The Flower Of Eternity
Bonus Chapter: The Fire Dragon's Daughter and The Sea King

My mother once said that when I was born, her life changed.

I never really understood what he meant, so I asked him what it meant. But he just smiled at me and said that someday, one day, I would understand his point. In essence, she was so happy that I was born in this world and became her daughter.

It made me wonder in my heart if that was why my mother, at forty, was pregnant again. Right, she's pregnant with her seventh child. And just after the Palace doctor found out the cause of Mother's weakened condition during those few days, my mother, the Tsarina declared that she entrusted Imperial to me, and then the mother and father went to enjoy the 'retirement' they were with three of my younger siblings who were still not in their adult years at their vacation home in Shina.

I don't mind being Tsarina at nineteen—nearly twenty, because of course I've been preparing myself since childhood for now. And really, I don't mind my dad and mom enjoying their time on a long vacation to Shina without me. I know how much their youth was spent in building the Imperial which is now a strong, prosperous and peaceful land. I have heard many stories of their struggle before either from the two of them or from all the residents of the Palace. So I really understand that now they want to leave behind all their glory as a couple of Imperial leaders who are very highly admired and adored by everyone, and began a more simple and quiet life in Shina, away from the crowds, on the hills whose beauty I could not even imagine.

The problem now is, my mother and my father decided that my other two sisters were old enough to live in the Palace with me. The third son and first prince, Prince Edward Vladislav de Gratina del Norte le Grand, was just fifteen years old, and the second child, too, The daughter of Leonora Eris de Gratina del Norte le Grand, whose age is only one year and a half different from mine, was declared by Tsarina Anastasia and her beloved spouse, King Xavier, that the two were old enough not to come with them to Shina. Yes, that is my life problem right now.

I didn't mean to complain. I mean, compared to what my mother and my father used to experience when they were young, the usurpation of the throne, the murder of their parents, war, death, death, and so forth—a fifteen-year-old little brother who likes to lock himself up in the library of the Palace, as well as an eighteen-year-old sister whose hobby is to move from the Palace so that the whole Palace is in disarray to find the Princess, certainly not a big problem. Until finally the Princess completely disappeared for a week and still not found until now.

There was a dispute between us. Not because of the usurpation of the throne of course, because Leonora was not at all interested in the throne. She is more free-spirited and just wants to marry a handsome prince and live happily ever after like a fairy tale. I can't blame her, because that's exactly what happened to our mother. Mother met a handsome prince who later became King and married him and then gave up her loyalty, her kingdom even her life to Mother and made Mother as Tsarina. Then they lived happily like the ones in the fairy tales. In essence, Leonora's goal is to be like our Mother. But in Imperial there are no handsome princes around our age who are still not engaged to anyone who would willingly give up everything just like our father. There was only a handsome Grand Duke who became our idol both since childhood. Right, our dispute started with this handsome Grand Duke. To be more precise, our uncle who could not age and live eternally. Grand Duke Leon Winterthur, the most handsome man in Imperial—besides our father of course.

Leonora— whose name is a form of respect from our father for the services of the Grand Duke for Imperial as long as he 'does not exist' I used to love Grand Duke Winterthur so much and had already declared his love after weeks of wondering if he should declare it or just hold it. His common sense was defeated by his already passionate feelings and as a result, he had to accept the bitterness of rejection. Grand Duke Winterthur rejected her with the most painful sentence of rejection for her.

"God! Your Majesty, I am your uncle. And you're still a kid."

Well, uncle, eighteen is by no means a child. And uncle looks like a twenty-year-old man less.

That's how it was roughly what happened. I actually don't really know, but I've been rejected with the same sentence. I've been rejected twice! I applied for it when I was fifteen and was rejected because I said I had not reached adulthood. Then when I was just celebrating my adult age, I proposed to him again and I was rejected again on the grounds that he was my uncle. What's wrong with marrying my father's half-sister who looks like she's only a few years older than me? After all, a member of the Royal or Imperial family was already used to marrying a cousin or something.

I understand the pain Leonora is feeling. But the thing is, he thought that the Grand Duke had turned him down because the Grand Duke had already accepted my proposal. And I, instead of refuting it when my sister asked me, asked, instead of pumping it up and saying that it was appropriate for me to marry the Grand Duke because I was a Tsarina and I needed a partner with high noble status to strengthen my position. That was what seemed to be causing Leonora to grieve and leave the Palace in the middle of the night and never come back again.

So as the brother in charge, I have to find him.

As much as possible I forbid anyone to tell the news of Leonora's disappearance to Mom and Dad. They can be very worried and your condition is not possible to receive this alarming news. So only uncle knows and he's willing to deploy the whole army of Winterthur Wolves to help me.

