~ Chapter 153: Confronting the King of Teslov ~
[Ayuseya’s point of view]
The doors to the throne room of the Teslov Kingdom were the same ones from thousands of years ago when the notorious Dragon Emperor ruled these lands. The arcade was made from pure gold enchanted with magic to remain sturdy and unchanging over the years. The doors were decorated with an impressive and rather big carved image of the Draconian Emperor who brought the Teslov Empire to ruin. Maybe because it still held historical or artistic value, no previous ruler dared to remove it.
I believed the main reason behind keeping this memory of a tyrannical was the fact that some of the noble elder draconians still clung to the desires of the old eras and believed that true prosperity came with following the Emperor’s will. It was a way of appeasing them.
The artwork, although ancient, was impressive nonetheless, and you could almost feel the countless hours the artists spent towards making these carvings. Back then, the means through which they could create something astounding as this were as well developed as those in the present, making any form of detailed art to be an excruciating painful chore. Some artists even spent countless years at a time for a single painting or sculpture.
There was a time, when the entire Pleyades Palace was covered in art pieces of countless artists from across the entire continent. It wasn’t as if the old Emperor had a special sense of art, no, these were vanity items with which he showcased his fortune and power to the lesser nobles who were then more than willing to do as he pleased. In time, however, many of those art pieces were either destroyed, sold, or sent back to the rightful owners if they had been plundered from a foreign royal or noble family.
I was left standing before these doors, while the Supreme Escorts formed two rows, one to my left and one to my right. They stood at attention, just as the rules of etiquette required. The guest would then present themselves to his Majesty by themselves. If there were multiple guests, then they would enter one by one with a time difference of no more than one minute between each other. This was so that his Majesty didn’t accidentally confuse one of the guests with someone else. It was mostly applied when foreign dignitaries came to visit or wished to participate in an important conference.
Once inside, the Royal Guard would then salute and place their open palm on the pommel of their sheathed swords. This was to show that they were ready to attack but at the same time retained a peaceful appearance until an order was given or there was an unmistakable danger to the crown. The King would have a Confident on his left side, who listened to his words and then spoke to the guests in a loud voice. On his right side was the Prime Minister or the Grand Adviser, either of them could do this job, but very rarely were both present. These individuals would then have to report to the Elders Council once the meeting was over.
What I was going through right now was just the standard way of receiving a foreign guest.
While I waited for the doors to open, the only thing I could think about was the time I had spent with Illsyore. My hands were held in front of me, forming a perfect 90-degree angle between my pointing fingers, almost as if I was declaring that this womb of mine was off limits. It was the format in which a married noble woman presented herself in front of the King. If I was still a maiden, then I would have held my hands at my back, with the back of the palms pressing against my spine, to show that my womb was still unclaimed.
This womb of mine, unfortunately, had yet to receive the fertile seed of my husband, but considering the amount of stress and the physical effort I submitted my body to up until now, it was a good that I wasn’t pregnant.
Back on Illsyorea, when I requested Illsy to bless me with a child before I left for Teslov, he thought about my condition seriously and then asked me if I was expecting this journey to be free of stress and troubles. As much as I would have wanted to say ‘No.’ back then, the truth was that I had no idea what sort of troubles awaited me here. It was clear that this country was up to no good, but there was no telling what they had planned once I stepped on their soil.
When Shanteya and Nanya got pregnant, we all took care of them, helping them out so that they would have a safe delivery. As the wives of a Dungeon, we knew that we would always have to give birth to twins, one a Dungeon and another a half-dungeon. This meant that we had to use a lot more energy on this pregnancy than we would have in case of a normal one. Being Over Supremes helped us a lot, but we were all well aware that if we had been Master Rank, this pregnancy could have easily bedridden us.
If there was even the slightest chance of a miscarriage, I did not want to risk it. None of us did. It was too terrible to think about it. So, when Illsy made me aware of this possibility, I agreed with him and accepted his decision to postpone my pregnancy for when I returned to our home. It was normal for a man to go to war after laying with his wife, but the other way around was a bit dangerous.
