CHAPTER 4

"I don't want to come!" snapped Prince Aerus, too annoyed that his parents had asked him to go to a banquet at Centraxus, which Queen Ethelia had hosted.

His body was still tired because he just come home to visit his son at the temple, now he had to face his nagging parents that force him to do something.

"This will give you many advantages in the future, Aerus," said King Artesun, trailing his son. "Centraxus is getting stronger at the moment. Lots of planets are starting to build more intense cooperation with them. If you can learn government lessons at that banquet, then it will broaden your horizons."

"Besides that, you haven't met the new planetary rulers. This is your chance for more connections, my son." Queen Lunanis trotted after her son, who had entered the study. There was Jullian, who bowed to greet them.

His face contorted when he saw the king and queen following Prince Aerus. The sight seemed familiar to him. 'Oh, they're like two chicks following their mother,' he thought and went back to work.

"I told you I wouldn't come." Prince Aerus confirmed again. "Well, that's my final decision. I still have a lot of work to do. I'm also exhausted because I just came home to see Beldric, today he is very fussy. You should have come and met him today." Suddenly he groaned and complained.

It's hard not to do it when he has to emit positive energy while his heart was always filled with grief. And now he had to take care of other troublesome things.

"If you want to refuse to attend the invitation, then whatever." Prince Phoko suddenly appeared, making everyone gasp in surprise. Prince Aerus frowned, tired. "But you have to think of a way to decline it. A refusal that does not represent hostility."

"I didn't mean to show any hostility. I just didn't want to come," said Prince Aerus, suddenly feeling emotional.

"Is that true?" Prince Phoko squinted. "No matter how hard you reason they will know that you still hold a grudge against them."

That's not entirely wrong, because until now Prince Aerus still holds a grudge against Centraxus. The reason is clear because Queen Renoa and King Rexon never want to open the seal on Lia's body, thus making her die from running out of energy.

Prince Aerus will never forget that moment, how he repeatedly sent messages asking the king and queen to help him. How he repeatedly sent visiting letters to discuss the same thing. However, they still refused.

Maybe Centraxus had a new leader right now, but Prince Aerus' disappointment and irritation still couldn't be erased.

"You can't even answer what I'm saying," squeaked Prince Phoko, then sighed. "Just come for this once. At least show that Hexa is a competent and trustworthy planet. You have to show professionalism. After this, you can choose whether or not to attend the banquet. You brought some rocks from there anyway, so you can hand them over to Beldric. He needs it to balance the energy in his body."

Prince Aerus finally had no other choice but to come to Centraxus, as he braced himself to put on the thickest mask of emotion in his entire life.

…

Meanwhile, Queen Ethelia was preparing to welcome guests. On her body was attached a beautiful and majestic dress, which was suffused with a beautiful glimmer of light. Her hair was white, a beautiful white color, which shone without dazzling the eyes.

Her eyes flickered gently over the veil that partially covered her face. Her body sat in front of the mirror, waiting for the maid to put the crown on her head.

Not long after that Queen Renoa came to see him. "Lily," she called softly. "Are you ready? It looks like the welcoming ceremony is about to begin."

"Soon, Mother. I still have to wear gloves," said Queen Ethelia, or Lia, softly. Behind the veil she smiled, delivering happiness when she saw her mother nod in understanding. "Is father already at the ceremony point?"

"Yes," Queen Renoa nodded. "He's been waiting for you, everyone's been waiting for you. You have to get there right away. Mother will be waiting for you outside." After seeing Lia nod, Queen Renoa left.

Now Lia looked at her face again, looked up at her maid, then brought the Latherid stone embedded in her wand. "Is the white dragon still looking for me?" she asked her maid.

"Sir Panor has not provided any further information, Queen. Looks like he's not looking for you anymore."

The white dragon is the soul that guards him while in the crater of the Centraxus pillar. Her soul was trapped in a sphere until slowly she had a body. The white dragon was like a mother and caregiver, like a brother and a good friend.

Now they had a different place, although sometimes it wanted to meet her, and insisted on going with her. But she refused, considering her body was not yet perfect for sticking.

Lia also got up from her chair, then teleported to the crater of the Centraxus pillar, met the white dragon to chat for a moment.

Shortly after that, someone called out to her from the surface, someone who wouldn't be able to visit the crater of the Centraxus pillar-like herself. So she immediately headed to the surface, then found her assistant, Welafy, pointing out something.

"Your Majesty, Prince Aerus accepts our invitation."

Lia's eyes slowly lit up, like diamond beads that have a million spectrum of colors. Her lips curled behind the veil, and her hands squeezed each other. "Is that true?" Her heart was pounding after seeing Afy nod. "Then, do I look pretty today? Is my hair well-groomed?"

"You are as amazing as ever."

Lia smiled again, then immediately left as quickly as possible to hold a welcoming ceremony. The ceremony was held to welcome the guests who were present. She only needed to sit and bow until she waited for all the guests to arrive.

Her eyes couldn't stop searching for the figure of Prince Aerus. Her body couldn't stop moving restlessly in place.

King Rexon patted her on the shoulder gently, whispering in her ear, "I know you are very excited that your husband is coming. But at least you can't show it too much."

Lia looked down in shame at that. From behind the veil she whispered to her father, "Am I that obvious?"

"Even ordinary people will know you are waiting for your lover. So stay calm, Lily. He will surely come soon."

Lia nodded, then lifted her face, revealing her wise and graceful gaze. She repeatedly greeted the new guests, shook hands, and made small talk.

Until then her eyes fell on the outfits of Hexa's servants. Her throat suddenly went dry, including her lips. Her heartbeats increased sharply, especially after she saw a handsome and dazzling silver-haired man. His face looked much grimmer, his body looking thinner than he had last remembered. "Aerus," she whispered through the veil.

***