The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 197: A Disappointment...?

"I’m not really sure. I haven’t seen the little snow ever since we returned. I know that it’s still here somewhere in the castle but it hadn’t appeared in front of me all these days." She stated while chewing on her lower lip as she got lost in her thoughts.

A small smile appeared on Kenric’s lips as he placed both his hands on her shoulders and made her turn to face him as he spoke in a calming voice, "Little Bird, have you forgotten that you are little snow’s master? You don’t have to wait for it to appear in front of you to meet it, you can give it a command and it will appear right in front of you."

Annalise was once again left a little surprised as she recalled that she had completely forgotten about that particular part of her relationship with the little snow lion. Letting out a small sigh, she pulled away from Kenric and moved to take a seat on one of the couches placed near the huge window that was looking down at the backyard that was starting to get affected by the season of autumn that was already knocking on their doors.

The vines covering the entire castle had also started turning dark red and dull yellow along with the moss. The weather had started cooling down a little bit compared to the hot summer and this beautiful change in the environment had caused little animals to finally come out of their hidings and play in the clearings.

Annalise often noticed squirrels, pigeons, sparrows, raccoons, and some other beautiful birds playing around or taking a rest in the garden or backyard of the castle. Their presence in the castle had only made the place more lively these days and she loved seeing them playing around during her evening tea with her guests and the dark lords.

"Now even a little lion cub is teasing me. How come I end up like this?" Her tone was soft and light as she spoke while her eyes fixed on the outside view and a small smile was playing on her full lips.

The soft breeze blowing outside made her hair flutter lightly which left her face and neck on full display. She was dressed beautifully and elegantly, emitting the aura of the noble lady that she was but also the aura of her real identity that even she was still unknown about.

Kenric was almost spellbound by the breathtaking view of his wife and soulmate as he moved to take the seat opposite her. No matter how much he loved being by her side all the time, touching her, keeping her in his arms, and pampering her with his kisses, he wanted to enjoy a couple of moments by just looking at her exquisite beauty that almost left him hypnotized and tempted to get even more closer to her if that was even possible.

"Everyone you meet in your life is there to teach you something valuable, no matter how small or big they are. Just take this incident as a life lesson. You can’t just put your full trust in anyone just because you think they won’t lie to you based on a simple link and this statement includes even the three of us." He spoke each word with as much sincerity as he could muster and after looking at Annalise’s expression, he could tell that she understood exactly what he wanted to tell her.

"Only put your trust in those who have worked hard to earn it. The day you feel like your little familiar had earned your trust, you can trust it with your eyes closed. But I don’t think that day is today, Little Bird. Maybe little snow’s intentions aren’t bad but there’s definitely something that it is hiding from you. Make sure to find out what that secret is."

"I agree with Lord Kenric." It was Elijah, Crown Prince of the Mortal Realm, who spoke while making his way toward the couches where Annalise and Kenric were sitting. He was carrying a bunch of old scrolls in his arms and he dumped all of them on the small wooden table before taking a seat next to Kenric.

"Forbid me if I’m crossing any link here but I too think that your familiar has been lying to you about the spell thing. I may not be a supernatural but I still have taken magic lessons to understand the rest of the realms and empires to become a good King when my time will come. And throughout the years of unlimited study that I was forced to do, I have never ever heard about a Master using any sort of spell to get the memories of their familiar from the time before they became its master."

Annalise listened silently and the more she heard, the more sure she became about tge fact that she had been played by the little snow lion. She won’t be letting it off so easily once she would finally gets to confront it.

"If you knew about it, why did you not say anything all these days while we all were looking for that spell?" Annalise asked the Crown Prince curiously while she made sure that her voice won’t sound accusing to him.

"How could I? Not only I’m not a part of supernatural races, but every single one of you was searching for that spell. When even Lord Valerius didn’t say anything about the issue and even helped us, I got even more doubtful about my theory and just decided to remain silent instead of making a nice joke out of myself in front of people who know more about these spells and things."

Elijah seemed really embarrassed as he confessed in response to Annalise’s question. It was no longer a doubt that he really looked up to everyone present in the castle but was too used to playing his own strengths down.

"Aww, you really have no idea of your actual worth. Do you? What a disappointment you are, Your Highness!" Leela asked with a surprised but humorous look on her young and beautiful face as she came to sit on the armrest of the couch on which Annalise was currently sitting.

Crown Prince Elijah seemed slightly baffled by the mer girl’s words but he didn’t say anything in response and just sat there with his eyes now fixed on the scrolls that he previously dumped on the table.

"Leela..." Annalise slightly poked the girl in the latter’s elbow when she noticed the clear look of embarrassment on Elijah’s face. The young man was already a closed sprout and such words won’t do much to help him, or at least that was what she thought.

"Mind your words, Lady Leela. You might be the disciple of the Mer Queen but Crown Prince Elijah is the direct heir to the throne of the entire Mortal Realm." Ezra was immediately there to reprimand Leela when he noticed her misbehaving.

"Everyone, it’s alright..." Elijah tried to interfere when he noticed the situation getting serious but his words were barely heard as Leela was already on her feet as she responded in a powerful voice that ranged through the high shelves placed all around the library.

"Exactly my point! This man over here..." She spoke while pointing at Elijah who almost disappeared into the couch as he tried to appear as small as possible when everyone’s attention was suddenly on him.

"... he’s the Crown Prince of the entire Mortal Realm, the direct heir to the throne, and the next King of the entire mortal race. He just confessed that he has spent his entire life studying the four realms, our history, our geography, and also about our magic. While it’s true that he may not know the deep secrets of our races but he still knows enough." Leela continued once she had everyone’s attention, especially Elijah’s who was looking at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

She didn’t stop there and continued, "During this past week, we all have seen how good he is with words, he knows perfectly how to portray things in their strongest feat. He got a really good memory. He’s a badass sword master and could even give competition to Ezra in archery. He knows politics, good at handling heavy situations, good at communication, good at making choices, and is even a great leader when it comes to his people."

The library was filled with deep silence as Leela stopped for a second to catch her breath before she finished, "Then tell me, why does such a great young man have no confidence in himself?"