LOGINTwo days earlier...~ Lucien ~“Someone wants to see you, Your Majesty,” said Gulliard, who stood next to a thick pillar inside my bath.He bowed as low as he could in front of me, daring not to lift his head or his eyes. I was taking a bath, fully naked, my body immersed in the bubbling water, oh, and recently finished with imagining Nicolette bathing with me. He knew I didn’t take interruptions lightly, especially when I was in my private chambers, so he did as he could not to worsen my ire.My bath, a whole room of it, was made of rocks that looked like marble on Earth, and surrounded by pillars the height of two adult whales. A mural was set against a wall, a depiction of a dragon breathing fire down a village. The ceiling, pentagon-shaped, offered a breathtaking view of the sky. My eyes were trained on it, wanting to change it into nighttime. But even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t. I didn’t want to abuse my Kirillian powers, just like my father did back when he was one.I’d rather ig
~ Nicolette ~I planned my day to be the same as the two previous ones—all to be spent with the people my supposed brother and father disliked. I started with a bath and breakfast. They were already my routine. Sion, ever the silent one, remained guarding me, standing stiffly on the balcony.I couldn’t help but smile.The chimera was gone when I woke, but I was sure it stayed the whole night, for its side of the bed still felt warm. Sion never noticed its presence the entire time. He didn’t suspect anything, and I’d like to keep it that way. After all, the beast had been friendly enough during its two visits. Killing it would be such a waste of its grandeur—although I doubt Sion could even scratch it.It would be stupid of me to say, but I wanted to get to know the Kirillian better, so that became the topic with Shera during breakfast.“The Kirillian the cause of great plague, Tessano,” she informed while I continued chewing my food that looked like a pancake with oats. “When it first
~ Nicolette ~By my insistence, we headed out to the capital town again. This time, Sion got his own animal—same as Shera’s. It would seem that my plan of avoiding the king, the prince, and Ira was going well, but when we reached the border of the town, Ira’s figure came into view.He wore a smile for me, all dressed up in this military uniform I had come to know as worn by a higher rank. His long brown hair was tied into a ponytail, high to his head. He had a sword at his side, secured by his belt and scabbard.As always, caution and an uneasy feeling alighted inside me when he came near.“I knew you’d come back here today,” he said, still riding the animal. With his reins, he positioned the beast to the side, aligned with mine, and with that, we were both facing the town’s entrance gate.I made a little noise in my throat and answered him, “The people here are better company than the castle.”He nodded. “True. You said that yourself in the past.”An amused laugh escaped my lungs in
~ Nicolette ~And a long night it was indeed.But I didn’t get bored at all. The Foressan people made me feel welcomed and loved. And I, just like that, felt a strong bond with them.They were true people. No pretense. No bullshit. I found myself a member of their family more than with the king and the prince.Ira was nowhere in sight. Since the last time I saw him this morning, he never made his presence known again. Or probably that was what he wanted me to believe. For all I knew, he was just hiding in the shadows, observing me from afar.In the late evening, we rode back to the castle.One family, the family of Sion, insisted we stay in their house. I was about to say yes, but guess what?My brother, appearing out of the darkness riding his own animal, answered for me.Of course, he declined the invitation.Sion’s mother, who I had come to know as Mother Shay, prostrated in front of us and never met the prince’s eyes. She was that submissive under a stiff royal presence. With a hea
~ Nicolette ~To sulk in my room would probably be unpractical and unproductive. Yes, I was suddenly thrust into this world and bombarded with a lot of new truths, making my head split in confusion, but it wasn’t me to just lie around and do nothing.The optimistic part of me said I might as well take advantage of the situation. It wasn’t always I got to be in a new environment with new people and new sights to see. And the best part of this was I had a personal assistant who spoke good—if not fluent—English.Rather a big leap from my bad experience the first and second time I was here.Shera was a really helpful maid. She made me feel exactly like a princess, although I didn’t really want to. She readied a bath for me last night, and I mean a swimming pool-sized bath of Roman style; sent plates and plates of delicious Foressan grub, which I hardly touched, by the way; made my enormous bed and smoothed out the creases; and lastly, chose a sleeping attire for me, a gauzy peach-colored
~ Lucien ~I never let my guard down. Never.But unfortunately, I did not expect Ira to pull off a stunt like earlier. It was unfortunate I didn’t see the mirror behind them. Guess I was too attentive to Nicolette’s wellbeing. But hell, Ira actually had a twin mirror, like the one safely secured in my second penthouse suite.It damn had the same swirling Zaxonian silver in it, had the same magical properties I recognized as from an Arryahn’s. It even had the same carved frame, which should have sent warning signals in my brain.Fuck.When Nicolette and Ira disappeared in a flash of light, I knew immediately to where. To the Kingdom of Foressa. Ira’s trademark royal suit was a dead giveaway.Without hesitation, I raced to follow them, hoping I’d be dropped in the same location.I wasn’t.Where I landed, it was at the highest cliff of a mountain, overlooking the sea of the Eurasian border, the second kingdom I didn’t expect to be visiting soon.Damn the mirror, I thought.There must be
~ Lucien ~“Ahhh...ahhh!”The moans of my current bed partner were as loud as any
~ Nicolette ~Mango juice, beef with broccoli, and mashed potatoes—those three were my order right after I sat inside a
~ Lucien ~Thump.Thump.Thump.Fortunatelyfor my appetite, a knock on my door sounded. It was a welcomed interruption. A perfect alibi. I certainly prefer my Head Chancellor biting me in the as
~ Nicolette ~When I was young, my father always told me the best profession on the planet was being an archaeologist. Considering he was one probably explained his admiration for the job. He was so dedicated to it; so into his work that ever







