Diana Of Alcotta (Yrsoreth Chronicles 1)

10 ♚ Talk of Gods

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After the horses were settled into the stables, the patrolling knights reported that there was no suspicious activity. Xander left Fidel the division of the knights that would guard the manor for the night. He breezed his way back inside the manor through the back door with a key Diana gave on the first day.

It was quiet; all the servants and the old butler were asleep. The other men and women who volunteered to help with the prince and knights' accommodation have returned to their homes as well.

Even inside the manor, the temperature was cool, with the breeze passing through the windows. The moonlight of the twin moons served as Xander's guide up the creaky stairs and to his room.

Yet, he did not sleep. The sound of the waves coming from his veranda invited him. He followed the music of nature; the wind kissed him as soon as he opened the terrace door.

The endless sight of coconut and palm trees stretched up to the shore and the calm sea, kissing the sand with its waves from time to time.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Xander turned to the terrace next to his and met eyes with Diana, cloaked with  blanket and moonshine.

"It is," he said, but not looking away from her face. Behind her, the view of a few dark clouds from a distance was moving at a rapid pace.

"They say the God of Death and Rebirth, Erythrós, cleanses one's soul in the Sea of No End, until a soul's sins and memories are erased and be reborn. I wonder if the sea looked like this."

Xander followed her line of sight towards the ocean. "I never knew you're interested in the Gods. Are you a devotee?"

"Only to Yelwe."

He could not help by smirk at her mention of the God of Wealth. Although Gran Dacchia is not religious, the most popular ones are the God of Beauty, Vifrit, and the God of Wealth, Yelwe. Nobles would donate money, especially to the two Gods for blessings.

Despite the existence of magic, Xander is not a religious man, nor he believed in invisible beings that decides the fate of believers and not. Yet, he could not blame Diana, even if she was jesting.

He had low expectations of Alcotta Isles just by looking at the numbers in the files. It dropped lower when he read the reports from his spies. But witnessing the territory's poverty firsthand, he could almost not believe it.

No military power, a slow economy, people relied on fishing and agriculture to survive. They do everything mostly by themselves. Whatever money they have from trading sea harvests and agricultural products, were used to purchase essentials that could only be bought outside the island and distributed to the citizens. Their doctor was too old to stand alone and stitch a wound, had obsolete knowledge, and mainly relied on herbs.

It was as if the island itself was fighting alone, isolated from the rest of the world.

Now that the Baroness title was granted to Diana, she told him her plans for the territory to recover slowly. In one of their previous conversations, she explained that she asked for tax exemption because it will take longer for the island to develop better products for trade, and with that, the money saved from taxes will be used as a capital. "We could not sell more than what we already sold," she added quietly with downcast eyes.

"What did you sell?"

"The future. I sold the future," was her response back then, and changed the topic.

And now, with the dire traits of the territory, a huge offering might be needed for the God of Wealth Yelwe to bless the island.

"I think he heard your prayers. Soon, your people won't suffer anymore."