Chapter 27

Seeing Shin approach her and hearing her say to call him Shin, which she assumed to be his first name, her heartbeat quickened and this unfamiliar feeling grew.

"I can't call you that," Irene said, clapping her hands forward to show her refusal to call him by his first name.

Not that she didn't want to, but she couldn't. For her, Shin was an ancient and respectable being with whom she had to be polite.

And calling him by his first name and with such familiarity was for her a little disrespectful and there was also the fact that she felt shy to call him that.

"Don't worry, really, call me Shin," insisted Shin with a gentle smile that Irene found hard to resist and finally gave in.

"Okay Shi-Shin, you can also call me Irene," Irene replied shyly.

Shin couldn't help but laugh silently when he saw this side of Irene that he thought was really cute.

"Okay Irene"

Irene blushes when she hears her first name mentioned by Shin.

At the time, she was like a young girl in love and since it was the first time she had ever spoken like that, without her queen status, to a person of the opposite sex, she was not sure how to go about it.

"Irene turned around and started walking while Shin followed her.

"While following Irene, Shin heard the children shouting goodbye to her.

Turning his head behind him, Shin looked at the children and shook his hand, still with his little smile, to answer them.

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Shin continued to follow Irene as he walked through the palace toward Irene's office.

There was a deadly silence between the two as neither began the conversation.

Neither knew what to say.

So Shin could do nothing but look around curiously.

The corridors they were in were really huge, big enough to accommodate one or more dragons.

At the same time, seeing the size of the streets in the kingdom and the size of the palace from the outside, one could expect it.

After a short walk, they passed a large courtyard.

A very large courtyard built in a circular shape with a statue of a dragon with a woman surrounded by a field of flowers.

The courtyard was lit by the sun coming from the ceiling which was open to allow the sun's rays to pass and the dragons to enter.

It was a cheerful and fun place, full of dragons and children playing together and adults talking.

Shin found this scene very beautiful and meaningful to Irene.

"This scene and this place must be very important to you," Shin said sincerely.

Irene was taken aback when she heard Shin speak for the first time in all their walking.

"It's true, this scene represents what I'm fighting for," Shin replied solemnly and determinedly.

"Unfortunately, what you're trying to do is probably just a utopia," mumbled Shin to himself and sadly to Irene.

Shin didn't know if this kingdom would survive with his presence or not.

He knew that this kingdom would eventually be destroyed by Acnologia and would he be able to stop it then?

He didn't know, but he would try his best.

Having finished contemplating this scene, Shin and Irene returned to their walk to go up to the palace floor and finally arrive at Irene's office.

Arriving in her office, Shin was rather surprised.

The desk was a fairly large room filled with cabinets and shelves on the left and right sides of the room. In the middle of the room were two sofas opposite each other and a small table in the middle of both. There was a large chandelier on the ceiling lit by magic, and at the back was his wooden desk with a small lamp on it, papers, and books.

Just behind the desk was a huge bay window with a view of the entire kingdom from the entrance side, where Shin came from.

One could also see the square just in front of the palace entrance, the forest at the end of the kingdom, and Shin could even see the mountain from where he came.

Even if he was surely the only one here who could see it from so far.

Irene walked towards the sofas in the center and invited me.

"Sit down" having been invited, Shin approached the sofas and sat down with Irene who had waited for him to show her politeness.

Irene then took a teapot from the table and poured what appeared to be tea into two small cups already placed on the table.

"Please take it, I made it myself," Irene said shyly, giving a cup to Shin.

Shin accepted the cup and sipped it gently.

The tea was fruity, sweet and really good. He didn't expect such good tea at a time like this.

In fact, it might not even have been tea.

"It's very good," Shin replied kindly, always accompanied by his smile.

"Irene blushed and answered shyly but deep down she was very happy to have been complimented by Shin.

Irene took a quick sip of her tea and then asked Shin a question.

"So you are a Phoenix?" Irene asked, becoming more serious and wanting to confirm what she had discovered but also curious.

Shin was surprised at her change in behavior but understood that she had to be serious as a Dragnof Queen.

She carried the safety of all citizens on her shoulders, so she could not display shy or gentle behavior.

She had to show her presence as Queen but always remained respectful to Shin by knowing her identity.

"It's true I am one," Shin replied.

He had also been a little surprised because behind his question, she seemed to have some knowledge of what a Phoenix was.

"Do you know what a Phoenix is?"

"Yes," Irene nodded.

"I've read about it in books, it's a mythical and ancient creature..." Irene replied by telling Shin about everything she had read about her species.

Shin thought about everything she had just said, and in general, it was a good description of his species even if it was based on what he knew about his former life.

"Shin had been a little disturbed by the word "old".

"I'm only 20 years old."

(I added 1 year to it)

Irene choked on his tea and was a little shocked to know that he was only 20 years old.

Knowing that the Phoenix were endowed with a very long lifespan surely comparable to or even longer than that of dragons, she thought he was at least centuries old.

Yet, deep in her heart, she seemed relieved to know that he was only 20 years old.

Irene herself was 24 years old so there wasn't that much difference, especially for someone with such a long life span.

Lost in thought, she remembered how she had reacted after knowing that he was only 20 years old.

She blushed with shame as she began to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that you were old or anything," said Irene in a panic.

"Ahah, that's okay, I can understand since my race lives a very long time," Shin laughed softly.

Seeing Shin smiling and laughing, Irene was hypnotized and could only blush when she saw him smiling and laughing.

She went back to her little world and admired Shin.

She quickly stepped out of her little world and reprimanded herself for reacting like that in front of her guest.

But looking back, she couldn't help but smile when she saw that the Celestial Phoenix was not arrogant, vicious, power-hungry, mean or otherwise.

Instead, he seemed kind, humble, helpful, sociable, perfect. He exuded a comfortable and gentle aura that made you want to be friends with him, to listen to him talk, to admire him.

Irene was really happy that he was such a person, she thought her kingdom had been blessed.

And thinking about it, she remembered that she had to ask him a very important question.

"Shin" Irene had been put at ease with him and so called him by his first name in a serious way.

"Yes?"

Seeing that she was serious, Shin concentrated again and resumed a serious attitude.

"Are you going to help us in this war?"