Blood Elf Monarch

Today was going to be a joyful day for both Tristan and Arcadia as a whole. On this eventful day, they were going to have two consecutive events; the marriage between Tristan and the Dark Elf Princess Illiana and his coronation as the King of Arcadia.

Elves generally do not like being in crowded places, so it was already decided that the wedding ceremony was going to be held in the palace this morning.

Fortunately, ample preparations were already made the day before, so they did not have to go through too much and could quickly proceed to the wedding ceremony. After both the bride and the groom were done with their preparations, they quickly proceeded to be on their way to the site of the wedding ceremony.

As the bride and groom, Illiana and Tristan walked side-by-side until they arrived in front of the entrance of the grand hall. The closer they walked to the door, the clearer they could hear the melody from inside the hall. When the door was opened and the two entered, they were greeted by the sight of esteemed guests on each side of the hall.

All the important figures in Prontea were present; from humans, Dark Elves, Wood Elves, High Elves, and even the orcs closer to the door at the back. Step by step, the two walked closer to the altar accompanied by the music. At the moment, it felt as if the two were the center of the world. The gaze of everyone present was on them.

Everyone, including Serene.

As soon as the two stood in front of the Arcadian priest, the priest began speaking to start the wedding ceremony. However, Serene could not hear any of the words. Her complete attention was on the pair of bride and groom in front of her. As someone close to the groom, she got the privilege of being in the front row. But this did not make her feel any better. Instead, the smiles of the two in front of her looked so clear.

It was suffocating.

She silently took a deep breath while clenching her other hand in front of her to calm down. She wanted to look away from the smiling pair in front of her, but her eyes were firmly stuck to them. The longer she looked at them, the more her reluctance bubbled. She felt as if it was going to explode anytime.

The night before, she thought that she would be fine by this day, but she obviously did not feel any better. She clenched her hand even tighter.

'It's for the peace of the kingdom.'

As if hypnotizing herself, Serene repeatedly chanted inside with her eyes closed. Gradually, her heart began to calm down, and her mouth even curved into a faint smile.

Right.

When she opened her eyes, the wedding ceremony had just ended. She felt as if she just missed something important, but it was probably for the best. She did not have to see anything she did not want to see.

She unconsciously breathed out a sigh of relief.

…

p Outside the palace, tens of thousands were already waiting to witness the coronation of their new king. With the wedding ceremony over, the coronation was next on the list. As Tristan prepared himself to greet the citizens outside the palace balcony with Serene and Illiana on each side, Tobias was opening the coronation with a few words to the citizens.

The two women next to him were also preparing themselves to walk with him when it was time, but Tristan noticed something off. At a corner in the VIP rows, a girl was smiling bitterly.

It was Layla, his little sister.

Ignoring the eyes on him, Tristan quickly walked toward her. Even Layla was slightly taken aback when she saw her brother walking toward her.

"What happened?" Tristan asked as soon as he was in front of her.

Layla pursed her lips. It was clear that she was reluctant, and even she herself was aware of this. However, when she looked at her brother's worried expression, she could not help but speak.

"Brother, a lot of things have been going on, and I'm happy for you, but…" she looked down, "It's as if I don't recognize you anymore."

Her small voice trembled as she spoke.

Hearing her worry, Tristan held her hands. With a warm smile, he reassured, "Layla. I'm still me, and no matter what happens, I'll always be me. I promised to protect you, remember? It's us against the world."

Tears flowed from Layla's eyes when she heard those words. When Tristan was still silently comforting her, Tobias announced his name, signaling that it was time for him to greet the citizens outside. However, Tristan acted as if he did not hear him. With one hand still holding Layla's hands, Tristan used his other hand to stroke her hair.

Meanwhile in the distance, although Serene could not hear what they were talking about, she still felt bad for the little girl. At the same time, she could not help but look at Tristan, who was gently comforting her.

Looking at the scene, she unconsciously compared it to the scene that had been in her mind for a while, his smile in the wedding ceremony with Illiana.

'It's different.'

The look on his eyes was different. His attitude toward Layla and his attitude toward Illiana was also different.

When she thought of this, she realized something. She did not want Tristan to treat her the same way he treated Illiana. She wanted him to treat her the same way he treated Layla. Realizing this, the sour feeling in her heart disappeared.

After consoling Layla for a bit longer, Tristan finally walked toward the balcony and the two women on standby followed. As soon as the three all stood on the balcony, Tristan greeted the citizens below.

"Arcadia, I am Tristan, your new king! The wood elves at the west, the orcs of the south and the dark elves of the north are now one! Are all Arcadia! Rest assured as from now on, as my people, you are all under my care! Bow before the Monarch and we shall conquer all our enemies!"

The citizens fervently cheered when they heard those words. Serene and Illiana also brightly smiled while they looked at the cheering citizens, but Tristan  startled as soon as he finished speaking.

Those words he just said, he can somehow feel it was not himself, it was the words that came but from the monarch's memories. This made him think of Layla's words.

His heart shook. At this point, how much of himself was actually him?