Chapter 408:Coming back slowly.
Atheline stared at her.
"And while he was married to me, he decided he was in love with Yander."
Atheline’s eyes widened.
"Yander?"
Lilith continued, unaware of Atheline’s reaction.
"If my supposed husband decided that being married to me was less important than falling in love with the Dark Elven Saintess, then the marriage was useless."
Simion’s expression tightened.
"That still didn’t justify killing him."
"I didn’t ask for justification."
"You executed a member of the High Elven nobel family."
"He wasn’t innocent."
"The High Elves didn’t see it that way."
"Of course they didn’t." Lilith’s smile contained no warmth. "They never do when it’s one of their own."
Simion exhaled slowly.
"The marriage was supposed to stabilize relations between our kingdoms. His death destroyed years of diplomacy."
"The marriage was already destroyed."
"Politically, it still mattered."
"Politically." Lilith repeated the word as though it disgusted her. "Perhaps that’s the problem. Everyone cared more about what the marriage represented than what was actually happening inside it."
Atheline remained silent. Something was wrong, not merely with what he was seeing but with the people involved.
He knew pieces of what was happening but now he was witnessing the continion of what the System had shown him.
His memories of the original story were no longer perfectly clear. Too much had happened since his arrival in this world, and reality had diverged so dramatically from the book that he rarely compared every event against the original plot anymore.
But he remembered enough. The relationships that were supposed to form and the people who were supposed to hate Lilith.
Atheline stared at her.
"Is this..."
He stopped himself.
Simion was still speaking.
"The High Elves didn’t mobilize because of one event."
"No."
Lilith nodded.
"They waited."
Her expression changed.
"They always wait until there’s an excuse."
"Lilith."
"But perhaps I should thank them."
Simion frowned.
"For what?"
"For finally showing me that alliances mean nothing." She turned toward the throne. "Agreements mean nothing. Marriages mean nothing. History means nothing. Apparently even facts mean nothing."
Her gaze moved toward the broken windows.
"People believe whatever makes their fear easier to understand."
Simion watched her carefully.
"Lilith, you’re angry."
"Yes."
"You’re grieving."
Something changed in her expression. The room became noticeably colder.
Atheline saw Zelpher look away. Simion realized he’d touched something far deeper than the failed marriage.
He hesitated, then continued anyway.
"And you’re allowing that grief to make decisions for you."
Lilith slowly turned toward him.
"You shouldn’t have said that."
"I’m your councillor."
"Then advise me about the war."
"I am."
"No. You’re trying to convince me that people who have already taken everything from me deserve another opportunity."
Simion’s expression softened.
"Lilith..."
She stared at him, then she said something that made Atheline’s entire body go cold.
"They killed Atheline."
Atheline stopped breathing.
’What in the world is happening?’
For several seconds, he couldn’t process the sentence.
Lilith’s eyes had changed. The fury remained but underneath it was pain, raw enough that even after however much time had passed, merely saying his name seemed to tear something open again.
"They killed Atheline for associating with me."
Atheline stared at her. Simion closed his eyes.
"Lilith..."
"No."
"That isn’t what happened."
"He died."
"I know."
"Because of me."
"No." Simion stepped toward her. "The poison wasn’t meant for him."
Lilith laughed bitterly.
"Does that make him less dead?"
"No."
"The poison was meant for me."
"We believe it was."
"And he drank it."
"By accident."
"Exactly."
Lilith struck the table with her fist.
The wood cracked.
"The poison was meant for me, and he died because he happened to be standing close enough to me to receive it instead!"
Atheline instinctively looked down at himself. He tried to remember, nothing like that had happened in his life, well except for the time he had poisoned himself.
Simion’s voice softened.
"We don’t even know who did it."
"Someone did."
"Yes."
"Someone wanted me dead."
"Probably."
"And Atheline died instead."
"Yes."
Lilith stared at him.
"Then stop calling it an accident."
Simion shook his head.
"I’m saying his death was accidental. I’m not saying the poisoning was."
"That’s a distinction that matters only to someone who didn’t bury him."
The room fell silent again.
Atheline couldn’t take his eyes off her. He had never seen Lilith like this. Even when she was furious, even when she threatened enemies or faced betrayal, there was always something grounding her.
Sometimes it was him, sometimes her responsibility as Queen and sometimes simply her own pride. This Lilith had lost those anchors one by one.
Simion looked toward the floor.
"We investigated."
"And found nothing."
"We found evidence."
"Not the killer."
"No."
