Queen Of Adis

Haru was in a trance as she watched the sky slowly awakened and bid the night goodbye. Her eyes dilated at the dramatic image of the clouds as it slowly changed colors from dark hues to shades of blue and purple. As the canopy of golden arrays stretched on the horizon, a tinge of blush and orange put vibrant breath to the spectacular display. The sweet chirpings of the birds came as heaven revealed its first light of day.

She blew warm breath to her cold hands and rubbed it together. Her body felt light after the ther.a.p.eutic warm bath and full body massage yesterday. She walked towards the greenhouse as she was excited to start working.

When she was nearing the glass structure, she saw the workers cleaning up the area and moving out the materials they used. When the old engineer heard her energetic footsteps, he glanced at her direction and smiled wildly.

"Good morning, young lad. I thought I will be leaving the palace without even seeing you again." Ulysses' eyes brightened and reflected his eagerness to tell her his new discovery. "Come, come, young lady, this old man here have tried your plan last night. And it was simply marvelous! Hohoho."

He opened the glass door and as soon as she stepped inside, she was welcomed with a warm atmosphere that made her cheeks flushed.

"Yesterday, we saw the King of Lumine and the King of Atlantis strolling around the garden. I boldly asked them to test your theory, so King Zen used his light spell and radiated it through the glass panels. After the entire cold night, the inside of this building was still warm. Isn't it amazing? Hohoho!"

"Ulysses, you are really a genius! I can't believe you got everything on the first try. Yes, this is truly amazing, almost magical!" Haru emotionally exclaimed as she turned around and enjoyed the warmth in the air. She laughed and looked up at the glass ceiling with eyes shimmering like newly polished gemstones.

She faced the perky artisan with a grateful smile on her face. "Old man Ulysses, I know my demand to build it in two days was outrageous, but you took the challenge and delivered it exactly the way I planned it. Thank you for all the hard work." She bowed to the artisan and to the several workers who entered the greenhouse.

To her surprise, the men knelt in front of her and gave their thanks.

Ulysses spoke with great appreciation. "It was us who should be grateful to you. Contrary to what others' beliefs, we all know that you are doing this in preparation for the future and for the citizens of this world. We are honored to be part of the new era you are about to create, our future queen."

Haru's eyes watered and a lump instantly formed in her throat. She didn't know how to respond or act to their sudden formal actions.

She was hoping to hide her relationship with Adis as long as she could but Vesta let the cat out of the bag. For those who were involved in the creation of the greenhouse, it was easy for them to draw an obvious conclusion based on the rumors spreading throughout the realms.

A loud applause from the entrance of the greenhouse caught everyone's attention and made them turn around. There, they all saw the extraordinary presence of the three Kings of Trium Regum.

"I guess there was no point hiding the truth anymore, huh?" Zen started as he walked towards the small crowd and stood beside Haru. He softly poked her side with his elbow. "Sister-in-law, praise me! It was I who caused this warmth inside your greenhouse."

Haru chuckled at Zen's behavior. He looked like an enthusiastic child waiting for his mother's compliment.

"Congratulations, sister-in-law! I am looking forward to the remarkable things that this structure will produce." Aquarius exclaimed while his eyes formed into crescent as he smiled.

Adis intertwined their fingers as he just stood beside her, silently conveying his support through his subtle gestures.

Haru nodded at Zen and Aquarius then spoke to Ulysses' team that was still kneeling on the ground. "Thank you, everyone. I will still be needing your help in the days to come. So keep up the great work. For now, please go home and rest. I know that you haven't rested since you started building this glass structure."

The men loudly thanked the Kings and Haru and finally left altogether, planning to have a drinking session as a celebration.

Afterward, she asked Fang to bring out the different types of soil she requested the other day. Since it was still too early for the morning court meeting, the Kings stayed with her and even ordered the breakfast to be served inside the greenhouse.

