When the Witch King opened the door to his beach house, he was greeted by a chaos so great that he had to blink several times to make sure it was real. The interior was completely overturned: sofas flipped, vases broken, rugs crumpled, and an improvised army of about fifteen "bush-men," small humanoid creatures made of branches and leaves, running after the queens.
The queens were screaming, climbing on the furniture, shouting orders through laughter, and running in circles like children. And in the center of all that disorder, glowing with joy, was Aliarda, laughing out loud while chasing Isabela, who was standing on a table trying not to be caught by a particularly persistent bush-man.
"You will get off that table right now!" Isabela shouted at the girl. "I'm going to tell my brother that you're yelling at me!" Aliarda shot back, with a raised finger and a mischievous smile. "Your brother has no power here!" Isabela replied, trembling with rage. "This is my house, so you get down and sit!"
The girl stuck her tongue out. Kai opened the door… and closed it again calmly. He leaned his back against the outer wall and took a deep breath, like someone preparing to face a battle worse than any demonic horde. At that moment, one of his queens—a noble daughter of the merchants—came out and hugged him with relief.
"Kai… please… control your sister. She's driving Isabela crazy."
Kai sighed. It was inevitable. He opened the door again and entered. The room froze for a second. Some bush-men dismantled themselves upon seeing him. Others stayed still, looking at the Witch King with vegetal respect.
"That's enough," Kai said calmly.
The queens readjusted themselves, some disheveled, others laughing, others exhausted. Kai slowly multiplied himself, surrounding the 116 queens who were ready to rest with his copies. They disappeared through the hallways, laughing and still panting from the "battle." But Isabela stayed. And so did Aliarda.
Kai sat in the middle of the hall, exhausted but patient. To his right, Isabela with her arms crossed. To his left, Aliarda, moving her feet as if she couldn't stay still for a second.
"Isabela…" Kai said in a soft voice. "Be patient. I want to talk to the girl."
Isabela took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Fine," she said with a sigh. "But I'll be waiting for you in the room. Don't be long." "I promise," Kai replied.
Isabela stood up, gave the girl one last glaring look, and left. Kai and Aliarda were left alone. The girl watched him with sudden seriousness. She seemed to understand that this was the important moment.
"Aliarda," Kai said. "Who is our mother?" "Celeste," she answered without hesitation. "The Queen of the Abyss! And she's your mom too, right?"
Kai went stiff.
"I have no mother. I know who you're talking about, I know Celeste, and your father is Horacio," Kai said. The girl looked at him, confused. "It can't be," she replied, "because we have the same dad. Horacio Killerman," Aliarda answered with total innocence. "They also call him the Lord of the Abyss."
Kai responded: "Your parents, Aliarda, adopted me when I was a baby, but they are not my parents. After a year, they left me in an orphanage and I never heard from them or you again." "Then you aren't my brother?" Aliarda asked. "I am not your brother, but we share the same last name. I also know that you are the same age as me; we slept in the same crib, Aliarda." "You caught me. You remember everything, Kai. I wanted to keep playing the game of the harmless little girl; you are very clever, Kai," she said. "I know you can't grow because your species consumes too much energy. But don't misunderstand me, we are family; distant, but family nonetheless." "No Kai, we are not family. I am your enemy and I have come to make you renounce the throne of the abyss." "I understand your intentions. But I'll tell you something, daughter of the Legionnaire and the Princess of the Abyss: I renounce nothing." "We'll see about that," Aliarda said.
There were too many revelations for one night.
"Come," he said finally. "It's late. I'll prepare a room for you to rest." They took her to a small but beautiful room, prepared especially for her. Aliarda fell asleep in seconds. Kai walked to his bedroom where Isabela was waiting for him. She asked: "What did she tell you, Kai?". Kai replied: "Serious trouble is what she told me." Isabela hugged him, and they fell asleep.
But when he woke up at dawn… Aliarda was sleeping between him and Isabela, kicking the queen with her feet. Isabela opened her eyes, furious.
"Kai, your sister has been kicking me since I lay down! I swear this girl…!" "She is not my sister, she is my rival," Kai said, and hugged Isabela from behind. "Be patient," he whispered. "Today I must speak with the family of the Crowned Beasts about the whole Aliarda matter. I need you to trust me. And I need you to take care of her and watch her; she isn't what she seems, just for today."
Isabela sat up as if she had been hit by a spell.
"FOR ME TO TAKE CARE OF HER AND WATCH HER? Kai, that girl hates me!"