"Then you found nothing."
"We couldn’t accuse another kingdom without proof."
Lilith smiled.
"There it is again."
"What?"
"Proof." She gestured toward the world beyond the broken windows. "They don’t need proof to accuse us of causing the corruption."
Simion said nothing.
"They don’t need proof to gather armies around our borders."
Still nothing.
"They don’t need proof to call me the next Harbinger of Death."
Her voice became quieter.
"But when someone poisons Atheline, suddenly we need absolute proof before we’re allowed to blame anyone."
"That’s not the same."
"Of course it is."
"No." Simion’s voice became firmer. "If we accuse the wrong kingdom, thousands die."
Lilith stared at him.
"And how many have already died because we kept waiting?"
Simion couldn’t answer immediately.
Lilith continued.
"And it wasn’t only him."
Atheline felt something tighten in his chest. Simion looked toward her.
"Lilith."
"Tell them."
Nobody spoke.
Lilith’s eyes remained fixed on Simion.
"Tell them what happened afterward."
Zelpher lowered his head. Simion’s face tightened.
"Lilith, everyone in this room knows."
"Then say it."
Silence.
"Say it."
Simion finally spoke.
"His family was killed."
Atheline’s blood ran cold. For a moment, images of them flashed through his mind exactly as he’d last seen them.
Alive.
His father managing the border, his mother summoned to the Temple of the God of Light and helther here on Dragonic Island.
Atheline looked toward Lilith.
"All of them?"
His voice couldn’t reach her. Lilith answered the question anyway.
"Right after him."
Simion nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And what did everyone say?"
Simion didn’t respond. Lilith smiled bitterly.
"The blame fell on Atheline."
Atheline frowned.
"What?"
Lilith walked slowly around the table.
"They said his actions caused it."
Simion rubbed his forehead.
"Some people believed his association with you had dragged his family into the conflict."
"Association."
Lilith repeated the word.
"He was my friend."
Atheline’s eyes widened slightly.
Friend.
That distinction struck him immediately. The High Elf Lilith had married earlier the husband from the original story.
Atheline’s thoughts began moving rapidly. As he started to piece things together, it was clear that after Elydrahs death, the High Elf alliance collapsed.
Separately, Atheline had apparently remained close to Lilith, then someone attempted to poison Lilith but he had consumed the poison instead. He died, and afterward his family was killed.
Atheline slowly stepped away from the table as pieces were beginning to fit together.
Simion continued speaking.
"We never proved that his family was targeted because of him."
Lilith’s eyes flashed.
"They died immediately after he did."
"That isn’t proof."
"Their estate was attacked."
"We know."
"His parents were killed."
"Yes."
"His brother."
Simion’s expression tightened.
"Yes."
"And afterward everyone decided it was somehow his fault because he had associated with the terrible Dark Elf Queen."
"No one in this room believes that."
"I’m not talking about this room!"
Darkness exploded outward. Several maps flew from the table and the remaining councillors stepped back.
Lilith’s breathing became heavier.
"The world blamed him even after he was dead."
Her voice cracked slightly.
Atheline had never heard that from her but she quickly controlled it.
"They said he should have stayed away from me."
Simion remained silent.
"They said his family would still be alive if he hadn’t involved himself with Dark Elves."
"Lilith..."
"They blamed a dead man for his own murder." She laughed bitterly. "And now those same people expect me to stand here while they gather armies outside my kingdom and hope they eventually decide not to kill us."
Simion stepped closer.
"I’m not asking you to forgive them."
"Good."
"I’m asking you not to condemn everyone because of what some people did."
Lilith looked directly at him.
"How many?"
"What?"
"How many have to do it before I’m allowed to stop calling them ’some people’?"
Simion fell silent.
"One kingdom?" Lilith asked. "Two?"
She gestured toward the maps.
"Three?"
No answer.
"Every species?" Her voice became colder. "Tell me the number, Simion."
He couldn’t.
Lilith nodded.
"Exactly." She walked back toward her throne. "If they want war, then they can have one."
Several councillors immediately began speaking.
"Your Majesty..."
"We should reconsider..."
"Our forces..."
Lilith turned. Everyone stopped.
"I’m finished waiting for people who have already decided we’re monsters."
Simion looked exhausted.
"And if you’re wrong?"
Lilith stared at him.
"If I’m wrong, then they have every opportunity to turn their armies around."
"And if they don’t?"
Lilith’s expression became frighteningly calm.
"Then I’ll give them the monster they’ve spent so long insisting I am."