In retrospect, I found myself extremely happy to have Illsy worry like this over me, when neither my mother nor grandmother had this blessed opportunity. My family, from what I had seen and witnessed so far, knew not the concept of parental love. As children, the Pleyades lived just a few short years with one of their parents and then they were groomed into the perfect Princes and Princesses needed to be presented to the outside world.
When thinking about it, back then, when I asked Illsy to bless me with a child, I was not thinking about wanting to meet the offspring of our love but rather because I felt some sort of inner urgency. My family up until now were all born with this feeling, this desire to give birth to the next generation as faster as possible without thinking about the consequences. It was a warped idea, but some of it still lingered at the back of my mind.
What I really wanted was to one day give birth to the child that represented the embodiment of the love Illsy and I shared together. I wanted to feel blessed just like Shanteya and Nanya did, not relieved that I marked another task off of my To Do list.
The one who invited me to the throne room today was someone who lived with that warped idea about childbirth as being an absolute truth in this country. According to him and everyone in this palace, I was never supposed to be blessed with a child, I was supposed to be burdened by the ‘noble’ duty of giving birth to as many children as possible before the curse took over and ended my pathetic life.
Well, too bad for everyone at this palace, but I had no intention of ever returning to that sick mentality.
When the big doors opened, it was finally time for me to step inside the throne room. At my first step inside, the Royal Guards placed their palm atop the pommel of their sheathed swords and on my next one, the Confident introduced me.
“Here comes, Princess Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades! Draconian with royal blood flowing through her veins, a proper noblewoman of the Teslov Kingdom! Here comes, Princess Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades, the soon to be wife of his Majesty King Brayden Pleyades! Do you confirm this as the absolute truth declared now before the gods which have placed us upon this world?” he asked as if he was entirely confident that I would reply with a nod.
“Hm?” I showed him a smile and then, while continuing to move forward, I replied with a calm voice “No.”
The Confident was at a loss of words, but he had no right to express his disbelief because everything that came out of his mouth could be interpreted as the words of the King.
His Majesty made a sign to him and then whispered something in his ear.
As far as I could see, he was a young boy of no more than 20 years with black and gold scales on his body and a sharp look in his eyes. He gave off the aura that he was wise beyond his age, but also far too confident in himself. The young child whom I knew as a brother was nowhere to be seen in this stranger who stood before me on the throne of the Teslov Kingdom. In terms of personality, the air he gave off, the look in his eyes, the words he spoke, his overall demeanor and even his physique appeared to be different from the Brayden I once recognized as my sibling. Maybe, this draconian who stood before me was in fact a different individual altogether, but I had no right to make such an absurd claim at this time.
I was gone for many years and my interactions with my little brother had not always been ones of great depth like they were with my sister, Vellezya.
Like any other King, he wore a golden crown and a luxurious mantle decorated with red velvet, white fur, and gems of all kinds and colors. It was truly a lavishing getup. The Confident and the Prime Minister were also quite well-dressed as well. Just one of their robes could have fed the slums in this city for an entire month. The Royal Guards around us all wore armor that was meant to give off an intimidating and regal air. They didn’t just look pretty, they were enchanted by some of the powerful and well-known mages in this kingdom. Those weapons were supposed to deal with great ease with an Emperor Rank’s Magic Armor, while their armors could withstand multiple hits from a Godlike. Only the King’s garbs had the special enchants required for them to survive multiple Godlike attacks.
They paled in comparison to Illsy’s enchanted clothes, but they could quite certainly be considered the most expensive and the best money could buy within Teslov Kingdom.
“Princess Ayuseya, don’t be foolish. You are standing before me as a returned misguided fiancé of mine, how could these words be anything else except from the absolute truth?” Brayden declared in a firm and cold tone of voice without showing a single change in his expression, not even a frown or a raised eyebrow.
So, they are going to play the fool in this matter? Very well, let’s see how good that does to you. I thought and then with a simple smile on my lips, I replied to him ”Foolish? I apologize, your Majesty, but I don’t understand.”
