The Lotus Of East Palace
Chapter 11 (Kaze)

While in the Orient, Shuu and I lived in Dong-gung, the winery that was once a brothel was later bought by King Xavier and remodeled by the magician envoys of King Xavier so that it became very similar to the Eastern Palace. He then dedicated the building to Princess Anastasia. Timur— Palace or in Orient language called Dong-gung— is the most beautiful Palace among all Palaces in the Orient because the Palace is only occupied by the Emperor's favorite Princess. In fairy tales, the Eastern Palace is said to be the residence of Princess Yukari—or Princess Yue, or Princess Yeon, depending on which tribe tells the story,—, who was the first wife of King Nordlijk and the origin of why the Emperor's family is mentioned as the descendants of the Great Fire Dragon and Great Queen of Zhenra. Currently the East Palace is left empty and became a tourist attraction after the passing of its last owner, Princess Seo-Hwa. Perhaps King Xavier had visited the Eastern Palace so that he could make a replica of the Palace and make it the most popular wine shop for foreign tourists.

Princess Anastasia then handed over ownership of Dong-gung to her acquaintances, the couple who also owned a wine business in Schiereiland, Diana and Riz. The wine shop is always crowded with foreign tourists day and night. But we were given a room on the second floor away from the noise of customers from different countries.

Dong-gung consists of three floors and four separate sections. The ground floor is used entirely for customers. On the ground floor, there is a front yard and fish pond decorated with lotus flowers and a large cherry blossom tree on the edge of the pool decorated with lanterns that are lit every night. Some customers who want to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere will usually take place under the tree. There is also a semi-indoor section which is an open space that circles the flower garden in the middle of the room. Meanwhile, indoor rooms are commonly used for those who want a more private atmosphere. There is also a kitchen, which is almost never used. In this wine shop they do not prepare food. But they will provide special food for certain guests.

Dong-gung has a basement where Diana and Riz store their wines. The wines were made in Schiereiland and brought to the Orient using the magic— - I think it would be more appropriate to say that the wines were illegally smuggled. Shuu said in the basement there were also additional rooms, a workspace and a relaxing space that I had never been to. On the second and third floors is our home.

Diana and Riz occupy the third floor, while Me, Shuu and Yeon-Hwa occupy the rooms on the second floor. Oh, there's one more. Elias Winterthur, a man from Nordhalbinsel who Shuu said was Queen Eleanor's twin sister, occupied one of the rooms on the second floor. We live peacefully and safely in Dong-gung. Although not always peaceful. No. gabe. In fact, almost every day there is a commotion in Dong-gung.

This commotion started a few days ago when Elias Winterthur arrived. He was sent by our King—King Xavier—to cooperate with Yeon-Hwa. But Yeon-Hwa refuses because she says Elias owes her an apology and insists on not cooperating with Elias even if the King asks for it. And from then on, our mornings were always preceded by the drama of both of them.

"God! Where are you going in such skimpy clothes this early in the morning?" Elias asked who happened to be passing by as I helped Yeon-Hwa get ready that morning. I almost messed up Yeon-Hwa's makeup because Elias' voice surprised me.

I understand why Elias asked that. Yeon-Hwa is wearing an Orient dancer outfit which means she is wearing almost nothing that deserves to be called an outfit. She was wearing a long, thin, brightly lit skirt with a hemisphere that showed her legs up to her thighs as a whole and an upper garment that was just a piece of cloth with glittering beads covering it his chest and left his stomach open. But in the Orient, clothes like this are still arguably reasonable for dancers.

"Tonight there is a festival of a thousand stars held at each peak of spring. Crown Prince Haru will come and lead the celebrations at the town hall. Yeon-Hwa will be disguised as one of the dancers." Shuu. The Nordhalbinsel Shuu language is more perfect these days since Elias came. They are often seen chatting together.

"Then Yeon-Hwa will steal Crown Prince Haru's attention." I added with Nordhalbinsel language which is still very rigid.

Elias still looked confused. "Then?"

