Chapter 14: House Of Elysium II
"Queen Pyrrha, you joke too much. His Highness has always been punctual—"
"Kai!" I snapped sharply, cutting him off and signaling for him to stop arguing with her.
The Ashenfeather Royal family of the Phoenix tribe is dominated by powerful women only.
They're known for their unusual ability to undergo rebirth thrice before their final death. Each lifetime spans more than ten thousand years, and after death, they burst into flames and rise from their own ashes to continue their previous life.
Only the Ashenfeather Royal family posess this unique power .
According to history, they colluded with the Witches of Ambergris to gain immortality, as they sought to rule forever and prevent their royalty from falling into the hands of other families in their tribe.
The Powerful Witches of Ambergris aided them and passed down a secret power through generations, ensuring their family's perpetual reign.
Many families in the Phoenix tribe have attempted to uncover the secret of their power in order to overthrow the queen's tyrannical rule.
However, each family that has tried this has met a dreadful end.
The last family that came close to discovering this power was wiped out by Queen Pyrrha, ensuring none escaped to expose their secret, thus preserving their power over the tribe.
The females of the Ashenfeather Royal family do not marry conventionally. When they wish to have a child, they select a random man from the commoners and mate with him. If the man fathers a daughter, he is rewarded, but if not, both he and the male child are killed, and another man is sought until a daughter is born.
But Queen Pyrrha was different.
Proud and disdainful of common men, she seduced the last Dragonlord of the Draco Royal family, resulting in a daughter of both phoenix and dragon blood.
When I defeated the dragonlord and his entire race, she attempted retaliation, but her powers were way below mine.
Thus, she still harbors a deep hatred towards me for slaying the father of her child, always waiting for an opportunity to make me pay for what I did to the Draco Royal family thousands of years ago.
"Kai, do you now have the audacity to talk to me? Even your mother, the Empress of the South Sea, can't look me in the eye. I'm not surprised, the Merclan is so weak that they have to seek shelter with the enemy!" she spat with extreme hatred in her voice, causing the knot in my chest to tighten even more.
"Keep my mother's name out of your mouth! You're way below her, you don't even deserve to speak her name!" Kai thundered angrily, openly displaying his long-hidden resentment towards Queen Pyrrha.
Kai is the second son and child of the Leviathan Royal family of the Merclan. After defeating the Dragonlord, the previous Emperor of the Merclan sought an alliance with me for protection from the Order.
According to him, there are lots of rare gems and relics in the Merclan that the Order covets. Fearing attack by the Order, the Emperor begged me to shield the South Sea from their covetous eyes and to protect them because of their limited power. In return, they agreed to provide refuge for me if the Order ever tried to overthrow me.
As a sign of loyalty, every second child of the next royal family would be given to me upon coming of age, a tradition passed down for generations.
After the Emperor's death, the Leviathan Royal family ascended, and when Kai reached his hundredth year, he was sent to me. We formed a blood pact, and he became my personal assistant.
I upheld my promise and protected the Merclan for thousands of years, ensuring the Order never set foot in their domain or attempt to harm them.
"We're getting late for the meeting, we should get going," I announced, dissolving the heavy tension between us.
Queen Pyrrha scoffed loudly and made her way to the conference room, her high heels making a loud clicking sound against the tiled floor as she majestically strolled in her golden flowing gown that drapes heavily across the floor.
"I can't go in there with you guys, the tension is too much for me!" Kimberly's voice whispered in my head.
She had just communicated with me through the mind link.
I glance at her in sheer surprise, and she flashes a sweet smile at me, reminiscent of the one she gave Kai in the dining room, causing my heart to flutter.
"Are you surprised I learned the mind link without your guidance? I've been silent since morning, trying to figure it out. I didn't expect to grasp it so easily," she said, brimming with a smile, her soft voice echoing in my mind.
Mind linking with her was exhilarating, her voice almost made me lose my composure. I grinned as we approached the conference room.
"I thought you were avoiding me because I left you for work last night and because you disliked the tattoo," I murmured through the mind link, feeling a wave of relief wash over me.
Turns out, I was overthinking, she wasn't ignoring me at all.
Her face flushed crimson as she stuttered, "I... I... don't understand you at all."
The mention of last night seemed to fill her with embarrassment and I couldn't help but snicker, earning a funny glare from her in return.
"Why are you two blushing so shamelessly?" Kai interjected, forcing his way into my mind.
His expression remained stoic, making it hard to discern if he was addressing me at all.
I pushed him out of the connection, I could only communicate with one person at a time, but he persisted and forced himself in again.
"Did you already teach her mind linking? Seriously? I think you're falling in love," he teased.
"Get out of my mind, her voice is the only thing I want to listen to. Yours sounds so hoarse I wanna die!" I teased, and we both stifled laughter.
Reconnecting with Kimberly, I reassured her that she wouldn't be joining us for the conference meeting, to which she sighed in relief.
Kai and I proceeded to the meeting with the Order.
These meetings occurred twice monthly, and only members of the Order were permitted to attend. Kai was the sole exception, given his family's affiliation with the Order.
Stepping into the cozy, dimly lit, and spacious conference room, we found the members of the Order already seated, their expectant gazes fixed on us.
I took my place at the head of the table, the usual position reserved for the leader, signaling the start of the meeting.
The Grand Magus and leader of the Witches of Ambergris rose from her chair, her presence commanding attention as she addressed me.
"Your Lordship, Lord Lucian," she began, her voice carrying authority and respect.
"I heard that yesterday you spent a considerable amount of money purchasing a human from the auctioning grounds of the House Of Pleasure. Are you not concerned about the tax implications of such a transaction?"
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Hermajesty_Writes
Hermajesty_Writes Hello, beloved EthKim Shippers! I'm thrilled to share my entry for the 2024 Webnovel Spirity Award. Your votes and support mean the world to me. Thank you all so much!
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