Kai smiled softly.
"Well, I don't know if she hates you. She doesn't know you, I suppose. And if she's so close to you… it's because she trusts you or is envious, I don't know. A Black Witch raised her; that's why she gravitates toward those with a strong aura."
Isabela slowly opened her eyes, processing every word.
"You… trust me with this?" she asked, blushing like she never did. "Always," Kai replied.
Isabela accepted, albeit reluctantly. When they were left alone, the girl crossed her arms.
"Witch?" she said to Isabela. "Why do you make my brother angry?" Isabela choked. "I don't make him angry! I only tell the truth, whether you like it or not. And I already know he isn't your brother."
Aliarda looked at her with big eyes.
"You are the most beautiful to Kai," she declared bluntly. Isabela froze. "There are more beautiful women here," she replied, uncomfortable. The girl shook her head. "I can see what he feels for each one. He loves them all. But you… he loves you differently."
Isabela opened her mouth, not knowing how to react.
"That's why I'm jealous," the girl finally admitted. "I want that affection too." Isabela let out a witch's laugh, one of those deep, sharp ones. "Well, girl… we'll see if you can win it from me."
Aliarda stuck her tongue out and ran away. "GET BACK HERE, GIRL!" Isabela shouted, running after her.
Kai, from the door, only shook his head and left with the other queens toward the palace.
THE BATTLE OF THE GIANT TREE
That morning, everyone was working, and Isabela stayed behind to look after Aliarda at the beach house. Hours later, while the queens were returning with papers and documents to work at the house, they heard an explosion from the beach. They ran outside.
Aliarda had created a giant monster made of wood, a ten-meter humanoid, and Isabela had summoned a colossal skeleton to defend herself. The two creatures were clashing in the middle of the sand while the queens shouted:
"ISABELA, STOP FIGHTING WITH A CHILD!"
Isabela pointed, indignant: "She attacked me first with that tree! That thing almost ate me!"
Aliarda mocked her: "She's jealous because Kai loves me so much!"
One of the warrior queens responded: "Well… I'd be a little jealous too."
Isabela glared at her. Another queen said: "Kai is loving toward everyone. Even toward Gretel, and she was raised not to feel affection." "Leave me out of this!" Gretel shouted.
But another added: "We all know Kai always puts you first, Isabela. Even Aliarda noticed it. Whenever Kai arrives and multiplies himself, the first clone always hugs you."
Isabela widened her eyes. "I never… I never realized." "We did," all the queens said. "Years ago."
Aliarda sat with them, happy to be in the middle of the conversation, watching and listening as if it were a royal gossip tea party.
IN THE PALACE — A CONFUSED KING
At the palace, Kai met with ministers, nobles, and messengers. They were preparing the ceremony for appointments and awards for the following day. But his mind was elsewhere. The heir of the abyss, a being of pure darkness, was in his house in the form of a girl.
That revelation weighed on his chest. He was not alone in the world. His past had deeper roots than he ever imagined, and that disturbed him more than any demon. Throughout the day, while his wives worked at the beach house—reviewing papers, signing decrees, and organizing accounts, reports, and letters—Kai had remained at the palace, enclosed within walls, thrones, and responsibilities. They handled the domestic and political administration from the coast; he dealt with the weight of the kingdom from the center of power.
When the last minister withdrew, when the last noble bowed to say goodbye, and the last messenger left the hall with orders under his arm, Kai was left alone for a moment. The echo of Aliarda's words struck him again from within:
"I want you to renounce the Abyss, Kai. We are not family; I am your rival."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew that, sooner or later, he would have to face that truth. But not tonight. Tonight, there was another battle to fight. His queens were waiting for him, and they were not waiting calmly.
For while he dealt with demons, princes, and crowns, another kind of storm had broken out at the beach house: a storm of jealousy, whispers, exchanged glances, and unanswered questions. All because a girl with winged eyes had said, with brutal honesty, that Kai's first clone always hugged Isabela.
Kai left the palace behind, moved through the silent corridors, crossed courtyards and hallways, and finally stepped out into the open air. The sky was dark, studded with stars. The moon lit the path toward the coast. It was almost eleven-thirty at night; too late for his queens to be upset. And yet, they were.
As he walked, he could feel it: a powerful emotional bustle, a mixture of love, hurt, pride, and vulnerability. He knew them. He knew none of them were weak. Every one of them, before marrying him, had been princesses, nobles, champions, mages, warriors, or leaders in their own lands. And now they were all together, equals, without numbers, without ranks, without a "first" or "second," sharing the same king.
