Five Years
Irina looked up at the city before her with a hint of fear in her heart. Time in the North seemingly froze when winter came to the North, thereby engulfing the North in the darkness and bleakness that it once was with the snow. Even the most prosperous city in the North was enshrouded in a smoke screen from flames used to keep warm ascending into the air. The new city walls, which looked particularly pretty underneath the sunlight, appeared dark due to the scattered snow and black smoke.
Irina felt confused. She observed the group of people and horse carriages gathered near the city. She wasn’t too sure if she was at the Imperial City of the North. The Imperial City was supposed to be the liveliest city in the North, yet there was no sign of life in the city– courtesy of the smog.
Lots of people were gathered outside the city. In fact, people had set up count on both of the expansive spaces and set up fires. All of them wore warm clothing and covered their face with woollen masks, rendering only their eyes visible. There was an odd lonely and tense atmosphere there.
Irina pondered, “They must be humans from the South. Why are they gathered here instead of entering the city if they’re so cold?”
The path into the city wasn’t sealed, while the doors were still open. The guards with white coats and square hats – a sign that they were in uniform – checked everyone’s identity when they wanted to enter. That was became a custom in the city.
Irina couldn’t figure out why the people didn’t enter and why they gathered there. Also, the city guards didn’t drive them away despite them gathering there. It was as if Troy implicitly approved of them staying there. From an outsider’s perspective, however, they didn’t give the vibe of ordinary folk.
Irina gently moved took a whiff. She smelt an irritating smell. She said to herself, “I’ve smelt this scent before. I once chased the smell to find the hot spring. Nonetheless, these people couldn’t have come here for a hot spring, could they? If they were after a hot spring, they should go to Troy City or farthest north in the North. There’s a hot spring there.”
Irina followed the group toward the city interior. The closer she got to the city, the more her nervousness heightened. As a matter of fact, she was so nervous she stopped paying attention to the group of strange people.
It was her first time at the Imperial City. She didn’t come to the Imperial City in the past due to her dragon nature, which could spell trouble for the man she liked. This time, though, she had something important to notify the man she liked, who was also her child’s father. He never allowed her and his child to lack anything on a materialistic level, but he never fulfilled any duty of a father. Nonetheless, she still wanted to tell him about his child’s future.
Dragon’s didn’t put any emphasis on their eighteen years of age. Dragons grew into male dragons who were capable of combat at a young age. They also remained dominate as such for centuries to tackle any threats. As such, Troy’s child could be considered mature at his current age.
In front of Irina was an anthropoid. She found that quite surprising. Ever since Troy’s rule, the anthropoids were no longer the main population due to the influx of elves and humans to the North. The pure anthropoid in front of her was an even rarer breed to come by. To add to that, she was a beautiful female anthropoid.
The female anthropoid remained very polite and patient despite lining up. She wasn’t dressed extravagantly, but her soft and delicate clothes displayed her superior demeanour and graceful body. Her pointy ears on her head twitched. She held the hand of a young anthropoid, who bore a striking resemblance to her.
“That must be her daughter,” thought Irina.
Clearly, the woman was already married. Consequently, she wrapped her tail around her waist and didn’t reveal it. Her daughter evidently didn’t have the same awareness. Her daughter cheerfully wagged her tail. She excitedly told her daughter about her father. Seeing the two, Irina recalled the times she spent with her child. Although it was somewhat tiring and worrisome to raise her child, it was all worth it when she saw her child’s smile. Irina couldn’t stop herself from imagining the day when she could bring her child to see his father.
“Ah!! Your Majesty, how come you are here?! If you have business, you should just head straight in; there is no need for you to line up. Hurry on in. Men, bring a carriage to take Her Majesty to the palace!!”
A team soon arrived before the red fox’s family. Irina froze. She didn’t expect to hear her addressed as “Your Majesty”.
“Doesn’t that mean that she’s not a simple noble, but a relative of the imperial family? Is she related to the man I like? Or is she also his wife?” Irina mused.
“No need. This is not my place to begin with. Had my anthropoid friends not invited me to come join a meeting, I wouldn’t have come here. If I make a scene, the elves and humans will probably be angry. I, therefore, won’t attract trouble to myself,” Ling Yue replied with a head shake. However, when she looked at her daughter, she smiled and added, “In saying that, I will accept your kind offer to offer me a carriage. Liu Yue looks tired.”
“Understood. I shall arrange a carriage for you.”
The guard quickly arranged for a carriage to take Ling Yue to the Imperial Palace. While she rarely appeared at the Imperial Palace, she was one of the women who their King loved. Most importantly, she had Liu Yue. Everyone around the King knew that Liu Yue was most probably the next ruler of the North. Thus, nobody dared to disrespect Ling Yue despite her status as a mistress.
“All right, next.”
Irina walked up to the guard, who let out a breath of relief. The guard didn’t think he’d meet Ling Yue. He glanced at Irina. Then, he took the pass and letter Irina handed him. With his eyes on the items, he asked, “May I ask what the purpose of your visit is?”
“Oh, I want to go to the Imperial Palace.”
“I am very sorry, but without King Troy’s invitation, you cannot enter the interior of the Imperial Palace, especially since there is a conference being held at the moment. Not everyone is permitted into the Imperial Palace. If that is your purpose, please show me your invitation from King Troy.”
Irina lingered for a moment. She sadly replied, “I… I didn’t receive an invitation.”
“You cannot enter the Imperial Palace in that case. Alternatively, you can wait in the city for the conference to end…”
“Can I use Troy’s chest pin…? He gave me one. Here… I, mm, I am one… of his lovers…”
The guard was totally stupefied. Troy only had a few chest pins. Nobody else besides the elves in Duargana could carve the pattern. Furthermore, Troy loved to give his chest pins to the women he liked. Put another way, women with his chest pin were always his lovers…
“But does he not have too many lovers or what?! How many more are there that don’t I know about?! Why did the group I inspect have two of his mistresses?!” the guard raged in his mind.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry!! Bring another carriage to take this Consort to the Imperial Palace!”
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