My DEO

The Kingdom It Once Was

Elvira

It's been several hours since Adelio left me in that broken carriage and went to an unknown place. Right from the start, I knew telling him about my life in the castle was a bad idea. I could sense his anger, and that's why I hesitated. However, his burning gaze made it hard for me to keep my mouth shut.

"When do you think they're going to come back?" Mira asked, looking out the window of the new tavern we were in.

"I have no clue," I said, returning her worried gaze.

After Milo dropped us off at the tavern, he darted out the door in a hurry while mumbling something along the line of; he had to stop Adelio before the kingdom was destroyed. It was still midday when they left, now the day was almost over and they still hadn't returned.

I missed Adelio, and my heart ached with yearning. I missed his touch and every part of him. Why was I being insufferable in the first place, I should have just let him hold me when he asked. But I couldn't just give in, he wouldn't let me be with Mira.

Would he return to me? I hope he does. What if he decides to destroy Elysia and be done with it? Wait, what if he and Milo had already gone and left us behind -

No, I shouldn't think that way. I shouldn't give in to my emotions that were going off the mountains. I should believe he'll come back. He will.

"Are you okay?" Mira asked, looking at me with a face full of concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said, forcing a wry smile.

"Are you sure? It can't be easy being away from your mate. Your body must be feeling heavy, and prickly. You'll probably start feeling nauseous soon, and your neck might sting a bit too."

I stared at Mira blankly. The way she described the state of my body was oddly accurate and specific.

"Mira, how is it that you know exactly how I feel right now?"

She stiffened at my question. "Y- you know, just common knowledge from Caelestis. We see these kind of things all the time."

She started twirling her hair and darting her eyes all over the room, so as to not look me in the eyes.

Usually, I'd just shrug it off and go on about my day, but the way she hesitated and then nervously rambled on, told me that she was hiding something. Then again, Mira was always full of secrets. I don't know anything about her, beyond the fact that she's a werefox that ran away from Caelestis. Whatever her history is, it can't be anything good judging from the way she always reacts to questions about her past.

I'm even surprised she agreed to join me in moving to Caelestis. She seemed hesitant at first, but then she agreed, saying the fox kingdom may be part of the Caelestis empire, but it isn't necessarily close to Caelum - the capital of Caelestis - so she should be fine. However, a part of me is worried that I'm dragging her into something she has been running from.

"Let's go downstairs and wait for them," Mira said, forcing a smile as she walked to the door.

We made our way down the stairs, and I couldn't help but notice this tavern had similar aspects to the previous one that we were in. The architectural design was closely similar, which was to be expected, as taverns always had similar structures. Although in contrast to the last tavern, this one was a little duller in taste and design. Most things were in bronze or brushed nickel finish, the place was also a tad bit less lavish than the previous, and it also had about three floors. The quality drop isn't a surprise, as we are now quite far from the major cities and capitals.

When we made it to the bottom of the stairs, I noticed that all the people that were dining, drinking, and chatting were gone. Their plates had been cleared up like no one was ever here. If Mira hadn't asked the same question that was floating in my mind, then I would have suspected that I had finally lost it.