The Princess' Harem
Chapter 82: Morning’s Resolve

Chapter 82: Morning’s Resolve

A cold dread spread through her, deeper than any she had felt before. The strength that had sustained her through her solitary studies, the resolve forged in the fire of her past life’s regrets, wavered.

She was a princess, yes, but also a girl who had once known the fear of a starving populace, the chaos of a kingdom under siege. She remembered the helpless faces, the desperate pleas, the cold indifference of those who held power.

And now, she held that knowledge alone.

The weight of it, the terrible certainty of what was to come, became too much. A single tear tracked a path down her cheek, cold against her skin.

Then another, and another, until her vision blurred. She slowly sank into the chair, her shoulders shaking.

The maps blurred before her, the carefully plotted battle lines unraveling into meaningless streaks. A sharp, broken sob escaped her, raw and uncontrollable.

She pressed her hands against her eyes, forcing back the cry that threatened to escape, the fury clawing at her chest. But there was no one to witness, no one to answer.

Only the silent portraits watched from the walls, their gazes fixed, unchanging. And in her heart, the cold weight of certainty refused to yield.

She cried for Elysia, for the suffering that would come again, for the people she was bound to protect, and for the weight of knowing what lay ahead. The tears fell—silent, unchecked—a fleeting escape from the pressure threatening to consume her.

She wept until the weight of sorrow had drained her, leaving only a dull ache behind her eyes. Her hand trembled as she lowered it from her face, her red-rimmed eyes still raw with pain, but now carrying the first spark of hardened resolve.

The tears had changed nothing, but they had stripped something away. The battle loomed, and she carried the weight of knowing—alone.

***

Morning light, pale and weak, seeped through the library windows, casting long, stark shadows across the room. Viana rose from her chair. Her movements were stiff, her muscles protesting the night spent hunched over maps and sorrow.

She walked to a mirror, her reflection showing a pale face, eyes that still held a lingering puffiness and a faint, raw redness. Traces of her cries were clearly visible.

She splashed cool water on her face, trying to erase the evidence, but the ache behind her eyes remained.

At breakfast, Sina, her lady-in-waiting, eyed her with overt concern. Reyes, always observant, studied her from his usual position near the door.

Even Joel, usually engrossed in his food, paused to glance at her. The usual sharp precision in Viana’s movements was dulled.

Her answers to their polite inquiries were brief, clipped. She avoided eye contact, focusing on her plate with an intensity that signaled a deliberate distance.

Sina finally spoke, her voice soft. "Princess, you look... weary. Did you rest well?"

Viana cut a piece of fruit, her knife against the plate making a sharp sound. "Well enough, Sina. There is much to consider." Her tone was final.

Sina tried again, her brow furrowed. "Perhaps a walk in the garden? Or some time in the sun? Your studies often demand too much of you."

Viana looked up, her gaze meeting Sina’s briefly, but it was a look that conveyed a polite but firm barrier. "The demands are necessary, Sina. I assure you."

Her voice, though low, carried an undeniable authority that brooked no further questions. Sina, understanding the unspoken refusal, finally sighed and turned her attention to her own meal, a quiet resignation in her posture.

Reyes and Joel exchanged subtle, unreadable glances, their own questions unspoken.

Later, in her private study, the weariness that had marked her morning was replaced by a sharp, focused energy. She unrolled a fresh, large map of Elysia across her heavy oak table.

Her fingers moved with newfound purpose, drawing precise circles and lines. Her memories, combined with Eryndor’s details, guided her hand.

She marked the northern farming valleys, the eastern riverbeds, and the western tributaries—the areas where the blight had been sown. Each mark was a pinpoint of vulnerability, a silent wound upon her kingdom.

She sent for Joel and Reyes. They arrived quickly, their faces showing their usual deference, though a hint of curiosity lingered in their eyes from the morning’s distant interaction.

Viana did not waste time with pleasantries. She gestured to the map.

"Joel," she began, her voice clear and steady, devoid of any lingering weakness. "I require your unique talents. There are men, unknown to us, who have been spreading a substance across key regions of Elysia. It is subtle, and its purpose is malicious. I need you to find them. Identify them. Learn their methods, their numbers, their masters."

Joel’s casual demeanor shifted. His eyes, usually relaxed, sharpened as he looked at the marked map. An unusual mission, outside the scope of typical mercenary work.

"A poisoning of the land?" he asked, his voice low, understanding the gravity.

"Precisely," Viana affirmed. "Extreme discretion is paramount. No overt action, no suspicion raised. You and your best scouts are to move silently, like shadows. Confirm my information, then report back."

Her gaze was unwavering. Joel nodded, his expression now fully serious. "It will be done, Princess."

She then turned to Reyes. Her voice softened slightly, but the urgency remained. "Reyes, the kingdom will face another threat, very soon. Prince Arin will march."

Reyes’s controlled expression did not flicker, but his body subtly stiffened at the mention of the rival prince. "I need you to ensure our forces are ready. Secretly. Without alarming the court or revealing our intelligence."

Reyes’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Preparing an army discreetly was a difficult task. "Princess, a full mobilization cannot be hidden for long."

"Not a full mobilization," Viana corrected, her voice firm. "Strategic readiness. Inventory of supplies. Training regimens. Reinforcing key defensive positions, under the guise of routine maintenance. Ensure our outposts are alert. Identify our strongest commanders, our most reliable units. Prepare them for rapid deployment, without giving cause for public alarm or drawing Arin’s premature attention. We must be able to react, not announce."

Her words were precise, betraying a depth of military foresight that surprised even Reyes.

Reyes held her gaze, a flicker of something akin to awe mixed with concern in his eyes. He executed a crisp, silent bow. "As you command, Princess."

Viana looked between the two men, her most trusted, but still, men who only saw pieces of the looming storm. She had given them tasks that carried the kingdom’s fate, yet she could not give them the full truth.

The burden of knowing, and of guarding that knowledge, settled back upon her shoulders.