It was the representative from Korsan that spoke next. The country was a green and luscious island past the eastern coast. It had been unstable in the last few decades without a proper ruler. The Regent, a young pale, and almost sickly-looking man in his late thirties, was in charge of the country. At first glance, one could tell that his pretty face was for naught. He would not have stood in the position if it was not for his competency. He was a royal member, but his birth was illegitimate, so the aristocrats and noblemen did not support him as the next ruler. Korsan would not honor someone with a questionable birth history to affect the legitimacy of the crown. So up until now, they were using him as a stand-in.
Next to him was a woman. She was wearing a beautiful red traditional loose straight gown dress that flowed all the way passed her feet. Thin layers would flare out like a peacock's tail into space when spun. It would look like a flower that was blooming after the morning dew. The cloth on the arm did not stop at the wrist, except it extended a few feet onto the floor. Yanyue could tell the performing outfit was a very well-hand-sewn dress of the highest quality. Not many people she knew had the mastery of the art to create such a well-maintained dress in this decade. The mysterious ambiance around the woman's piqued an interest in Yanyue.
There was a red veil covering half of her face. The only visible thing was her eyes. And they were beautiful with a hint of fierceness and vicissitude. It went away in a flash, but Yanyue caught the woman peeking in their direction for a few seconds. If she was not wrong, the woman's stares targeted the unaware man sitting next to her. Yanyue snorted. She thought the worst and wondered if the woman was one of Beichen's past beaus.
After Korsan, Yanyue was in for a big surprise.
"The new king of Zanaark, his name: Demeer Kaan the Great, has sent me, his trusted royal advisor, to witness your majesty's birthday and send many blessings your way!"
Advisor Vakha!
Yanyue's eyes widened, a little unbelievable and shocked. She had heard from Yanfeng that all her father's supporters were beheaded or shot. But why was Advisor Vakha still alive? He was a close advisor to her father. Being here now only meant he was a spy for Demeer Kaan all along. Now, he had the power only second of her uncle in Zanaark.
She was worried he would recognize her, so she pulled her hat down. She still couldn't explain why this girl, Shen Yanyue, who was from a different country and had parents of her own, had the same appearance as herself, but it would not be good if anyone from Zanaark mistook her for Lucianne.
"Ah, how great it is to be back in Yilonguo after a long time!" King Chandra reminisced, his voice tolled widely like a bell across the venue. Then, he looked towards Jinchen. "The last time I came, the crown prince was just a little boy. Now, look at him! He is all grown and capable! You raised a good son, King Tiangong!"
The room cheered and mumbled in agreement. Jinchen could only humbly smile at the praise.
"Sadly, he had a fiancee, or else he would have been a great son-in-law!" King Chandra boasted and laughed at his comment, prompting the same reaction from many others.
"My daughter, Keeta," he looked at his daughter, who was beside him, "everyone knows that I love her and dote on her and that I would do anything for her. She has reached marriageable age this year and preparing to leave my side... Oh, what sad news!"
His exaggeration was so touching that many fathers in the room sympathized with him, and they all wept understandably.
"And as her parent, my only wish was that she always receives the best. And because she is my treasure, I am willing to give King Tiangong this treasure and hope that he would safeguard it well and care for it like I have done for her for the last sixteen years of her life..."
As if King Chandra had not noticed the stunned reactions and gasps from the other guests and King Tiangong, he continued his shenanigans. "Oh! My darling daughter is the most precious treasure. Anyone could only wish to have her as their wife!"
Then, as if out of his excessive facade, King Chandra became stern and looked directly at King Tiangong.
"As a token of our country's decade-long friendship, what do you say of my proposal as your birthday gift, my dearest pal and king?"
Yanyue looked at her father-in-law, whom she was positive had no idea this was what his friend was here to achieve. Nevertheless, he looked calm and collected. King Chandra made such a grand proposal to give away his daughter, his most precious treasure, to his friend in front of all these leaders and officials, so it would be embarrassing to reject him outwardly. But, at the same time, anyone who understood King Tiangong would know that he despised polygamy, so there was no way he would accept another wife, especially one that could as well be his daughter instead.
Amid the awkward silence and pauses, King Tiangong's laughter echoed loudly throughout the space, as if King Chandra's words were mere jokes.
"What can I do, King Chandra, but be genuinely flattered that you trust your most precious treasure to an old guy like me?!"
He stopped laughing, and his face softened. He turned to the queen next to him.
"My queen, what do you say I take a concubine?"
The queen smiled and did not say anything. But it was an embarrassing and degrading question to ask the queen in front of everyone.
King Tiangong continued, "I have three sons, and that is most definitely something that I am proud to have in my life, and it would not have happened if it were not for my true queen! And for that, I love my queen very much and could not bear to split my love!"
He sighed sadly in disappointment. Then, he suddenly said something as if he had just figured it out, "However, as I said, I have three equally great sons! Two already have their princess consorts, except my youngest son, Jason!"
King Tiangong rubbed a finger on his chin in contemplation, "Your daughter is precious and great, and my son is also precious and great, so I say, it is the union of the century!"
Then, he laughed again, shaking his head in consensus with his idea. The rest of the guests also nodded and applauded in agreement. Upon everyone's gaze, King Chandra could not blatantly reject King Tiangong's proposal and reluctantly agreed. At least she was marrying someone in the royal family, which was good enough for his plans.
