Two Medardas (update)

[Check Out My Patreon For +30 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my patreon][https://patreon.com/roooaaa]

Thank you for your support:

Kieta Aki

💌I hope you enjoy the advanced chapters 

===

Council Building, Councilor's Office.

Mel, seated with her back to the window, looked up from her desk at the mountain of paperwork and couldn't help but feel a wave of frustration.

Piltover's problems were piling up, and Zaun's troubles seemed endless.

Since the memorial service attack, various families and workshops in Piltover had been sending her letters and official documents.

The tone was as polite as ever, but the underlying message was clear: they wanted answers.

Transportation was disrupted, goods couldn't be shipped.

The market was unstable, prices were out of control.

The political climate was chaotic, and raw material suppliers had suddenly raised their prices.

It was a mess of financial issues, as if not making a few gold coins would be the end of the world for them.

Yes, Piltover was in a precarious position, but instead of helping, these people were making things worse.

Even the evaluation fair she had pushed to reopen was facing increasing opposition.

What a bunch of idiots!

A stable society, a steady market, and smooth transportation—all of these required the people of Piltover to see that the council had the determination, confidence, and decisiveness to resolve the current crisis. They needed to inspire trust in the council.

Only then could they rally more forces to deal with these troubles and handle Zaun.

Thankfully, she had reached out to House Ferros, and they had agreed to help.

Otherwise, she didn't know how much longer she could keep this up.

Lost in her chaotic thoughts, Mel tossed the pen in her hand aside and stood up, slamming her hands on the desk.

"Irelia! Irelia?!"

"If you're looking for Irelia, she's still at the Medarda Estate, assisting the enforcers with the investigation into the theft in your bedroom."

A mysterious, androgynous voice spoke up behind her. Mel immediately grabbed the letter opener on her desk and spun around.

But there was no one there. The floor-to-ceiling window behind her, which offered a panoramic view of Piltover, now had a gaping hole, and a cool breeze was blowing in from outside.

"No need to be so tense, Miss Mel Medarda."

The voice came from behind her again. Mel tightened her grip on the letter opener and turned around, her expression cold.

"Someone who barges in uninvited has no right to tell me how to behave."

"Fair enough, I apologize."

Link stood across from Mel, his hands raised in a placating gesture. Mel frowned. "You're... the one from the memorial service."

"I'm honored that the esteemed councilor remembers me."

Link chuckled, but Mel's grip on the letter opener only loosened slightly. Her tone remained sharp. "Even if you helped Piltover during the memorial service attack, you're still a shadowy figure with unclear intentions. Who knows what you're really after?"

"Wow, suspicion from a councilor. I'm truly flattered."

Link glanced at the letter opener in Mel's hand and said calmly, "But you don't need to be so tense."

"Instead of worrying about my intentions, you should take a closer look at the trouble you've gotten yourself into."

"My trouble?" Mel snorted. "Thanks for the reminder."

"If there were fewer people like you around, maybe I'd have an easier time."

"Mel, lashing out isn't going to help. It'll only push away potential allies." Link pressed his finger into the desk, and it sank into the wood as if it were butter. Mel's eyes widened, but she still retorted, "And threatening me is supposed to help?"

"This is just a little trick to help you calm down. Not a threat."

Link pulled his finger out of the desk and spoke calmly. "I know you're under a lot of pressure."

"Zaun is a constant threat, your mother's ambitions are unsettling, Piltover is divided, and problems keep piling up."

"But—" Link paused. "You should really focus on yourself. The trouble you've brought upon yourself is far more serious than any of that."

"I've brought trouble on myself?" Mel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember how you and Jayce survived the explosion?"

Link's question silenced Mel. The explosion had left her with more than just anger and hatred—it had also filled her with deep confusion.

Along with those emotions, she had noticed subtle changes in her body.

"What do you know?" Mel demanded bluntly.

Link sighed. "If you want answers, your current attitude isn't exactly welcoming."

"You're the one who came to me." Mel shot back.

Link shrugged. "True, but I'm here because someone asked me to be."

"Who? My mother?" Mel's first thought was Ambessa, but Link shook his head.

"No, your mother is part of the request."

"My mother is part of the request?" Mel was stunned. Her first thought was that this mysterious person was from Noxus, but she quickly dismissed that idea. If they were from Noxus, they wouldn't have helped during the memorial service—they would've made things worse.

So who was this person, and who sent them?

"Amara from the Piltover Merchants' Guild—I believe she's dead, right?"

Link brought up a name that surprised Mel. She frowned. "Why bring her up?"

"Aren't you curious about how Amara died?"

"Wasn't it because of an undercity assassin..." Mel trailed off, her expression darkening.

Link smirked. "Starting to put the pieces together?"

"Are you saying my mother—" Mel began, but Link cut her off.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Ask her why Amara sought her out, and what made her kill Amara."

Mel's eyes widened, and the letter opener slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor.

"That's impossible. My mother wouldn't..."

"The reason Amara died at your mother's hands is the source of the trouble you've gotten yourself into." Link spoke with clear caution. "To be honest, this isn't the place to discuss this. Those people are everywhere, and their power is something Piltover can't handle right now."

"If you want the truth, if you want to know the reason, you'd better go to your mother."

"Can she handle this?" Mel asked.

Link shook his head. "No, but she can act as a decoy while I make my escape."

Mel's face twitched. Link tapped the desk lightly. "So, are you coming or not? Give me an answer."

After a moment of hesitation, Mel gritted her teeth. "I'll go."

"Then let's move. I'm fast, so we'll get there quickly."

Link pulled out a breathing mask from his back and held out his hand to Mel.

"Hope you can handle a little turbulence."

Mel stared at the mask, then at Link's armored figure. After a moment, she stepped forward and took his hand.

Fifteen minutes later, Link and Mel arrived at the docks, having traveled from the council building at breakneck speed. With Mel's help, they made their way to Ambessa's reception room on her warship.

Mel didn't look too good. Link's speed had been overwhelming, and the experience of soaring over the city had left her feeling queasy.

"I must be out of my mind to have agreed to this," Mel muttered as she walked ahead of Link. "Even a carriage ride would've been better than being carried like a sack over rooftops."

"But this was safer," Link replied, shutting her down.

Mel's expression was stormy as they entered the reception room, where Ambessa was waiting, draped in a bathrobe, her hair still damp.

Clearly, Link and Mel's sudden arrival had interrupted her bath.

"Well, well, if it isn't my daughter," Ambessa said, pouring herself a cup of tea. "Last time we met, you were glaring at me like a cat guarding its food, hissing warnings not to cross the line. What brings you here so suddenly today?"

She glanced at Link behind Mel. "And with an interesting guest, no less."

"Mother, I'm not here by choice," Mel said, cutting straight to the point.

Ambessa paused, her eyes shifting from Mel to Link. Behind Link, Rek'Sai, the spear-wielding guard, stood silently, ready to intervene if necessary.

"Lady Medarda," Link began, and both Mel and Ambessa turned to him.

Seeing their reactions, Link chuckled. "I was referring to the more experienced Lady Medarda."

Mel rolled her eyes, while Ambessa's gaze lingered on Link's exoskeleton.

"I'm quite interested in your equipment," Ambessa said with a smile. "If you're here to sell, you've come to the right person."

"I happen to need weapons—lots of them—to arm my soldiers."

"I'm aware," Link nodded, but then added, "But what I'm curious about is whether you want these weapons to help Piltover or—"

"—to defend against the Black Rose."

The room fell silent, the temperature dropping instantly.