A simple gesture—a clone hugging Isabela first—had been enough to ignite comparisons. He sighed.
"It will be a long night..." he murmured.
When he reached the beach house, he didn't need to open the door to realize something was wrong. Raised voices, arguments, and reproaches could be heard. They weren't shouts of hate, but of contained emotion—of wounds that had never found words.
He opened the door. All the queens were there. All 117 of them.
Some were standing, others sitting; some with their arms crossed, others pointing at Isabela. Aliarda, in a corner, watched with wide eyes and a grin from ear to ear, delighted by the disunity. As soon as Kai entered, a tense silence fell for a second. It didn't last.
"Kai!" exclaimed one of the queens from the Kingdom of the Axe. "We need to talk." "It's true," added a vampire princess. "We want explanations too!" "You always hug her first," said a voice from the back, pointing at Isabela. "That's not true…" Isabela stammered, but her blush gave her away. "Yes, it is!" intervened another queen, a mercenary. "Aliarda said so. And the girl sees things that we don't."
Aliarda raised a hand, timidly. "The thing is… it's true," she said. "When Kai multiplies, the first clone goes to Isabela. Always."
The murmuring intensified. Some queens pressed their lips together, others looked down, and others looked directly at Isabela with a mix of jealousy and affection. Kai raised a hand.
"Silence."
He didn't shout, but his voice filled the entire place. The queens fell silent. Aliarda watched him, waiting. Isabela didn't know whether to hide behind a wall or draw her sword.
"I know you are upset," Kai said. "And I know it is not a trivial matter. You are not weak or foolish women. Each of you has a past, a throne, a story… and now you share the same place by my side."
He looked at all of them, one by one.
"I am not going to ignore what you feel. But I don't want to talk about this here, enclosed within these walls."
He turned toward the door.
"Come. Let's go outside. To the beach."
The queens looked at each other, confused, but followed him. Aliarda ran after Kai, holding the edge of his cape. Isabela was among the last to leave, her heart pounding in her chest.
Tienes toda la razón. Para que el capítulo esté completo en su versión internacional, la lista debe estar integrada dentro del texto en inglés, manteniendo la solemnidad de la escena.
Aquí tienes la traducción al inglés del bloque completo, incluyendo la lista de las 117 reinas:
English Translation
The sea breeze caressed the beach; the sun had already set, leaving only the light of the moon and the stars. The waves broke softly on the shore, as if trying to accompany the growing murmur of female voices. There, in the middle of the white sand, Kai stopped.
"Form a line," he requested. "Everyone."
The queens obeyed. An endless line of women stretched out before him: 117 women, the queens of the Kingdom of the White Warlocks. All different. All powerful. All equally important. Behind Kai, with her small arms crossed and her golden eyes wide open, Aliarda watched the scene with a mix of pride, curiosity, and emotion.
The queens whispered among themselves. It wasn't just any night. Today they were going to receive an answer they expected… and feared. Because ever since Aliarda revealed, without ill intent, that Kai's first clone always hugged Isabela, the beach had turned into an emotional battlefield.
Every one of them wanted to understand why, among 117 women, Isabela received the first hug. And Isabela, red as a ripe fruit, didn't know where to hide. Kai took a step forward. And in that instant… he multiplied.
One hundred and seventeen Kais appeared at the same time, standing before each queen, like a perfect mirror of each one of them. The line trembled with surprise. The queens straightened up as if they were sacred figures. Aliarda opened her mouth in wonder. Then, each of the Kais spoke. He didn't start with a general speech or excuses. He started with what they needed to hear: their names, their origins, and their place by his side.
