81 Possessions

"Are you sure about this?" Knave (the earlier name is Three) watched as Yllana gave a small bangle to a little girl. The new badge on his chest already carried the symbol of "2" with the roaring lion.

Yllana poked the golden insignia and smiled. "Duty to the people, honor to the kingdom. I'm sure you will do great on the job." She looked around her. "And you have him," she added.

"Big guy," she gave a glance at Andryll (the previous name is Two). "It's your time now to take care of the people." His arms are crossed over his chest. The ground slightly shook when he took two steps near Yllana. When he spread his arms, a black shadow suddenly appeared before him.

Squish!

Lucien's eyes bulged as he felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs. Andryll's eyes landed on the red-haired girl in front of him. Wasn't he supposed to be hugging her? He puffed and squeezed even tighter. Lucien coughed. His eyes almost popped out from the sockets as he groaned from the giant's crushing embrace. "Hehe…Skinny guy," Andryll commented.

"He still needs some nourishment I guess," Yllana gave out a nervous smile. She did not expect that Lucien would get in the way. 'A hugging giant, who would have thought?'

Panting, Lucien held on to his knees and suck in as much air as he could after Andryll placed him down. When he tried to peek at Andryll, the big guy is already laughing with Yllana. And he still hugged her. He scoffed and grunted as he walked away from the northern knights.

Knave saw Lucien's shadow and tapped Yllana on the shoulder. "Your guy is jealous,"

"He is not mine. Well, not yet at least."

"Where did you find him anyway?"

"It was actually him who found me after the war."

Yllana sneaked a quick look at Lucien's departing back. It looked like a gloomy cloud has been shadowing him from above.

"I wish I were the one who found you then. Hehe. Here, I found this in the marketplace. I think it will look good on you." Knave took her wrist and fastened a golden wristlet with two twisted thin vines and a red gem inlaid on the center. When Knave locked it in place, it gave out a clicking sound and magically tightened in a perfect fit in her wrist.

"Enchanted? It feels odd, but it looks great. Thank you, Knave." She flashed him a smile. But before she could say another word again, the shadow that just left earlier suddenly appeared before both of them. "What now?" Yllana felt a cold wind pass by. Is that death creeping over them? She swallowed as she observed where Lucien's gaze was. He lifted her wrist with the bangle and took her finger. She felt her heart thump nervously. Is he going to break her finger? Her whole wrist because he is jealous? Can she even fight this man?

"You took her wrist, I'll take her finger." A shadow still covered his face so she could only see his lips. Is he going to cut her finger?

Anybody who heard his words looked at the three of them. This is not another simple love triangle, is it? Or is it just that simple?

Lucien covered her finger. After a few seconds, he let go. Everybody gasped around them. A silver ring with a small blue diamond sat on her ring finger. Yllana's face turned red. This jealous man can really be so possessive at times.

"Thank you," She tried taking it off. It won't move. "L-Lucien, people might misinterpret if you put it there."

"I like it when they misinterpret," Then he turned his back, hiding a grin from the watching crowd.

Andryll laughed at Knave. He hasn't even started and Lucien already won one round. Yllana pulled and pulled but the ring still won't move an inch. Finally, she decided to wear a three-finger black glove on that hand. It covered her three fingers in the middle and exposed her rhumb and little finger.

"Stylish," Andryll chuckled.

"It's my sister's." She did not see Lucien anymore. Maybe he hid somewhere before she could even ask him to take off the ring.

She looked at the thympiles. It was the first time that the northerners see a huge animal. "I talked to the trainers. They said that Khi could stay here." She pointed at the silver-bellied thympile.

"That would be a great help." Andryll nodded in satisfaction. What the horses could travel in days could be covered by the thympiles in a few hours. Even just one could save them the last minute in a battle.

"It looks like a giant worm…with elephant ears." Eiren stroked Khi's chin. It purred loudly and blew its breath on his face.

"It likes you so much." Fourteen giggled. Eiren wiped his face. His hair was still drooping with Khi's saliva when another round of blow met his face. "Awww.. you should have closed your mouth, you know."

Eiren spat. "What did this guy eat? That's some salty, slimy, ewwwness kind of grass or something." He kept rubbing the slimy liquid off his tongue.

Everybody laughed.

Larika went to Yllana and gave her a red robe with golden lining. "This is one of the gifts that the previous empress has left. It belongs to you now." Larika's face carried a relieved smile. But Yllana just shook her head.

"The stone may have said one word, but that doesn't mean that we have to follow it. I am only going to help the South Kingdom. You can select another ruler when the kingdom recovers." She busied herself with her things.

"You are my master. I am not going back on my word. Wherever you go, I go. And this...please just wear it then until we can find someone else." Larika insisted. Ever since she accepted Yllana as her master, she decided not to dress like an empress anymore. In simple clothes, nobody would ever think of her as the previous empress of the South Kingdom.

Lucien handed her three small chests of treasures. "Empress Blanche is giving them to you as gifts and as a reward for your loyalty as a knight for the kingdom." When she looked at the contents of the chests, she gleamed. All the chests are filled with soul stones and gems. There was even jewelry that women would really envy her for. She hid them all in her space ring.

"I still have to look for the nightfall flower and spirit grasses."

"Nightfall flower? I heard that it thrives under the place where most moonlight could be seen." Fourteen said.

"You can use the army to look for the flower," Larika suggested.

"It's enough that I requested for a hundred thousand soldiers to assist here. If the flower can be found on a mountain, I will not risk other people's lives for the sake of our family's medicine." Since it will be used to cure her sister's blindness, the imperial army should not be used for such reasons.

Larika stared at her. "Consider it as a thank-you gift from the empire since you freed them from Darion,"

"Don't feel thankful yet. As far as I know, he is still alive."

"We have to go back to the South Kingdom then right away. There might be a field of nightfall flowers in the mountains of the south," Fourteen beamed.

"Also, some citizens are still cursed. Most are children," Midel reminded them.

Yllana sighed. There are still people who do not like her as their ruler. Will they really trust her with the decisions for the kingdom?

Larika held her hand when she knotted her brows. She seemed to have noticed her reluctance. "We'll be here with you."

"Wait!"

From the distance, a young girl about sixteen or seventeen ran towards them. Her golden robe furiously flapped in the air as she moved. Her little crown on her head glittered with the colorful gems on it. "Empress Blanche, we have to be on our way." Yllana was already seated on Mimo's head when she saw Blanche running.

"I had the blacksmiths rush this so I can give it to you," she threw a small golden pouch to Yllana. It had something flat and rounded inside.

"A mirror?" Yllana looked at the elegant mirror. It was decorated with a rope-like twist on the sides and the four corners have roses also made in gold. But what made her wrinkle her forehead is her reflection. It was missing. Or rather, the mirror was not reflecting anything although she was sure it was a mirror.

"This mirror is connected to another mirror within the palace. You can ask the soul to connect you to us but it can only be summoned once in a week. It needs a lot of life force to be summoned and for the soul to recover. Please accept it as part of the gifts." She suggested.

Yllana said her thanks to the queen and placed the mirror into her space ring. The mirror might be handy to her one day. And maybe, maybe one day she will have a reason to go back to this place.