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Recast
“Now what do we do? Are we supposed to put it back…?”
The group had no idea what to do with the crown. The sudden predicament left them with so much worry that they couldn’t cry. All they could do was look at the crown that was no longer wearable and space out. They couldn’t give the damaged crown to Troy. If they gave it to him, and others saw that it was dented, they’d more than likely mock Troy at such a grand event.
They had to deliver it to Queen Vyvyan, who was at Duargana, to have it repaired. Actually, she might already be at Troy City. If she found out the present prepared for her son was damaged, she would not be happy. To make matters worse, even if she did get the crown, sorry, but she couldn’t fix it, either. Elven crafts didn’t rely solely on mana but experience, too. She would need to pass it on to the artisan skilled enough to work in the imperial palace. However, if they took that route, they wouldn’t make it in time. The crown would lose its value if it couldn’t be gifted on the grand occasion.
A King’s crown was most valuable when he could wear it to display his majestic and lavish lifestyle to as many people as possible. If he missed the chance, the crown would be dumped in the Imperial Palace and never touched again.
“All right, all right, continuing to blame each other is just running in circles. We must reach a conclusion. Let me analyse the status quo. The problem that we currently face is what to gift my husband. Now, we have two choices. One, we can take a gamble, and send this to the elves. If we’re lucky, there will be time. Two, we gift Troy something else.”
“Don’t give me that look. I’ve already prepared a gift for him. The present I’ve prepared is pure-white fox fur that you won’t find for decades. There’s not a single odd fur. I spent a long time earning her trust to kill her.”
“You’re a fox, yet earned the trust of your own brethren then killed her before skinning her. Have you gone too far or what?” asked Lucia, shocked.
Ling Yue indifferently answered, “Survival of the strongest is nature’s law. That’s the law we foxes operate on. If we can’t find it in our hearts to be ruthless, we won’t survive in nature. Needless to say, I won’t do that in my human form.”
Ling Yue really liked the fur. A white fox’s fur always looked pretty and was always valuable. However, she had her own selfish agenda. She knew Troy didn’t need a scarf, which was why Troy would give the expensive and pretty fur back to her. As such, she could make a scarf out of it. Ling Yue really liked her daughter. She could give it to her daughter but not Troy. So, she might just give it to Liu Yue.
Nona expressed, “Mom, I think we should prepare a new present for Dad. We can wait another five years to give Dad this crown, right? I think it would be worth a lot of money in five years. Right now, we need to ensure we have a present for Dad.”
Frustrated, Lucia rubbed her head: “What should we give His Highness, then? What should we give him…?”
“Before you came, we were discussing that. Mom, as Dad’s wife, do you have any ideas? What sort of present would make Dad happy?”
Lucia shut her eyes and began to contemplate to herself: “What sort of present would make Troy happy? Frankly speaking, I don’t know. Troy rarely indicates what he likes. He never asks about money; he lets the designers in the Imperial Palace design clothes. The only thing he’s shown interest in is something that I can’t accept – interesting women. I can’t give him a woman. What should I give Troy, then?
“The crown is a gift from both elves and humans. If we destroy it, we’ll have to explain ourselves to humanity. I think it’s impossible to explain ourselves if we just give up on the crown. What can I do about this broken crown, though? Who can repair it?”
Ling Yue opined, “Queen Sylvanas can. Queen Sylvanas is a dragon. Dragons are proficient with working with gold. Moreover, the dragon race has fire that is sufficiently hot in addition to potent mana. I think we need her more than ever now. I believe Queen Sylvanas and Queen Vyvyan can fix it together!”
“Question: where is Queen Sylvanas, and where is Queen Vyvyan?”
“Queen Sylvanas… The last time I saw her, she stated she was making a trip to the north. She is probably where the dragons gather in the North at the moment. As for Queen Vyvyan, she might be at Troy City, maybe Duargana or maybe Hilles City. To summarise, she could be anywhere. Without mana, we’ll need approximately a month to locate the two.
========
One month later…
“But nonetheless, we still have replacements.”
Liu Yue swept her eyes over to Vera. Vera shuddered. She nervously looked at her sister and stuttered, “Y-You mean… for me to replace Queen Vyvyan?! M-Me? B-But I’m not proficient with magic… I-I’ve never learnt such refined spells. I-I don’t know if I can do it…”
Nona questioned, “So, who is going to replace Queen Sylvanas? We don’t have a second dragon around… Who else can provide that level of heat and elite control over gold manipulation?”
“We do have a candidate who ticks all of those boxes. While Father has never been willing to admit it, I realised the truth long ago. The young man in white who went with us to Queen Vera’s place, Raul, is Father’s illegitimate son.” Liu Yue turned to Ling Yue and stated, “Oh, Mom, calm down. I think you might not know, but don’t worry. Father never had any trysts with Auntie Irina again. Plus, you’re Dad’s mistress, so don’t be jealous. Raul is Father and Irina’s son, a descendant of the dragon race, which makes him a dragon. We can ask him to help!
“Okay, everyone, we can still make it if we get moving now!! Vera, pass the reins to me for a start. We’re taking part in the crown’s creation now!”