Chapter 191: The Baby’s Name
After Rhaegar had escorted Lorelai back to her chambers, he told her to get some rest. But sleep was the farthest thing from her mind. Sitting upright against the headboard, she pulled back the curtain to gaze out the window. The usual calming beauty of the autumn scenery had been replaced by ominous darkness and emptiness.
Restoring Erelith to its former glory would take time—perhaps a very long time. Althea’s spells had been broken, yet the scars of her reign remained. They all needed a different kind of magic now, one that could truly set them free.
Though the suffocating veil of mind-controlling enchantments had been lifted from those around the royal family, a new kind of chaos had taken its place.
A ghoul queen had ruled Erelith, and her abominable creation—a ghoul king—had been poised to replace her, prepared to subjugate an entire continent. It was humiliating to admit they had all been deceived by creatures they had dismissed as lowly. In the end, it was the beasts—once considered enemies—who had helped them regain their freedom.
This was an event that would forever remain etched in the history of the continent. The nobles of Erelith, shocked and disgraced, struggled to come to terms with the truth: they had been outwitted and manipulated by monsters.
Despite their confusion, Lorelai had stepped forward to lead them in restoring the shattered kingdom. Her presence inspired a natural sense of loyalty, for she was the last true heir to the royal throne.
Even so, not all chose to follow her. Some nobles, clinging to their pride and prejudice, fled to neighboring kingdoms. They could not stomach the idea of their queen being married to the King of Beasts, no matter the circumstances.
Though disappointed, Lorelai decided to let the dissenting nobles go without opposition. If they could not embrace change, they had no place in the future she envisioned for Erelith. She was determined to reshape the kingdom, and for that, she did not need people bound by outdated prejudices.
After resolving a few remaining court matters, Lorelai formally ascended to the throne. It was the only logical step—she was the last surviving member of the royal family in the line of succession. Even the nobles who had once supported Althea raised no objections.