He cleared his throat and said with a forced smile, "It is an honor for this marriage alliance, Your Majesty!"
King Tiangong exclaimed, "Good!" He got up with a cup of drink, and everyone followed suit, preparing to toast to the news.
"Let everyone bear witness to this covenant: From now on, my youngest son, Jason, and Gujaha's only princess, Keeta, will be engaged!"
Yanyue looked at Jason on the table next to their table and saw his furrowed eyebrows. Forced marriage would not lead to a good ending, just like Beichen and herself. And Jason was carefree and had always hated anything to do with politics. He could not stand up and shout out rejection because it was the King's birthday, and he could not be willful. However, she knew that he was holding his anger in because she could see the little veins popping out on his face.
She didn't know who Princess Keeta was on a personal level, but the little girl of only sixteen years old showed no reaction on her face. She was sitting next to her father and kept looking downward. Yanyue could not tell what she was thinking and questioned the princess's motive.
Did the princess want this marriage, or was she following directions and had no choice but to cooperate? And why did King Chandra risk diplomacy with Yinlongua to propose this alliance out of nowhere? Everyone here was also confused, but no one could voice their opinion during this feast as it may cause a political stir. It was better to leave things behind the scenes.
It was another country before Zanaark could present their gift and once they were done, Advisor Vakha walked to the middle and faced the King and Queen up in the plateau.
"To repay the great favor that King Tiangong had done for Zanaark, Demeer Kaan specially prepared this gift."
He raised his hand to signal his assistant. The young man carried a black case over and opened it. The object in the case stunned King Taingong so much that he stood up from his seat abruptly.
When he wanted to go down for a closer look at it, the queen held his arm and shook her head as if to warn him with a concerned look.
Everyone saw the King's unusual reaction and wanted to know what it was in the case that made the King so shocked. Their reactions were no different, with some gasping in shock and whispering among themselves.
There was a smirk on Advisor Vakha's face as he explained the present they chose for King Tiangong.
"To the eyes of many, this may look like an old and rusty silver necklace, but its value is higher than that of tens of billions of gold. This necklace is a relic of Empress Mithanee, and it was a gift that she had given to her illegitimate daughter who later went missing in the eye of the sea. Many people have searched for this necklace since its disappearance because whoever possesses the necklace's core will have the key to finding the lost treasure island that legend has said holds the power of the ancient goddess to rule the entire world!"
Yanyue heard someone behind her whispering to their peer: "The lost treasure island should only be a legend because no one has found it!"
"That's right, but if what Advisor Vakha said holds, the necklace is important and may help King Tiangong conquer the world! Such a valuable item, why did Demeer Kaan give it to King Tiangong and not keep it for himself?"
The other party hummed in consideration and responded with more questions.
It was the first time Yanyue saw the necklace, so she didn't have much of a reaction to it. But everyone knew the infamous story behind Empress Mithanee. She was the disposed ruler of Surathep, a country in the continent across the Southern Ocean from Yilongua.
Before she got married, she was in an affair with a commoner and had a child out of wedlock. When she was found out by her parents, she was forced to marry a lecherous and old king of a neighboring kingdom to maintain the country's face. It was to help her country, but she went there to keep the man and her illegitimate daughter safe.
However, she fell into a scheme and became mad after discovering the man she loved was killed and that her newborn daughter was thrown like trash into the black seas for sharks and prey. To exact her revenge, she murdered her tyrant husband and took control over both Surathep and the neighboring kingdom. She locked her parents away in the Palace and forbade anyone to see them until they became ill and died. Her rule was controversial, and she killed many people for her revenge, even innocent ones. She became a feared empress in both Kingdoms in no time.
Unable to live in fear anymore, her enemies banded together to overthrow her and hung her for the public to see.
However, since her death, the country closed its borders to outsiders, and no one had been able to step inside it for decades. An event as important as tonight's seemed to be of little significance, with no one showing up to represent the country.
Yanyue felt sad for Empress Mithanee. She was a mother herself and understood the pain of losing a child. In a way, she pitied the empress, not for loving a commoner or having a child out of wedlock, but she pitied the empress for being born into the royal family. If she did not have the cursed luck of being born into royalty and instead as a regular person, her children would now have their children, and she could enjoy the simple life of being a grandmother and living with the person she loved. She would not have to worry about the likes of schemes and politics.
Yanyue thought about the long-gone empress and sighed deeply. Her own life was not any better. If anything, she felt that her life was similar to Empress Mithanee's because she had her revenge to finish, and the outcome was unknown.
There was a faint feeling of hopelessness and misery in her heart. Yanyue closed her eyes at the cruel reality of her life.
She was about to grab her cup of water again but noticed Beichen's hand bleeding from squeezing onto a shattered cup.
She looked at him and realized that he was clenching his teeth because the veins on his neck were bulging. He was as angry as when Grandma Lu forced them to get married. Or maybe, even more, compared to back then. He was fine a little earlier until the necklace came out, and then his emotion suddenly seemed aggravated. She didn't want to cause a commotion and kept quiet.
But the blood, which had now slowly seeped from Beichen's clenched hand, was so red that Yanyue had a flashback to some buried previous events. Her face became pale, and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. The blood had a strong sulfur smell. She wanted to vomit.