Chapter 14: Mysterious Places

"Shall we start, gentlemen?"

The councils of the empire of Mudelior uneasily took the documents in front of them. The scurried noise of the flipping papers overwhelmed the whole place as if their life were at stake in every letter printed on it.

Some of them were shaking and couldn't even glance in our direction.

Because who wouldn't?

Everyone witnessed how I'd gone berserk when I tried to kill their king, and a dagger pointed at his throat as a greeting, and now that they could see us in a different situation— a queen on his king's lap, but still with her chains. I knew that it wouldn't be easy for them to take this.

The mere fact that they could visibly see the golden chains tied around my ankle, would make them think that their king couldn't tame his unstable queen.

"Hmm . . ."

Before I'd read all the details on the documents, I couldn't help but look around. Now that I could finally see the difference between this empire to my birthplace, Parsua. Kung sabagay, paano ko nga naman higit na mabibigyan ng pansin ang detalye ng kahariang ito nang sandaling pumasok ako rito? I went straight to pissing off their king.

Unlike Kreios who usually dressed in fitted black shirts that emphasized the fine lines of his well-defined chest, his councils were typically dressed like the real citizens of the empire of sands. They had a head covering, some of them even veiling their whole face, revealing only their eyes, while some were not even exposing their hair.

They had a quite similarity to Dastan, Tobias, and my father's clothing, it was long and could almost touch the floor, the only difference was that Dastan and Tobias were exposing their chest, and arms. Just as my innocent niece, Divina, told me— the tailor might have a problem making proper clothing for his father and uncles because they couldn't tie it very well.

As I keenly observed the councils, sweat beading on their foreheads, I didn't even realize that I had unknowingly created a few circles on Kreios's chest while comparing everything from my empire. "Hmm . . ."

"Is that really necessary?"

Wala sa sarili akong lumingon kay Kreios, at napatungo ako sa ilang daliri ko na naglalaro sa dibdib niya. "Oh . . . would you rather appreciate if I go lower, Your Majesty?"

Tumigil ako sa paglalaro sa daliri ko at tuluyan ko nang inihawak ang palad ko sa dibdib niya at unti-unti kong iyong ibinababa.

He cleared his throat. Inagaw niya na iyong papel na hawak ko na hindi ko pa binabasa at pinagpatuloy ko ang pagtingin sa paligid. Ibinablik ko ang ilang daliri ko sa dibdib niya.

The meeting room was not as different as the meeting room in Sartorias, with a huge golden chandelier that was brightly lit, a few statues of knights around us, there were tall windows accompanied by white and gold curtains, and some paintings about their past. I might be spending most of my time now, flirting with Kreios, and giving him headaches, but I knew that after a few days or week, I should take everything around me seriously.

Hindi na rin nagtagal ay tinanggal na ni Kreios ang daliri kong patuloy na naglalaro sa dibdib niya.

Umarko ang isang kilay ko.

"Alright, give me that, Your Majesty."

Hindi pa man tapos si Kreios sa pagbabasa sa kanyang papel ay kinuha ko na iyon. Nanliit ang mga mata niya sa akin ngunit wala na siyang sinabi. Sa halip ay nakisilip siya sa hawak kong papel habang binabasa niya rin iyon.

The silence overwhelmed us.

But if Kreios thought that everything would go easy for him, he was wrong about it.

As I started to scan the information on the paper, while sitting on his lap, I couldn't help but move and cross my uncrossed legs, adjusting my seat, purposely grinding on his lap. I even found myself sitting between his legs, pushing my bottom more to find a comfortable position. A soft groan escaped the king's lips, giving the whole meeting room another kind of discomfort.

The councils could have buried themselves under the table.

Ah, this is satisfactory. I could give Kreios and his whole administration a headache.

"Fucking Harper Esmeralda Gazellian, we're in the fucking meeting room," bulong sa akin ni Kreios.

My right brow arched in amusement. "We're still in the honeymoon phase, aren't we, Your Majesty?"

Kreios had a sharp intake, veins on his forehead were visible, and he was breathing heavily. He snatched the paper from my hand and he started reading it again.

