The Lotus Of East Palace
Chapter 14 (Yeon-Hwa)

My whole body hurts until it feels like I won't be able to get off my bed this morning. That, then plus my unusually dizzy head. I don't really remember how many bottles of wine I spent last night. I don't even remember how I was in my room.

I remember finishing my dance to the applause of everyone including Prince Haru. I remember that Crown Prince Orient came up to me specifically and said that I was accepted as the main dancer in the Sun Palace. I remember Elias coming out of nowhere while I was looking for him. I remember teleporting to Dong-gung and there was no one there—Shuu and Kaze actually went to bed earlier that night. I remember we stole some bottles of wine from the storage room in the basement of— which actually looked very majestic and spacious with an interior like one of the rooms in the Nordhalbinsel Main Palace. I remember admiring the room for a long time. I even remember hearing Diana and Riz's voice from the room in the basement. Then Elias and I went to the third floor balcony to drink wine while looking at the stars as a celebration of my success into the Sun Palace.

I don't remember anything that happened after that.

I don't even remember changing clothes!

"Yeon-Hwa!" Kaze shouted to me from outside the room. His loud voice could crush my head. He barged in and pulled my hand. "Let's get out quick." Said.

"Can't I just sleep all day? My body hurts all. My head's dizzy. I'm gonna puke." I was still lying down, refusing to get out of my bed.

Kaze seemed to be calling Shuu through their telepathy because the next second Shuu entered my room was carrying water in the basin. He used that water and used the power of the Water Dragon to heal me. In a short time, all the pain I felt was gone. Although my head is still a bit dizzy. I might have to go out and breathe some fresh air.

So I follow Kaze and Shuu to get out to Dong-gung's yard.

I understood why Kaze looked so eager to take me out. It seems like the Garden of Heaven moved to Dong-gung on the blessing of the Sky last night. It's like a miracle. Maybe it was a miracle.

The Garden of Heaven was an imperial garden that was a gift from an Emperor to his empress in the past. The park is so beautiful that it was once named the most beautiful park in the whole world. I think the Garden of Heaven now has a competitor. Dong-gung Park seems to be able to shift its beauty from today.

Several cherry blossom trees grow along the sidewalk from the gate to Dong-gung's front room. Each tree was filled with cherry blossoms. The building itself is visited by roses vines that also bloom. The ground is covered with green grass. The lotus flowers that fill the fish ponds are blooming. Butterfly fly. The air became warmer and filled with the scent of flowers. My head was no longer dizzy from breathing this air as if the air contained the medicine. My eyes are spoiled with views of the multicolored flowers that somehow bloom in Dong-gung's courtyard. Everything seemed normal last night. Or maybe last night I was too drunk to notice this change on the front page. How could Riz and Diana remodel their garden overnight?

"Riz, you have to raise the price of wine!" I said as soon as I saw the owner of Dong-gung enter from outside the gate. Looks like he just bought some porridge for our breakfast. "Anyone who drinks here will definitely enjoy this rare beautiful sight. You have to raise the price of wine. I dare guarantee no one will protest."

Riz smiled in response, he seems to be very happy today. His mood is good. "I'd like to free all the wine today."

I gawk. "Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Because I'm happy? Because I want to? Why should there be a reason? By the way.. Where's Elias?"

I don't know. I haven't seen him this morning. I turned towards the Twin Dragons. They must have woken up early because they went to bed early last night. They might know.

But Kaze shrugged.

Shuu replied, "The last time we saw him was last night watching a shooting star."

"He didn't come home?" Ask Riz.

"We came home last night. He's the one who drove me home." I answered. But I was too drunk to really remember everything. Was it possible that I actually went home last night? But I obviously couldn't have gotten into the wine cellar in the basement that was always locked tightly to the ground without Elias' teleportation aid. I almost told her that last night we drank a lot of wine from her storage room, but I immediately put the brakes on my words. Riz might be happy, but he's still a Navarro. I stole from a Navarro! Usually that means saying goodbye to life. Although I'm sure Riz isn't that cruel.

