Drakkon

Chapter thirty-nine

When we—Thera, Daewon, and I—came to Nikator, who was waiting near the entrance of the palace, my eyes were puffy and red. It was clear to see that I wasn't in the best of moods. When I strained a smile on my face, it must've been terrifying because Nikator winced back and quickly glanced at Thera, as if wondering what was wrong. When we were in the market, I had grabbed Nikator's arm and vomited in the corner of the street.

The stress was straining me, but at the back of my head, I couldn't stop thinking about what Jia had said.

I couldn't possibly be pregnant, right?

"Empress, there's so many people, right?" Nikator said lightly. I was resting my hand on the crook of his arm and was leaning against him. Even though he had asked me if I wanted to head back, I had told him that I wanted to stay and walk with him, Daewon, and Thera.

"Yeah, there's so many people, right?" Thera said to Daewon, who was clutching her hand tightly while he searched through the thick throng of people for something familiar. People were everywhere, in every nook and cranny of the street. Venders were screaming out prices while women were walking around with baskets of vegetables.

Daewon bobbed his head and pointed at one of the stands. "They're selling pretty necklaces."

"Hmm, they are," Thera noted. "Do you want to see them up close?"

"Yes, please."

While we aimlessly walked around the market, Nikator and Thera talked to Daewon and me. They offhandedly talked about our surroundings and said distracting things, both of them knowing that I wasn't fairing all that well.

"Hey, pretty lady, why don't you try out jewelry from Arile, the kingdom of Gold! It would look beautiful on you!" a vender said to me as he waved at the gold necklaces dangling on the racks he had set up on the counter of his stall. They were glittering in the sun and they were beautiful, but it only made me think back to one of my first encounters with Meilin and how he had told me he preferred silver over gold.

I don't like gold, it's too gaudy. But silver, silver is elegant.

His words echoed in my head and I gripped onto Nikator's forearm tighter. Why was Meilin going to leave once again? I knew it was necessary to finally take out Keung, but why did Meilin have to personally go himself? Couldn't he have sent someone else? I didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't return home safe.

"Empress, maybe we should head back to the palace," Nikator said, eyeing me worriedly. His sapphire eyes darted from me to Thera, who wore an equally anxious expression on her face. Even Daewon was staring at me oddly. "You look pale."

I shook my head, forcing a smile on my face as I looked down at Daewon. "Daewon wanted to go to the market, I can't possibly ruin his fun."

"It's alright," he said in a polite tone. "I can come again a different day."

"I'm so sorry," I said, my smile slipping away. "I am a bit tired."

"We should head back now," Nikator said as he pulled me along. "Do you want me to carry you, Empress?"

I shook my head. "No, that would draw too much attention and—"

"Empress, we're already drawing a lot of attention as it is," Thera said with a smile, her lightly colored eyes twinkling. "A red haired boy, a foreign woman, and an exceedingly beautiful woman dressed in fancy clothing? Not to mention the little prince, who's also dressed nicely."