"Haru will hire some talented dancers to become permanent dancers in the Sun Palace, the Palace that will be occupied by the Emperor, to become a permanent dancer, The Empress and the heir to the throne over the next few weeks due to the recent turmoil in the capital. Instead of servants, the dancers in the Sun Palace obtained a place closer to the Emperor's family. Being a Dancer in the Sun Palace means I can gain access to a lot of important information." Yeon-Hwa finally explains reluctantly. I meant to explain all that before, but my Nordhalbinsel isn't as fluent as Yeon-Hwa.

"You're so sure Haru would hire a dancer just to dance?"

"What does that mean?" my many.

Yeon-Hwa casts a sharp glare at Elias. "Haru ain't no man like you."

Elias laughed, "What kind of man am I?"

"You must already know your own reputation. There's been a lot of talk about it."

Elias ignored the insinuation and turned to me. "So she can dance?"

"Yeon-Hwa learns fast. It's a good move." My answer.

"No. I think Yeon-Hwa is as good as a professional dancer." Shuu. This is a very rare thing because Shuu rarely praises people's dances. He grew up in his own palace. He had seen many professional dancers from all over the Orient who were extremely talented his entire life. He is also the one who taught Yeon-Hwa the dance that Yeon-Hwa will be performing tonight. Shuu already spends hours every morning teaching Yeon-Hwa the dance she knows. Tonight will be a determination for Yeon-Hwa whether Shuu has managed to teach her well.

"Should you wear clothes like that?" Elias asked again, this time he tried not to glance at Yeon-Hwa who was still trying to sit quietly because I was still putting on makeup.

Actually, Yeon-Hwa doesn't need any makeup. Her skin is perfect, the pure white of all women's dreams in the Orient. I just need to put a red hue on her lips and cheeks. Maybe I should focus the decorations on her very long hair, but Yeon-Hwa says too many headdresses will make it difficult for her to dance.

"Are the dancers really wearing such clothes?" Ask me and Shuu again, this time he tried to use Orient language. I laughed when I saw her ears blushing.

The Wolf wanted to take the bedsheets from the room to cover Yeon-Hwa's body. Shuu's words made it hard for me to hold back my laughter.

I don't think there's a woman in open dress in the north because the weather is always cold. Understand that he is not used to seeing this scene.

"Why indeed?" This time Yeon-Hwa looks upset.

"It's not comfortable to see."

"Then just close your eyes!"

"God! Why are you so noisy in the morning?" That's Riz's voice. He just came down from upstairs. His usual hair was neatly arranged, still a mess a sign that he had just woken up due to this second-floor dispute. Diana was not seen with him. It might still be sleeping, because a thousand-star festival means a holiday for everyone.

"I'm sorry, sir." Shuu said directly. Shuu has always been formal with Riz and I don't want to be formal with him. Riz was not a member of the royal family, but I heard he was a member of the Navarro Clan which is one of the most feared noble families in Westeria. So far, none of her things are to be feared. He was always nice to me and Shuu. I feel comfortable with him even though I usually worry about strangers.

"Who can explain what's the problem this time?" Riz uses Orient language. That means only between me, Shuu or Yeon-Hwa are allowed to explain.

I finally tried to explain as simple as possible. "General Elias doesn't like to see Yeon-Hwa's clothes."

Riz turned to Elias. "I'll bet you actually like to look at her clothes like that." Riz said directly to Elias in Nordhalbinsel. "So stop fighting and get ready for breakfast." Continue in Orient language.

...****************...

After breakfast, I accompanied Yeon-Hwa to the town hall in the center of Jungdo to sign up. There were a lot of people who had come to register that morning, so we had to come in line. I wore a robe and headscarf as well as a festival mask just in case anyone recognized me as the disappearing Wind Dragon. Meanwhile, Yeon-Hwa beside me seemed too conspicuous that no one had not noticed her. Yeon-Hwa seems to have lived in the Ice Country for too long so she did not seem cold even though the morning was still quite cold and her clothes did not work to dispel the cold wind in the morning. But I kept bringing him a coat just in case.

"Do I look weird? Am I not fit to wear this outfit?" He kept asking about it during the trip until we got to the registration queue.