***

Being a Tsarina is not that easy. Right, I eat well every day, wearing beautiful dresses and jewelry with various glittering gems, everyone obeys my orders and worships me as if I were some kind of goddess. But there are a lot of problems to be dealt with. The empire was built on the union of three kingdoms and covered seven seas. And all that I have to take care of.

A week ago, coinciding with the disappearance of my sister, I heard a shocking news from the Eze region located in the coastal area. Duke Francis informed him that his men on the Eze coast saw the Roi de la Mer. Ocean King. Pirates that have troubled coastal residents as well as fishermen who seek fish in the sea. This pirate began to be known by name since about six years ago. And until now, if anyone saw a large ship with a black flag with a white wolf head, all would enter their homes and lock their homes. I don't know what the King of the Seas is, but I'm gonna catch him.

Especially since it looks like he's the one who kidnapped Princess Leonora.

The disappearance of my sister, the Winterthur Wolf army, unable to track her despite their keen sense of smell, and the appearance of the Ocean King's ship off the coast of Eze. Isn't that all too suspicious to be considered a coincidence?

Dealing with pirates is certainly not an easy thing. Especially during these six years Roi de la Mer never harmed the citizens. Or maybe they just weren't caught. They did not kill anyone or rob anyone of their property. They were also only docked at night to stock up on supplies and run down in bars - they even paid for the rum they drank and the taxes. They also did not go to brothels and did not harass women. Perhaps the only crime they commit is simply scaring the fishermen and other boats in the ocean. So that's why my mom hasn't been trying to catch the pirate. They were never convicted of a crime.

But here I am now. In the King of the Seas. Disguised to be one of the crew.

How am I supposed to be here? Of course it's not easy.

I went to Eze in the middle of the night using a teleportation ring that used to belong to my mother. Seeing that the ship was pulled over at the dock, it then entered the ship with a teleportation ring as well. Not to forget I changed my dress to one of the crew's clothes and hid my striking red hair with a pirate hat, then threw my dress into the sea so that no one would find my mark.

As the sun was about to rise, the ship pulled its anchor and began sailing back into the ocean. And it was then that, when most of the drunken night crew at the bar in Eze began to fall and fall asleep, that I wandered around in the boat looking for Leonora.

This ship turned out to be much smaller than I thought. I think because Roi de la Mer is very famous, so the ship must be very big and awesome. It turned out to be only the size of an ordinary cruise ship. It wouldn't be hard to find my sister if she was kidnapped by pirates.

"Grandor." Call me. "Leonora!" I whispered half a scream.

"Who's there?" Ask a voice. But it's not Leonora. It was a man's voice. "Miss, sorry, anyone can you please free me from here?" Said that voice again.

I don't know who it is, but it looks like he's also a pirate abductee. From his speaking style, he was like one of the northern nobles. He was not a crew member.

I followed the source of the voice. It's not hard to find. He's in the cabin at the end. I opened the door and found that it was a room. That room, I have to admit, is pretty nice and pretty spacious. Anyone kidnapped here would probably feel at ease. I'm reluctant to admit that the pirates have good taste but that's how it is. It's more like one of the rooms on a luxury yacht belonging to a noble.

I stopped admiring the room and started looking for the person who had asked for help. He was lying on a bed that was behind a closet. His legs and hands were chained so that he could not go anywhere even if the room was not locked.

"God..." How could those savages chain up a noble gentleman! I can't imagine what they could do to my sweet Leonora. Even though this room looked good, being chained like that must have been excruciating.

I immediately removed the chains that tied the man's hands and feet using the heat from my fire. The iron melted and the chains came loose, freeing this poor man. Poor handsome guy, if I may add. And it looks like he's the same age as me.

Oh, blimey! Maybe he was a prince? I mean, from his clothes, he looks like a noble or even a member of the royal family. But he speaks my language so he must be a Schiereiland, probably from the north if he sees his skin as pure white as the first snow. Her blonde hair seemed a little messy, perhaps she was dragged forcibly by those ruthless pirates. And he had a pair of beautiful eyes as blue as a frozen ocean. He smiled thanking me for releasing him. I must admit that her smile is very charming.

Okay. Focus. I'm here to find Leonora.

"So you were looking for someone? Let me help you, miss. uhm..."

Oh, it could be! He wanted to know my name without looking like he wanted to know my name. The thing is, if I mentioned my name, I was worried that he would find out who I am and immediately kneel before me.

"Vie." My answer. "And there's no need to be that formal, sir. I'm just a fisherman looking for my missing sister."