“What is there to understand? Becoming my wife is a divine benefit for someone like you! A blessing, I would say, granted upon you by the gods! Since ancient time it was foretold that the wife of the best king shall be the one who had the strength to survive the longest with our curse!” he declared.
“Your Majesty, that is nothing more than a foolish superstition. It does not represent this country’s current political affairs, and it doesn’t even affect it in any way or matter at either political, economic, or military level.” I tried to explain, while putting emphasis on those last words.
“How foolish… You cannot possibly be thinking of denying the voice of the elders, are you?” he asked.
My words may have just as well flown through one of his ears and went out the other without so much as touching the squiggly worm between his ears, which he calls a brain. I mocked in my mind, but I didn’t let it show on my face.
A normal draconian woman would have shriveled in fear at the mere thought of offending the Council of Elders, but I was not someone like that. For me, those old fossils meant nothing. My affiliation with Teslov stopped at Vellezya and my nephew and went no further.
“Your Majesty, beg my forgiveness, but you cannot ask a woman to marry you when she’s already taken as the wife of another man.” I politely reminded him.
“What? When did this happen?! Show proof!” the Confident declared while the King showed an irritated frown on his face.
I lifted my hand to show him the golden ring around my finger. After Illsy absorbed the Darkness and cleared his Inner Mind of its corruption, our marriage rings had turned from Black to Gold. They were magical in nature, so I could not take it off even if I wanted to, well, not like I ever would.
“Allow me to correct you, your Majesty. My official name is Ayuseya Drekar Deus. The name of Pleyades is not one that either represents me or binds me in any way or manner. I have come to this Kingdom merely as a representative of Illsyorea and to inform you personally of this important political detail, since it appeared as though you didn’t wish to believe your own messenger.” I told him.
“To think that... how foolish...” Brayden spoke loud enough for me to hear him. He then leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. “Are you aware of what your betrayal implies?” he asked.
“There is no such thing as a betrayal here, your Majesty. I broke no rule and no law of Teslov Kingdom by becoming Illsyore’s wife.” I showed him a smile.
“You dare talk back to me?” he asked as he glared at me.
The moment he did so, the guards grabbed hold of their swords and took a step forward, but they didn’t unsheathe them yet. They formed a circle around me and glared my way with an intent to kill as clear as the light of day.
“I merely speak facts, your Majesty, but if you wish to take up an aggressive note with me, I do wish to remind you, once again, that I am a legal political representative of Illsyorea who is also recognized by the current ruling Emperor of the Paramanium Empire, under which the current Teslov Kingdom serves as a vassal state.” I replied with a smile on my face and unfazed by the glares of the guards around me.
“Even if I kill you here, there is no one to speak of your demise, and I will gladly deny any accusations brought against me. The Emperor of Paramanium won’t be able to avenge you, as for your so-called husband, he won’t have the courage to go against the might of my Kingdom. Doing so would also create a negative outcome on the general view of his little toy island.” Brayden declared with an almost bored note in the tone of his voice.
He was talking almost as if there was no other way for him to lose in this current situation. Whether it was politics or military, he saw himself at the top of the pile, in an unshakable position.
“Now, for the fun of it, let us assume that this Illsyorea of yours was as great and powerful as you claim it to be, in the end, it’s still one island that survives through the support of other nations. Unlike this little country you boost to hold a stronger relationship with than your own birth kingdom, Teslov has deep roots in the history of the Thorya Continent, which spread even so far as the Allasn and Sorone continents. We are a nation of beings descended from mighty dragons, with sharp horns, scales, and sturdy tails to prove our origins. Humans are weak and squishy in comparison, while the relliars, el’doraws, and elves are just as feeble. Now, leaving aside our obvious superior species traits, what do you think would happen if within the political world a young nation like Illsyorea would dare to slander Teslov’s good name?” he asked and then showed me a smirk.
