2 The Council

Lia kept her smile but inside she trembled and wanted to cry. The lanterns in the background faded into dim light as she continued to wave at the crowd while Min didn't spare her a glance.

However, he didn't scold her either as the elders stood behind them and he couldn't publicly humiliate her damaging his own reputation.

After a few minutes, one of the attendants walked behind them and bowed,

"Your Highness, the parade will start any minute. Please make your way to the carriage."

Min nodded and sent the attendant with a wave of his hand away. Then he walked towards the door, Lia silently followed behind.

"What an entrance of Lia, isn't that right, Elder K?" Elder L smiled at Lia and took her hands in his.

"Thank you, Elder L," Lia gave Elder L a brilliant smile before turning to her father, "You came!"

"Of course, I can't not come to such an occasion," Elder K patted Lia's head.

"Then will Elder K be present at the council meeting?" Elder Z continued to stroke his beard.

"My daughter will be there for me, it's time to let the next generation take over."

While the elders talked between themselves, Leo put an arm around Lia, "Hey, great you didn't come late, I can already imagine Min's face haha!"

"Leo!" Lia hugged him.

"Woah, your fiance might get angry!" Leo returned the hug.

"I don't care," Min indifferently strode forward.

Lia just watched him leave. She knew Min didn't like her, yet she still unabashedly clung onto him. After 100 years, she also got self-conscious about it.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up," Min turned around and looked at her. Lia nodded enthusiastically and waved Leo goodbye before skipping after Min.

Yet every time he showed her just the tiniest bit of approval, the tiniest bit of contact that could be misunderstood as affection, she would always fall back into the hole she dug herself, never to come out again.

It showed how much she loved him that she was even willing to endure his cold treatment just for the brief second of warmth. She knew what this was. She knew what this relationship was.

It was toxic.

And still, she ran after him like she did from the second she met him as a child, and she would continue doing so until only death could do them apart.

"This way please," the attendant removed the curtains of a large wooden carriage in dark brown laced with red that was carried by ghosts. He then motioned them inside the space that was decorated like a bed.

Min and Lia sat down as the curtain once again fell to remove their line of sight from outside.

Jugglers, troupes of entertainers, ghosts and singers marched for the parade, in front of the big finale that was the carriage. The people outside watching the Ghost Parade in awe, all screamed and cheered yet inside none of the warm feelings could reach and thaw the cold atmosphere.

"Min please don't be angry," Lia tried to coax him but he didn't reply.

She was long used to his indifference but it still always made her choke up with tears and a sad feeling that never wanted to leave.

"I'm happy you promised to wed me, so please don't be like this," she cautiously gripped his sleeve.

"I did promise," Min spoke up and Lia anticipatingly looked at him, "but I never promised to love you."

A thousand arrows pierced her heart and ripped it apart. With fragile fingers, she held it together.

"Soon you will," naively she still had this thought and hoped for the day when he would love her back.

Her father once told her that if you made the first step and decided to pursue someone, then even if you experience heaven's grief, you cannot give up. She held those words close to her and religiously followed them like a little girl that could still not get over her first crush and disregarded all the warning signs.

"I will not divorce you if you learn to properly behave, fit for the Ghost King's bride. Don't let a blunder like today happen ever again," his sharp and piercing eyes condemned her to let go of him and she just silently nod.

Then after a while, she spoke up, "Yes, I promise. This won't happen again."

"Good, then don't say another word. You already put me in a bad mood," Min refused to look at her and tried hard to control his turbulent feelings.

He wished he wouldn't have agreed to marry her, wished he didn't need to rely on this stupid, naive girl to become the Ghost King, wished he wouldn't have to endure her lovestruck face every single day.

He let out a sigh and focused on important things. He was the Ghost King now, the ruler of both the immortal and mortal world, yet he was still at the very beginning and needed to rely on the support and power of the families.

He needed to be patient and eliminate all possibilities for failure, only then could what he desired come true.

And so, with both Min and Lia keeping quiet, the Ghost Parade carried on without a care in the world for those two people and their feelings and soon came to a halt again in front of the palace.

The attendants were already waiting, "Your highness, Your highness."

They greeted Min and Lia as they stepped out of the carriage into the palace. Min ignored them while Lia gave them a small smile. The attendants thought they were hallucinating at the sight of Lia's slightly red eyes.

"The council will begin soon. The Elders of the seven families have already arrived and are waiting," one of the attendants walked in the front to lead them to the meeting hall.

