Thank you for reading on ! We provide free access to all our stories, but maintaining this platform requires ongoing costs. To keep the site running and continue offering free content, we display advertisements. You can close the ads anytime, or upgrade to premium membership ($5/month) for an ad-free reading experience while supporting our mission. You can also earn premium for free by completing simple tasks. We truly appreciate your understanding and support!A Difficult Choice Dantriel informed Barto that he would follow him only when he was completely convinced of what he was about to do. He felt as though he was on the verge of condemning that young man to death. "When you reach the store, let me know," he said. "Wait a moment; I'll ask the queen if she wants to receive you or kill you, because I believe the latter is more probable." Barto understood that the elven kingdom would be furious with him for having a relationship with their daughter, but that didn't matter. He knew the risk was worth it.While he waited, he felt threatened and instinctively jumped to the side just as a spear struck the ground where he had been standing. "Damn you, disgrace!" the fairy queen shouted as she stormed out of the store. "How dare you lay your eyes on my daughter!" "Your Majesty, please listen to what I have to say. I love your daughter, and if she loves me too-" Enora lunged at Barto like an arrow, forcing him to dodge quickly, knowing he wouldn't be able to withstand a direct attack from the elven kingdom. "Let it go, you coward! Let her break up with you already!" she yelled."I can't allow that to happen. Kiara would be devastated." "Once she's dead, she'll forget you." At that moment, a portal opened. "I won't do it, Mother! If Barto dies, I die with him!" Kiara exclaimed, turning to face her mother as she stepped between them. "Stop, Mother! Barto is the man I love, the one I want to be with. I've felt this way for a long time, but I hid it because I knew you wouldn't approve." "I don't think I can accept this." "Mother, don't make me choose between you and him." "KIARA!" "Mother, I love you, and I want to be with you. I want to have a family with him.If you don't accept it, you'll lose everything, and I'll fall into the human kingdom." "Don't say this, Kiara..." "Mommy, if you're scared of what might happen to me, I'll be fine. It's not the same as what happened to Aunt Sophia. Let me live my life with the person I want to be with, please." "Whatever you want," Enora replied, her annoyance evident as she crossed her arms. Kiara glanced at Barto, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "It went better than I expected." "Why did you do that?" Barto asked, surprised. "I couldn't keep hiding it.I wanted something serious with you, Kiara." "So did I, but I didn't want it to come to this. It was the moment." "With you, the moment is never right, Kiara. I've been waiting a long time for you to tell your mother. If you didn't decide to do it, you'd never have the courage." "I can't enter Arkala. This is my only chance to see your mother and tell her how I feel." Kiara placed her hand on Barto's cheek. "I feel like I've waited too long." Barto wrapped his arm around her waist. "Good. Now it doesn't matter.Your mother knows, and she has accepted it." "My mother hasn't accepted our relationship. She's simply given up because she knows what I say is true. If she doesn't allow us to be together, I'll leave her behind." "I feel like you're making me choose between her and you, and that was never my intention." "Your intention was for my mother to kill you. She hates humans." "I'm only half-human; I'm a half-breed." "That matters little to her. For her, the union between two different clans is taboo. But I don't care about that.I only care about you." Dantriel followed Enora, who had drained a bottle of wine in celebration of their victory and left the camp. Enora stopped on one of the sand dunes, sitting in the dirt as she gazed at the night sky, taking another swig from the bottle she had brought along. "Are you okay?" Dantriel asked, sitting beside her. "No, I'm furious! That damn coward..." Enora took a long drink, and Dantriel watched her with concern. "What?" he asked. "I'm not saying anything." "That's why I'm asking. It seems like you want to decide something." "I have nothing to decide.I wouldn't dare do such a thing." "Kiara has gone mad. I should never have let her come to the human kingdom." "You couldn't keep her locked away forever." "I feel betrayed. I can't believe she chose this..." "She's in love. She's speaking from her heart." "But are there no men in our kingdom?Why does she have to choose a human?" "He's not entirely human; he's part human." "That's even worse." "Do you think the princess will make the same mistakes as Sophie?" "I fear that it will happen." "Is that what you're thinking of doing?" "If it were up to me, I would kill that red-eyed boy." "But you won't, will you?" "You heard Kiara.She chose him, and that's that!" "She didn't want to choose, but sometimes it's difficult to reason with you." "You're telling me, stubborn one." "I'm not saying that, but when it comes to humans, you become unreasonable." Enora leaned against Dantriel's shoulder, wrapping her arm around him. "It's just that I can't forget what happened with my sister. I fell in love with a human, and now she's dead. I don't want to lose my daughter, Dantriel." "If you continue refusing to accept this relationship, you'll be making the same mistakes of the past.Don't miss this opportunity; you can even set your conditions." "My conditions?" "Yes. If you fear that this boy could harm Princess Kiara, having him around will be better so you can keep an eye on him." "Um... I suppose you have a point." "Think carefully and then make a decision. You don't want to be driven by resentment and anger again." Enora kissed Dantriel and said, "Thank you." "You have nothing to thank me for, my queen. I'm only advising you." "Now I remember why I named you my advisor.It wasn't just because of your pretty face, but also because you always help me see reason." "I'm glad you recognize that. Many think I'm only here for my looks." "Even if I don't say it sometimes, you know that's not true." "Yes, if you ever did, I wouldn't mind. I only want to be by your side. Even if I were just an ornament for you, I would happily stay by your side." "To me, you are more than an ornament. You are my friend, my lover, and my companion." "I know."noveldrama