The Guarded Princess

LXXXII

The banquet started and despite the celebratory occasion, the atmosphere was tense as Kaede and Wu Kong just sat there, keeping to themselves. Even Muu, who was relatively close to them due to having met multiple times whenever Lucy visited Scheherazade and the Reim Empire, could not speak to them for if it was known that the two empires knew each other, then that would in itself be a whole other problem.

Eating a peach, Wu Kong placed his arm on the table and propped his head up, one of his leg propped up beside him as well. "Honestly, I don't get why Lucy thinks so dearly of that idiot King," beginning to use Judar's nickname for him. "Now I see why Judar's so condescending of him."

Kaede ate his plate of food in silence and agreed. "Being a singularity, I expected more but it seems that I've overestimated him."

Wu Kong gritted his teeth as he finished the last of his peach in anger. "Rather than sending me, sending Tomoyo would've been better. She's better at dealing with this kind of trouble."

"If Lucy had no intention of coming, you can never force her to come," Kaede chuckled, knowing how loyal and attached Tomoyo was to Lucy. "Moreover, though she is good at dealing with these events, she'll find anything she can get a hold of to degrade them after hearing their way of talking."

Wu Kong thought about it as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. "It's imaginable."

"Right?" Kaede smiled.

As the two talked amongst themselves, the other countries watched them with composure yet a slight hint of anxiety for no one knew the intentions of the Celestial Empire other than the Kina Kingdom. They all wished to approach them yet no one dared to. The banquet was coming to a close soon and just like last time, nothing had progressed. Sinbad looked towards them and was aware that he had to strike another conversation with them for building a relationship with the Empire was a must considering their military power. If they were to one day turn on them, then there would be hell.

"The gift that the Celestial Empire brought for this event, I'm curious to know what they are," Sinbad spoke up.

Kaede stopped drinking and looked up, his violet-blue eyes penetrating deep into him and Ja'far felt a shiver run down his spine for even though he, too, was a subordinate, he was no doubt a king vessel that had been chosen.

"Our Empress specifically chose this time's gifts to be presented to King Sinbad and the Kingdom of Sindria and we hope that you'll be satisfied with such small of a gift," Kaede answered. "This is what our Empress wished to give as an apology for last time."

Sinbad perked up and thought back to the time when she had visited and still remembered the words she had uttered.

Still as caring as always, aren't you, Sinbad?

She knew him but he didn't know her. Even now, her sweet voice rang through his head and her veiled face but gentle eyes rose forth an emotion deep inside of him. He was curious. Curious as to just what kind of person this Empress of the Celestial Empire was.

"If it's regarding that time, it sure was surprising to see her faint. I fare that she's well? If not, we can personally send our best doctors and physicians to her."

"Much thanks for King Sinbad's caring words but our Empress's condition is not something someone an outsider should know considering how even our people of the Celestial Empire do now know anything of it," Kaede said. "Moreover, the physicians of our Celestial Empire are as good as the Kingdom of Sindria's so I apologize beforehand but there is no need for the physicians of the Kingdom of Sindria to enter our Celestial Empire."

"King S-!" Ja'far began to argue.

"We sincerely thank the Kingdom of Sindria for allowing to celebrate the founding of this Kingdom alongside you but our Empress is fine and well," Wu Kong said. "Or is it the nature of Sindria to pry into other country's affairs?"