One of the Kais, standing before the first one, said:
— My lady, my queen Anica Petrović (noble of the White Warlocks), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Paola López (noble of the White Warlocks), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Luna Moreno (Princess of the White Warlocks), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Ayame Sato (Princess of the Dragon Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Momoko Sato (Princess Empress of the Dragon Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Hana Sato (Princess of the Dragon Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Erin Macleod (Princess of the Kingdom of the Falcon), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Isla Macleod (Princess of the Kingdom of the Falcon), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Ailsa Macleod (Princess of the Kingdom of the Falcon), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Elara Schwarzwald (Princess of the Demon Lord's Territory), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Gretl Schwarzwald (Princess of the Demon Lord's Territory), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lisette Demonia (noble of the Demon Lord's Territory), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Imani Nkosi (noble of the Kingdom of the Dark Elves), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Zuri Chadzunda (noble of the Kingdom of the Dark Elves), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Asha Mbengu (Princess of the Kingdom of the Dark Elves), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Élodie Dubois (noble of the Kingdom of the Black Warlocks), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Seraphina Deschamps (noble of the Kingdom of the Black Warlocks), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Margot d'Hulst (Princess of the Kingdom of the Black Warlocks), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Anastasia Strix (noble of the Vampire Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lucia Nox (noble of the Vampire Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Zarina Strigoi (Princess of the Vampire Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Annelise Durand (noble of the Kingdom of the Pirates), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Marine Dubois (noble of the Kingdom of the Pirates), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Isabielle Beaulieu (Princess of the Kingdom of the Pirates), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Irina Petrova (noble of the Fire Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Yelena Voronova (noble of the Fire Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Ekaterina Romanova (Princess Empress of the Fire Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Astrid Björnsdóttir (noble of the Ice Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Ylva Sigridsdóttir (noble of the Ice Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Freya Kald (Princess Empress of the Ice Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Deirdre Óg Grá (noble of the Kingdom of the Axe), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Mairenn Mac Ruaidh (noble of the Kingdom of the Axe), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Caoilinn Óg Bhain (Princess of the Kingdom of the Axe), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lise van der Hoek (noble of the Wind Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Eleonora van der Meer (noble of the Wind Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Aerith van der Zee (Princess Empress of the Wind Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Aelia Lycanthrope (Princess of the Kingdom of the Fang), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Phoebe Lycanthrope (Princess of the Kingdom of the Fang), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Kalliste Lycanthrope (Princess of the Kingdom of the Fang), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Imani Kali (noble of the Kingdom of the Panthers), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Kairo Bast (Princess of the Kingdom of the Panthers), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Anhsa Bast (Princess of the Kingdom of the Panthers), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Vendula Černá (noble of the Kingdom of the Black Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Viktorie Králová (noble of the Kingdom of the Black Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Elenora Novák (Princess of the Kingdom of the Black Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Anjali Singh (Princess of the Tiger Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Tara Singh (Princess of the Tiger Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Kumari Singh (Princess Empress of the Tiger Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Isabela Costa (noble of the Kingdom of the Amazons), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Rafaela Guimarães (noble champion of the Kingdom of the Amazons), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Iracema Silva (Princess of the Kingdom of the Amazons), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Giuliana Ferrari (noble of the Kingdom of the Church), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Gabriella Rossi (noble of the Kingdom of the Church), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Aurora Bianchi (noble of the Kingdom of the Church), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Jadwiga Majewska (noble of the Principality of the Spear), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Krystyna Maiya Lis (noble of the Principality of the Spear), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Zofia Zamoyska (Princess of the Principality of the Spear), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Tuuli Virta (noble of the Forest Guardians), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Saga Metsä (noble of the Forest Guardians), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Linnea Kultakuiuunu (Princess of the Forest Guardians), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Thalia Blackwood (noble of the Kingdom of the Genies), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Ling Yuan (noble of the Kingdom of the Genies), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Anya Sharma (Princess of the Kingdom of the Genies), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Yasemin Özdemir (noble of the Kingdom of the Merchants), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Elif Yılmaz (noble of the Kingdom of the Merchants), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Ayşe Demir (Princess of the Kingdom of the Merchants), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Sofía Karlson (noble of the Kingdom of the Mercenaries), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Freya Lundgren (noble of the Kingdom of the Mercenaries), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Astrid Eriksson (Princess of the Kingdom of the Mercenaries), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Alice Locklart (noble of the Kingdom of the Lizards), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Imogen Clarke (noble of the Kingdom of the Lizards), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Kyliie Reid (Princess of the Kingdom of the Lizards), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Yume