Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 286: Dictated by the Gods [Bonus - ]

Chapter 286: Dictated by the Gods [Bonus Chapter]

The dragons got discouraged again from marrying humans when the hatred and dislike of humans did not fade over the years despite the fact that on their part, they had done their best to forgive the humans for almost wiping them out.

Dragons understood that the world was kill or be killed. It was survival of the fittest. Being the prey at that time only meant they became weak. Thus, they had to be strong again.

They also understood that they also had a fault which was why the humans’ discontent and anger grew until they decided to wipe out the dragons and the long-lived races entirely.

They did not understand the plight of humans back then. But now, they do after observing the human race much more closely.

The long-lived races also understood that living separately from humans was so much better since their lifespans, indeed, differed too much.

It was better for the short-lived to rule among themselves and the long-lived to rule among their kind since they were the ones who understood their needs better.

Only the humans who become spouses of the long-lived races and could accept them fully were to be brought to Estrella.

However, it was quite surprising that even though humanity had mostly forgotten about the Great War, and it only existed in myths now, the hatred and fear for the long-lived races were still there. Especially for dragons whose appearance they should have forgotten by now due to the lack of sightings.

No dragon was ever seen in their original form in the human realm since the Great War. Yet, the appearance of dragons portrayed in myths was usually close to what they truly looked like in their original form.

As part of Estrella’s rules dictated by the gods themselves, the human spouses and mates of the dragons and other long-lived races who refused to be with them in Estrella were made to forget about their existence so they would not be able to tell other people about it nor make illustrations about their appearance.

Other long-lived races like nymphs who chose to remain in the human realm were also made to swear not to tell the humans about Estrella. They would not put their kind in danger either after what happened during the Great War.

King Sirius hypothesized that humans must have made a way so humanity would never forget about the dangers they once faced.

There were magicians among humans who were able to prolong their lives but no human magician was ever able to prolong their life to six thousand years so it was impossible for a human to have lived from the Great War to the present time. The information must have been passed down.

Though kept tightly as a secret, there must be people among the humans who somehow passed down the information about Great War from one generation to another.

The myths and legends were probably among the ways those people made so humanity would never forget the dangers they once faced that almost annihilated them. However, the long-lived races were almost always portrayed to be the only ones completely in the wrong and worst yet, evil.

The Founding Myth of Valeria was made to counter the negative image of dragons and the long-lived races drilled into children among the human race.

It was to ensure that in the case humans somehow found a way to enter Estrella, they would not think of all the long-lived races as evil and try annihilating them again.

They may be strong but they were outnumbered. And who knows what kind of plot the humans may come up with again. The short-lived humans grow and evolve so quickly because of their short lives, after all.

Further, despite Valeria widening its territories and spreading more positivity about dragons, they were still mostly portrayed by humans as an object of fear and the epitome of evil and greed.

Still, they were at least able to build a good image of dragons in Valeria and it helped the dragons in finding their mate and being able to make them agree to go with them to Estrella.

The rules were very strict though. Due to the repeated failure to make spouses accept them and agree to go with them to Estrella, there was a rule added by the gods that no human should be brought to Estrella if they had not fully accepted the long-lived they were in relationship with.

There was also a rule that there should at least be one child before telling their spouse about their true identity. It was to ensure that a child would be brought back to Estrella.

When things were going smoothly, it was changed to a rule that once there is a pregnancy, they can tell their spouses about their true identity.

However, this rule was recently changed by the gods. The long-lived races were now allowed to tell their spouses before pregnancy about their true identity. They can even tell their lover before marriage.

But of course, to protect the long-lived races, it was with the condition that if they were not accepted by their lovers, their lovers would be made to forget about everything they were told about Estrella and the existence of the long-lived races.

* * *

With Ferdinand’s long tale, Arabella finally understood clearly why in her past life, she was not told about her husband’s true identity before marriage or even after Fermin was born.

It was a rule from the gods themselves. It cannot be disobeyed no matter what because it concerns the safety of the entirety of the long-lived races. They cannot make exceptions for the sake of one or two people when the entire population could be put in danger and a world-class disaster can even begin from it.

No matter how much pain Arabella had been in after Fermin died, they could not tell her about his existence in Estrella because of the rules and the after-effects it might bring.

And from Alwin’s thoughts the past few days, she had learned that the changes in the rules only happened in this life and not in their previous life.

Moreover, in her past life, Alwin, Ferdinand, Raymond, and even Rendell, none of them knew that she loved Ferdinand. They thought she had always ever loved Andrew.

They knew she loved Fermin wholeheartedly, but they thought she never had feelings for Ferdinand.

After all, Rendell who was the one who stayed by her side the longest in her past life, was not the type of person that would notice that she loved Ferdinand. Rendell was observant but he doesn’t have much thought when it comes to romantic feelings.

Because they were long-lived, none of them were in a hurry to be in a relationship so they didn’t really understand much the goings between men and women.

And in her past life, Arabella only spent a bit of time with Raymond who understood women and emotions best among the four. And it was at the time when she had already decided to focus on Fermin and just do her job as an Empress.

And when Fermin died, she hated Ferdinand because he was not present even during the burial of his own son. Add Renee’s lies and manipulation and Arabella indeed cannot be told the truth.

But in this life, so much had changed and Arabella was learning a lot about the long-lived races and her husband. Ferdinand was opening up to her.

.

.

.

____________________

A/N:

SPECIAL MENTION to the following for Ranking in the 6th-30th of MOST CONTRIBUTIONS:

FIFI95

HansvonBorken

leeney

sinfull_6478

Random_03

Terry_Ross

C_AngeY17

Milaya_Mya

DaoistRjL2V3

Roberta_W

Leafcode

Alejandra_Beasley

DaoistA6cYXd

LolaPena09

RoyalWinter23

CasseyJo

MajorMinotaur92

Akarshika_Prasad_6805

LeighKayGEE

Leena_Lot

Day_Dreamer9099

jessmurf

Jam_East

Sylvia_Simmons

Honeybee56

.

Thank you very much for your support!!