"The Royal Artifacts"

Inside the room was like a museum, and Ely stood there in awe as he saw the artifacts in front of her, which were glowing with white light. They were placed atop tall round tables covered with white cloth.

On the left were four porcelain vases of different colors. The bloody red porcelain vase had a double-gourd shape, the brown vase had a short, waisted neck and tall, straight sides, and lastly, the white vase had a subtly flared mouth, a slender neck with a narrow fillet collaring its base, rounded shoulders, and a slightly splayed foot.

Two artifacts were genie lamps, one made of gold and another one made of silver, while the other three artifacts were musical instruments: a bronze flute, a copper ocarina, and a brass trumpet.

The last two were golden grails: a big one with an embedded dragon head design and a small one with an embedded eagle head design.

King Maro walked around, looking closely at each artifact. He went from left to right, and realized what artifacts were missing. "The three mirrors and the jade basin are missing."

Historian Vernon then uttered, "Your Highness, The three mirrors got stolen earlier than the jade basin."

"I see," The King muttered, "I shall think about what the bandits may be planning. Let us have an assembly tomorrow night."

After discussing something with Minister Holter and General Lum, followed by the mercenaries, Ely and the King went to the balcony. When King Maro requested to give them privacy, the mercenaries stepped further away from them.

"Are you sure I'm not getting in the way of your work?" Ely asked, leaning on the railing, "You seem very busy."

King Maro shook his head, "I need you to lessen my tiredness."

"Eh? And how will I do that?"

"By not leaving my side."

Ely's cheeks turned red. "Uhm! Aside from that, what can I do?!"

"Hmmm… Sing for me."

She accepted that kind of answer and nodded at him.

Then the King asked, "Ely… Don't you have any questions? Anything that comes to your mind." He noticed that ever since they went to the artifacts room, she had been a bit less talkative.

"Can… Can I ask about the artifacts?" Ely said; her eyes were sparkling with astonishment. "You did not say anything about them earlier…"

"Only the members of the royal family and the historian himself know what the artifacts can do," He explained. "We did not discuss it further because there were other people with us."

"Ahh… Then, about the mirrors and the basin…"

"Mirror of the Past, Mirror of the Present, Mirror of the Future… Those mirrors can see the person's past and future. They are used together."

"Used together? How?" asked Ely.

"First, the person will look at himself through the golden mirror. Then, that person's past will be displayed on the second mirror that has a frame made of rusted metal, and his future will be displayed on the third mirror that has a frame made of palladium."

"Ohhh… Interesting… How about the basin?"

"The Jade Basin of Inner Thoughts. It shows one's inner thoughts and desires. It answers what you truly desire and it gives you a clue on how you can achieve it."

"Wow… I never thought I'd encounter real magic in my life… I mean… Yes, it was kinda like magic when I suddenly arrived here, but I never imagined that there would really be magical artifacts or something..." Ely sighed, thinking about the day she rose up from the King's spa. She went on thinking, what if an artifact that can revive a dead person existed, or can turn back time… She thought that if there were such things in her world, she wouldn't have to experience suffering and pain anymore in losing her husband.

But at the same time, she got lonely when she thought about not meeting the King.

...

The next day, Ely spent her time touring the palace. With Historian Vernon as her guide, she had learned a lot of things about the Old Palace.

"His Highness calls this the Old Palace, but during the late King and Queen's reign, this is originally called The Great Leoniva Palace. The Royal Family's ancestors are the ones who brought glory to our nation..."

The historian continued telling stories about war and King Maro's leadership. He told her that the King had always been a serious person, even as a child. Careful not to say anything unnecessary as they talked about the Royal Family, Historian Vernon ended the tour and returned her to the King, who was at the assembly hall, waiting for the sun to set.

Ely was given a chair that was intricately designed with ruby gems embedded on its backrest. Its royal blue cushion was thick and it was comfortable to sit on.

Soon after, the assembly hall was filled with the Ministers and Clan Leaders.

"Minister Holter. You speak first." the King ordered in a serious tone.

"Yes, my King," he said, then faced them, "On our way here yesterday, we have encountered the rioters in the city. They pleaded for the King to investigate the missing young women and children. We found out that there was a hidden prostitution den."

Inaudible chattering was heard, and the King told them to stay quiet.

Seeing that the officers had kept their mouths shut, Minister Holter continued, "The fifty-five who were rescued were returned to their families. But the surprising part is… the owner of the prostitution den is a Minister."

The Clan Leaders looked at the Ministers with disdain, while the Ministers started to grow wary of each other. Who was the brainless minister that dared to do such a thing?

"Minister Rowan. Come with us outside. Everything's been prepared for you."

The Minister quickly stood up and tried to run, but he was apprehended by the mercenaries. General Lum and Minister Holter walked ahead of them, followed by the King and Ely.

The stubborn Queen of Ballad insisted that she'd come with them, even though the King suggested her to stay in her room. But she was curious about what they would do outside the palace.