Hime (Princess of the Oni Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Asu Hime (Princess of the Oni Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Altan Hime (Princess of the Oni Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Zahara Kaziya (Princess of the Jungle Kingdom), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Zuri Juma (noble of the Jungle Kingdom), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Nia Kaziya (Princess of the Jungle Kingdom), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Daisy Blackwood (noble of the Kingdom of the White Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lyra Blackwood (noble of the Kingdom of the White Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Eleanor Vance (Princess of the Kingdom of the White Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Gwendolyn Blackwood (noble of the Mountain Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lyra Vulfen (noble of the Mountain Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Jetsun Dolma (Princess of the Mountain Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Willow Fitzgerald (noble of the Kingdom of the Humans), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lily Jenkins (Princess of the Kingdom of the Humans), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Sarah Jenkins (Princess of the Kingdom of the Humans), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Milica Petrović (noble of the Kingdom of the High Humans), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Irena Mirković (Princess of the Kingdom of the High Humans), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Dragana Mirković (Princess of the Kingdom of the High Humans), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Huang Ai-Ling (noble champion of the Cathay Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Yu Mei-Lin (noble champion of the Cathay Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Li Jingxiu (Princess Empress of the Cathay Empire), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lara Frey (noble of the Kingdom of Knowledge), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Anja Hoffmann (noble of the Kingdom of Knowledge), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Anna Meier (Princess of the Kingdom of Knowledge), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Elena del Mar (noble of the Water Monarchy), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Lucía Ríos (noble of the Water Monarchy), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Alessia Agua Marina (Princess of the Water Monarchy), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Layla Khaled (noble of the Sand Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Amira al-Fayrouz (Princess of the Sand Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Shadia al-Fayrouz (Princess of the Sand Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Jimena Mondragón (noble of the Kingdom of the Earth Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Isolda Herrera (Princess of the Kingdom of the Earth Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Xochitl Herrera (Princess of the Kingdom of the Earth Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Élise Tremblay (noble of the Kingdom of the Red Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Geneviève Dubois (noble of the Kingdom of the Red Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Aurélie Beaulieu (Princess of the Kingdom of the Red Mages), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen IU Park (noble of the Nine-Tailed Fox Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Yuna Hae-Won (noble of the Nine-Tailed Fox Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Kim Hae-Won (Princess of the Nine-Tailed Fox Nation), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Aura of the Unicorn (Princess of the Kingdom of the Crowned Beasts), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Basilisica of the Anaconda (Princess of the Kingdom of the Crowned Beasts), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Ursa of the North (Princess of the Kingdom of the Crowned Beasts), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Echo Blackwood (Princess of the Kingdom of the Crowned Beasts), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Pyrra of the Phoenix (Princess of the Kingdom of the Crowned Beasts), Queen of the White Warlocks.
— My lady, my queen Aeliana of the Falcon (Princess of the Kingdom of the Crowned Beasts), Queen of the White Warlocks.
When the last name was pronounced, the entire beach seemed to hold its breath. Aliarda pressed her hands against her chest. Every one of them had been named. Every one had been seen and recognized—not by their numbers, nor by their former ranks, but as what they were now: Queens of the White Warlocks.
And then, came the gesture that none of them would ever forget. The 117 Kais, standing before them, looked at each other… and, at the same time, they knelt. The Warlock King, the Black Knight, the man who did not kneel before gods, angels, or demons… for once in his life, he bowed before his queens.
Several covered their mouths. Others wept uncontrollably. Even Isabela stood completely still, as if the world had stopped turning. Then Kai spoke, his voice multiplied in perfect harmony:
"My ladies… I want you to understand something that no war, no kingdom, and no god had ever forced me to admit. A man is divided into many feelings: strength, joy, love, sadness… but even adding them all together, I could not express what I feel for you. No feeling is enough when there are 117 hearts that love me."
The queens looked at each other. The sea seemed to hold its breath.
"I cannot tell you I love you for your eyes, because several of you have the same ones. I cannot tell you I love you because you give me strength, because you all do. I will tell you the only truth capable of making you all equal: I love you because you chose me. You chose a path without knowing me. You chose a marriage without feeling love at the start. You chose to stay… even when the world rejected me."
Some queens were already weeping openly.
"I fought alone all my life. No one was by my side until you arrived. And these last three years have been… the happiest of my existence. Though you may not believe it, each of you forms a piece of the incomplete man that I am. My strength comes from your hands. My calm comes from your smiles. My faith comes from your hearts."
He paused in a sacred silence.
"I can fight against gods and angels… but there is only one God I love deeply. Do you know why? Because He gave me the greatest gift a man can have: 117 hearts to care for. 117 souls who trust in me. 117 women who transformed my dark nights into life. And thanks to you… I have never felt alone again."
The queens wept, laughed, and trembled. Isabela fell to her knees, covering her face. Aliarda rested her head against Kai's back, understanding true love for the first time. Then, the 117 Kais raised their hands and, in a breath of light, unified into a single body. Kai stood up, with sand on his knees, and looked at them with a soft, humble smile.
"I love you," he said. "From the bottom of my heart."
The queens rushed toward him, embracing him as if he were the sun that illuminates their world. And Aliarda, with her eyes shining, said to herself: "This is Kai."