Veyra listened attentively to everything
She learned the name of the eastern territory.
The family that controlled it.
The existence of border patrols.
And, most importantly, that Aelthara was not the only kingdom in this land.
Veyra listened and filed away every piece of information she could get.
She had never assumed Aelthara was the only kingdom in this world.
That would have been ridiculous.
But knowing that other kingdoms existed and knowing where they were—or what kind of kingdoms they were—were two very different things.
They could all be Elven kingdoms.
The humans she had heard so much hatred toward might not even have a kingdom of their own.
They could be scattered across different territories.
They could even be slaves.
And there was still the possibility that Aelthara itself was isolated from the rest of the world, hidden deep within a forest or surrounded by mountains.
If that were the case, simply leaving the kingdom and reaching another one on her own could be nearly impossible.
Until now, all of that had been speculation.
But Eryndor’s words had given her something certain.
There were other kingdoms.
And at least one of them had sent people into Aelthara.
Veyra lowered her eyes for a moment.
‘So there are at least two other kingdoms near this one.’
She kept her expression blank throughout.
When the councilors spoke about territories, borders, and neighboring kingdoms, she gave no reaction.
She simply stood there, looking as though none of it particularly interested her
Eryndor continued.
“Separate them once they are captured.”
The councilor nodded.
“And the questioning?”
“You will handle it.”
The words were calm, but left little room for interpretation.
“Do not let them communicate with one another.
I don’t want their stories aligning before we’ve heard them separately.”
“Understood.”
Eryndor turned his attention to another councilor.
“Have the border patrols remain where they are.
I don’t want the seven to realize we’re moving against them.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The discussion continued.
“There’s one more matter, Your Majesty.”
Eryndor looked toward the speaker.
“The western settlements have requested additional supplies.
The harvest was smaller than expected this season.”
“How much?”
“Enough to last another month, perhaps two if they reduce their rations.”
“Send what they need.”
The councilor nodded.
“From the royal stores?”
Take it from the northern reserves.”
Another councilor spoke.
“The northern territories won’t appreciate that.”
“They don’t have to.”
Silence followed.
‘The northern territories…..’
‘Another piece of information.’
She had no idea how large Aelthara was, but judging by the way they spoke about its regions, the kingdom was far from small.
And apparently, the different territories had their own resources—and perhaps enough authority to complain when those resources were taken.
Interesting.
She kept her face completely neutral.
Eryndor’s gaze moved to the next councilor.
“Anything else?”
A man near the end of the table cleared his throat.
“There is one matter concerning the western road.”
Eryndor’s expression changed slightly.
“The road?”
“Several merchants have reported seeing unfamiliar tracks along the old route.”
Veyra’s attention sharpened for barely a second.
Tracks.
Unfamiliar ones.
After the seven scouts, that sounded unlikely to be a coincidence.
“How recent?” Eryndor asked.
“Three nights ago.”
“Did they see anyone?”
“No.”
“Then find out who left them.”
The councilor bowed.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Eryndor leaned back in his chair.
“And double the patrols along that road.”
Veyra lowered her gaze again.
Seven scouts near the eastern border.
Unfamiliar tracks along the western road.
Either Aelthara was having an unusually bad week…
Or something was happening beyond its borders.
The discussion continued, moving from one matter to another.
The longer she heared, the more she noticed the things no one seemed willing to say outright.
Whenever the subject turned to soldiers, their words became more careful.
How many could be spared.
Which territory could provide them.
How many patrols could be added without leaving another border exposed.
Even the matter of the seven scouts had revealed something.
If Aelthara had soldiers to spare, why had seven people remained inside its territory for days?
Perhaps capturing them without alerting them required more men than the council was willing to spare.
Perhaps the problem wasn’t the kingdom’s total strength, but the number of soldiers available in the right places.
Either way, something didn’t add up.
Aelthara might have a problem with numbers.
Perhaps its population was smaller than it appeared.
She couldn’t tell yet.
But she would.
Her thoughts shifted to another possibility.
If Aelthara really was weaker than it appeared, perhaps escaping wasn’t as impossible as she’d first thought.
But escaping to where?
Another kingdom?
A human kingdom, perhaps?
The thought surfaced almost immediately.
She dismissed it just as quickly.
Being human didn’t guarantee her a warm welcome.
If anything, it could mean the opposite.
The elves had made their hatred toward humans painfully clear.
There was no reason to assume humans felt any differently about elves.
And even if they didn’t consider her a spy, what would they make of her?
A human appearing alone in an unfamiliar kingdom with no explanation, no belongings, and no idea where she had come from?
She might not even get the chance to explain herself.
The thought made her pause.
What if she had appeared in front of a human king instead of Eryndor?
She stared ahead, her expression unchanged.
Perhaps she would have been killed immediately.
Perhaps she would have been kept alive only long enough to answer questions she couldn’t possibly answer.
She had no way of knowing.
And that was the unsettling part.
The fact that she was still alive might have been nothing more than luck.
Perhaps her survival had been nothing more than a matter of where she had appeared.
Veyra slowly exhaled.
She didn’t know whether Eryndor was fortunate for her or simply the lesser danger.
She wasn’t ready to decide that yet.
Her attention returned to the council.
There was another question she couldn’t ignore.
How had those seven managed to get inside Aelthara in the first place?
They had been there for days.
They had crossed the border, moved through the territory, and somehow avoided the kingdom’s patrols long enough to become a matter for the royal council.
And apparently, they weren’t the first.
If the borders were guarded, how were people getting through?
Were there gaps?
Hidden routes?
Or were the borders simply too vast to monitor completely?
Maybe the patrols were too few.
Another possibility she filed away.
Veyra kept her face blank.
She had questions.
Far too many.
But asking them would only reveal how little she knew.
Listening was safer.
More importantly, it was useful.
Every answer she needed might already be sitting somewhere in this room.
She only had to be patient enough to hear it.