Chapter 77: The White Phoenix
Time ticked.
Not too fast. Not too slow.
Enough for people who pay attention to feel it, and enough for those who don't to feel nothing.
By the fifth day since the dragons arrived, the entire Gēng-shēng city shifted.
The festival atmosphere intensified. By night time, the city, which never slept, looked twice as lively. Thrice as lovely.
And the Palace? One might wonder.
Oh—How awestrucking it was.
Glorious luxury, dazzling pride, heart-warming joy…if all of that could be molten into something physical, it'd look like this Palace of fire and ancient legacy.
Tak. Tak. Tak.
Among one of the said palace's hallways, Kyriaki walked with confidence. She carried herself with perfect manners, effortless grace and eyes that revealed nothing like it was etched deep into her soul.
Accompanying her was her twin brother—Kyrios. He looked comfortable. His eyes however, carried a hidden delight as if what he was seeing pleased him greatly. Like layers of excitement resonated with very soul.
Xunli, his black diamond eyes holding pride and joy, guided them with a straight back. So straight Kyriaki catched Kyrios mumbling; Do Phoenixes have extra joints and bones in their spine? Nonsense.
Amidst the all festival atmosphere, they finally came to a halt.
A door stood tall before them in milky marbles.
A pure white door, engraved with a Phoenix soaring high into the sky, surrounded by humans bowing down and sun with eight rays shining from above, looked grand and novel to their eyes. They noticed how there was not a single color, just carvings. As if it was stolen from a pure white world hidden somewhere in the multiverse.
Beside the door, two guards stood in perfect discipline. Eyes steady, backs straight, expression unreadable. They were not the weak kind that act as background characters in webnovels, the kind that die first when enemies move, giving spot light to the Protagonist.
They were the kind that fought battles risking their lives, laying the victory under the feet of their queen. The kind that was battle hardened, sharp like blades, loyal to the core and strong like diamonds.
Who else but they can protect this door?
The door leading to a gathering of most important people from around the world. Not just the world, but from the moon too.
"Announce our presence." Xunli commanded with a composed tone.
One of the guards nodded and took a deep breath.
"His Highness Prince Kyrios and Her Highness the Crown Princess Kyriaki of Noble Dragons are entering!!!"
The door opened without a sound, like a ghost.
And the hall inside?
It went quiet. Too quiet. Not even a hush. The Phoenix style banquet with low tables and cushions to sit on, unfamiliar food and culture, the guests occupying and experiencing that with practiced grace and dignity…everything went quiet.
The dancers paused, the music froze, the sound of glasses hitting together and laughter ceased. All as if word was holding its breath.
Kyriaki walked into the hall like she belonged there. She didn't care for the dramatic pause the hall produced for her to be nervous. She had never been nervous in this type of a setting. Not in the past, not in the present. And most definitely, not in the future.
The inner thoughts of hundreds of people flood into her mind like a tidal wave. Even so, her trained mind and expression remained the same.
Kyrios fell a step behind her.
Not because he was nervous, not because he was lacking confidence. And not because he followed some unwanted royal etiquette rule. Only because he wanted to give the spotlight to his older sister. His twin.
Act 01 of the opening chapter of their stage play was starting.
The world and this hall was their stage. And the guests were their audience…or supporting characters. It'll depend entirely on them.
And the twins?
They are lead actors. Ready to make it interesting. Though, only they would find it interesting enough.
Kyriaki walked straight to the high seat and stopped.
She lifted her head. Golden locks of hair rustled as she moved.
Gold met Gold.
—And the world went still.
Then, Kyriaki bowed. A perfect dragon bow used not for submission or reverence but for acknowledgment.
"Greetings, Queen Wang Xuelian. The White Phoenix." A soft and dreamy voice, so captivating it felt otherworldly, echoed inside the silent hall.
"Yes, greetings, Crown Princess Kyriaki. The Golden Dragon. And you too, Prince Kyrios. I welcome the two of you to my kingdom."
Kyriaki's greeting was immediately accepted by a calm and beautiful voice. The owner of the voice—Long white hair adorned by jewels, golden eyes sharp like a hawk, and a stunning face that'd stand out in a crowd of beauties, the one named Wang Xuelian, the only white Phoenix, the queen of her kind, nodded.
