The group walked steadily eastward, the road rising gently into low hills. The sun climbed higher, warming their backs. The two horses trailed behind, led by Seraphina, their hooves clopping in lazy rhythm against the packed dirt.

Lilith—still unused to the open sky, the endless horizon, the sheer space of the surface world—kept glancing at Elise and Seraphina with quiet, unabashed curiosity.

She had spent her life in darkness, confined tunnels and caverns of the dungeon. The concept of kingdoms, borders, and multi-racial societies was as foreign to her as sunlight had once been.

After a particularly long stretch of silence, she finally spoke, voice soft but clear.

"Princess Elise," she began, tilting her head slightly. "Your kingdom… Melium. What is it like?"

Elise looked over her shoulder with a small, surprised smile.

"You want to know about Melium?"

Lilith nodded once.

"I have never seen a kingdom with my own eyes."

Elise's expression softened. She adjusted her pace to walk more easily beside Lilith, Seraphina trailing close behind with the horses.

"Melium is… old. Very old. Our cities are built on layers of history—some streets still have cobblestones from the time of the First Alliance. And the people…" She paused, choosing her words carefully. "We are many races. Humans, of course. Elves in the northern forests. Dwarves in the mountain holds. Beastkin tribes in the eastern plains. Even halflings and gnomes in the merchant districts."

Lilith's crimson eyes widened just a fraction—enough to show genuine surprise.

"All living in the same kingdom?"

Elise nodded.

"Not always peacefully. Old grudges die hard. But the Crown has enforced coexistence for generations. Laws protect all citizens equally—regardless of blood. Markets are mixed. Schools teach children of every race side by side. Festivals blend traditions from a dozen cultures. It isn't perfect… but it works. Mostly."

She glanced toward Seraphina with a faint, wry smile.

"And demons?"

Seraphina answered before Elise could, voice gruff but honest.

"Very few. The wars with Asmodeus's legions left scars that haven't healed. Most demons who live in Melium are either refugees who fled the Demon Lord's rule or descendants of those who defected centuries ago. They keep to the border cities, under heavy watch. Trust is… thin."

Elise added quietly, "There are still skirmishes. Raids. Old hatreds flare up. But the law holds. A demon citizen has the same rights as a human or elf. Breaking that law brings punishment—no exceptions."

Ignis, who had been listening intently while kicking small stones along the road, suddenly perked up.

"That's why you two weren't shocked when you found out we're not human!" she exclaimed, turning to walk backward so she could face them. "You're used to seeing all kinds of people! Demons, beastkin, whatever! We're just… another weird race to you!"

Seraphina actually chuckled—a short, surprised sound.

"More or less."

Elise's smile turned a little wistful.

"Melium has always believed that strength comes from difference, not sameness. We've paid dearly for that belief—wars, betrayals, purges. But we still hold to it."

Lilith walked in silence for several steps, processing.

"Then your kingdom… allows monsters to live among you?" she asked, almost hesitantly.

"Not monsters," Elise corrected gently. "People. With rights. With names. With lives."

She looked at Lilith directly.

"And if you ever set foot in Melium… you would be people too."

Lilith's expression didn't change much—still cool, still composed—but her crimson eyes flickered with something very close to wonder.

Ignis grinned wide.

"That sounds kinda nice. Way better than 'kill it before it kills us.'"

Adam, who had been listening quietly from the front, finally spoke without turning.

"It's a nice idea. But ideas don't always survive contact with reality."

Elise nodded slowly.

"I know. That's why I'm still running. Because even in Melium… some ideas are too dangerous for certain people to accept."

She looked ahead, toward the distant haze where the border lay.

"But maybe… one day… we can change that."

The road continued to wind gently upward, the hills rolling like soft green waves under the midday sun.

Adam had been quiet for a long stretch, turning something over in his mind. Finally, he slowed his pace until he walked level with Elise and Seraphina. His voice, when he spoke, was low—almost reluctant.

"Elise. There's something I still don't understand."

She looked up at him, gray eyes curious but already bracing.

"Ask."