I hurriedly glanced towards Shuu. Don't ever leak this to Riz!

Shuu smiled mockingly. You little Water Dragon!

"So where is he?" Ask again.

"I don't know."

Riz did not ask again. He went inside. We followed him, preparing for breakfast.

But he did not stop in the dining room. He just went into the kitchen. The only sacred space in Dong-gung that no one has ever entered since no one has ever cooked food among the six of us in Dong-gung.

I must be still asleep. I might be dreaming. It's a much stranger dream than the dream of meeting a Wolf. In this dream, I saw something impossible. Riz did not take the porridge out of the package he was carrying. Riz took out foods such as raw vegetables, unburned fish, and red meat that was still bleeding. Turns out Riz went to the market to buy groceries!

"It's not a dream." Shuu answered a question I had not yet asked.

"What do you want to do about it?" My toot.

Riz turned his head, looking puzzled by my question. "I'll make breakfast of course. Aren't you hungry?"

I can't help my sarcastic laughter. "You can't cook."

"I can learn." He said he started washing the vegetables he bought. Shuu who had been standing quietly beside me, now stepped forward and started to help Riz wash the vegetables. "I washed it. Next what?" tanya Riz in Nordhalbinsel complete with a distinctive northern accent.

At first I thought he was asking Diana. Apparently not. Of course it wasn't. Diana's still sleeping at this hour. Diana was very lucky. He could sleep until noon and once awake, food was readily available for him and the house was clean and tidy. I became jealous of him.

A young man came out from behind the door that separated the outside kitchen from the inside. The outside kitchen, where we are at the moment is where the customers are looking. Riz usually prepares wine for customers. The kitchen is the real cooking place. The young man, no matter who he was, had been in the inner kitchen ever since.

He must be no more than seventeen. Maybe Shuu—Shuu's age looks younger because he's Orient. He's tall. Almost as high as Riz. His body is not big, tends to be lean, but I know he is not thin, he is muscular. Her hair was bronze while her eyes were dark brown. When viewed from those traits, he was definitely not an Orient person. He was also obviously not from Westeria because his skin was not dark. He's probably a Schiereiland guy.

"Cut the vegetables, then bring it here Bagin—I mean, sir." Said. My guess is correct, he used the Southman's accent. He's from Schiereiland. Maybe Diana's brother. But I can't see the resemblance. "Oh, sorry, I haven't introduced myself." He said right away when he saw us. "How is this, I can't language Orient—“

"Yeon-Hwa can be any language. Shuu and Kaze understand your language." Riz said directly while starting to chop vegetables. I was horrified to see him holding a knife.

The young man smiled kindly. "Meet me, I'm Louis Blanc."

"I'm Lee Yeon-Hwa."

"I'm Kaze. And he's Shuu." Kaze said in a still very stiff language. I plan to teach him later if we have free time. Kaze also introduces Shuu because the Water Dragon seems to be very focused on helping Riz.

"You Twin Dragons." Louis nodded at Kaze. Then it turned to me, "And you are the future Orient Empress."

"What?"

"You're the true heir to the Orient throne, right? The only daughter of the late Princess Lee Seo-Hwa. Grandson of late Emperor Lee." He looked at me confused. I nodded doubtfully. "The daughter of Anastasia has told me a lot about you. Before coming here, I was his personal bodyguard, replacing General Leon. I also served as assistant chief chef and royal herbologist."

"You're a busy man apparently." I'm flabbergasted. "May I know how old you are?" I asked, because if judged by appearance he must be much younger than me. But if judged by his position and his work in the Palace, he should be over twenty years old or even over thirty years old. There was no royal herbologist who was under thirty years of age.

"Fifteen years, Your Grace."

"Please don't call me that. I do not consider myself a member of the Emperor's family. So Yeon-Hwa is just that." Louis nodded in understanding. "You're the same age as Shuu. At that young age have you served three professions at once in the Palace? You seem to be very close to Princess Anastasia. You're trusted to be his personal bodyguard."