She wore standard Gold and White colored royal robes. The kind only Phoenix royalty would wear. Her beautiful face betrayed nothing. Not a single emotion.
"I congratulate you on becoming a mother, Your Majesty. May the blessing of dragons reach you. May the joy of motherhood strengthen you. And may your child be strong, healthy and prosperous just as you are."
"Thank you," The white Phoenix said. Her tone diplomatic, eyes calculating. "I am overjoyed to have your blessings on this delightful occasion."
Kyrios chuckled besides Kyriaki.
"We are far from having the honor to bless you, Your Majesty. Me and my sister are merely messengers. Besides, House Stergios seemed to have beat us to it."
Kyrios gave a side-long glance to a Fae with heliotrope colored hair. The Fae bowed immediately, his demeanour Friendly. Few began to mummer among themselves, finally getting free from the silence that lingered around them.
Kyrios smiled in response. It was a kind and innocent smile. No hidden intentions, no hidden poison. A genuine smile that seemed to have puzzled several people that hoped for drama and chaos in the room.
Because that wasn't how politics worked. Politics never revealed its intentions. It was never kind, innocent or gentle like Kyrios.
But they didn't know.
Kyrios was never there to play politics. He was unsuitable for it anyway. He wasn't even the main lead. He was there to guide the play, yes. Even so, Kyriaki had never forbidden him from being himself.
Watching this, Queen Xuelian's brows twitched. Not enough to notice by most. But Kyriaki, who had studied body language since her past life, noticed it immediately.
"Indeed." The Phoenix queen said.
As she was about to say more to end this tension filled conversation with her red lips, the tightly wrapped white bundle in her arms moved just in time.
Kyriaki's dragon eyes dropped to take the whole picture to her memories.
"May I see him?"
The hall turned to absolute silence once again. The kind of silence that had teeth. That had the ability to sink them into flesh at the slightest mistake.
Kyriaki's request was unreasonable and unacceptable.
For various reasons, actually.
If someone else said it, they'd have been thrown into the dungeon. Or worse—treated like a mentally ill crazy baxxxxx and executed on the spot.
But Kyriaki was a dragon.
A golden dragon.
All those reasons to reject her request were futile against her.
Would a noble dragon assassinate a newborn using excuses and tricks to peer into his comfort zone?
The answer is crystal clear.
But Xuelian hesitated.
Just a little. As if she was genuinely considering it. As if there was something holding her back despite that consideration.
Kyriaki waited calmly.
Her yellow diamond eyes never left the sight of the tiny bundle.
The entire hall, including Kyrios and that random fae, held their breaths unknowingly and waited.
Then finally, Queen Xuelian nodded.
"Yes. Yes you may." She sounded like she believed in something, instead of giving permission.
Kyriaki, noting those details in her mind, moved elegantly and reached the high platform where the mother and son sat within seconds.
'Indeed, the one who'd look like Jackson Wang with long golden hair in the future.'
The first thought she had was silly in its own way.
'A life fated to die of misfortune.'
The second thought was chilling.
Kyriaki stared at the tiny baby, smiling at his mother.
He had golden hair and golden eyes, like he was crafted from ancient gold. His chubby cheeks and an adorable smile put most flowers to shame. Those shimmering eyes were full of life, joy and intelligence. A very rare traits among Phoenixes.
Wang Míngxīn.
A Golden Phoenix.
After the White Phoenix, Golden Phoenixes are the most powerful, placed second in their power rank. But according to the laws of Phoenixes, the legitimacy of the throne can only be transferred to him if either he advances to a White Phoenix or he marries one.
This future-tragic prince would have neither.
A tragedy indeed.
He was the reason why Kyriaki was here.
Why she readily agreed to become Elysium's proxy to attend this banquet, participate in a boring dungeon mission with two troublemakers, one aloof enigma and a one annoyingly flirtatious burden.
She wanted to make connections beforehand so that she could poke her fingers afterwards.
However, it seems her plans had been complicated along the way.
Kyriaki's eyes flashed in golden, revealing her dragon eyes. Those slit-pupils of a predatory dragon was enough to remind those who saw who she really was.
A powerhouse wrapped in human skin.
A wise and noble race pretending to be weak while containing power that could destroy the world if they wanted.
Queen Xuelian flinched. As if whatever she believed when she gave permission for Kyriaki to get close was crumbling. As if she was about to lose…something.
