Shangri La Pt. 1

99: Axiom

As the Prince and the members of the White Lotus Organization were heading straight to the towering castle–that could easily be seen out in the ocean–Shoto was starting to get worried. He was still uncertain on why the Princess would be captured and brought here, and he was even more worried if the Princess was covered in injuries at this very moment. 

'What should I do? Should I just storm in there and find Momo by myself?' he thought as he was willing to cause chaos in a Kingdom he's never been in before. 

"Don't start thinking of plans that you think you'll be able to handle the people that serve in the Betta Kingdom." Zeri stated, making the Prince flinch and turn to look at her. 

"Ah– Is security that bad?" 

"Much worse than you could imagine." Ray added. 

"The Betta Kingdom was known as one of the most powerful Kingdoms to rule more than 20 years ago, and that doesn't mean they aren't powerful now. So don't do anything reckless, Your Majesty." Zeri noted just as they approached the large gates to enter the palace.

"A-Am I wearing this right?" Izumi nervously asked as she was still not used to wearing clothes from the West. 

"Yup! And it looks like you're just about the same size as me! Ah– But I'm sure my brother would be willing to buy any clothes for you considering how pretty you are. I must say that though the people of the East are old-school and very traditional, their beauty is incomparable! Not to mention your personality and traits are way better than women here in the West!" Yu cheered as she helped the greenette tie the back of the dress for her. 

As much as she seemed a bit grateful that this blonde was giving her such compliments, that last sentence stuck to her. Though Izumi was still not quite comfortable with the ways of the West–considering she's only been in this palace for not even 6 hours yet–it was clear that Yu wanted to make sure she was going to get used to this atmosphere, including trying on clothes of the West as well.

"Ah– B-But you're from the West too, right? I-I would assume so since you serve here in the West. And you're just as beautiful as all the other women out there." 

"Ey~ No need to compliment me like that, but no, I'm not from here. I was actually born and raised in the East." 

"R-Really?!? But you don't look like someone from the East, especially since your hair color isn't considered normal in the East." 

What Izumi speaks of is true, as it is quite a rare thing for men and women to have brighter or lighter hair colors than in the West. All people that reside in the East are known for their distinct dark toned hair colors–such as black or brown–which is a significant difference compared to people of the West who are known for having bright hair colors like red, blond or even white.

"Hmph– That may be true, but me and my brother weren't necessarily raised in the East Kingdom like you were. We were born in the outskirts, and we had to learn how to do things the hard way, like getting food or making clothes for ourselves. To be honest it was a Knight from here that noticed me years ago." 

"A-A Knight?" 

"Mn. Many years ago, a Knight appeared near our home, and he was badly injured as he was attacked by vicious animals. Though I had never seen a man dressed in such light clothing or how he was wearing certain pieces of metal on his body, just seeing how badly injured he was made me worried. I practically begged our parents to let him stay for the night to be healed and have time to recover, and because I was so worried, I even volunteered to take care of the Knight to show that I was responsible. And because I was willing to do something like that, I stayed up all night to assist the Knight to make sure he was resting. Of course that wasn't the only thing I did to help the Knight." Yu explained as her cheeks started to turn a soft shade of pink.