Adam exhaled slowly, as though the question itself carried weight.

"You said the curse passes down the royal bloodline. Every legitimate heir carries it. That means every rightful ruler of Melium has lived with this… thing inside them. Yet the kingdom still stands. Kings and queens have ruled, fought wars, raised families—all while cursed."

He paused, searching her face.

"So why risk everything—your life, Seraphina's life, an entire village—just to break it? If previous rulers managed to lead despite the curse… why can't you?"

Seraphina's reaction was immediate and fierce. She stepped forward, hand snapping to her sword hilt, voice cracking with barely-contained fury.

"That's enough!" she snarled. "You have no idea what she's carried—what she's endured. You don't get to stand there and question her sacrifice like it's some puzzle for you to solve. You don't know—"

"Sera."

Elise's voice was quiet, but it sliced through her knight's anger like cold water on fire. Seraphina stopped mid-sentence, chest heaving, eyes blazing with protective rage.

Elise reached out and gently touched Seraphina's gauntleted forearm.

"Peace," she murmured. "He's not accusing. He's asking. And he has every right to know why I'm dragging him—and you—into this."

Seraphina's jaw worked, but she stepped back, though her glare never left Adam.

Elise turned to him fully, gray eyes steady despite the tremor that passed through her voice.

"You're right," she said softly. "The curse does not stop a coronation. It weakens. It torments. It shortens life. But it does not stop a ruler from ruling. Every legitimate heir before me has worn the crown while carrying it. And every one of them had… protection."

She looked away for a moment, toward the distant horizon where the border lay hidden.

"In the deepest vaults beneath the royal palace lies the Aegis Sanctum—an ancient relic forged during the sealing of the Deathless King. It creates a field that suppresses the curse's worst effects within Melium's borders. Pain becomes bearable. Progression slows. Lifespan extends—enough to rule for decades, sometimes."

Her voice dropped lower, almost a whisper.

"But the Aegis only protects the one who wears the crown."

She closed her eyes briefly, as though the next words physically hurt.

"When I die—and the curse will kill me long before old age does—the curse will pass fully to my successor. And if that successor is one of my younger siblings…"

She opened her eyes again, and for the first time since they'd met, raw pain flickered across her composed features.

"They are not fit to rule. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. They would use the crown to crush opposition, not to lead. They would turn the Sanctum into a weapon—extend their own lives while letting the kingdom bleed. And the people… the people I swore to protect… would suffer for it."

Her voice cracked—just once, barely audible.

"I cannot allow that. Not while I still breathe. If I can break the curse before I die, the Sanctum's protection becomes unnecessary. The next ruler—legitimate or not—will inherit a throne free of this shadow. And maybe—just maybe—Melium can finally heal from centuries of poisoned succession."

Seraphina's shoulders trembled. She looked away, blinking rapidly.

Elise reached out again, squeezing her knight's arm.

"That's why I ran," she said, voice steadying. "Not just to save myself. To save the kingdom from what my siblings would become if they took the throne while still carrying the curse's full weight. To give them time to grow into something better… or to give the people a chance to choose someone else entirely."

Adam walked in silence for several steps, letting her words settle into him like stones in deep water.

"That's… heavier than I thought," he said finally, voice rougher than usual.

Elise's smile was small, sad, and very tired.

"Royalty always is."

Seraphina's voice came out thick when she spoke again.

"She's been carrying this alone for years. Every advisor who abandoned her. Every sibling who smiled while sharpening knives behind her back. Every night she woke up choking on her own blood, knowing the Aegis could ease it if she would only go home and claim the throne she was born for."

She looked at Adam—really looked at him.

"And she still chose to run. To fight. To keep breathing long enough to end it for good."

Elise laughed softly—almost self-deprecating.

"I'm not brave, Sera. I'm terrified. Every day. But fear is a poor reason to let an entire kingdom fall into the hands of people who would burn it for their own comfort."

Adam met her gaze again.

"You're not just trying to survive," he said quietly. "You're trying to make sure no one else has to live like you have."

Elise nodded once, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes—but she didn't let them fall.

"Yes."

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