Cold Reception

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By sunset, the ship entered the harbour.

The mail hawks had been dispatched as early as yesterday. Waiting for the princess was a small group from the imperial guard cortege and a small army of ordinary soldiers from the capital's security, along with a palanquin for the imperial personage. Azula, hidden behind the curtains of the palanquin, made her way to the palace while the capital services took care of the rest of her carriage.

Naive people thought they would just be let go, but no. Each member of the crew had yet to undergo a series of multiple interrogations. However, I insisted that the maids not be interrogated. With Zula's help, that was easy to achieve. Like Azula, I didn't care about the rest of the servants; maybe the investigation would find something to send to the colonies. Who knows what secrets the military is hiding, maybe there will be something serious. In short, the arrival of the princess's ship gave someone a lot of work for the evening.

Zula and I arrived at the palace at night. Silence greeted us, along with the servants and a small detachment of palace guards. Everyone was just waiting for the arrival of the princess, lined up like a parade, greeting Azula. True, there were not many greeters themselves. It was strange and somewhat modest, even very modest. I was preparing for another reception for the princess that almost died on the way back. Even the girl's father was nowhere to be seen.

"Am I alone in expecting a more cordial welcome? A parade out there? A meeting with my father and a bunch of people bowing as they greeted the Imperial personage? A celebration?" - My words went unanswered, the princess only raised an eyebrow in mute question, giving me a very eloquent look.

I immediately felt like I wasn't a particularly intelligent intelligent person. And what made me think there should be a parade when the heiress returned? Meanwhile, after looking around at the welcoming party, Azula headed to her wing of the palace.

After sitting in the palanquin all the way from the harbour to the palace of the capital, Azula could only be alone in her room somewhere towards the middle of the night. The princess could have slept on the ship, but she was in a hurry to get home, so a couple of orders and a couple of hours later, she was already in her chambers, eating a second late dinner after a visit to the hot springs. The maids had to work alongside the cooks, but they did a fine job carrying the food to Azula's chambers. There was a reason I favoured the girls in Zula's eyes.

The subordinates did not even say a word about the fact that the princess, pardon the expression, eats a lot. Azula at least ate for three and asked for more. Of course, I know that it was necessary for the body to recover. Because of my actions, the girl had an accelerated metabolism. It looked very funny from the outside, especially to the cooks who prepared the food and the maids who carried it. And what eyes they had. When I first noticed their gazes, I couldn't help but laugh out loud, luckily only the princess could still hear me. Yes, eating so much and not getting fat is a great achievement in any girls eyes.

"Finally we're alone. Got the energy for a little conversation?" - I inquire, only Azula had to collapse on her bed after a hearty meal when she was left in her suite all alone. Her quarters on the ship were nice, but the room in the palace was much better. I was quick to pick up on the feelings Zula had when she returned to her ancestral home. Admittedly, not all of those feelings were positive.

- We're already talking, but so be it, you can continue, - the girl calmly replies without raising her voice.

At the same time, she gets up from her bed, starting to change her clothes without any embarrassment, taking off her armour and the rest of her clothing. Having regained acceptable mobility, allowing her to bathe, eat, and do other things on her own, she was no longer willing to accept my help, trying to do absolutely everything on her own. Nevertheless, I had already accumulated enough tweaks and fond memories that warmed my heart.

"Shall we talk about... sadness?" - I decide to talk to her about her feelings.

- What? Why? - The princess is a little surprised, not stopping to undress.

"I see, Zula, I see everything," I continue to insist. We meet a glance. With a heavy sigh, she averts her eyes.

- 'He's got a lot of work to do! He's the Fire Master and only then my father! And the message from the servants about tomorrow's meeting is more than nothing," she replies with emotion that she had hoped for a somewhat different reception from her father. A different reception altogether.

"Hush, you'll scare the patrol. I know that, just as I know you wanted more, much more than a few dry words delivered through the servants. Especially considering your wounds, which he was surely informed of. Zula. We both know he loves you ten times less than you love him," I step on the thin ice of her worldview, trying once again to get the girl to face the truth.

- He simply didn't have time! He was probably doing something incredibly important for the whole country. He loves me! - It's useless, words can't help. But I can't stop trying, her boundless-blind feelings for her father will only ruin her.