"That's how. King Alexis was also fifteen years old at his coronation as King of Schiereiland. I don't think fifteen is that young, Miss Yeon-Hwa. And the matter of being the personal bodyguard of Her Royal Highness the Princess.maybe because besides Her Highness the Princess herself, I am the only student of General Leon hence—“.

"You are a Lion disciple from the South? Have you ever learned from him?"

Louis nodded slowly. I was embarrassed to show too much surprise. "The three of us are pretty familiar" he said.

"And you came here to..."

Louis looked confused before answering. He even looked over at Riz for a moment. Riz only gave a brief nod while still focusing on cutting the food ingredients. "I was sent by Princess Anastasia here because King Xavier wanted to make sure that all of you here eat nutritious food."

"So you're here to cook?" I asked to make sure. A Personal Guard of Princess Schiereiland, Assistant Chief Chef of the Palace and Royal Herb Expert came all the way to the Orient just to make sure that my stomach and the stomachs of the Dragons were well filled. I was so moved because Anna and King Xavier paid attention to our well-being here.

"I'm here to teach Mr. Riz cooking."

Riz then added, "And being a part-time worker at the tavern."

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

The Sun Palace is located in Shina, away from the bustle of the Capital City. Actually the Palace was arguably like a vacation home for members of the imperial family. It is located on the hills so that the air is always cool with views of the hills and green valleys are very beautiful. That's why I packed a lot of thick clothes tonight. I was already familiar with the cold air of Nordhalbinsel, but the cool air of the hilly area in Shina had to be anticipated. I can't get the flu and get sick as a spy.

I left at night, hoping that tomorrow morning I would arrive at Shina and start my work there. Diana kept warning me to be careful.

"Princess Anastasia told you not to drink the drink offered by the men there. Wear warm clothes because the air is cooler. Also make sure your bedroom door is locked tightly before going to bed."

"Princess Anastasia delivered all that?" Manya make sure. I haven't even told Anna about my plans to go to the Sun Palace in Shina. How does Anna know?

Diana seemed confused to answer my question. But then Shuu explains, "I told Princess Anastasia that you were going to Shina." I nodded in understanding and did not ask further. It's the Dragon's business with their Queen.

Diana then hugged me tightly before I left. I was so excited that he was worried about me. Not like someone.

Elias didn't come home even until the night when I was leaving for Shina. No one knows where he is. I try not to care. Actually, I was looking for her because it would be much easier if she escorted me by teleporting. Yeah, because of that. Not anything else. The trip to Shina is quite far away and will be very tiring. It is much easier to do with teleportation.

"Be careful if you say it!"

Shuu and Kaze laughed amusedly. I will miss this little Twin Dragon so much. I will miss this shop so much, the wine, and the people in it Louis's cooking. Although we just met, even though I just today taste the cuisine—which turned out to be very delicious—I will miss Louis' cooking. And also I will miss Riz—'s cooking that Louis has learned.

Why does it feel so hard to leave Dong-gung? I'm just starting to feel familiar with them all. I feel that Dong-gung is my home and these people are my family. Although I was busy with my work at Jade Palace, but I still went back to Dong-gung and met them on holiday. Going to the Sun Palace means I won't go back to Dong-gung until the Emperor's family returns to Jungdo. And maybe when that happens, my job as a spy is done. I wonder what I'll do later when my job as a spy is done. Will Dong-gung still be around? Will Diana and Riz remain in the Orient or return to Schiereiland? Where will the Twin Dragons go? To be sure, Elias will return to Nordhalbinsel and I will most likely return to Westeria— probably also marry Raphael Ortiz.

It's not time to think about all that. With a heavy heart, I began to step towards the horse carriage I had rented to leave for Shina.

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

I think I've experienced this before. It's like Deja vu.

I don't seem to be suitable for traveling long distances using a horse carriage. I should've hired a horse. But riding a horse all night will make my whole body sick when I have to be a dancer when I get to Dong-gung. My current body is the most important asset to my work.