The way he spoke this time was in a gallant way, maybe with a bit of royal flair that seemed to betray the wisdom of his eyes, which was well beyond that of his young body’s appearance. The more I listened to him, the more I understood him, the less he felt like my little brother and more like a complete stranger who was born to rule as a king.
His logic does hold ground when looked at it from a foreign nation’s point of view. Having honor and saving face against other nations can sometimes be more important than how many soldiers you can train in one year or how powerful your Supremes are. However, all these notions don’t even hold a candle to Illsy. Initially, I also tried to explain these delicate matters to him, however, I never managed to get him to behave king-like. I thought as I narrowed my eyes at the draconian who was standing on the throne.
“You see, no matter how you attempt to turn this situation around, I doubt you will be able to find a decent footing on which you can hold on to your independence. Let us not forget that your so-called husband is in fact a monster known as a Dungeon. None of the existing nations consider their kind as one that is worthy to listen to. Their only use is either to create items for us or to die by our swords. Thus, by offering yourselves to this monster, you will only end up as the enemies of all existing nations.” he declared.
“The Paramanium Empire is on our side, however.” I retorted.
“But for how long? True, you may have bested their armies once, but no matter what, they are not a nation who depends on your existence. Their economy is tied with ours and those of the neighboring nations. If Teslov falls, many humans will go hungry and lose their jobs over there. However, let us say that you somehow declare war against our peaceful nation of Teslov.” he said and waved off his hand as though it was nothing more than a bad joke.
“That is indeed a possibility.” I nodded.
“Well, in that case, I wouldn’t even need to send my forces to fight against you. All I would need to do is to call back my merchants and stop trading with the Paramanium Empire under the pretext of defending myself against an enemy’s ally. We would also declare that it was you who wished for war, not us, which in turn would lead to all the nations supporting our ‘just cause’. With import and export grinding to halt, the foreign merchants would immediately investigate the cause and discover that the small nation of Illsyorea is bullying Teslov, an action which could only result in decrease of commerce and less profit for them. To make things more real, I would order my armies and merchants to begin spreading bad rumors about Illsyorea, thus having you lose the trust of your people. After all, with a million voices you can even turn a giant’s roar into a quiet whisper.” he explained brazenly while leaning back in his throne and showing me a triumphant smile.
“You are saying that no matter what we choose, our loss against you is guaranteed?” I asked.
“Precisely, but don’t think about this as the most I can do.” he laughed and then leaned forward “Your little island is far more vulnerable that you imagine it to be. I don’t need to attack your Deus Family, per say, I just need to stir enough trouble so that the people living there will lose faith in you. After all, you may be able to protect them, but not their relatives who live outside. To make it better, I would just declare that assassins hired by you have been sent after their beloved families in order to force the current inhabitants to stay on the island. From here to turning Illsyorea into the den of all evil it’s just a matter of time. Then, I wonder how many of your precious students will be eager to continue studying there? Who in their right mind would stay near the individuals who sooner or later could indirectly wipe out their beloved parents?” he started laughing as I clenched my fists and made an ugly expression.
Before him, I appeared disturbed and angry, but on the inside, I felt neither threatened nor afraid. What he was telling me was common sense, basic tactics against which you could defend with ease, especially when you had an Over Supreme’s might. In the end, the louder the Dayuk’s bark, the higher the chance for him not to bite.
“I also heard that your friends have given birth recently, do you think their children would love to be born in a world that suddenly started to hurt them because their Aunty Ayuseya did something stupid? In the end, you are just the same foolish, little draconian woman. This was never a competition or a battle to begin with. You have no standing ground, no means of supporting yourself against Teslov’s might. The most you can do is shrink back like a wounded Dayuk and hope the hunter never finds you.” he declared with an absolute confidence in his eyes.
In this rather peculiar situation, all of us sister-wives would have had a different reaction. Nanya would not have waited for him to talk this much, she would have jumped in to punch him in the face. Shanteya would have already appeared behind him, dagger drawn and pressed against his jugular. Zoreya would have stood still, unwavering and uncaring, declaring that going against us was like going against Melkuth himself and not even Teslov could erase a god. As for Tamara, she would have let out a soft mew and then ripped the draconian’s head right off his shoulders. She was not someone who was particularly good at this type of conversations, but if someone dared to threaten her family, she would not have hesitated to go for the kill.