"It's good. The color is very compatible with your skin." Answer me a few times. But Yeon-Hwa still seems to be insecure. He should have reflected before leaving earlier. But we were in such a hurry that I did not have time to show the results of my hard work of remodeling it from the figure of a Montreux female knight into an Orient Spring Goddess.

He definitely did not see those around him who did not blink at all as he passed by. Or the men who almost drooled when they saw him. He was too busy memorizing the dance and thinking about what Elias said this morning so he didn't notice it.

"Can you wait here for a minute? I want to buy snacks for us while we wait." I said. Actually, in addition to the snacks, I also wanted to buy a mirror so that she could see my masterpiece on her face and stop worrying about her appearance.

"You okay wandering around alone?" Ask.

"I'll be fine. The place is crowded and I wear a mask. No one knows me." My answer. Yeon-Hwa nodded in allowing.

Jungdo is the paradise of the world. At least that's what I think. In this city, everything is available in an affordable price. Clothing, jewelry and shoe shops line the street. On the other side of the street, cake shops, food and drinks looked tempting. I had breakfast this morning in Dong-gung. Diana can't cook—I know, it's weird. In the Orient, every married woman can cook because mothers will only look for prospective daughters-in-law who have tested her cuisine. So this morning we only ate the porridge that Riz bought at a food stall near Dong-gung. And the porridge alone was not enough to fill the belly of the Wind Dragon. I used to have breakfast with twelve menus served by the chef of the Wind Palace which is an Orient tradition to entertain the Dragons with the best food.

From a distance I can smell it. Lotus Cake. I removed my mask after making sure no one was paying attention. The sweet aroma of Lotus cake that I really missed immediately filled my sense of smell that was not covered by the mask. I walked towards the cake shop at the end of the alley. My stomach is getting tingling with my footsteps.

It's the Torakka. Eri, Gyeoul and Yi-Zhuo.

I immediately ran away from them before they even saw me. My hood unfolded and exposed my silver hair that no one in the Orient had. I knew I shouldn't run and draw attention, but I was too panicked to think straight.

"That's the Wind Dragon!" I recognized Gyeoul's Han tribal dialect. "Hurry catch!"

There's no point in me running. They'll catch me soon. But I had to get away from them at all costs. So I brought in a big wind that flew the fabrics from the clothing store I was passing through, hoping it would slow them down.

I should have seen Yeon-Hwa. But I can't drag Yeon-Hwa into this. He has his own duty. The duties of our Queen. If he is seen with me, he will also be suspected and possibly arrested. That'll ruin everything. So as much as possible I ran away from the town hall where Yeon-Hwa was still waiting for me to buy her a snack.

Shuu! I tried to telepathize. I'm a little far from Dong-gung, where Shuu is. So I'm not sure this telepathy will work.

Minutes later I still haven't heard from Shuu. And I still run through the city crowd. I can't just change shape and fly because the atmosphere of the city is too crowded. And it will make it easier for Torakka or the other Emperor's men to arrest me.

Come to think of it, it's a little weird that the Torakkas didn't know where I was before we just met. Torakka has dragon eyes. They should have been able to track me down for weeks in Dong-gung. It's a miracle that Shuu and I have been safe in Dong-gung all this time. Is it possible that I can now hide my own existence from the dragon-eye owners? Impossible. It was an ability belonging to Earithear, the Earth Dragon. Earithear can manipulate its existence into a part of nature so that even the owner of the dragon's eye has trouble tracking it. But I'm not Earithear. I can't hide from the Torakkas.

But I can try.

I finally met with a dead end. I hid in one of the ruins of an old building at the end of the street. If my theory is correct, the Torakkas will just pass by and be unable to find me.

I heard the steps of the Torakka getting closer. I unconsciously held my breath as if that way I could become invisible. The seconds that passed felt like hundreds of years. But I waited patiently until finally their footsteps were too far away for me to hear. They just passed me by. They didn't even think to look for me who was hiding. They saw no trace of my existence even with dragon eyes. It's miracle!

I didn't come out of my hiding place. This place is not too bad. I was in a worse place than this—my house before Eri took me to the Palace. I sat for a long time under the ruins of that old building, letting the rats pass me by. An hour had passed and I was pretty sure the Torakkas would not be looking for me here again, and I came out of my hiding place.