The horse carriage I rented was broken. I almost had an accident. Fortunately, the coachman of the horse-drawn carriage knew something was wrong with his carriage before something unexpected happened and immediately stopped the trip.

"I can fix it tomorrow morning. It's late at night and we're too far from town. Miss might be better off staying at the people's house." Said the coachman who was an old grandfather from the Ilbon tribe whose age might reach seventy years or more. I don't have any heart for him.

"I have to get to Shina by morning. Is there no other way?"

"There's a shortcut. Miss just has to walk through—ah, better not."

"Going through what?"

"Too dangerous, Miss."

"Grandfather may not know, but I'm pretty good at swordsmanship. I even brought my sword." I said as I patted the sword I used for my dance. The Montreux female knight sword.

The grandfather seemed unsure, but he finally told me too. "There's a forest near here. If Miss walks through that forest, then Miss will soon reach Hiryuu region, very close to Shina. Akakigahara forest is called. The forest is a place of people who have given up on life. The people of the Ilbon tribe went there to commit suicide. Going through the forest when the sun is shining brightly during the day is even considered dangerous, let alone going late at night like this. Too dangerous, Miss."

"You mean, it's dangerous because there are so many spirits of people who kill themselves?" Manya make sure. I'm Westerian. Westerians don't believe in the spirit of heaven. So it doesn't matter to me.

Grandpa nodded. His face looked frightened.

I try to give a soothing smile. "Don't worry, grandpa. I can even fight against those spirits if need be."

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

I finally walked past Akakigahara. My sword is still on my belt, just in case I meet a spirit or something. Of course there will be no spirits. This forest might hold valuable treasures belonging to rich families so they spread nonsense about the wandering spirits so that no one can find their hidden treasures. I walked through the forest only with the light from the little lantern given by the kindly old man.

I looked up, looking up at the night sky Orient. If I were in Nordhalbinsel, I was pretty sure I would be able to see the Northern Lights dancing around in the night sky this time. But in the Orient there are only bright shining stars and full moons. Oho! It's full moon night apparently. I just realized it.

I hurriedly looked behind me as I felt the presence of someone or something watching me. I'm definitely not drunk, so I know it's not a hallucination. There's someone here. Or maybe a predatory beast. Obviously, it's not a ghost.

I walked very slowly, practicing the knowledge my father taught me to step without a sound. If it is a beast, it's good that I don't attract attention and announce my existence. So I blew my lantern to death. Now the only light comes from the stars in the sky.

I heard a voice. It seems like there is something here. And it was hiding among the bushes, watching me. I believe it's not a ghost. It must be just a wild animal. So I took out my sword and drew it. I'm ready to fight.

It didn't take long until something emerged from the darkness. I am thankful that he did not come straight to me. He seems to be quite a capable animal in hunting. He came at me slowly so that I, as his prey, would not run away from him.

The animal is huge. It's too dark to be sure what the animal is, but it's obviously big and he has four legs. Probably bears. Maybe a lion or a tiger. But this animal is bigger than all that. Perhaps the beasts in the Orient were indeed larger in size. I drew my sword towards him as his steps drew nearer to me.

The first thing I saw was his blood-soaked claws. It seems like before me, there were other little prey that were less fortunate. Then I saw her long fangs that were also covered in blood. The large animal had fur that looked very soft for the size of a savage beast. The fur is white. Snow-white.

Damnit damnit!

"General—Elias... Its me. Yeon-wa's chat. You're not gonna eat me, are you?" I said with a trembling voice. I just recognized him when I saw that pair of icy blue eyes.

That Snow Wolf might not understand what I said. Or maybe she's not Elias Winterthur? He kept stepping closer to me while baring his fangs. He growled at me. I slowly walked back away from him.

Should I run? But he's obviously Elias. No other wolf looks like it. I really recognize this form because I see it too often in my dreams.

It was only when he was about to jump pouncing that I started running. Elias or not, he was going to eat me alive. I had to run and save myself from his fangs.

