Chapter 344 - Adeline's Diary
"The Two Tails Queen? Anne commented that you knew stories about her, and I wanted to ask about her second tail." Lucien speaks to Laure.
"Adeline was her name," Laure speaks and then continues. "All families have ancestors and old stories, but some are more complicated than others."
Lucien is silent to hear Laure's story while holding the diary of Adeline, The Two Tails Queen, in his hands without opening it yet.
She explains. "Many people in the fox-clan and the whole Alliance know stories about the Two Tails Queen as she revolutionized an era by creating the fox-clan of small separated villages."
"She was really incredible and probably the most powerful fox-woman that has ever existed in this world." Laure pauses while remembering how Anne is now much more powerful than Dawn, the only person she can have as an example of power comparison based on stories.
"Well, maybe she wasn't as strong as Anne is now." Laure corrects herself.
So she continues. "Also, many legends are overrated because people tend to improve those stories to make certain people look better than they really were."
Laure makes a sorry expression before continuing to explain. "I'm not saying that the legends about the Two Tails Queen were a lie, but I also can't say that everything was true."
"When my mother told those stories to Luise and me, we found it incredible to have such a powerful ancestor, but then when my mother was very old, she showed us this diary." Laure points to the book in Lucien's hand.
"So everything changed..." Laure makes a concerned expression. "In this diary, Adeline's thoughts are written. She was very afraid of everything... She was a traumatized person who thought someone was looking for her... hunting her."
Lucien is even more curious about Adeline's story and how it is connected to Anne and her family. He remains silent to hear Laure's words.
Laure shakes her head, clearly in disagreement with herself. "Adeline came out of nowhere. She was the first fox-woman with two tails, but she wrote in the diary that it was a curse. She thought someone would come after her because of her second tail."
She makes a sorry expression. "When Luise and I read this diary, we thought it was a lie or Adelina was just a crazy person because nothing strange happened like someone looking for her or another fox-woman with two tails..."
"Until now..." Laure and Lucien speak at the same time while thinking about Anne and Elsie.
Laure nods. "Yes, now that there are other fox-women with two tails, I realize that Adelina could really be right about this being a curse, and someone can come after my Anne."
Lucien puts a hand on Laure's shoulder and speaks in a confident tone. "Don't worry about her safety. Anne is secure with us. If someone comes after her, they will only find their death here."
Then he smiles. "About her two tails, well, I don't know about curses, but that doesn't seem like one anyway. She loves her tails, and that's her special ability even though we don't know how it works yet."
L.u.s.t materializes her body in the small pantry next to Lucien. "Her tails are definitely not a curse. Maybe Adelina didn't understand that either, but Greed must have some answers."
"I hope this is not a bad thing for my daughter," Laure speaks and then points to the diary. "You can read it if you want, I would have to give it to Anne and Elsie like my mom gave it to Luise and me, but I prefer that it stays with you now and that you protect them."
Lucien holds the diary tightly while looking into Laure's eyes. "I will not hide this from Anne and Elsie, but I will make sure that they are always safe and do not feel afraid as Adeline was. Also, I will do my best to understand what happened. Now our best clue is this diary and maybe Greed's knowledge."
Laure nods. "I understand. I didn't want to worry them about something that could just be a false legend, but now I also think it's best to tell them. Also, I'm glad you don't think about hiding anything from them."
While Lucien and Laure think essentially about the well-being of Anne and Elsie, L.u.s.t is more curious about the diary, mainly because of the bracelet that is an artifact at last of the level of a medium world.
"Let's read this." L.u.s.t speaks, and Lucien quickly opens the diary as he is also curious to read Adeline's story.
"Adeline's homeland language is actually very similar to ours, but..." Laure comments.
Upon seeing the first page of the diary, Lucien realizes that he can easily read most of the words, but some are slightly different.
In fact, he cannot recognize some letters between words; in some cases, those letters appear to be something meaningless additional in certain words.
Also, he realizes that Adeline's language is more similar to one of his homeworld than Argerim's.
"It's a code." Lucien and L.u.s.t speak together when they notice a standard of letters left over between the words.
"Incredible! How did you notice so quickly?" Laure is impressed as she can only read that code because her mother taught her.
Well, Lucien's reading speed is incredibly high due to his senses being heightened. Also, L.u.s.t and he is in complete sync, being able to see things from different ways while sharing knowledge as one person.
Lucien starts reading everything written in the diary to understand more about the code and the story.
The first page begins with the arrival of Adeline in that village where in the future it would be the main village of the fox-clan.
He reads it out loud. "My name is Adeline Dubois, and I write here my free memories so that if something happens to me, my story will be not forgotten."
"Today, I arrived in a beautiful forest. There are a lot of big brown trees here like in my home."
"I miss home."
"But I can't go back. They must still be looking for me, but they won't find me here, right?"
"I ran away for a long time. This has to be a good place to hide."
"And maybe start over, create a new life."
"I can't go back. I am a cursed person."
"I will never see that forest again."
"I will never see that tree again."
