“Some farewells are for forever. Others are only until you meet again a week later.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

Imperial Palace

Imperial City Sabaya

Central Elmaiya, Western Ur-Teros

1st day of the 3rd week of the 2nd Month, year 316 VA

“Here you go, I don’t think lil’ Oleg would recognize you since he was born while you’re away in Alcidea and the last of the family who might still remember you is like his grandfather, so some introduction should do well,” said Lucea as she handed Aideen a sealed letter for her to pass on to the current Erstgertsog of the Western Region, Oleg Veros, who was technically her own great grandnephew by marriage.

“Thanks, this ought to come in handy,” said Aideen as she packed the letter into her storage ring. By that point she and Celia had stayed for over a month in Sabaya, as they enjoyed Lucea’s freely offered hospitality. It was quite an enjoyable stay, but eventually the two decided to continue on with their travels, though they also planned to visit Sabaya once more on the way back.

One thing the two learned that Aideen hadn’t expected was how Luca had long stopped making any pretense about her relationship with Tesruq since nearly a century ago. In the past, when she was still a young Empress and the Empire was not completely stable yet, the two had pretended to be a loving married couple, at least when in public.

In truth, both of them were mostly attracted to their own gender, though they managed to sire four children between them. The two kept playing the role of the Empress and her consort in public for a while, whereas in private the two each had their own harem of lovers. They kept a friendly relationship throughout, though, probably one reason Tesruq remained at his position and title even after they stopped pretending.

The main reason they both stopped pretending was because the Empire had stabilized over time, and by then the four children – heirs to the Imperial throne – had proven themselves healthy and talented youths, which meant that the succession was relatively secure. Some people were surprised when the two stopped pretending, though most nobles and ministers already knew of the relationship between the two.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

As Lucea grew older she had actually also outlived many of her lovers, and the only one who remained by her side to the present day was Adelheid, who was both younger and also relatively long-lived due to her elvish heritage. The two were practically attached by the hip and was rarely seen apart, though that was not too strange to begin with given that Adelheid was the most trusted of Lucea’s personal guard.

It was also fortunate that Lucea and Tesruq’s children had none of the excessive ambition that so often plagued royalty, where siblings would fight and even kill each other in order to win the throne for themselves. Instead, their four children each chose a role for themselves, the younger three actively looking forward to support their eldest brother who was named Crown Prince and heir to the throne.

“Even if Oleg’s grandfather doesn't remember you, which I wouldn’t blame the old fart for, given that he was a toddler when he saw you back then, the letter should take care of all the formalities,” said Lucea with a smirk on her face. The grandfather of Oleg Veros – a grandchild of Artair’s oldest brother – was mostly known for his unusual longevity, as the old man was still healthy even at a hundred and eight years of age, which was rather unprecedented for a therian of his breed.

“Right, thanks, and sorry for the trouble,” noted Aideen with a smile as she gave Lucea another warm embrace before they parted.

“It’s no trouble at all, and don’t forget to visit again on your way back!” said Lucea as her family – including her eldest son who had already returned from his duties – gathered to bid farewell to Aideen and Celia. It was a fond exchange of goodbyes, one between people who knew they would see each other again before too long.

Aideen and Celia left the Imperial palace later that morning, headed out of the city from its western gate as their next destination was the western region. Aideen considered taking the naval route at first, but after Lucea’s eldest son returned and made his report, she grew curious about the strange crime they mentioned, that remained unsolved.

The odd crime was the disappearance of young women of a specific therian breed, which it turned out had been happening for the past three decades, once they checked past records. The first couple of disappearances happened roughly twenty-four years ago, then nothing until it happened again a little over ten years ago, with the victims disappearing as if into thin air.

Over the past decade, there had been twenty-five such disappearances, all of which happened to young women under the age of thirty who all happened to belong to the same breed of therians, so it was definitely a targeted case rather than a random one. Nobody had yet to gain an inkling on how the disappearances happened, or on who the culprit might be, which was a curious thing.

Aideen found her curiosity stimulated by the case and since the town where they happened happened to be along the way – it was part of a barony next to the western region ruled by the Veros household – to their destination if they were to take the land route, she figured that she might as well pay a visit and see if she can find anything out.

As such, she and Celia headed westwards, on foot. It would be a long journey, one that would take them months of walking, but that was also part of Aideen’s intention, as she wanted to show Celia more of the Empire while they were there as well. The two headed west relaxedly even as they passed other travelers or were in turn passed over by carriages along the road.