Chapter 4230: Bloodline Resonance (Part 1)
Chapter 4230: Bloodline Resonance (Part 1)
Meron too would have liked to have fun and spend the night racing, but when duty called, he had to answer.
The Royals walked along the red carpet to the entrance of the Mansion, where the honor guards waited for them to confirm their identity one last time before allowing them entrance.
On the right side stood Dragons in their human form, wearing a red suit of armor whose scales were shaped like blazing flames. Their vertical slitted pupils betrayed their inhuman nature, while the color of the membranous wings that rested on their back like a mantle marked their bloodline of origin.
On the left side of the carpet stood the members of Salaark’s Nest, wearing a black suit of armor whose plates were shaped like feathers.
They also had feathered wings on their backs and plenty of Forgemastering tools that they used to expose possible shapeshifters and even Skinwalkers.
No one stopped the Royals nor asked them to slow down, but they could feel the Divine Beasts’ eyes piercing through their skin and searching for any anomaly that would warrant further inspection.
"My King, My Queen. Thank you for coming." Lith said once the Royals reached the main door. "I’m sorry for the wait, but after the last Demon Dirge, I had to tighten security around the Mansion."
"No, thank you for the invitation, Magus Verhen." Meron replied. "And don’t worry about the wait. It was far from boring."
"A word of advice." Kamila said as she gave them a perfect curtsy. "Please, be careful with the babies. Elysia doesn’t like strangers and likes being separated from Raldarak even less.
"She’s too young to understand what’s happening tonight, but old enough to be dangerous if she thinks someone is a threat to her or her brother."
"Thanks for the advice, Lady Vehren." The Queen nodded. "We’ll do our best to be quick and avoid any behavior that might be misunderstood."
Sylpha took a good look at Kamila and noticed that her condition was much better than after giving birth the previous year. Kamila was still struggling with the loss of her powers, but every time Raldarak called her mom, her spirit soared.
Whenever he called someone else mom, instead, her spirit soured.
In particular, her annoyance peaked when Raldarak called a man "mom". The baby boy had a tenuous grasp on the meaning of words, yet while he called only adult men "Dya", Raldarak was much less selective with "mom".
The chatter that filled the Main Hall died down immediately when the valet slammed the heel of his metal staff against the ground and announced the arrival of the Royal Couple.
’Well, this is new.’ Sylpha said via a mind link.
All the noble guests from the Kingdom gave the Royals deep bows and curtsies while everyone else stared at them in annoyance as if they were a very late server that could expect a lousy tip at best and none at all at worst.
Under normal circumstances, coming in last during a Gala was the highest honor a guest could receive. This time, however, it just made the Royals the slowpokes everyone had to wait for before the gala could start.
"About time." Milea clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"First, you entered right before them." Much to everyone’s surprise, it was Erghak who replied to her accusations. "Second, I had to wait to meet the young Raldarak for a month. I’d appreciate it if we didn’t waste time in pointless squabbles."
The Fire Dragon clan was renowned in the Empire for the Forgemastering skills of its members and their thoroughness in purifying enchanted metals. Antagonizing its Patriarch would have only made the Empress’ life harder, so she gave Erghak a nod in apology.
The Royals knew it was impolite to kick an already defeated opponent and added nothing to the Patriarch’s words. Yet etiquette didn’t frown upon silent gloating, and the Royals exploited the loophole to grin in the Empress’s face.
"I suppose the schedule of the gala will be the same as the last time, Supreme Magus Verhen." King Meron pointed to a side room with two honor guards standing before its entrance and four more inside. "Is that correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lith replied. "I’ll introduce the rulers of the three great countries first, then to the members of the honor guard, and after that, my guests will have to take turns in descending order of importance."
Then, he turned to Erghak.
"I’m really sorry, Patriarch, but I can make no exceptions." Lith gave him a shallow bow. "If I let you in, the Patriarch of the Dark Phoenix bloodline would claim your same right..."
"And at that point, Gentor and anyone else who has a good relationship with you would do the same." Erghak sighed. "The resulting chaos would be no different than if you just brought the baby into the Main Hall and tossed him in the middle of the crowd.
"Don’t worry, Lith, I understand, but can you please tell me how many people are going to see Raldarak before me?"
"Only the Royals, the Empress, the Guardians, and the six Divine Beasts who’ll stand guard to the crib for the duration of the gala." Lith replied. "Then, it will be your and the Dark Phoenix Patriarch’s turn since the Verhens share your bloodlines."
"Excellent!" Erghak smiled from ear to ear, and a short puff of black smoke came out of his nostrils in excitement. "Don’t let me keep you any longer, please."
Lith gave the Patriarch a polite nod and gestured for the others to follow him.
The Phoenix and the Dragon guarding the door scanned everyone with magical devices and examined them with their breathing technique. Even Kamila and Lith had to undergo the security check every time they entered the room, which was going to happen many times that night.
The Guardians were no exception either, yet no matter how ridiculous the honor guards felt detaining their forebearers, they thoroughly performed their duty.
"You have to believe me, Salaark, this pretty young Phoenix means nothing to me." Leegaain said as one of the honor guards patted down his black ceremonial armor and searched the pockets of his ample mage robe.
He and the Empress wore a pink ribbon on their left shoulder that identified them as relatives on Elina’s side of the family.
"You are not as funny as you think." Salaark grunted.
She wore a magnificent, bright red gala dress whose fabric seemed to dance like burning flames under the magical lights of the room. She also had a blue ribbon tied around her slender right shoulder, identifying her as a relative on Raaz’s side.
The other rulers repressed a laugh and tried to peek at Raldarak. Alas, the crib had been placed in the middle of the room, and an honor guard stood before it on every side.
The Divine Beasts kept their wings unfurled at all times, blocking all kinds of mystical and natural sight.
"Before we start, I have to ask you to be quick." Lith bowed deeply. "Elysia and Raldarak don’t understand what’s happening. The only thing they know is that they have been forced to wear funny clothes and are being kept away from their friends.