ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!
Chapter 317: Hope in the Darkness ( 317 )

Chapter 317: Hope in the Darkness ( 317 )

Meanwhile, in the Beastkin Kingdom — Royal Palace

Deep within the royal chambers, King Lioness III sat in silence, the heavy air weighing down the room.

Queen Meira stood nearby, arms crossed, brows furrowed, not as queen, but as a mother.

Around them sat Ellyna’s elder brothers, each tense and grim, their sharp eyes fixed on the center of the chamber.

Then...

The doors opened with urgency. A royal officer rushed in and dropped to one knee, his armor clinking as he bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty!"

King Lioness looked down from his seat, his voice low but edged. "Speak."

The officer kept his head down, breath quick.

"Your Majesty... the envoy of the Halfling Kingdom—the one responsible for the teleportation that displaced Princess Ellyna..."

The King’s eyes sharpened. "What about him?"

The officer hesitated only a moment. "Found dead. In his cell."

A murmur passed through the chamber.

King Lioness’s jaw tightened. "What of the rest of the envoy?"

"They are unharmed," the officer said quickly. "All accounted for. Except... the one who performed the ritual."

Queen Meira’s fingers curled tightly.

One of the elder brothers rose to his feet. "Are you saying someone silenced him?"

"We don’t yet know, Your Highness," the officer said. "But his death was not natural. He was restrained. There were no wounds. No trace of poison. The court mages are investigating."

King Lioness stood slowly.

"Begin a formal inquiry," he said. "Discreetly."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And send a message to all our ambassadors in every nation—human, elven, halfling, dwarven, and the others. I want eyes everywhere."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The officer bowed low again and quickly left the chamber.

Silence fell again.

Then Queen Meira finally spoke, her voice soft but firm. "They’re trying to erase the evidence."

The King nodded. "Which means... our daughter is still alive."

A heavy silence followed, broken only by the low creak of leather as one of the royal guards shifted his stance.

King Lioness turned to his advisor, voice firm but composed.

"Any news from the Halfling King?"

The advisor stepped forward and bowed slightly. "They’ve sent a formal apology, Your Majesty. On paper, they’ve acknowledged the incident as a regrettable failure... and left all judgment regarding the envoy to your wisdom."

A few of the brothers scoffed under their breath.

Cowards, each one of them knew.

King Lioness’s eyes narrowed, but his voice remained steady.

"Make sure our special unit looks into them thoroughly. Especially her."

The advisor bowed deeper. "Already done, my liege. I’ve sent word ahead. She’s been informed and is already moving."

The chamber grew colder.

No name was spoken.

No title needed.

But every son in the room, every royal aide, every general felt a subtle ripple pass through the air at that single word.

King Lioness’s gaze lingered on the doorway for a long moment, then he turned toward Meira.

"...Where is Faria?"

Queen Meira’s eyes lowered slightly. "After the incident, she panicked. The moment the envoy was secured, she rushed to her command post and immediately mobilized."

"She’s moving with her personal royal knight unit," she added softly.

The King leaned back in his seat with a quiet exhale.

"Mm... can’t blame her."

He looked toward one of the stained glass windows, depicting ancient beastkin warriors raising banners under the sun.

"She’s been with Ellyna since the cradle," he murmured. "That girl followed her everywhere. Watched over everything. Even when Ellyna was just learning to walk."

A pause.

"She might be the strongest royal knight we’ve ever had... but when it comes to Ellyna, she moves more like a sister than a soldier."

Meira’s eyes softened. "That’s exactly why I let her stay by Ellyna’s side."

King Lioness sighed, his fingers brushing against the armrest of his throne.

"This has happened twice now..." he murmured. "The first attempt failed—when Ellyna’s pinky promise fiancé saved her. And even then... we still haven’t seen him face to face."

Queen Meira glanced at him gently. "Dear... that’s because Ellyna doesn’t want him to meet us."

She gave a small, wistful smile. "Remember? She said she doesn’t want her fiancé to know she’s royalty. She wants to be treated like a normal girl."

There was a pause before she added, "I did meet him once, though. Briefly."

The King turned to her. "You did?"

She nodded. "He’s... well, he’s handsome. But quiet. A little lost, I think. But I could see something in him. He wasn’t pretending to care about her—he really did."

King Lioness leaned forward slightly, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"Yeah... I know."

He looked back toward the far window.

"But now Ellyna is gone. We don’t even know where she was teleported to. Even if she’s trained and strong, she’s still alone. And without knowing her location... it becomes a real problem."

His voice dropped lower.

"She’s not just our daughter. She’s the future of this kingdom. And if word spreads..."

Queen Meira stepped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"...Let’s just hope," she said softly, "for a miracle."

King Lioness’s voice softened, almost to a whisper.

"...I really hope—a miracle happens."

He looked down at his hands.

"I really do hope... somehow, she was saved. And if she was..."

His eyes narrowed.

"I’ll personally reward whoever protected her. No matter who they are."

Queen Meira stood beside him, watching him with a calm but firm gaze.

"Dear... you already said not to let the news spread. Not to let the people know."

He didn’t reply.

She continued, gently, "Because you know how much they love her. If they hear she’s gone missing... if panic spreads..."

"I know," he said quietly.

A long silence passed.

"...But still," he finally said, voice low, as if trying to convince himself more than her, "Let’s just hope... there’ll be word soon. Some report. Some clue."

He looked toward the far end of the chamber, where the banners of their house hung in silent pride.

"Our ambassadors. Our knights. Our units out in the field... someone will find her. "

Queen Meira gave a quiet nod, her expression unreadable.

And the room, once again, fell still.

( End Of Chapter )