Chapter 23. Denying Reality

Ace stepped into the palace, surprised to see everything in order and untouched. He wondered if the slave army had attacked the capital, but from the look of the palace alone, it seemed it hadn’t. So Damien had attacked the regions, hoping to first weaken the kingdom from around before facing the capital. Or did he only come for Shelled? That wouldn’t make sense.

“Lord Ace,” King Xavier called upon seeing him.

“My king,” he said, dropping to his knees when he got close, and Ursla did likewise.

King Xavier stepped towards him, and the queen stayed by his side. “I’ll take it that Shelled also got attacked,” he said, raising a brow.

Ace nodded. “Yes, my king. It was a terrible attack, and being unexpected made it worse. Many elders of Shelled lost their lives.”

Xavier looked torn by his reply, but he composed himself. “And your mission to the east?”

“Lord Crow and the other living elders now understand you are not the enemy. This enemy doesn’t speak