Chapter 64 (1/2)

Tafel sighed as she walked through the carpeted hallway of the royal castle. Yelling and bickering ensued the moment the castle doors closed behind her, with many voices high-pitched in disbelief. The nobles had been expecting a long drawn-out struggle that would eventually lead to Gabel’s victory as a rightful heir to the throne. Guess I showed them, Tafel thought as she smiled.

“Tafel.”

Tafel froze and turned her head towards a closed door. She pushed it open and frowned. “Mother,” she said, keeping her head level. “It’s been a while.”

Mina sighed. “I saw your match, if you could even call it that,” she said. “You’ve gotten strong, stronger than I ever was. I’m proud of you.”

Tafel creased her brow. She found that she didn’t know what to do with her arms as she fidgeted and shifted her weight between her feet. “Thank you?” she asked as she scratched her head. “Hm. I was actually expecting you to yell at me for running away all those years ago.”

One side of Mina’s mouth quirked upwards as she rose from her seat next to the window. “I didn’t pray for your safety every night just so I could yell at you when you returned,” she said as she put her arms around Tafel. “Will you forgive me?”

Tafel stiffened and attempted to pull away, but stopped when she felt the trembling of her mother’s body. “I-, I don’t know,” Tafel said as she stood in her mother’s embrace. “I know that you were trying to protect me from Father, since he turned out to be crazy and all, but it still… hurt.”

“I know, Tafel. I’m sorry,” Mina said, her voice trembling. She released her daughter and held her by her shoulders at arm’s length.

Tafel stared into her mother’s eyes and bit her lip. “I guess we can try again,” Tafel said after a pause, “but not as mother and daughter. This time, we’re equals.”

Mina let out a sigh. “I think I could live with that,” she said and smiled. ”You're more than qualified to be my equal.”

Metal clanking noises echoed through the hall. “Excuse me, my lady,” Retter said as he stopped in front of the doorway. “The nobles outside wish to present gifts to the new demon lord.”

Tafel frowned. “That was quick,” she said as she broke away from Mina.

“I suspect that these gifts were prepared for Gabel once he succeeded in taking the throne,” Retter said with his head lowered.

Tafel nodded. “I’ll receive them in the throne room,” she said and turned to Mina. “Do you want to come too?”

“I’d love to,” Mina said as she took Tafel’s hand. “Chances are my new son-in-law will be from those pool of nobles.”

Tafel snorted. “Fat chance,” she said. “There’s only one person who I’ve found interesting, everyone else is too boring.”

“I guess the bar is set pretty high when the first boy you’ve ever been friends with had dragons for parents,” Mina said and shook her head.

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The crowd of humans stared at the arena with their mouths gaping. Vur and Lillian stood in the center of the arena, with everyone else collapsed on the arena floor or sprawled out in the grassy fields surrounding the circular stone slab.

One person on the floor in front of Vur coughed up a mouthful of blood. “What kind of black mage is that? He didn’t even cast any spells,” he said through gasps. “He should be fighting in the warrior bracket.”