I look around me. Blank. There's no one.

So I went back to covering my silver hair with a headscarf and put on my mask. I need to get back to Yeon-Hwa. He must have been waiting for me since.

"How did you do it?"

My hair stood up as soon as I heard that crystal-clear sound. It was a voice I was very familiar with.

I looked back and found the girl standing there. "Emer..."

Eri came out from the shadow that hid his previous existence. Eri's bright red eyes looked at me in confusion. "Why can't I see your tracks? How'd you do it?" Eri stepped forward closer to me. His katana sword is drawn. I tried my best not to run away.

"I don't know. I don't understand either." My answer. I realized my voice was shaking.

"You're scared of me now." That's not a question. But I'm scared right now. Eri's Dragon Eyes had never felt this scary before. I feel like a dwarf in the presence of a predator. "You said we were brothers. Why are you running from me?"

"I'm not—“

"Don't run away again, Kaze. Come with me. Let's go back to the Wind Palace. That's your house."

I'm shaking. Without feeling my tears flow when Eri mentions the word home. Before this, the Wind Palace had always been my home. A safe and comfortable place. The place I was well taken care of and fed. Where I feel protected. Now I realize that the Palace is a pretty cage where I'm locked up. "I don't want to."

"Do you have a place to go? You can't hide forever. At least you have a comfortable shelter in the Wind Palace. You are worshiped there. You are honored and honored."

"I was made a weapon, Eri. I am not worshiped. I was made an icon to strengthen the position of Emperor, to prove the power of the Emperor. To make the enemies of the Emperor fear him. You know that too."

"Are you so ungrateful that you forgot who made you free from a family that didn't love you? From lowly people who don't consider you valuable. Who saved your life when you almost died of malnutrition, Kaze?"

"Don't insult my family in front of me!" The wind whirls around me. Even Eri has difficulty standing straight. He was holding tight to the pole of one of the buildings. Some objects— pebbles, pieces of wood, plastic waste— around me lifted by the whirlpool of wind currents around me.

"They're not your family, Kaze! I am your only family. I brought you out of that hell and gave you a new life in the Palace. I found you."

Wind's easing. I shouldn't have attacked Eri with my strength. It's not fair to him. Eri's been treating me like her own sister. But he was just doing his job as Torakka. And we're not a real family. Treating me well is one of his jobs.

"I've found my family now, Eri. I met my King and Queen." I finally decided to tell him. His pupils widened as soon as I mentioned my King and Queen. Eri and his family worship the Dragons. They were sure that one day the four Dragons would gather and the Queen would come back to life. Seeing Eri still speechless, I continued, "I will only serve them. You also certainly know that Qin did not have the blood of previous Emperor descendants. He's not the rightful heir! He's the bastard son of Emperor Lee's favorite concubine with one of the Palace's bodyguards!"

"Don't tell that to anyone. If anyone hears you—“

"I knew. I'll be beheaded."

Eri.ro shakes. "I will not cut you off. You know I think of you and the other Dragons as my Gods and Gods."

I know it. Eri once told me that while her mother was pregnant, her mother had an accident to the point of death, but the previous Wind Dragon, I in a previous life, helped her. Since then the Eri family worshiped the Dragons.

"Are you going to let me go? Are you gonna let me go?" My toot.

Eri then sheathed back his katana. "Your words were that... That right? Have you met the Great Fire Dragon? Did the Great Fire Dragon come back to life?"

I'm nodding. "really. He had also met Grand Queen Zhenra. The four dragons lived in the same era today." I'm not telling you that Earithear is dead.

"Then this is a sign. The reign of the Emperor will end. When the four dragons and their Queen come back to life, they will rule the empire." Understanding rose in his eyes.

"Who are you going to side with then?"

"For now, I still belong to the Emperor. But you... I'll let you go, Kaze. Fulfill your duties as a Wind Dragon and bring peace to the four nations. And serve your King and Queen. Go far away from Orient. Other Torakkas probably won't have the same thoughts as me."

Without waiting any longer, before Eri changed his mind or before there were any other Torakka, I immediately ran back to City Hall.

...****************...