Emperor's Reckoning

The couple strolled the street and quickly gained the attention of the masses. They dared not to disturb them and only smiles they were portraying.  The couple went to enjoy the local foods, the warm tea, and the scenery of delight. Warm air coursed between the surface of their pores as Lyon kept recounting the story with various expressions. He laughed, he smiled, even sad. He told her all.

Back at the inn where Cecile watched from the window. She had her arms crossed all the while before turning around to see the other two ladies.

"Why the sour faces?" Cecile asked.

"You know why," answered Lumina albeit Luna had a wry smile. Lumina approached the nearby bookshelves. Her fingers combed over the spine of the books aligned whilst saying, "Does this happen often?"

Cecile raised her brows before she found herself a seat. She crossed her legs after picking up a cup from the small table. The aroma of jasmine quickly teased her nostrils. She smiled seeing her own reflection in the tangerine liquid. "Happen? By what do you mean, I wonder."

"You know what I meant," her finger stop at the spine of a book with brown hardcover. She snorted before pulling her hand away from the bookshelves without pulling one book off of it.

"Hm?" Cecile raised her brows as she looked at Lumina sitting across from her. She smiled a tease, "Not going to read that one?"

"Nothing here interests me," Lumina lazily blinked before looking at Cecile, "Answer, I'm not the only one in this room that wants to know."

Cecile hovered her glance toward Luna before she snorted a smile and shook her head, "Well, sit down."

Luna nervously nodded before she took the only empty chair left.

The three made a triangle as they surrounded the small table. A dragon, A white tiger, and then, a goddess. Two pairs of eyes were looking at the auburn ones. All three ladies were a beauty of their own class. They each exuded a unique aura that belonged to none other.

"It happens a lot," said Cecile as she sipped the tea in her cup with her eyes closed.

Lumina immediately sighed, "I'm not surprised." She darted her glance toward Luna whose upper lip appeared to be clenched.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Cecile chuckled. "But at least it won't be so frequently now."

"Because of her?" Lumina raised one of her brows.

"Precisely," Cecile put the cup back on the small table. "You've seen how she acted."

Luna had her goosebumps rose as her body shivered the moment she remembered how cold Selena was treating Farash. Positioning herself in Selena's shoes, the latter didn't even know who Farash was but still, her limbs severed without a shred of mercy. Selena had also proclaimed that she had slain many women like her previously.

Luna gulped, "Is she really that hard to approach?"

"Selena? Well, that's a good question," Cecile chuckled, "You have no idea how cold she was when we first form a party."

"That must be dreamy," Lumina chuckled.

"I will let that sarcasm slide."

Lumina snorted. "What are we going to do now?"

"We still haven't sorted out what to do yet with the Seraphim Cultivator," said Luna. "I-I think that we are taking steps too far ahead."

"No we don't," said Cecile. "We all have this under control for now."

"Under control..." Luna smiled wryly. All of this happened because Lyon was out of their control.

"Don't worry, Graham and the other two had more than enough power to subdue that Six-Winged Seraphim Cultivator without breaking a sweat."

"Don't you think that Paradise would frown if they didn't find him in his post?"

"They will," Cecilen nodded to their surprise.

"T-Then?!" Luna exclaimed.

"First, calm down," Cecile smirked. "Paradise is not as strong as it used to be."

Lumina frowned, "How did you know?"

"They sent their best fighters to kill my husband," said Cecile before her eyes sharpened, "He is not going down without dragging some of them."

Luna gulped in astonishment but Lumina's furrowed brows only hardened.

"Did Lyon meet the so-called all-father?"

"I can't say for sure," Cecile shrugged. "When I got there, the battle was already over, and he was on Selena's lap."

"So this happened without the presence of you three?" Lumina frowned.

"Absolutely, what else could it be? We three are not Lyon's weaknesses, you know," Cecile chuckled.

"Then what about Kesya and the others?" Lumina frowned.