"Vie.. means—“.

"Life." Cut me directly. "My parents seem a little philosophical about naming their children."

I can always answer spontaneously so people won't know I'm lying. No, it's not something I learned as heir to the throne. I naturally have this talent out of who I inherited it from. But I lied for the good, of course. As heir to the throne I was not taught to lie to the people.

"Did that old pirate kidnap you, sir?" ask this guy. I'm a little more shrewd than him about figuring out identity. Of course he was kidnapped—otherwise how could this handsome honorable man be on a pirate ship, and later on he would tell me his origin so I could know where he was the son of nobles. I don't need to ask her name, I'll know if she told me where she came from.

But instead of answering, he laughed. "Old pirate?" reworked.

"I mean, The King of the Sea. He must be an old man, with a missing eye or a broken tooth, maybe his foreskin was scarred, and then he claimed to be King. These seven seas are all Tsarina's lyrics!"

This time he smiled. That charming smile. "You have an amazing imagination, Vie."

I was just about to refute again when suddenly someone's footsteps sounded. Must be one of the crew. Without waiting to see who came, I immediately closed the door of this room.

Damnit. There's no key.

I looked around the room. There's not much stuff. There's only one chest maybe a former treasure chest. Maybe just enough for this guy. I will fight those pirates with my fire.

I pushed this handsome guy into the chest. "Hide fast in—“

Be late.

The door was opened first. Showing one of the pirate crew. A woman with brown hair who was cut short. His skin is a bit tanned, probably sunburned. And eyes...

"Captain! Since when you're free of... Oh... You brought another girl, apparently." The woman smiled broadly when she saw me. "I remember two days ago, wasn't this the girl in your room? She can swim?"

Wait...what was he saying? The captain?

"Estelle, how many times have I told you that you have to knock on the door first? Being polite won't hurt anyone."

He knows! How could?

"I didn't knock because I thought it was useless. You were chained. I'm here to let you go." The woman, Estelle, swung a number of keys in her hand.

"You're late. The sun has risen since." From his tone of speech, it seemed like he indeed deserved the title of Captain by that woman. The man then smiled at me, "Thanks to this Sweet Man I can be free sooner. Should I just give her your job?"

"So how was last night? You don't go around eating people, do you?" Ask Estelle. He then glanced at me. "Be careful with him. On certain nights I had to chain it so that this wolf wouldn't wander around eating the crew."

"Gee... You don't actually have to tell me."

"He's your girlfriend, right?"

"No!"

"Oh... I was wrong, right?" In a very relaxed style, Estelle stood leaning against the door. I couldn't take my eyes off the various knives that adorned his belt. He's really a pirate. Then this guy...

"Who are you?" I asked the mysterious man who had made me unfocused.

The man again showed me his charming smile. He knows my weakness. "I'm the Captain." The answer. Then he turned his head towards the woman at the door, "He's my right hand, Estelle Navarro."

Worth it... The eyes of the woman were those of Amethyst. He's a Navarro!

"Cogradoff." Estelle Protest. From his tone he seemed annoyed to be referred to as Navarro. "My brother and I don't use the name Navarro." Estelle then turned back to the Captain. "Who is he?"

"You can read minds." Said The Captain. He then turned to look at me who was still confused. "Although a Navarro, he also had the blood of the Ortiz Clan. He said his father was of mixed blood. His grandfather was from the Ortiz Clan. Estelle has the power of the Ortiz Clan while her brother, Camilla, has the power of the Navarro Clan. So watch what you're thinking, sweet."

"I can't read his mind, Captain. It's so weird." Estelle. He frowned as he looked at me with Amethyst eyes that were strangely sparkling blue like Sapphire jewels. "Truly can't." Said again.

I am getting confused about this situation. "What's your name?" I asked the Captain.

"Your name." My word.

For a moment he looked surprised at my tone. But then he grinned, "Call it the King of the Ocean." The answer. Then added, "Or if you prefer, Old Pirate. Like you said. Do I look that old?"

"His Highness the Princess!"

And that voice instantly made us all tense. I know that voice very well. That's the Grand Duke's voice. He was also looking for Leonora here apparently.

Wait for... That meant...

Before he could say anything, the Captain had already locked onto my movements and pointed his sword at my neck. "Your boyfriend?" Ask The Captain. His breath caressed my nape, giving me goosebumps. He was that famous Pirate Captain! Ocean King!

"Not." Answer me as calmly as possible. Trying to get rid of my fear. "He's my uncle."