Sensing this, Kyriaki withdrew her eyes. Those eye—the ones worthy of volumes of poetry and bard songs—retuned to mimic human eyes in an instant. Her expression was calm and composed, as if she had only checked weather on a weather forecast.
"Your son," but her voice was like it was carved from stone and steel. The queen stiffened slightly. The tips of her fingers had gone cold a long time ago.
The entire hall waited for Kyriaki's next words.
"He'll win this life, his life. He'll achieve greatness alongside many others. He'll be…a better ruler than you, The White Phoenix." A small smirk tugged her lips as she took a step back as if to reassure the woman before her.
Queen Xuelian stared at her.
Really stared.
Then, her shoulders relaxed, her stiff hands softened as if she was reassuring herself inside her heart. But the cold sweat dripping from her forehead was still there. Barely visible even to Kyriaki.
The hall meanwhile—came back to life like a Phoenix resurrected from ashes.
There were hushes, hisses, mummers and gasps.
"Is that a prophecy?" One asked.
"Seems so." Another replied.
"Is the Dragon Princess a Time mage?"
"This is her first appearance in public. There isn't much information about her yet."
"So, does that mean the newborn prince is some big shot?"
"A better ruler, she says. He might become a powerful King, right?"
"Of course! Our Crown Prince! our future! He's already making his name across the world! Even among dragons!"
"This is a blessing!"
Curious questions, proud declarations, delightful acceptances.
Amidst it all, Queen Xuelian pressed her lips for a passing second before bowing her head slightly.
"...Thank you for your praise, Your Royal Highness."
"It's not praise." Kyriaki smiled gently. Her eyes curved up like crescent moons. "It's the truth."
Only the Queen heard her dreamy voice.
Kyriaki turned around with that same effortless grace and walked straight towards Kyrios. He nodded once with a kind smile and Kyriaki returned his smile back. Then, under the watchful gazes of hundreds of guests, they joined the Fae as if nothing happened.
The banquet returned to its former liveliness. Music began to play, dancers spun around and chatter of different languages flowed around in a strange harmony.
"Your Royal Highnesses." The Fae bowed his head respectfully, his shoulder length hair ruffled and fell down like curtains. "I am Louis Stergios, adopted son of Lord Vulcan Percy Stergios. Here as the proxy of the Lord."
It wasn't uncommon for dragons to adopt children from other races. Almost all dragon houses have at least one adopted child in the family register. Even Endymion is said to have had one during Eternal Eclipse, although they've passed away due to age.
The twins had met some of them on the moon, they weren't unfamiliar to the concept.
However, this was their first time meeting a Fae.
Faes are a combination of Fairies, Humans and butterflies. It might sound poetic, as if it was from a fairy tale. But there was no lie in that statement as the biological functions of a Fae showed mixed structures of all three races.
Louis, just like any other Fae, had eyes similar to fairies. Those peach flower shaped irises with colorful shades, as if they were descendants of a fairy, were undoubtedly stunning in any race's perspective.
His other features including his figure looked identical to a human. A human male, to be exact. Board shoulders, firm muscles, tall height and high intelligence. If he closed eyes, he'd definitely look like any ordinary human.
But Kyriaki knew.
Although currently hidden, Faes can summon wings.
Not the wings similar to a Fae-Dragon, nor a fairy. Those hidden wings were always similar to a butterfly. Looking delicate and soft with a beautiful color palette. They weren't transparent, yet they had inherited the strength of fairy wings in those delicate butterfly-like wings.
Faes are one of the lesser races. Rare and unique. Some call them High Humans, as if they were an evolved version of Humans. And some call them Butterfly beastkin.
Right now, those are things still debating that no one usually cares for. The twins looking up at Louis didn't seem to have any interest in deep understanding of Fae even though they had already seen the DNA samples and experiments in their database. Though, they seemed to have something else in their mind.
While Kyriaki was still restrained, Kyrios was already beaming with excitement.
"Hello! You look just like a fairy!"
"Oh."
"I'm serious. I'm a big fan of anything that has 'Fae' written on it!"
"I-I see." The Fae, who looked like he was in his late twenties—although that couldn't be true since a fae lives up to a thousand years—smiled awkwardly.
It would have been a great compliment to hear 'You look like a fairy' if he was a woman. But unfortunately, even Kyriaki found it awkward hearing a grown man getting called a fairy.