"More important than the health of the heiress of the country? If you were to die, it would be a blow to the entire fire nation! Zula you're not an empty space and even more so not a subordinate, you're his heir! You are as important to your people as your father, for the time will come and you will take his place! His behaviour shows that he doesn't see you as a daughter, only..." - But I'm silenced just in time by the girl's cold words.

- I don't feel like talking to you about it," Azula replied coldly, shedding the last of her clothes. Naked, she walks over to the wardrobe that held the dressing gowns for sleeping. Opening the doors, choosing one of the dressing gowns that were similar to each other almost like two drops of water.

"You know, I can watch his memories while he sleeps. All you have to do is ask," I try to come in from the other side.

- No, don't do that," she still ignores her nakedness and throws her dressing gown over herself, depriving me of the pleasure of seeing her prominent figure. Huh, the girl quickly got used to me seeing her naked. The shared baths and other things we've done together are taking their toll.

"Are you sure? I can find out a lot of things, he can't keep anything from me."

- My answer won't change - it's not time yet. Too bad I don't have much time myself.

"Whatever you say. In that case, I would like to discuss our next steps. We need a ship, a crew, freedom of action, movement around the country and the colonies of your people..." - Before going to bed, we discussed our next course of action once more.

Our next move depended heavily on Ozai's words, and his orders to his daughter. The master of the fire is, after all, the emperor of the entire country. It's impossible not to obey. Tomorrow, the girl would have to meet him. Azula even felt a slight excitement about it. She had never appeared in front of her father in such a deplorable state, and she really asked to be cured until then. However, I immediately told her that I wouldn't have time to heal all the wounds in such a short period of time.

Having discussed plans for the future Zula said in her usual quiet voice: - 'Good night, Yoaru.

"Sleep well Azula, I on the other hand will continue to heal your wounds. One more thing, if I suddenly disappear for a while, don't worry about me. I'll never leave you," remembering that aside from treating the princess, I had other plans for the night.

- Missing? - The girl was surprised by such a surprise, looking at me with an incomprehensible look. No, she's not worried, rather, she's feeling quite surprised.

"Yes, I sometimes need to be alone too, to enjoy nature, the starry sky, the caressing wind, and I want to visit the world of spirits and check something. So don't worry about my disappearance, if I disappear, I'll definitely come back," I continued, watching the girl's reaction.

- Okay..." the princess replies calmly. Except I knew her too well. She was somewhat confused by such news from my side.

- Good night, Zula, - after which I gently kiss her on the forehead. I had no body, the princess felt only a slight coolness from the touch of my lips. After that, yielding to my will, she falls asleep without offering any resistance, allowing me to enter her body and get to work....

After treating her for a little over two hours, I went about my business in the corridors of the palace. It wasn't that I didn't care about Azula. It was just that her regeneration resources had been exhausted, and forcing her to be treated would hurt her more than help her. For the next session, the girl would need to be well nourished again. I had learnt about this in the time I had spent, as well as getting my hand at this kind of treatment.

At the same time with the treatment I was energised by the girl and was ready for new achievements. It was a kind of payment for my labour. As usual, I benefit from my alliance with the princess, usually much more than she does. Of course, the girl knows about it and does not mind, because for her it is a drop in the ocean, while for me it is a substitute for a good sleep with full recovery of strength and even a little more.

Leaving the princess's rooms, I decided to stay a little longer in the palace. I wanted to quench my curiosity. I wanted to get to know the girl's father. There was a time when I thought of him as my future body. Only now I realise how wrong that idea was. What happened to me after taking the energy with Azula's memories... it's scary to imagine how I would have changed under Ozai's influence. His personality is fully formed and has much more knowledge and memories, and as a consequence would have a much stronger influence on me.

Now I have to watch my thoughts and my actions very carefully, so that I don't simply snap. But one time was enough for me to realise how dangerous I could be. Even without body hormones, I sometimes have thoughts of studying clinical death in order to get a clean body. Set up a few such cases with young guardsmen, one of which I might be able to take away from the identity of its owner. And to resurrect him after a few minutes of death I may well succeed, the main thing here is that the soul with the personality disappeared. However, experiments on people would give more information.

Such thoughts frightened me. I had to make a lot of effort to remain myself, sacrificing my goals for the sake of my conscience. But in my mind I understood the effectiveness of such methods and their necessity at certain times. However, who would I become if I followed this path? Someone like Azula? Or someone more terrifying and horrible than even her father.

