Jinny woke up to find the sun already setting. She touched her face—her tears had long dried. With a sigh, she fetched a basin of water to wash up. Darkness slowly crept in, yet the Emperor had still not given her permission to leave her room.
What's going on? she wondered.
A sudden knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Her heart leapt—perhaps it was a knight bearing orders from the Emperor. She rushed to the door, but her excitement faded when she saw it was only Nene.
"I heard about His Majesty's order," Nene said with concern. "Are you alright? I figured you must be hungry, so I brought you some food."
Jinny smiled faintly and stepped aside to let her in. "Thank you."
They sat down together as Nene laid out the meal.
"What happened?" she asked. "Why did His Majesty confine you?"
"I don't know," Jinny replied, shaking her head. "I only heard he was in an important meeting and ordered me to stay in my room until he says otherwise."
"He's still in the meeting room," Nene said. "I heard the Targaryan King and the Firenzan King are expected to arrive. I guess the meeting isn't over yet."
"Is that so?" Jinny murmured, her expression turning thoughtful. Could this be about the war? Are they planning something?
"I'm afraid another war might break out soon," Nene whispered, then gasped, covering her mouth. "Are they going to launch an attack?"
Jinny gently held her by the shoulders. "Calm down. Even if that happens, I'm sure His Majesty will do everything he can to keep us safe."
"I just hope this ends soon," Nene said with a sigh. "I don't want any more lives to be lost."
Jinny nodded, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I hope so too."
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.
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Arash was still dizzy when their carriage finally arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. Thanks to the magic stones embedded in the engines of their ships, they had reached the empire's port within an hour. The horses, further empowered by a hired mage, had galloped at incredible speed, making the journey unbearably fast for Arash.
As soon as the carriage came to a halt, he stumbled out and immediately vomited onto the ground.
Harusheen, on the other hand, was too amazed by the palace's grandeur to notice. He stood wide-eyed, grinning in awe.
"Whoa…" he breathed, spinning slowly to take it all in.
If Hajee were here, he thought, he'd be ecstatic. He loves luxury.
Arash continued to throw up beside the carriage, drawing Harusheen's attention.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked, walking over.
Arash steadied himself, panting. "I-I'm fine… This is nothing. I'm the King of Targaryan!"
Harusheen only shrugged, used to his dramatic resilience.
Just then, another set of carriages pulled up, bearing the crests of a different royal family. The door to the lead carriage opened, and King Froilan stepped out.
"Brother!" Arash's face lit up with joy. He rushed toward him.
"How are you?" Froilan greeted him with a smile.
"I should be asking you that," Arash said, his voice laced with concern. "How have you been?"
"I'm alright. And you?"
"The same." Arash paused, then asked quietly, "Any progress on the search?"
Froilan sighed and shook his head. Arash's smile faded, sorrow clouding his features.
Nearby, a group of barbarians dismounted from their horses. Harusheen's eyes widened when he spotted a familiar face among them.
"Koko?" he gasped.
Koko turned toward the sound of his name, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Ha! I knew it! My gut told me one of you might be here!" Harusheen ran to him and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"C-Can't… breathe!" Koko wheezed.
"You two know each other?" Froilan asked, now growing suspicious.
Something didn't add up. Koko had claimed to have no memories, yet he recognized Kasey instantly in Varia. Now another brother had appeared, and again—instant recognition.
Koko nodded.
"He's my missing brother," Harusheen said, still clinging to him.
"I thought your family lived far away," Arash said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, they do live far away. Even I was surprised to see him here," Harusheen replied, releasing Koko.
Arash and Froilan exchanged uneasy glances.
"Koko! Harusheen!" another voice called out. Kasey came running toward them and pulled his brothers into a suffocating group hug.
Trailing behind him was Iskandar, who had just stepped down from his carriage.
"What a heartfelt reunion," he commented with a smirk.
"I'm glad the three of us are finally reunited," Kasey said. "Koko was right — we could find the rest of our brothers if we kept looking in other places."
"Do you think the others are here too?" Harusheen asked hopefully.
"Ahem." Froilan cleared his throat.
The three brothers turned toward him.
"Let's go. The Emperor hates waiting," Froilan said curtly, walking ahead.
They followed in silence.
"Who is he?" Harusheen whispered to Koko.
"That's King Froilan of Firenzan," Koko replied.
"A king?" Harusheen glanced at Arash. "I'm also traveling with a king," he said, pointing at Arash.
"They say this meeting is extremely important," Kasey whispered. "We need to be careful. Rumor has it, the Emperor of Serolf is brutal… even evil."
"Evil?" Harusheen muttered. He imagined a monstrous one-eyed creature with horns.
They soon stopped before a towering, ornate door.
"YOUR MAJESTY, THE KING OF TARGARYAN AND THE KING OF FIRENZAN HAVE ARRIVED!" the knight at the door announced.
The grand doors slowly opened, and one by one, they stepped inside.
.
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Inside, Harusheen, Koko, and Kasey stood frozen, completely stunned. How was it possible that their other brothers were also in the palace? Their brothers were just as shocked to see them.
Matias, Beatrice, Arash, and Froilan stared at the brothers in disbelief. Why did these brothers resemble people they had known long ago?
Arthur clapped his hands, breaking the tension. "Finally!"
Matias turned to him, brow furrowed.
"We should begin the meeting now, Your Majesty," Arthur said calmly.
Matias nodded. "Let's get started."
Everyone took their seats, and Arthur began to explain the true events of the past.