But he ran faster than me. I don't know why he feels different than before. He's faster and more dangerous. More scary and wild. It's not like the Wolves I fought in the border forest of Westeria or the Wolves I met in a dream. He looks more like a real animal. Beasts predator without human common sense.

I kept running even though I knew the Wolf was faster than me. Because this forest is too dark, it's hard for me to see. I stumbled over a tree and fell. The wolf stood with all four legs trapping me. He is high above me.

Here's finally. This time it was not a dream. It's surreal. I'm really gonna die now.

But I can't just give up.

"General Elias! It's me, Yeon-Hwa! We steal Navarro's wine and drink together at night a thousand stars! If you don't remember, I'll cut off one of your legs!" I tried to grab my sword that was thrown a few centimeters away. It's very difficult because the wolf didn't let me go. Her threatening fangs and ready to reward me for a quick death, just inches away from me. "Damn it! Elias! Stop that!"

Like a domestic dog, the wolf stopped, obeying my words. Then he looked confused. The wolf blinked a few times as if it had just woken up from its slumber. He stepped back, setting me free.

I tried to get up, but my legs were shaking. So I just sat on the wet ground in that forest. While the Wolf just stood still like a dog waiting for the next order from his master.

I saw him again, myself in the icy blue eyes of the Snow Wolf.

Yeon-Hwa's?

"What the fuck?" Because it looks like I just heard Elias' voice.

The wolf then stood on two legs. Then he turned into a figure I knew. Elias Winterthur—complete with bloodied face and clothes.

Elias was confused. He then crouched down before me who was still sitting because my legs were still trembling. I need to calm down. That's Elias. He won't eat me. He knew me. I-i know him. I don't need to be afraid of him.

"How do you do it?" He asked without further ado as if we had just passed each other normally.

"M-do what?" I can't hide my fear. My voice vibrates.

"You...afraid?" Elias observed my hands that I had not noticed the trembling since.

"I almost died! You almost ate me! How could I not be afraid!" I screamed at him. I think I'd be even more shaky if I didn't vent it by yelling at him. I need to get rid of this fear immediately.

But my words seemed to hurt him. He looked down, feeling guilty. "Sorry..." He stood up and stretched out his hand to help me stand— his hand was also covered in the blood of his prey. Either other animals or maybe other humans who are not as lucky as me.

Refused it. I can stand alone. Despite my efforts, I solidified my footing onto the ground and started walking away.

"Where are you going these nights?" Ask from behind me. Looks like he's following me. I hastened my steps.

"Silk."

"Why are you walking in this forest all these nights? This is Akakigahara forest. If you don't know—“

"I know!" I stopped walking, turned to face him. Elias looked surprised. In a short time he had already cleared the bloodstains on his skin. "I know what a forest it is! I was walking because the horse carriage I rented was broken! Then this forest is the only path I can take so as not to be late to the Sun Palace tomorrow morning! I have to walk through these woods alone even if you want to kill me!"

I knew him enough to know he would scream back at me.

But it didn't. She hugged me.

"Don't be afraid of me, Yeon-Hwa." His whisper. "People can be scared, but you can't. I've been waiting for you for a long time. So don't be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you. I won't be able to hurt you. You're gonna be fine. You just need to tell me to stop when it happens again." He then took off his embrace and I immediately felt that the cold air was painful. I was still too shocked that I could only nod without saying anything. I don't really understand what he's saying, but at least it seems like it's a guarantee that he won't hurt me. He put his fingers on my cheeks, wiping away the tears I had not known since they had flowed. I didn't even realize I was crying since.

I should have avoided. I should have stayed away from him. I should have run away from him. Is this how he treats those northern girls? Is that why he has so many lovers there? He's good at words. He knows how to calm women. He knows how to treat a woman well if he wants to. So it's only natural that his words and actions make me flutter? He's an expert at this.

"Come, I'll take you to Shina." He said then while extending his hand to take me teleporting. And I, foolishly, clasped that hand.

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