With such musings, I quickly found myself in Ozai's private quarters, sleeping on my own. Taking over his body was no more difficult than taking over the body of any other firebender. But I was in no hurry to kill him. I needed him. Instead of any action with his body, I intensified the man's sleep by going through his memories...

A few hours later, I was done with him. Barely restraining myself from killing that fleshy sack of shit on the spot, I flew off into the sky. I had to calm down. The urge to kill was too strong in me. Everything horrible that mankind had invented was done by this man with a slight smile on his lips. A worthy heir to the people who genocided peaceful pacifists. A traitor, a murderer, a manipulator, an unscrupulous bastard, a liar... that's the least of what I've managed to see in his memory.

And it all started with an early memory. His reaction to his daughter's condition was nothing. Absolutely nothing, he only arched an eyebrow feeling nothing from the message he read. To him, Azula was just a tool and another achievement of a brilliant ruler. He never saw her as a daughter or heir, just a tool. What interested me next was his politics. Through experience, I quickly found the moment he became master of the fire. Details were revealed to me that would never have been shown in a children's cartoon series. The dirtiest details.

Threats to relatives, blackmail, intimidation... Ozai didn't shy away from any means to achieve his goal. If a man has a weakness, he'll strike at it, no matter what it is. Pet, wife, children, position, reputation... those he didn't want would do what was necessary and then disappear, just like their killers. Dead men don't tell secrets. The man had a huge ego and never had doubts, believing that every action he took was a priori correct. Even his own son he was ready to sacrifice for the sake of power. Without compassion for anyone, he was a real monster in human form.

Even if he managed to convince the whole nation of his impeccable leadership qualities, it was a lie, which was actively promoted by propaganda in schools, army and other things. He was no ruler at all. No progress, no improvement of life, nothing. He had not yet managed to destroy his father's legacy. He has absolute power in his hands, no one dares to cross him. It's just a shame he only uses it to indulge his own pride, feelings of fear of him have always appealed to Ozai. New lands were conquered by his generals, but he was smart enough to keep his "tactical genius" out of the plans. He didn't care what happened in those lands after the conquest of the Fire Master. Though he knew that in some places the captives had been abused in a very sophisticated manner. So much so that entire prisons went missing. In such cases, it was thought the spirits were to blame. Or sea serpents.

Six years of his reign, all he did was sit in the palace drinking wine and chewing grouse. As a magical duelist, he was a bastard, and often before a duel with a strong opponent, there were threats to his family, or even poisoning and disappearance. He was a very strong master of fire and lightning, but he never went into a duel with an equal opponent, or at least an opponent capable of injuring him. I didn't want to know more about that.

The last straw for me was fear. Not just fear. Ozai was afraid of his daughter Azula. He had seen by example how the younger generation displaced the older generation by pouring poison into the wine glass. His daughter had indeed inherited too much from him. And he had no doubt that the time would come when she would poison him just as he had poisoned his father.

His fear was not in vain, I had time to compare their Qi while I was in his body. Azula is already potentially stronger than her father. Qi channels, pools, quality, a strong body that only gets stronger with time. Not to mention experience in battles against stronger opponents or outnumbered. The princess had everything to take his throne already.

The girl was saved only by showing exceptional loyalty to him and the factor that she was a woman and not yet particularly experienced in big politics. However, the girl genius learns too quickly. At the same time, Ozai had his hand on her pulse and was ready to finish her off at any moment without any regret. He was still young and full of vigour, so by necessity he would have no problem marrying a second time and making proper heirs. And Azula... she was too much in need of parental approval to notice all this.

Seeing all that, I directly felt like I was bathing in a vat of shit. The current Fire Master's personality was extremely lousy. Even the faint sensation of the cool breeze didn't lessen my desire to painfully finish this bastard off. And no, it wasn't just the part of me inherited from Azula that wanted it, my whole being demanded his death! I could barely contain myself from going back and making a mess of things. I needed Ozai alive now, but it was hard to keep myself from turning him into a vegetable. Just a little spinal injury, a small thing. One needle, one spike and the ambitious man would be a cripple, unable to move. Such a punishment was well deserved in my opinion.

I force my will to banish these thoughts. There's still time before dawn, and I must make the most of it.