"Alright. What's your insight about this report?" he asked.

"We have to start searching for it, Your Majesty. Our empire might be known as the largest empire and the land of the sand, but for hundreds of generations everyone believed that this empire had been hiding a connection to a legend—" I cut one of the councils off.

Of course, they were not aware of the discoveries that we had in Parsua. Isa pa, hindi rin naman nila kilalang-kilala si Tavion. Queen Leticia might have done everything in her power to inform the whole Nemetio Spiran about Tavion and Iris's journey to destroy the bone-eating portal in Fevia Attero, but they never informed everyone of the extent of it.

Iyon ang pagkakaalam ko.

But vampire councils are just like the old councils in the history. Hindi sila titigil kung wala silang madidiskubre, lalo na kung isa itong malaking kapangyarihan.

"You mean the Fountain of Youth?" I interrupted.

Kung kanina ay hirap na hirap silang tumingin sa direksyon namin ni Kreios, ngayon ay nakatunghay na siyang lahat at may mga matang nakatitig sa akin.

Hindi na rin ako magtataka na nagkaroon ng interes sa bagay na ito si Kreios. I was well aware that he was listening to some of our meetings in Parsua Sartorias, dahil sa mga liham na ipinadadala niya sa akin.

I remember how pissed he was in the letter when I mentioned that I'd ask Tobias to aid me on a journey to Asta Wellingzon.

"Y-you're aware of it?" Kreios playfully asked me, as if he was literally surprised.

Nag-angat akong muli ng kilay. "Maybe it's just a rumor or an old legend. I am a princess, I listen to old palace gossip."

"Hmm . . ." sabi ni Kreios.

"Ngunit hindi ninyo ba inisip na baka umaasa lang kayo? This is an empire of sand, you have a very few sources of bodies of water in this empire. Hindi naman siguro ninyo nakalilimutan na may Parsua Deltora tayo."

"I don't think Parsua Deltora has other vulnerable place other than the Sea of Eronia," agad na sagot ni Kreios.

"Vulnerable? If Fevia Attero has bone-eating ruins, Your Majesty, we're all aware that the Sea of Eronia in Parsua Deltora is very lethal. Ang magkakapatid lang na Le'Vamueivos ang binubuhay ng dagat na iyon."

"Until when the Le'Vamueivos siblings can control the nightmare of that sea, Harper?"

Natigilan ako sa sinabi ni Kreios.

"There are always bodies of water in every mysterious place in this world, Harper. Deltora's Sea of Eronia, and the cave from Parsua Sartorias. Do you think the other kingdoms from Parsua are not trying to discover their place as well?"

"Do you mean, every kingdom might have a place connected to the—"

Ilang beses tumango si Kreios. "Fountain of Youth, or even the holy water from the Holy Land."

I knew that he was aware of the situation between Veda and Atlas, with Queen Leticia and King Dastan's respect for the Le'Vamueivos, they allowed the creatures around Nemetio Spiran to believe that Atlas was the only culprit of the tragedy that happened to us, with Kalla and Finn's . . .

Mariin akong pumikit at hindi ko na napansin ang biglang mapahawak ko sa balikat ni Kreios nang maalala kong muli ang kapatid ko na ngayon ay nakabalot sa yelo, at ang sunog na marka sa kanyang dibdib na kawangis ng puting ibon na siyang kaanyuan ni Kalla.

"There is only one vampire who happened to enter the Holy Land," dagdag ng isang konseho.

Kreios and I were aware of it.

"But the place of the Holy Land is still a mystery."

Hindi na ako makapagsalita pa at napuno ng katahimikan ang silid na iyon, hanggang sa unti-unti akong napatingin kay Kreios. Agad akong napansin ni Kreios at nagtataka ang kanyang mga mata.

"What's going on?"

"What if the holy water . . . is going to be the answer?"

It was the holy water that preserved Veda's body. Paano kung magawa nitong makatulong kina Finn at Kalla?

Huminga ako nang malalim. I am aware of the location of the Fountain of Youth, Tavion vowed to protect it with his life before, but now Uncle Tiffon and his world are currently protecting it.

