Emperor's Reckoning

The people started chattering among themselves.

"Hey, it's Sief, those self-proclaimed noble dragons are getting cocky with each generation."

"Huss! Shut your damn mouth, I don't want to get in jail because of you."

"But it's the truth, the young lads and lass are getting out of hand and spoiled."

"Never mind that now! There is actually a human dare to, wait a minute, does that mean that the princess came back?"

They further intensified their chattering as they realized a fact that lies behind Sief's words. Their princess had come to her home at last. Though the humans had thought that she had gone missing for the longest time, all the demi-humans knew the truth. There was no way she could have gone unfounded with her father and mother being the most influential demi-humans in the world.

"Sir Sief, is what you are saying the truth? The princess has come back home?" said another with a noble attire.

"Indeed!" answered the dragon gentleman with opened arms as a hinge of pride could be seen on his face.

The dragon lady furrowed her eyebrows before her silvery draconic wings opened up behind her back.

"My daughter, what are you intending to do?"

A voice that couldn't be any more familiar to her ears was heard before she turned around. The man in front of her was as majestic as his clothes. He got a robust body and well-trimmed beard that conjoined with his mustache. His slicked-back hair had the color of jade as well as his eyes. From the way he stood alone he was above the title called noble as his bearing made people looked in awe. Not even the features of his face had any sign of being beaten by time.

The man furrowed his eyebrows as he saw a sword was being held by the dragon lady before he muttered, "Drop down the sword."

Sief raised his arm, "Executioner! Ready your weapons!"

Two men with their draconic wings were flying above the cross before they unsheathed their swords. The metal was reflecting the shimmering of dawn as they raised the swords from both sides of the neck.

The dragon lady didn't answer her father nor did she let go of the sword that she was holding on to.

"You are the ultimate dragon, my daughter! You have Silver Dragon and Jade Dragon running inside your veins! Your future son will be astronomically talented! The son of the Golden Dragon will come in a week, I have notified them, forget about this human. Actually, I'm glad that you finally met him, I can finally end your useless suffering once and for all," the man turned around as his cloaked fluttered before her daughter finally muttered her words.

"You have no idea, who you are talking about."

"Hm?!"

The man turned around before his eyes opened wide at the incoming blisters of wind that fluttered his royal cloak.

Sief let down his arm, "Do it!"

The two men nodded before they swung the sword down to his neck.

*splurt

Blood was sprayed directly onto Sief's face and fancy clothes before a pair of hands fell with a thud right beside him. The onlookers opened their mouths wide open in disbelieve before they saw the executioner's body was cut in two. The brutal view made some of them puke their breakfast out while some were in awe of the figure that spread her wings above.

"She, she... the princess."

"No way, that's really her!"

Her jade hair was slightly fluttering against the wind before she descended down with her sword stretched out. A blinding quick flash was seen before her bare foot touched the ground of the square. The pole was immediately broken down into million pieces before she turned around and caught the unconscious young man with her slender arms.

Sief rubbed the blood off his face with a napkin before he knelt in one knee, "Good morning Princess!"

The man looked down with his forehead profusely sweating till it dropped to the floor. His eyes were agitated as he didn't dare to face the powerful woman just like the onlookers.

The powerful bloodline that ran in her veins had brought people's envy and awe. Though her eyes were menacing to most of them, her power and talent were even more ridiculous. With her status as the princess of the empire, people could only distance herself from her further away.

She paid no heed to such thing before a figure leaped from her balcony and landed on the square.

"Ah?"

"It's the emperor!"

The onlookers immediately took a knee as a token of respect toward the one that governed their life.

The daughter and her father were on a stern gaze at each other before the latter crossed his arms, "Do you realize what you have done?"

"Of course, I realized it. I've spent my entire life waiting for him, now that he is here," Her eyes turned sharp, "I will not let him go."

"Hmm, you dare to use the eyes I gave you against me? Your own father?" though his eyes were as jade as hers, his pupils were not silver enough to bring out the same menacing effect. However, the bearing aura that he exuded was the result of the long cultivation of becoming an emperor.

"If it means keeping him near me, you wouldn't know how little that narrows it down," answered the dragon lady.

The father shook his head, "You are still young and blinded by love, a few lessons will do you good."

"I'm not your only child, but why are you forcing my hands to fight you?" said the dragon lady.

"You are not my only child but you are the best among them! I will not let our ultimate seed be tainted by something so inferior."

The dragon lady smirked, "Seed, huh, that's how you always see me right... emperor?"

The emperor furrowed his eyebrows with a slight discontent revealed in his expression.

"Even if you have the audacity and foolish enough to leave, where will you go then? What goals do you have?" asked the emperor.

"I do not know, but as long as I'm with him, beside him, I could hear his heartbeat, I don't think it matters about what goals do I have."

"You foolish daughter of mine, you are not getting out of here with him, you simply can't."

"Maybe, but the chances were never zero."

Her expression instantly changed as she looked at the young man's innocent sleep. She puckered up her lips before kissing his forehead, "Wait for me."

"Hmm!" her father grunted as he looked at her daughter blatantly kissing a person that he didn't approve of right under his watchful eyes.

"That's good because you won't see him anymore," muttered the emperor.

The dragon lady paid no heed to his sneer and draw her sword before pointing at him. Her eyes were focused and her intent was clear. She was not holding back at all against the man that stood in front of him.

The onlookers all gulped down their saliva. They felt as if they were not supposed to see the royal family quarrels but this was also a chance to see a fight they would have never thought possible before. Some were shaking their heads while some were rooting the princess for fighting what she wants.

"You are serious about this?"

"After all I've been through, do you think I'm joking?" the dragon lady leaped forward with a flap of her draconic wings before breaking the air with a sonic boom.

The emperor looked at the incoming attack from his own daughter unfazed. He let out a breath before the dragon lady felt a heavy force snapped her nape, giving her the unbalance before hitting the floor. Her body fell right in front of the emperor's shoes but the latter only looked at her with piety.

"Stand down and take a rest," a female voice that she had not heard in so long rang inside her ears.

(Mother...) thought the dragon lady before her hands were tied up.

"Is this how you treat your daughter?!" shouted the dragon lady.

"Hmm! You are just an ungrateful child!" said a beautiful woman that stood beside the emperor. She had almost the same wings as her but less bright.

"Kill the human that had bewitched my daughter."

"Kill him and I will kill myself!"

The emperor and the empress both furrowed their eyebrows and couldn't believe the words that came out of her daughter's mouth.

"Tch! Fine then, lock him up in a prison!" said the empress before she waved her hand.

Lyon was being dragged to a cave not far away from the main city before he was thrown into his cell. The sound of the door closing was heard before the guards walked back to their posts and left him alone.

Under the shimmering light of the only window in his cell, a smirk was formed on his face.