Emperor's Reckoning

Sylviana had changed her attire to something homier to suit her style. She was sitting inside her allocated room with her lips tightening up as she pawed against her own thighs.

"Young miss, please relax," said Fei as she chuckled.

"I-I'm relaxed!" said Sylviana nervously.

"It has been a long time ever since I saw you getting nervous like this," muttered Fei as she stood beside her. She suddenly reached out to her hands before she knelt and clasped them together with hers.

"Relax, young miss, you are the Queen of Nostria. Show the dignity that your mother passed to you."

"Fei..." muttered Sylviana before she nodded.

The doorknob of the door suddenly turned before a lady wearing brown-tree boots came in, "Pardon my intrusion."

Sylviana raised her eyebrows before she stood up and slightly nodded, "N-No, it's no trouble at all, it is me who will be troubling you, Miss Yunesia."

(She actually came!) thought Sylviana as she couldn't help but get her heart thumping. The famous lady with purple lips was sought by many powerful kingdoms for her service never did it ever cross her mind that she would have the privileges to even meet her in person.

Yunesia smiled as she looked at the excited woman. She could very well see it from her eyes that she felt honored to even before the latter said so.

"I'm so honored to meet you," said Sylviana.

"I see," Yunesia nodded.

"Miss Fei told me that you have some problem that even Lyon couldn't handle? May I know what is it about?" asked Yunesia.

"Y-Yes, but first please sit down," said Sylviana as she gestured to the vacant seat right opposite her.

Yunesia raised her eyebrows before she smiled and humbly took the offer. Meanwhile, Fei sneakily showed a thumbs up toward her young miss.

"You don't need to be so polite against me you know," Yunesia chuckled.

"Ah.." Sylviana could only smile wryly. (How can I not be polite against you? You are the vagrant genius that is sought by empires and kingdoms while I am just a queen from a lesser world).

Yunesia smiled before she took the teacup and sipped its fragrance through her nostrils. The brew was not bad but she definitely had smelt better through her previous journeys. She drank the tea before putting it down.

"What is the problem?" asked Yunesia as she raised one of her eyebrows.

She would have not answered the call were it not on Lyon's behalf, though the man was still sleeping, Fei was capable of inviting her. The bait that Lyon didn't know what's going on with the silver-haired woman was what intrigued Yunesia the most.

Sylviana took a deep breath, "I have a tendency to change to a different person whenever I hold a sentient weapon."

"Hm? Change to a different person?" Yunesia titled her head slightly while she contemplated. (Does she mean like my little sisters?).

Fei nodded, "It's not a tendency but yes, whenever young miss is holding a sentient weapon, her hair will turn black and she will crave for battle like a maniac."

"Hmm..." the genius mage contemplated before she asked, "Did this happen at the moment of your birth?"

Fei answered, "No, this happened when the mischievous little young miss accidentally touch a slab of stone in a hidden path under the kingdom that she currently rules."

Sylviana showed a pity glare against Fei but the red hue on her cheeks only make the latter chuckle.

"Ah, I see, you might be cursed," said Yunesia as she offered her answer.

"Indeed, but the other day, the power seems to have grown exponentially," said Fei.

"Hmm?"

"The other day, young miss's beautiful silver hair turned half black and she couldn't feel her right eyes."

"Were you conscious of the power? asked Yunesia as she furrowed her eyebrows and slightly leaned forward.

Sylviana shook her head, "No, I couldn't even feel the presence."

"Hmm," she pulled back before contemplating.

"Does Miss Yunesia know what's happening or how to control it?"

"It's hard to discern what happened, do you have any more leads? Like how did you revert back to normal? asked Yunesia.

Sylviana shook her head once more, "No, sadly I don't know."

"She did, however, almost called out Lyon's name," said Fei.

Sylviana was slightly embarrassed by it though it was not even her own action.

"She did?" Yunesia raised both of her eyebrows. "Did Lyon come here when it happened?"

Fei nodded before she let out a sigh, "I thought that they would have the perfect date, but it turns out the other Sylviana also wants a piece of the cake."

"W-W-What are you talking about Fei!" said Sylviana as she turned flusteredly red.

"Oh?" Yunesia raised both of her eyebrows. (I knew it, there is no way that Lyon would let go of this level of beauty. She almost aesthetically rivaled the empress) thought Yunesia.

Sylviana looked at Yunesia's grin. before she immediately shook her head in a panic, "N-No, that's not it! That was all Fei's idea!"

Yunesia and Fei had fun with the flustered queen.

"What is the connection between that crazed form of yours with Lyon?" asked Yunesia.

"N-Nothing! Absolutely nothing," said Sylviana as she shook her head in denial.

"She is not talking about that kind of connection young miss," Fei let out a sigh before she smiled. "The more you deny it the more it gets suspicious you know."

Sylviana was defeated.

Fei answered, "We have no idea the connection with Lyon but at the Throne tournament she changed her form the moment she held her black spear, which is coincidentally a gift from Lyon by the way, then she charged in and enter the portal where a hundred geniuses fought for the seat."

"Oh? OH!" Yunesia suddenly remembered, "You are that woman, the one that beat most of the self-proclaimed geniuses. The black dragon roar was your doing right? Ah, I see, I see, so you are the silver-haired woman that Lyon protected the whole time."

"Oh? He did?" asked Fei.

"Yeah, since you and Lyon had not made the Crown ceremony so that you would be called out of the place when you're in a life-threatening situation, he protected you from everyone."

(He did?) thought Sylviana. She never thought that Lyon would be that kind of person despite his pervertedness. The way he acted toward her was quite ambiguous in her heart.

"Not just everyone but something too, something so sinister that even the favorite Kaiju Loh was kicked out. I was kicked out after him though because he was the last one before me," said Yunesia.

The Saint Magician was attacking and observing from a safe distance the whole time and suffered no wounds by the end of the tournament

"The last time I saw him was when he was holding your hand with his dislocated elbow."

"Dislocated elbow?" asked Sylviana.

Yunesia nodded, "I think you should know the whole story. The reason why Lyon killed Kaiju was because of you."

Fei gasped as Sylviana raised her eyebrows, "Me?"

"Lyon was hellbent in pulling you out from the grasp of that sinister being but Kaiju saw the opportunity and struck Lyon right in his vulnerable point, the elbow. Though I'm sure the pain that he felt was immeasurable, he didn't let out a cry. It was at that point too that Kaiju was kicked out, thus automatically kicking me out in the process."

Sylviana immediately felt a cold shiver as her heart fluttered by the breeze of something that she never felt before. Her pupils constricted in disbelief as the truth was revealed before her.

(He... protected me... he...) her thought process was halted as the memory that he had on that place was leaning toward a dream rather than experiencing the real thing. A buzz of images kept cutting off inside her mind.

Yunesia shook her head, "Back to the main problem, I'm afraid with so little information I couldn't draw any more conclusion that you are cursed. However, if you want to test some answers, maybe try to spend some time with Lyon? Since he might be able to trigger your chaotic form without summoning or grabbing a sentient weapon?"

Yunesia looked at Sylviana who had entered a daze. She smiled wryly before shaking her head. (Did I just matchmaking her with Lyon? Hehe, I guess the favor has been prepared?) thought Yunesia as she stood up.

Fei wanted to warn her young miss but Yunesia immediately stopped her. The latter shook her head before leaving the room and left the door open.

Fei couldn't say a word toward the Saint Magician before she looked at her young miss. The Queen of Nostria was in a daze as she put both of her elbows on the table to support her disbelieving face as she looked down.

(Lyon... did... Lyon...)

The sleeping young man, as if he heard her thoughts, suddenly twitched his eyes.