Inside the hall was a round table made out of stone with 9 chairs. Seven Elders sat as Min and Lia took their places.

"Now that the Ghost King is here, shall we start?" Elder Z looked into the round and waited for the approval of the Ghost King.

Lia mentally sighed. She wasn't interested in the affairs of the council nor politics regarding the future of the immortal and mortal world. However, soon she would stand next to Min and help him manage his duties.

The council was the highest justice form in the immortal world, compromised of 8 families with each head being called an Elder and the being that ruled over the council, the families and both worlds was the Ghost King.

"It's been a long time," Elder G spoke up, an elderly woman with a stern expression.

"Indeed," Elder C with his fickle eyes said but he looked in disdain at Lia.

Lia just gave him a smile. This was the first time in thousands of years since the council has come together and it has been thousands of years since the immortal world has been graced by a new Ghost King since the disappearance of the previous one.

The 8 families of the council dutiful and loyally supported the Ghost King since the beginning, however, the 8 families have been split since ancient times into two factions. The pro faction and the natural faction.

The pro faction were those that eagerly awaited the Ghost King and consisted of the Z, P, C and G family and wanted him to rule over the worlds. On the other hand, the neutral faction consisted of the K (Lia's family), L (Leo's family), M and H family.

The neutral faction didn't have any particularly strong emotions towards the Ghost King anymore, with the only exception being the K family which has been always the personal guards and protectors of the Ghost King, yet since the disappearance of the previous one, they have refused the birth of a new Ghost King.

Lia had no idea why her family who has been the most loyal and closest to all the Ghost Kings would not want a new one to appear. In the past, she has asked her father many times yet he never gave her an answer.

He always told her that this world didn't need a Ghost King anymore but because her love for Min was so strong, she went against her family's rule and helped him to acquire his dream to become the King.

"As everyone has been aware, lately vengeful ghosts have been appearing more frequently and without the Ghost King, they've been hard to manage as only Family K have retained their powers while we others are powerless," Elder L started.

Since the disappearance of the previous Ghost King, all the families except for Lia's have lost their powers over the years. The reason why Lia's family have been able to keep theirs was because of their status as the Ghost King's guards.

So, since thousands of years then it was the sole duty of the K family to purge the vengeful ghosts and stop them from harming innocent people.

Because the power shift was so one-sided, the pro faction naturally hated the K family and with the appearance of a new Ghost King, they could rest at ease to know that the power would be balanced again.

"So you heard, Ghost King. You have to give us powers," Elder P was a fairly young man in appearance.

"I'm afraid, I still don't have the ability to do so," Min retorted and despite his words, his bearing was very arrogant.

"He has just become the king and you expect him to easily share his power?" Lia defended Min but was met with more disdain from the pro faction.

Elder M and H from the neutral faction stayed out of this and kept quiet.

"It is the duty of the Ghost King."

"Elder C-" Lia started but Min stopped her.

"Naturally, once I've gained control over my abilities, I am more than happy to do so."

"Then isn't it time to recruit promising people to make them exorcists?" Elder Z was a very power-hungry individual and couldn't let this opportunity go.

In the immoral world, the immortals and ghosts coexisted, yet over time more and more vengeful ghosts have appeared and wrecked havoc.

The reason why the public welcomed the Ghost King so happily was because of his abilities to pass ghosts on, so those ghosts that still had lingering regrets could finally leave the world and go to the afterlife. The other reason was that only the Ghost King could give people the power to purge ghosts that have become known as the exorcists.

"It's a pressing matter since not only us but also the mortal world is struggling and as cruel as this sounds, we cannot rush Min," Elder L tried to reason with the others.

"Then the Ghost King should hurry after all the resentful energy's picking up and even we are struggling, so how could the mortals keep up?" Elder H finally spoke up.

"I will obviously take the matters seriously, please rest assured. The K family will also do its best to continue purging the ghosts on their own," Min briefly looked at Lia who instantly stood up and exclaimed,

"Yes, it's not a concern for us. We'll manage like always."

"Youth," Elder P sneered but his remark went uncommented.

"Then let's postpone this meeting to another date. There's still enough time. What's more important is the ritual, if the Elders don't mind, I would like to set it to the day after tomorrow. Any objections?"

The Elders shook their heads.

"It's settled," imposing Min stood up and without a glance left the room.

Lia followed him but outside the door, she's held back by Elder L and M.

She turns around and her eyes briefly widened, "What is it?"