Through the glorious walls of royalty, Elara walked down to the throne room with her bandaged shoulder, every step echoing the weight of her decisions. She sat on her throne and glanced to the side, where there was nothing but a bottle of wine. To Elara, this bottle was her only comfort, the sole companion in which she could drown her sorrows. She had taken the irrevocable decision to wipe out her family, a decision that left her isolated and consumed by darkness. Without hesitation, she drank deeply from the bottle, half-emptying it like a common street hag.
As she drowned in the red wine, a guard burst in without knocking. Elara wanted to shout at the guard, to scold him for his lack of decorum, but instead, she screamed—a scream that echoed the trauma, pain, and dark aura she harbored. Once, Elara had been the brightest light in the kingdom, a beacon of hope, before being consumed by the very darkness she now wielded. The guard, shocked to see the nation's leader in such a state, quickly composed himself when he saw Elara's eyes burning with impatience.
"Your Highness," the guard began, "news has spread. Scotland's monarch has been killed in a coup, and the new leader is Michael Floxinia. He is with Juli."
Elara smiled, a cold, bitter smile. "That boy still lives. I guess I couldn't recognize him since I left when he was much younger, an innocent boy. Well, go get the other guards and call them up here. That boy is Benjamin, and he isn't just any boy—he's my brother."
The guard looked at Elara in disbelief and laughed nervously. "Your Highness, that's a nice joke."
"ARGH! YOUR HIGHNESS!" The guard's words were cut short as Elara threw the bottle of wine at his head with all the force she could muster. "You think I'm joking? Do I look like a joke to you? Do you want me to make you a joke? That's why I hate my family. I have a family, but they don't have me. I'm part of them, but they aren't part of me."
The guard hurriedly left, returning an hour later with the sector commanders. They all bowed, staring at their disheveled highness—Elara, with ruffled hair and dark eye bags, the telltale signs of insomnia she had developed recently. Though she caused others' demise, she was her own worst enemy.
"I need all of you to get ready," Elara announced. "We are marching to Scotland with the help of two nations. Our former allies backed out, so now we invoke the German and French empires. With these alliances, we can end Scotland. Train your troops; you have two weeks. Also, bring me the army researcher."
The guards left Elara to her loneliness once again. A few minutes later, a lady with glasses, patches of hair missing, and completely white eyes entered. Elara smiled. "Hello, Felicia."
"Hello, Elara," Felicia responded indifferently. She didn't care who sat on the throne; she would challenge anyone regardless of their power, for she herself was formidable and old enough to have seen countless rulers come and go.
"Felicia, I need you to make the most powerful bomb. Create something that will make you wanted all over the seven seas," Elara commanded.
Felicia smiled as a wicked grin grew through her face. "No problem, Elara," she said before turning and leaving.