“I said I won’t eat it! Really!”
“You have to eat it, whether you want to or not. Who told you to make me eat your ‘dark cuisine’?”
“I… I was wrong, okay! I’m really sorry!”
Today, Elia was holding a plate of completely indescribable “food,” staring at the trembling Kiz before her, and said in a low voice, “Hurry up, eat it.”
“I don’t want to!” Kiz shook her head frantically.
As for how things had come to this… It was mainly because Kiz had suddenly gotten the idea to make some human food for Elia.
Then Elia said she wouldn’t eat it, but Kiz insisted on making it anyway, and ended up creating a plate of “dark cuisine” that couldn’t even be considered “barely edible.”
Seeing this, Elia was just about to say they should throw it away… but Kiz actually scooped up a spoonful… and while she was talking, shoved a spoonful into her mouth.
At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to pin the little princess to the ground and give her a good biting, but she thought it would be better to give her a taste of her own medicine.
So, that’s how it ended up like this…
Elia made a plate of dark cuisine and prepared to feed Kiz a bite of it.
“Mmm…” Kiz now wanted to use teleportation magic to slip away.
But at that moment, Elia suddenly widened her eyes, the plate in her hand slipped and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces… but Kiz didn’t laugh.
Because, in the next second, Elia collapsed onto the ground.
“Elia! Elia, what’s wrong! Don’t scare me, Elia!” Kiz quickly knelt down and frantically shook Elia’s body.
“No… I’m fine… it’s just…”
Then, a flood of fragments rushed into Elia’s mind, and most of these fragments pointed to the same scene—a white room and a group of children.
That white room was exactly the same as the one she saw in her dream last night.
“Just what! Tell me quickly!” Kiz was nearly frantic with worry by now.
But Elia just tilted her head and fainted.
“Elia!!!”
—
Two days later, the atmosphere in the Council Chamber was even more tense than usual.
Kiz, seated in the main seat, lightly tapped her fingers on the armrest, staring intently at the intelligence dossier on the table.
Elder Selina stood solemnly to the side.
The other elders also had grave expressions, none of them showing any extra emotion.
“Your Highness, the latest intelligence from the Human Empire this morning states that the Holy Grail Order and the Church have formally reached a cooperation agreement… and their target is clear: the Saint, Elia.” Selina pushed a secret report in front of Kiz.
Kiz picked up the report and quickly scanned it.
The report detailed the frequent contact between the Holy Grail Order and the Church over the past month… as well as their secret movements in the border regions.
While there was no clear intent to attack.
All signs pointed to them planning something.
“What about the specific action plan?” Kiz asked calmly.
“Still investigating… The other side is extremely cautious. All communications are through encrypted channels, making it difficult for our people to infiltrate. But it can be confirmed that their target is not the entire Blood Clan… the real target is only the Saint herself.”
Kiz was silent for a few seconds before asking, “Any other intelligence?”
“Yes, over the past half month, some suspicious individuals have appeared around the Royal Capital. Although they disappeared quickly, based on the traces left behind, they were likely scouts from the Holy Grail Order… They were observing our defensive layout.”
As soon as another elder finished speaking, Kiz rubbed her temples hard, trying to calm the intense worry for Elia in her heart, then ordered, “Then, double the patrols in the Royal Capital, strictly interrogate all outsiders… Elder Selina, I leave this matter to you.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I will complete this task perfectly.” The ever-useful workhorse Elder Selina didn’t complain about anything, she just bowed and accepted the task.
Then, the meeting continued for another half hour.
But Kiz’s mind was no longer here at all.
She was thinking about Elia…
Ever since she fainted inexplicably last time, Elia’s condition had become increasingly strange… She had nightmares every night, sometimes waking up suddenly in the middle of the night, covered in cold sweat.
During the day, she often spaced out, needing to be called several times before snapping back to attention.
A few times, Kiz even saw Elia’s eyes go completely empty, like a doll’s… taking several seconds to return to normal.
She had asked Elia what was wrong, but Elia just shook her head and said it was nothing.
But Kiz knew something was definitely wrong, Elia just didn’t want to say.
—
After the meeting ended, Kiz rushed towards the Sleeping Palace at the fastest speed of her life.
Honestly, she was about to break down… not only did she need to deal with the threat from the Holy Grail Order, but there was something even more important… Elia’s condition.
These two pressures were almost suffocating her, and the fact that she could remain calm during the meeting was already the utmost she could manage.
Pushing open the door to the Sleeping Palace, she saw Elia standing by the window… sunlight shone on her but couldn’t penetrate those empty eyes.
“Elia.”
Hearing this, Elia slowly turned around… and the moment she saw Kiz, her eyes finally gained focus. “You’re back?”
“Mm, how are you today?”
“Okay.”
“You’re lying to me again.”
Elia forced a smile. “What?”
“Your eyes. Just now, I saw your eyes had no light in them at all… You were spacing out again, weren’t you?”
Elia lowered her head and didn’t speak.
Really, a sense of helplessness surged in Kiz’s heart.
So she took Elia’s hand and continued asking, “Elia, what exactly happened? Tell me! We’ll find a way to solve it together!”
Elia looked up and stared at the little princess’s worried face for a long time.
She should tell her… keeping it hidden like this wasn’t a solution either…
“Kiz, I… I’ve been seeing some strange images lately.”
“What kind of images?” Kiz immediately perked up her ears and listened carefully.
“Very blurry… sort of like memories, but not my memories… and there are a lot of children… Every time I see these, my head hurts like it’s splitting open.” Elia gently held her forehead as she spoke.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Kiz asked with a hint of reproach.
“I didn’t want you to worry… you’re already tired enough…”
This idiot, even in this state she didn’t want her to worry.
“Elia, your problems are my problems. No matter what happens, the two of us will face it together! Have you forgotten we exchanged rings?”
“I know. It’s because I’ve come to understand this point that I’m telling you the truth…” Elia gently ruffled Kiz’s white hair.
—
However, that night, Elia had another nightmare.
In the dream was a space of pure white…
She saw many children lining up and walking forward, and the faces of those children were very blurry, completely indistinguishable in features or expression.
Wait! Why does this mark on the white wall look so familiar?
What is this? This is the mark of a cup… the Holy Grail? The Holy Grail Order?
Hmm… Who is this? Wait… Why does this little girl have a face?
And that face…
Elia focused her gaze.
As a result, she discovered it was her own childhood self.
At that moment, Elia jolted awake, gasping for breath.
Kiz was also startled awake and quickly sat up. “Elia? What’s wrong? Another nightmare?”
Elia stared blankly ahead.
Kiz reached out and hugged her, comforting her. “It’s okay, I’m here~”
It took a while before Elia regained her senses.
Then she said seriously, “Kiz, I need to investigate and find out exactly what’s going on with those fragments I see in my dreams.”