"Rio, calm down." Kyriaki patted his head, shaking her head. "My apologies, Lord Louis, My little brother has a fetish for things that start with that word, just like he confessed."
"Ah…it's alright Your Highness. I hear that often." Louis hurriedly waved his hand, his handsome face in distress as if someone told him tooth fairy was real and it stole teeth and eat them to take the form of the owner of that tooth to commit crimes.
"Even so, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable." Kyriaki gently bowed her head slightly.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw the Queen stealing glances at them. She ignored it for the time being.
"By the way, Lord Louis." She leaned in as if she was about to reveal the color of Euclid's favorite comfort blanket. Sensing the secretive atmosphere, Louis bended his back and leaned closer with a serious look.
"Do you happen to have the last report House Stergios got from the Phoenix Queen?"
"That—" Louis straightened his back. His face displayed discomfort.
"I'm not asking," Kyriaki calmly cut in. "I'm ordering you. As the Crown Princess. Got it?"
That got his attention.
Louis stared at the tiny girl with golden eyes that held clear authority only a capable ruler possessed. His blue eyes softened, just a little bit.
"I understand. When will it be sufficient to deliver the documents?"
"Today if possible. With tomorrow afternoon as the deadline."
"Damn."
Kyriaki gave a look to Louis, who forgot where he was and who he was talking to for a moment. Since the curses were muttered under his breath, Kyriaki refrained from saying much.
"A drink to the most beautiful children." Just then, a serving woman dressed extragalacticly offered them a drink with a sweet voice.
Kyriaki had set up a space barrier to block any of their conversation from leaking. Louis as well as Kyrios weren't disappointed as the two noticed it right away. Hence, all three of them weren't concerned about the woman because of that.
The twins cleared their throats, turning their identical eyes 10 degrees to the side while brushing the wrinkles of their upper clothes with the free hand. Then, they strengthen their backs and brush their bangs with the same hand before reaching to grab the drink with the free hand.
Each of their moves were identical. They were perfectly in sync.
"Wow…you two are truly twins, huh?" Louis couldn't help comment on it.
The twins took a sip from their drink, turned to face Louis and smiled brilliantly.
'Or maybe not?'
Kyrios' smile was gentle and innocent. He radiated kindness and maybe a bit of naive air. Whereas Kyriaki's smile was graceful and dreamy. And her eyes… oh, those eyes, they had something ancient, something tangled, something uncanny Louis dared not to deeply understand.
"Oh my, look who we got here!" Suddenly, a cheerful voice broke Louis's daze.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Just by the sound, one could recognize who it might be.
Kyriaki grinned ear to ear as she turned around to face the voice.
"Long time no see, Crown Prince Erik."
"Tsk. Why the formality? We are far from strangers, are we not?" Erik, who had been observing the twins from afar for a long time, clicked his tongue as if he was really saddened.
He had also come as his father's proxy. After all, this hall probably had almost all the proxies and representatives of important races in the world. Titans ranked as one of the top races of that list.
But what made him delightful wasn't the boring diplomacy none of Titans wanted or political conversation hidden with greed and envy he disliked. It was his old friend, joining this suffering with him.
Although Erik wasn't very familiar with Kyrios, Kyriaki was different.
They fought together, lived together and survived together in a dead land for months. The connection they built together that time was stronger.
"Formality for public settings. Can't be changed since we are heirs to our respective races. Don't even think about breaking etiquette and ditching manners." Kyriaki hissed.
"Tch. As fiercely protective of etiquette as always. I'm pretty sure you'd even die according to etiquette when time comes."
"Oh, you'd be very surprised, Your Highness. For example I'm so obsessed with etiquette that I feel like visiting my friends in sleep to teach them how to sleep with dignity. The kind that looks dead rather than asleep. You know, right?"
"Ahem."
"Pfft—"
"Pwahahaha!!!"
The two hit it off right away. There was no awkwardness to buddies that overcame death, after all. And soon, the two friends as well as the other two who watched the conversation with eagerness joined the laughter.
Kyriaki felt a bit relieved. A bit like she didn't need to act all the time. Tension leaving just slightly. Enough to make her relax for the night.
And tomorrow, she'll continue her stage play.
Until she judge it's over, this world will be a play to her.
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