"But this place looks good too. The people here are the same as my people."
"Still, I need to make some radical changes here. I need to show them how powerful we are, just like in my home."
"I'm going to start making these changes right now. I was never someone who just expect things to happen."
When he finishes reading the first page, Lucien notices many additional letters left between some words, but he cannot identify those letters.
"Is this a different language?" Lucien thinks out loud.
Laure quickly nods. "Yes, this language is part of the code that my mother taught me."
As she prepares to tell Lucien what is written in that code, L.u.s.t remembers a vague knowledge almost lost in her memories.
"This... I think I've seen that language before. Greed taught me about it. Although her host was not royalty, they managed to learn about it." L.u.s.t speaks as he stares at the letters.
Laure and Lucien are silent while L.u.s.t runs her fingers on the diary page. "Yes, this is Encoded Star Language."
Before Lucien asks anything, L.u.s.t explains. "There are seven medium worlds that have made a pact to protect themselves against the superior races. That pact was called Star Pact, and Its worlds are called the Seven Stars."
"The people who started the Star Pact were the vampires, and their world is the seventh Star, the Red Star. In descending order are the other Stars according to their general power level. Every Star has its own secret code, and the main leaders of each race of the Seven Stars must know these codes to communicate secretly."
So L.u.s.t points to the diary. "This code is from the third Star, the brown Star, also the world mainly governed by the fox-race."
When she says 'brown Star,' Laura's eyes sparkle, and she quickly comments. "Oh, that's why she talks so much about that brown forest and like out brown oaks."
"Exactly." L.u.s.t nods and points again to the additional letters on that page of the diary. "I miss the Brown Forest. I will never see the Great Oak again."
Then she explains. "The brown Star is, as the name suggests, an essentially brown place. What does it be like that is because that world is actually a large forest with brown leafy trees. Also, in the center of that world, there is a giant tree that can be seen thousands of miles away. It's called the Great Oak and is said to be the home of the Nature Spirit."
Lucien and Laure are impressed by L.u.s.t's story. He thinks about something and asks. "So it was Adeline who brought knowledge about the Nature Spirit here?"
"Yes, she talks about it in the diary," Laure replies.
"Interesting... it seems like many people from other worlds come here." Lucien thinks out loud.
"I don't know if that is exactly good for us, but now I think Anne may have an inheritance ability of the royalty from the Brown Star." L.u.s.t comments.
Lucien makes a concerned expression. "So the people Adeline feared are from the Brown Star? Maybe she was a princess who ran away and feared that her family would come after her?"
L.u.s.t quickly responds. "It's a possibility. The Sven Star are strong because they are united, but individually, they are just medium worlds..."
She smiles as she c.a.r.e.s.ses Lucien's neck, making Laure even more uncomfortable inside the small pantry.
"We have great advantages of the Demon and Dragon race, so if some noble idiots from the Brown Star want to make trouble for us... well, you will enjoy crushing them." L.u.s.t finishes her words kissing Lucien.
Lucien sighs. "I thought Anne had a normal life, but it seems that things are complicated for her and Elsie too."
"Fate is getting you in the way of important people even in this inferior world. This is a good thing because we are destined for greatness anyway." L.u.s.t smiles.
He reflects on L.u.s.t's words as he looks at Laure. "So you also have the blood of the Brown Star nobility."
"But I don't have two tails." Laure thinks out loud.
L.u.s.t smiles teasingly. "Oh, it woke up in Anne and Elsie when they experienced Lucien's energy."
Laure makes a flushed expression as she tries to distance herself from Lucien, but the pantry doesn't allow that, nor is she sure if her body would obey her after feeling so much of Lucien's addictive fragrance.
"I really don't want a second tail. I love my simple life next to Clovis, and I don't want to cause anybody trouble." Laure speaks in a worried tone.
Lucien talks to L.u.s.t mentally. 'I really like my father-in-law, so don't destroy our friendship, please.'
'Are you really going to give up one of your mothers-in-law? I thought you wanted them all.' L.u.s.t jokes.
'I am satisfied with the ones I currently have, thank you.' Lucien smiles.
Then he opens the pantry door and leaves, allowing Laure to breathe properly.
"I'm going to read this diary completely, but now I need to go because the girls are already almost five miles from here," Lucien speaks to Laure.
"Sorry to give you this problem, but I really hope you take care of my girls and yours as well. Also, get this. It would be of Anne and Elsie's anyway." Laure gives Lucien Adeline's bracelet, also containing some of her personal stuff.
"Taking care of my girls is my main goal." Lucien smiles at Laure and accepts the bracelet before walking out of the house and flapping his wings, flying to the sky.
Laure takes a deep breath as she watches Lucien quickly disappear into the starry sky while trying to imagine what kind of adventures he and his girls have ahead.
##################
If you want to support me and read more than 150 chapters ahead, visit my pa treon: pa treon.com/lamenthief
You can also donate to my kofi: ko-fi.com/lamenthief
Any donation helps me a lot and allows me to continue writing.