"Uncle?" Confused ask. He then glanced out the small window that was in the room. The window faces the outside deck. Even though I can't see it, I'm pretty sure Uncle Leon is there fighting the pirates. I'm not worried about him at all. My uncle cannot die. It is precisely these pirates that I worry about. They'll all be dead bodies this morning.

"He looks young to be your uncle." Said The Captain.

"But he is my uncle!" I said with annoyance. "Although I actually wish he was my girlfriend." I added.

"So you're a princess, huh?" ask Estelle. He grins. "Good catch, Captain. We can sell it."

"I'm not a princess."

"Don't lie." Said Captain.

"No, indeed!"

But the Captain and Estelle don't care what I say. They dragged me outside to meet my uncle.

It's not that I can't escape. It's just, I need to know first where Leonora is. I can't just burn them. And now we are in the middle of the sea. So I let Estelle take me outside while pointing her knife at my neck while the Captain walked in front, leading us.

Outside the situation is very chaotic. I should have known that uncle would come with the Wolf army. They were all in the form of wolves, tearing apart pirates, scrambling the entire ship to find Leonora on this ship. And the only uncle among them who did not turn into a Wolf, but he did not need to be a wolf to finish off all those pirates. Uncle is not a pure descendant of Winterthur— as is my father—and uncle also does not take that oath so he does not turn into a Wolf.

It doesn't fit his name, does it. He should have turned into a lion or something. Butno.

Stop over.

Who'sis that? Who's talking? Why do I hear someone's voice in my head?

But right after, all the members of the Wolf army stopped attacking the pirates. The wolves were silent like tame dogs. They also seem equally confused. They looked to the right and to the left, finding out who had just ruled them. Then one of the wolves looked at me. Followed by other wolves. Now they're all staring at me.

I'm mistaken. They're not looking at me. After I noticed again, they were staring at someone beside me. I also looked beside me.

Not someone, beside me was one of the biggest wolves I've ever seen. Its fur is snow white. And I just realized that the Captain is not beside me. There was only Estelle who was still pointing her knife at me and tightly gripping my hand.

It seems like everyone seems just as confused as I am. Why are the Wolves who only obey the orders of their leader—Grand Duke Winterthur—and the imperial ruler—aku—now obey the words of other wolves. Eventually, the wolves returned to their human form. And so is the wolf beside me.

The wolf is Captain.

"Who are you?" Asked Felix, one of the members of the Wolf squad who is also my bodyguard. He looked at the Captain curiously.

Captain grinned. "The wolf must obey the word Alpha." The captain then glanced towards the Grand Duke who was still holding his sword despite the battle being stalled. "Isn't that right, Grand Duke?" Ask. No. gabe. He's not asking. He's being teased by my uncle because my uncle is not an Alpha Wolf. My uncle is indeed the leader of the Wolves, but that's because he is Grand Duke Winterthur. And my father once told me that in the past, the position of Grand Duke Winterthur was always filled by Alpha Wolves.

My uncle didn't answer. He just looked at the Captain, then looked at me. He looked very calm as if he knew I was going to be okay. Well, not wrong. Actually I can fight them all without even a sword.

"Oh, Grand Duke Winterthur is your uncle." The captain now looks at me. He gestured for Estelle to release me and lower her knife. The captain took the hat I was wearing so that it made my red hair unravel long, showing it to everyone. "What a heartwarming family reunion. Nice to meet you, Tsarina Xavierra." He said while bowing respectfully in the style of a noble man. "What are you doing! Get down on your knees in front of the Tsarina!" His order. And all those pirates immediately knelt to me.

After a while, the Captain stood up again. "OKAY. It's enough to kneel down and your knees will all hurt if it's too long, and you'll have a reason to laze around. We're almost there. All prepared. Drag the injured to the treatment room. And for the dead... Return it to the sea. May they be calm in the sea." He was commanding the entire crew. And they all obeyed his words immediately.

I still look at him confused. "You know what?"

"It wasn't, because you hid your red hair." Then he looked at me up close, long enough that somehow my heart was beating even faster. He smiled, "Ah, I should be able to guess right away by just looking at your eyes that are as beautiful as this emerald gem. But in that room the light was a little less than good."

"Elya..."

I turned to the uncle who had just mentioned that one familiar name. Unknowingly, since then uncle was staring at the Captain. Not a look to kill. He looked at her as if he knew her.

Wait...who was he saying?

"Elyan?" I asked uncle. Then look back at the Captain. He was also looking at my uncle. His gaze was so cold as if he did not like meeting her. "You... Uncle's son? Elyan Winterthur?"

"I'm not his son." Rebuttals. His tone became very cold.