"We were not there too, in fact, we didn't even go there," said a cheerful voice before they all heard the door slowly creak to a close. Kesya revealed herself before jumping on the empty bed. "Oof, this is Assid's blunder, the bed is really not comfortable, especially the sheet!"

"Ironic of you using the word 'blunder' why aren't you all there?" asked Luna.

Cecile raised her brows seeing the strong stance that Luna suddenly gave off. She smiled ( She is using the power of her bloodline to stand on her toes ) before looking at the bewildered Kesya.

Kesya blinked twice before she sighed, "It's complicated."

"So you won't answer?" asked Luna.

"I can't, I'm not good with words," Kesya shook her head and looked down. Her hand was crunching the bed sheet as her dejected face hid under her hair.

Cecile slightly looked into the distance after seeing Kesya's reaction. She darted over at Luna before saying, "What you're prying is something even Paradise wants to bury, she can't tell even if she wanted."

"She can't because the event was too heavy, Luna," said Lumina.

Luna parted her lips before closing them. She looked at Kesya before bowing her head, "I'm sorry!"

"Eh?" Kesya raised her head to see Luna bowing at her. "N-No, no, no, it's fine!"

"Thank you," Luna tightened her lips as guilt embraced her. She had unknowingly touched a bitter subject.

Kesya nodded before she looked at the woman she looked up to the most, "Empress, what do you think we should do with that worm?"

"Are you talking about the Seraphim Cultivator?" asked Cecile.

"Their cultivation level really doesn't match their strength though, it's pretty pathetic," Kesya rolled her eyes. "But yes, that's the one. Hahaha, the way Graham tied him up to a worm is really funny!"

Luna had her brows twitching. Everyone looked up to Paradise and of course, the beings living in it. However, Kesya simply compared the one responsible for guarding the main seal to a harmless worm.

"Don't look down on Paradise so much, they might go to Hell," Cecile chuckled.

"Hehehe," Kesya giggled and rolled around the bed.

"Hey, don't roll around the bed sheet, Maria will give you that gaze if she saw that," uttered Cecile.

"Eek!" Kesya suddenly behaved herself to the other two surprises.

Luna glistened her lips with her tongue before saying, "Maria, that's his third wife right?"

Cecile leaned back in her chair before taking a deep breath, "Well, Lyon never saw us as who the first, second, or third, he just saw us as his woman, that's all."

"Wait, if I recall correctly, you said that you were the first one," Lumina frowned. "What's that all about?"

"I'm just messing with my husband, what else?" Cecile snorted a smile. "Nah, that would be wrong. I said it because I knew Selena would pull off something like that as well. Lo and behold, I was right."

"Wow, you foresaw that?" Luna asked.

"I learned from our journey together," Cecile smiled. "It was a rocky adventure but I learned a lot, both through victories and pain. However, you are keen to learn about Maria right?"

Luna nodded. "I don't know her at all, I mean. I met Selena, at least, she would notice me back in Nostria, and I know you before I met her. However, the third one is still a mystery."

"Empress Maria is the most kind of all," Kesya suddenly claimed. "She is so sweet that we are afraid to disappoint her kindness."

"Coming from Kesya herself," Cecile chuckled before her face turned solemn. She took a big long sigh, "Though, we have no idea where she is right now."

"Not even with the seers?" asked Lumina.

"You have sharp ears it seems," Cecile commented before shaking her head. "No, at least not that seer. However, if Mother Claivoryant herself would divine the path, perhaps."

"Who?" Luna raised her brows.

"Luce is what she called. She was a powerful seer that could read fate like no other. Though, she was not like that in the beginning. She has her own tale rising to the top, rumors say that she was about to open her third eye. That's before Lyon died."

"Third eye?" Lumina frowned. "I haven't read much about their culture and cultivation, but I've read that the third eye is the ultimate phase that a seer sought."

Cecile started to laugh. She stood up from the chair and approached the window with laughter still, before saying, "Oh, I wonder, if her third eye could see his existence now. After all, my husband is not bounded by the same fate she carefully read."