As for me, my plan was already in motion. Illsy was taking care of my little sister, ensuring her safety by removing her curse. I had initially planned to simply talk with my little brother and then convince him to stop this foolishness or not... well, threaten him some way, but it appeared as though the one before me resembled Brayden in name only.
Maybe it isn’t him, after all? I wondered as I looked into his eyes, but they were the same color, even his beauty mark on his neck was still there.
“There is indeed one card you hold in this strange game that we play...” he suddenly said after a long moment of pause. “Care to guess what it is?”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I parted my lips and replied, “The curse.”
The one thing all Pleyades feared and hated the most was the generational curse that sent countless draconians on a direct path to the Realm of the Dead far earlier than most humans were.
“Indeed. Your husband, somehow, someway, managed to undo that filthy curse and set you from its horrible restraints, however, the question that baffles me is... How?” he narrowed his eyes at me.
“You would have to ask him yourself, I’m not an expert in magic, I merely hold a few tricks.” I replied.
“Indeed.” he leaned back in his chair and then tapped his chin with two fingers as he looked up at the ceiling and appeared as though he was seriously thinking about something. “Call him.” he said.
“What?” I blinked surprised.
“I said call him.” he looked back at me “Certainly, a wise Dungeon like him would definitely keep some way to track you down? A spell or maybe an item with a peculiar enchantment? I don’t think he cursed you per say, but we can test it out.” he smirked as he snapped his fingers and the guards took another step forward, now their swords unsheathed.
“Are you threatening me with the Royal Guards?” I asked him.
“No. But they can be very persuasive as well. However, I can offer you a deal, you see.” he said and showed me a smile.
“A deal?” I asked.
“Indeed. Remove the curse from me, and I won’t bother to send off my army after Illsyorea. Simple, right?” he laughed.
“What about me?”
“With the curse removed, I’ll be free to chase after any woman I desire. You are just the preferred toy of the Council of Elders, but I can do without you just as well.” he shrugged.
“Wouldn’t that be called treason?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Treason? For what? Getting rid of a generational curse that was placed on me since birth and finally being able to reign free as the absolute ruler of this kingdom as it was rightfully proclaimed since ancient times?” he laughed.
Since ancient times? I’ve never heard of such a legend, what is he talking about? I wondered, but at the very least I knew that our conversation wasn’t going to proceed any further without the presence of my husband in this room.
“So, will you call your beloved husband, or should I try and see if torture works best?” he asked.
“No, I’ll call him.” I replied.
Brayden showed me a satisfied smirk as he leaned back in his chair and waited for me to use whatever means I had at my disposal to call for the one individual in this world who managed to lift our generational curse.
As I pulled the little device Illsy gave me from within my Storage Crystal, I thought about what I had managed to achieve so far. First of all, this draconian king, despite his fairly young age was actually very smart and cunning. I doubt there would more than a handful of draconians who would be able to think of so many ways to theoretically crush Illsyorea. He also possessed a wisdom and a strength that didn’t match that of the little brother that was in my memories.
It was as if I was speaking with a complete stranger right now, and although this was unsettling, it didn’t make me forget about my initial mission.
I never planned on trying to get too much out of him during this first round. Illsy’s presence was required for the second round. Calling my husband here was never an emergency-only situation but an actual step I planned on taking in order to ensure that I could gain more access to the information he kept hidden. For now, however, my biggest question was regarding who this individual who wore the King’s crown was. I also had to question him about the underground facility that was built centuries ago.
Illsy was also the only individual within Teslov Kingdom who could cast a powerful enough barrier to stop some of my most powerful attacks. Brayden was going to die tonight, this was certain, but not before I ripped from his dying lips every single piece of information I could get.
“Is that it?” he asked as he pointed at the device I held up above my head.
“Yes.” I nodded and then pressed the button.