The Princess' Harem
Chapter 111: The System’s Hand

Chapter 111: The System’s Hand

Viana looked at them, truly seeing their own tired eyes, the faint lines of exhaustion etched around her mother’s mouth, the deep worry in her father’s gaze.

She saw Rayne’s quiet support, and the weary faces of Joel and Reyes. Arden and Kaley, while exhilarated by their work, also showed signs of profound fatigue.

A decision formed in her mind. "You are right," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "All of you are right. We cannot break ourselves now. We need to be strong for what is to come."

She turned to Joel. "Suspend all major spreading operations for two days. We will take a respite. All commanders, all teams, are to rest. No exceptions."

Joel blinked, surprised. "Two days, Princess? But the blight..."

"The blight will still be there," Viana cut him off, her tone gentle but firm. "But we will meet it with renewed vigor. Ensure everyone rests. No planning, no strategizing. Just quiet. We all need it."

A collective sigh of relief seemed to sweep through the room, though unspoken. Joel nodded, a rare, tired smile touching his lips. "As you command, Princess."

The palace settled into an unusual quiet. The usual bustling halls softened.

For the first time in weeks, Viana allowed herself to unwind. She sent for a long bath, filled with aromatic herbs that eased the tension from her muscles.

A skilled palace masseuse worked out the knots in her shoulders and back, the stress slowly seeping away with each practiced movement. The feeling of clean, warm water against her skin was a luxury she hadn’t known she missed.

After the bath, she ate a light meal, then succumbed to the pull of her bed. She pulled the covers close, the softness of the linens a stark contrast to the hard reality she usually faced.

The sun was high in the sky, but Viana sank into a deep, dreamless sleep. She slept through the entire afternoon, the first true rest she had enjoyed in months.

Other members of her team also found their moments of peace.

Rayne spent time in the palace gardens, meditating beneath a gnarled, ancient oak. Joel, surprisingly, was seen in the palace library, engrossed in a collection of old battle tactics, finding relaxation in mental challenge rather than physical stillness.

Reyes visited the training grounds, but instead of sparring, he simply sat, sharpening his blade with slow, rhythmic movements, his mind clear.

Kaley, with the immediate need for his direct processing help lessened by the increased scale of the Desert’s Embrace, sought solace in his own way. He felt a deep pull towards his temple, a need to reconnect with the quiet energies of his order.

He spoke with Viana before he left. "The plants hum with a new kind of power, Princess," he said, his eyes serene. "It is a blessing. I will return to the temple. To offer thanks, and to seek further understanding of this gift."

Viana had nodded, understanding his need for spiritual solace.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long, golden shadows across the palace grounds, Viana slowly awoke. The room was dim, quiet.

She stretched, feeling a lightness in her limbs she hadn’t known in ages. The deep sleep had worked wonders. She felt refreshed, ready to face the world again.

She pushed herself up, intending to fetch a glass of water, when her eyes caught something hovering in the air directly before her.

It was thin, translucent, shimmering with a soft, internal light. It looked like a sheet of pure, transparent paper, suspended without any visible support. It shimmered with ethereal script, glowing faintly.

Viana’s breath caught in her throat. A system message. She had not seen one since her many days.

She reached out, her fingers passing through the shimmering surface as she read.

The words, somehow impossibly clear, but much longer as it used to, appeared before her:

[Blight Containment.]

[Due to your exceptional leadership and perseverance in confronting the Blight, a significant milestone has been achieved.]

[The core threat has been identified and a viable counter-agent established, enabling widespread healing of the land.]

[As a reward for demonstrating remarkable capability and adapting to dire circumstances, all primary candidates for the harem have received a substantial increase in their current Love Percentages.]

[Rise of all candidates: +40%]

[Current Love Percentage scores:]

[* Prince Rayne of Valendale: 75%]

[* Kaley: 70%]

[* Arden: 55%]

[* Joel: 72%]

[* Eryndor: 80%]

Viana stared, her mind struggling to process the information. She had a long-held secret suspicion, that the system was some kind of test, a game, with hidden rules and quantifiable progress. And she was a player.

The numbers flickered before her eyes. Rayne, Joel, Kaley, Reyes, Arden, and then... Eryndor, the highest. A reward for her handling the blight?

She had been so focused on saving Elysia, on simply surviving, that she had forgotten this underlying layer of reality. The "game" was still in play. And her actions had consequences far beyond just the well-being of her kingdom.

A sudden chill went down her spine. The blight, Arin’s threat, Lazarus’s ambitions... were these all part of some grand design? Were her ’men of the harem’ merely ’candidates’ in this game?

The system transparent paper shimmered once more, then slowly faded, leaving her alone in the quiet room, the lingering scent of bath herbs still in the air. The feeling of relaxation she had gained from her long sleep quickly vanished, replaced by a new kind of awareness.

The fight for Elysia and her future life was not just a fight for survival, it was a challenge in a game she was only beginning to understand, which sadly she had experienced the worst of the situation in her past life.

And she had just leveled up. The percentages, she realized, were not just numbers. They were bonds, alliances, strengths she had forged in the crucible of disaster.

She rose from her bed, no longer feeling weary. She looked out the window at the twilight sky, at the faint, distant green blush returning to the land.

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