***
The suddenly appearing Adivaris did not look hostile, but Palien, hiding in his forest refuge, expected inappropriate behavior from his jealous brother.
"What did you manage to find out? Why is she in love with Gedeon?" His demanding voice sounded.
"You won't scold me for my affair with her?" Palien asked warily.
"Well… I asked you to enchant her in order to find out her secret thoughts."
"Ah, yeah! It was easy to seduce her - she dreamed having the wings. Actually she is very amorous, she likes a lot of persons, so you won't be able to keep her near you."
"What? Who is amorous? Are you talking about another woman?"
"No, about Luanlia! I checked everything, her thoughts match her words," Palien assured. "She is undoubtedly polyamorous: she likes everyone who met her, Erin, the Azarens, and, of course, the King himself, but she also said that she is not able to pay attention to everyone."
"But this cannot be!" Adivaris was indignant. "Is she interested in everyone?"
Palien looked at his worried brother with concern.
"Do not worry! She loves you too."
"That's what she said?"
"Yes, you fell into her heart as soon as you kidnapped her, but Gedeon also won her over with his appearance and childish simplicity. Only you should not consider him worthless."
"What could be so special about this half-breed?" Adivaris frowned.
"It's not noticeable yet, but he inherited Lamori's gift as the King's senior successor. It was this quality that magnetized Luanlia, and she guessed it. So, nothing can be done - the young Gedeon became a sorcerer and his status rose to a high level for such an age. This is what it means to find a powerful patron: the forces themselves stick to him. I feel for you, but she won't want to leave him anytime soon, even if he falls in love with someone else. You can see how attractive such magic is: Lariel surrounded himself with princesses. Although your charisma is not weak, you have nothing to complain about."
"Who would have thought?" Adivaris was annoyed. "The boy turned out to be not so simple, but I know what to do with him."
A mischievous grin crossed his face.
"You need to be distracted by other princesses, you are too fixated on your wife and her lover," Palien advised. "It's better to make her jealous so that she appreciates you. By the way, I noticed the presence of Queen Aranxia in the city, you know her, right?"
"She is here? Well, of course, this Lariel got to her. Oh! Why did I forget about the Queen of Erhint? Very passionate! One of the few women who adores men so much. I could have visited her myself, but Lariel beat me to it. Have you met her too?"
"Many times. We even have a son. Of course, he has already grown up. Endless wanderings have fascinated me so much, I don't have enough attention for all my offerings left in the colonies," Palien shared.
"Your passion for reproduction has always surprised me," Adivaris grinned. "Diligent implementer of the Code of Prosperity."
"Oh, and you are an ulcer! But all this is in the past, now I am a hippie and enjoy the endless euphoria of being in love next to the female Essences."
"We're all here for this, only Rohen has given me a bunch of tasks and responsibilities. He values me for something and demands that I carry out instructions. Zaria, according to him, should become a new Stronghold, the abode of the Gods," Adivaris said quietly.
***
Excruciating pain and heat in her back did not allow Luanlia to sleep peacefully, and she often went into the night garden to cool down at least a little. It had never occurred to her before that growing wings would cause so much concern.
Adivaris reproached her for the wish to raise them:
"I don't understand why you need them? Avilena gets along just fine without wings. You must strive to get teleportation or levitation. There is so much fuss with these feathers, you have to clean them every day, smooth them out! There is nothing for you to do! They will grow for at least ten years. Plus learning to fly. It was only out of great envy that you decided to acquire such a burden. You would have given birth first..."
"So cut your wings, since they are not needed!" Luanlia snapped. "I like that, very romantic and beautiful. It's so great to fly. I'll endure it somehow, as Selestra survived and is now showing off."
"I'm not a healer to help you cope with this pain. You'll have to ask the King, but he knows how to caress poor things! Do you know what will happen next? The God of Love will tie you to him forever. All the princesses here, around him, tolerate each other, but no one goes anywhere, and others will come to live in the palace closer to him."