Millie and Hannah brought the still sleepy Vladimir and Fenrir to join the meal.

"Good morning, father. Good morning, mother." The vampire kid was rubbing his eyes as he greeted his parents. He was still wearing his bear printed pajamas while carrying Mr. Bear who was wearing the same attire and even had a nightcap on.

Haru kissed Vladimir's and Fenrir's forehead and greeted back before busying herself again on feeling the soil with her hands.

Adis took Fenrir from Millie's arm and carried the pup himself then ushered Vladimir to sit on the chair and to start eating.

"Haru, why don't you eat first before you continue with what you're doing," Adis coaxed her.

"Later, love, I'm almost done." Haru casually replied without taking her eyes off of the bags of soil. Then she continued to mutter to herself, "The soil of Lumine and Atlantis was really good for cultivating grains, vegetables and other types of plants. No wonder they can produce abundant harvest before."

"You are right, my lady. I am amazed that you can tell the potential of the soil just by touching it." When Haru looked up at the unfamiliar voice, the good-looking man gave her a respectful smile. He bowed deeply to give his greetings. "Please forgive me for forgetting my manners, my lady. My name is Isaiah Kalmin, Royal Aide to the King of Lumine. It is an honor to finally meet the wise future Queen of Umbra."

"Hello, Isaiah, and nice to meet you, too. I learned to plant from a young age and became adept in farming as I grow up." Haru smiled and greeted back. "So where are the soil of Umbra?"

"It's here, my lady," Isaiah showed her the two bags of soil that were isolated from the rest.

Haru creased her forehead as she reached out for the first bag and felt the soil on her palm. It felt gritty, easily crumbled and fell apart on her light hold. When she tried to put some water on it, it drained away quickly. On the second bag of soil, she could see stones and chalks. The yellowish leaves around it confirmed the high alkaline in the soil and poor growth.

Adis stopped what he was doing and moved closer to her while Fenrir was wiggling in his embrace. He was anxiously waiting for his maiden to announce her verdict, wishing that there was still hope for the soil of the Dark Realm.

"Well, these soils are indeed challenging for plant cultivation," she started and pointed out the first bag, "This sandy soil retains very little of water and nutrients which means it's extremely poor soil. The second one is stony and dries out easily. It has a high level of alkaline that may cause nutrient deficiency in plants."

The more she provided the facts of her observation, the more saddened the beings around her become. Adis sighed heavily and no longer wished to hear more of the depressing details.

Haru playfully poked at his cheek and added, "However, even though the soil is sandy or chalky, it doesn't mean it's hopeless."

Adis slowly looked at her face and when she smiled mischievously, he knew she was having fun teasing him. He narrowed his eyes at her, but his heart was swelling in anticipation and hope. "You mischievous brat, spit it out!"

She laughed out loud before she revealed additional information. "Every soil has an advantage and disadvantage depending on the plants that you wish to grow. But if you understand each property of the soil, then growing plants even in its poor condition won't be a problem. For example, if you've been trying to grow wheat using these kinds of soils without even amending it like adding compost, green manures, and the likes, it's very likely that the crops will die.

"Oh, well, I don't want to bombard you with technical terms, but in a nutshell, the soil in Umbra can be cultivated to grow crops and plants provided that some corrections on the soil will be added. What's even more good news is that there are several crops that can only grow in these types of soil which you can take advantage of and make it your realm's signature produce--"

Haru's long statement was interrupted when an idiot devil suddenly captured her mouth with his. Her eyes grew wide and stared at the fiery demon orbs, drowning her to submit. She let out a satisfied m.o.a.n and her heart softened at his skillful kisses.

"You are indeed a precious gift from the gods." Adis declared after the sweet kiss. "Did you know that my realm's food production is the biggest burden on my shoulders? If we succeed with the experiment, then my people won't have to starve anymore. Thank you, Haru!"

She flicked his forehead and peck his moist lips. "We are just starting. Thank me again once we see improvements."