Nakatakda na akong magtungo sa Azta Wellingzon bago pa man ako magtungo sa kahariang ito— or is it Kreios's way to keep me?

Hindi na ako nagsalita pa nang ipagpatuloy ni Kreios ang pakikipag-usap sa mga konseho at ang plano ng mga itong simulant ang paghahanap sa posibleng lokasyon kung saan konektado ito sa makapangyarihang lugar mula sa Satorias at Deltora.

"If the other kings are trying to hide their movement to discover the mysterious places in their empire, we should probably do the same."

Ang tanging ginagawa ko na lang ay makinig kay Kreios at sa mga konseho, may nalalaman na ako at ideya sa kanila ngunit pinili ko na lamang maging tahimik dahil natatakot akong may mga masabi ako na hanggang ngayon ay itinatago ni Kamahalan sa lahat.

Kreios noticed how I suddenly went into silence.

"You okay?"

I nodded.

"You have to report to me in a week and give me the lists of the places that I need to visit," pagtatapos ni Kreios.

Hinayaan ni Kreios na tumayo na ang mga konseho at sabay-sabay yumuko sa amin bilang pamamaalam. Hindi na ako tumingin sa kanila ngunit naririnig ko ang kanilang mga yabag hanggang sa tuluyan nang nagsarado ang pinto.

In a moment, I found myself sitting on the table with Kreios's arms wrapped around my waist. "What's going on? I thought you'd be pressing your hips between my legs for the entire duration of the meeting."

I sighed.

I crossed my legs, exposing them from the high slit of my black dress, gently touching Kreios's chin, I pushed my palms on the table and tilted my head up as I looked at the golden chandelier hanging on the ceiling.

Kreios stood up, lightly kissing my neck beneath the diamond pieces of jewelry between us. "Are you trying to find that place for me, Kreios?"

He stopped kissing me, he bent a little to meet my eyes and playfully tilted his head. "No. It's for me."

I sighed. "Do you think I have to find the Holy Land? Sa tingin mo ba ay tama ang nasa isip ko? It could be the real source of the bone-eating portals between the three worlds, Kreios. What if Atlas had been aware of it even before Veda reached the Holy Land? After all, it was Atlas who created the portals to destroy the world."

Napapaisip na ako. Bukod kina Veda at Atlas, dalawang nilalang lang ang nakikilala kong nakarating na sa lugar na iyon. The blue fire— Cyanara. Kreios's mother. Pero paano ko pa itatanong iyon sa mga oras na ito kung wala na siya?

"Then we have to find it."

Nanliit ang mga mata ko kay Kreios. "How sure are you that we can find something in this empire?"

The empire of Mudelior is known for its biggest territory. Pero kailanman ay hindi pa ako nakaririnig dito ng pangyayaring umagaw sa atensyon ng buong Nemetio Spiran— it was just known for being reign by problematic royalties.

From the weak monarchy before King Sullivan, Kreios's father, and his tyranny. Sinundan iyon ni Claret na pinaniwala ang lahat na nagawa niyang kitilin ang sariling ama dahil sa trono at itim na kapangyarihang bumalot dito, pagkatapos ay nang agawin ni Kreios ang trono— Claret had a fake apology, Kreios accepted it, and it had been years since Kreios managed to maintain the stability of this empire no matter how the rumors about him circulated around Nemetio Spiran.

He'd been known as a foolish, happy-go-lucky, weak, and airheaded king, but with those impressions, for years, no one has dared to threaten the security and power of this kingdom.

If King Dastan and King Tobias were trying to keep their clean and respectable image, Kreios have been like this even without a throne and a crown. Wicked. Playful.

Nang unti-unti nang mag-angat ang kamay ko at handa ko nang haplusin ang pisngi niya. He raised one of his brows.

"You're about to kiss me, Gazellian with that look in your eyes . . ."

I blinked and looked away.

"W-why don't you show me around your castle, Your Majesty?"

He chuckled, stood straight, and offered his hand. "Then shall we?"