
"I think about most things," he replied.
She gazed at me for a moment before turning back to the window, her indignation fading into a calmer expression.
"Stay," she said. "Just for a moment. I find it easier to wait with someone." I leaned against the wall next to the window, and we stood silently, watching the eastern road until the light turned golden.
It wasn't unpleasant standing there; without the theatrics, Seraphel appeared quite calm. I didn't mention this to her, as she might have taken it the wrong way.
---
Sylvara arrived again on the second day before sunset, just as she had promised.
She entered the war room where I was studying the domain maps, placed a sealed letter on the table in front of me, and sat down opposite me with the calm demeanor of someone who had enjoyed their afternoon.
"They've withdrawn," she said. "Fully. The letter formally retracts their territorial claim."
I examined the letter, then looked at her. "What did you do?" I asked.
She said, "I spoke with their commanding officer, and later I had a private, calmer conversation with him. Afterward, he was very willing to cooperate."
"Define a quieter conversation."
She smiled, her calm ocean smile. "It's nothing permanent. He will recover completely and will be highly motivated to advise against any future incursions into Vaelmora."
I nodded slowly and picked up the letter.
"Well done," I said. It was just two words that were simple and straightforward.
However, Sylvara's expression changed slightly when I said it—an honest and small reaction that she quickly hid, looking back down at the table.
"Thank you," she responded softly.
Albedo showed up in the doorway as if she had been expecting this exact moment. She glanced at the letter in my hand, then at Sylvara, and finally at me.
"The eastern situation is resolved," I said.
"So I understand," she said. "There is, however, a secondary matter."
I set the letter down. "Of course there is."
A diplomat from the Duskfall Kingdom has requested a meeting. They want to formally address Vaelmora's borders. She paused. "They are being courteous about it. For now."
I leaned back in my chair.
A kingdom sending a formal representative was a whole different matter from three settlements stealing timber. That was politics where words are as important as power, and someone is always testing to see how much of each you possess.
"When do they arrive," I said.
"In four days."
"Alright."
"We'll handle them properly," I said. "Full court. I want Vaelmora to reflect exactly what it is."
"And what is that?" Albedo asked.
I met her gaze.
"Not a place anyone wants to make an enemy of," I replied.
Albedo held my gaze for a moment, then nodded, turned, and went to make arrangements.
Sylvara was watching me again with that look.
"You're settling in," she said.
"I'm figuring it out," I responded.
"Same difference," she said, picking up her book.
---