So he really is Elyan. Elyan was my playmate when I was a kid. My cousin. My uncle's son is his only dear one, who went missing years ago. Escape from home, more precisely.

This uncle who disliked the reunion drama between father and son was heard by his troops, hinting at the Wolf troops to watch from afar. They also obey him.

"Where is Princess Leonora?" Ask my uncle to Elyan.

"Where's my mom?" Elyan asked. But my uncle just stared at him in silence. There was no sign of him answering. "Even after all these years you still don't have the answer?"

"You don't need to know."

"Because my mom's just a whore whose name you don't even remember? I'll bet you've even forgotten how he looks right after you've enjoyed his body."

"German!"

"Tell me!"

Oh, mercy. I shouldn't be among them right now. I should have used the current situation to look for Leonora. But I also really want to know, because after all, Grand Duke Winterthur is my uncle. And I know uncle's not that kind of person. I cannot fall in love with a man who forgets the mother of his own child. Maybe there was something that made the uncle not want to tell her about Elyan's mother.

"Don't listen to people talking about your mother. They don't know anything at all." My uncle finally spoke. I'm listening too. "Your mother's not a whore. She is an honorable woman who falls for a man who is not right for her. He handed you over to me and never wanted you to know about him. Now stop playing around and go home. You just proved that you can lead the Wolves in my place."

"You say that just because you need an heir." Said Elyan cynically. "Why not find another woman who can give you an heir? I'm sure there's a lot out there. Your son is in a hurry and has no time for you, Grand Duke."

Elyan immediately turned around to leave from before us. Go to something. I didn't understand it at first, but only after I saw it. 'We're almost there.' That's what he said.

This ship is not the King of the Sea. This ship was just the ship they used to approach the mainland. The original ship of the King of the Sea is a ship that is now beside this ship. A giant ship that looked sturdy and luxurious. This ship used to belong to the kingdom. I saw it in one of the books. The King of the Seas ship was the ship of King Xavier—my father—which he once gave to his first Wife. Eleanor Winterthur's. A beautiful blonde woman with a pair of icy blue eyes whose face painting is still in the Winterthur House.

Holy hooch! Could it...

I immediately restrained Elyan's hand before he moved to the original ship. "Where's my sister?" I said. And maybe because I was so impatient, I accidentally blistered his hand. "Quick say!" My orders.

"Why are you so sure I kidnapped Leonora?"

It wasn't me, but it was my uncle who answered. "The wolves smell it on this ship."

Elyan looked confused for a moment. He seemed to really have no idea where Leonora was. But then he laughed. "Oh... So the dress was hers..." Elyan hinted at one of the crew members. The crew went downstairs, to one of the cabins to bring something. Before long she reappeared in the pink dress I knew. Last time I saw Leonora, she was wearing that pink dress. Elyan then handed the dress to me. "This dress was found in one of the cabins when I rented this boat a few days ago. I don't want to assume at all. But for sure you won't find Leonora on my ship."

Elyan was just about to turn away again, but I immediately held him back. "You must know something. Where did you rent this boat? Who had previously boarded this ship? You must have a clue. Please help us find my sister, Elyan." I said.

Elyan did not answer me. He just looked at me. Long enough until I was sure he could have left his own ship.

But then he moved his hand that had blistered from my grip. And I'm not sure what I see next.  The sea suddenly went up to the boat. The volume is not much, maybe about one big beer glass. Then the seawater covered Elyan's blistered hands, formed a water bracelet, and then fell back onto the wooden floor of the ship. When I looked back at his hand, there were no blisters there.

Elyan smiled mockingly looking at my astonished expression. "You have fire. I have the ocean." Elyan then took out something from his pocket. A compass made of silver and decorated with Sapphire gems. "The Water Dragon's heart is here."

"Where did you get it?" My toot. Because as far as I am concerned, only my mother holds the heart of the Dragons. But as I recall, I don't have the heart of a Water Dragon.

"We have plenty of time to tell each other, Vierra. But my ship is leaving soon." Elyan glanced at my uncle who was still watching quietly. My uncle believed in my abilities. And he also believed in his son, that his son wouldn't hurt me. So he saw no threat. Elyan extended his hand to me. "Come with me and we might be able to find Leonora. How's it?"

I didn't answer it straight away. I looked back, towards my uncle who neither prevented me nor forbade me. But both of his hands were clenched to the side.

I know what that means.

He believed in me and whatever decision I made. Because I am a Tsarina. I have the right to decide.

So I accepted Elyan's hand and let him take me on his boat. Wading through the seas and oceans to find my sister. I wish I hadn't made the wrong decision.

***