Emperor's Reckoning

"Young Miss, are you going to sleep all day?" Fei sighed by the side of the bed. Her violet hair was still starking even after all days of work in the castle.

"It's not fair," Sylviana muttered under her pillow before she compressed her face further with her hands.

"What is not fair, Young Miss?" Fei turned before opening the curtain that covered the windows. Birds immediately stroke against the sky the moment she opened it. "Wah, what a beautiful day today, are you sure you're going to spend it inside this room?"

The sun's warmth slowly reached Sylviana's ankle and further enhanced her pale complexion. Sylviana put her pillow to the side as she let out a sigh. "I mean, how can he advance that fast?" And, why did he keep it a secret that he was actually the husband of that famous empress? He could have told us right from the beginning."

"He could, but he didn't," Fei smiled before she turned. "Maybe because he is concerned that you might get down if he told you?"

"Down? What do you mean, Fei," She sat up with her hands pushing against the cushion of her king-sized bed.

"Oh my, what do I mean I wonder," Fei chuckled away before she darted back toward the city. She heaved a sigh of relief. "You should pay more importance to the peace he has given us. This is, after all, something that your father and mother dreamed about."

Sylviana pouted her lips to the side as she crossed her arms. "Well, I can't deny that he is somewhat responsible for our current standing in Deo."

"He descended from the sky naked, Young Miss, maybe that's what your parents were lacking," Fei chuckled.

"Fei!" Sylviana couldn't believe the words coming out of her maid's mouth.

"I'm just joking, of course, no need to be so serious Young Miss, that's not like you."

"You're one to talk," Sylviana snorted.

Fei chuckled, "Maybe his vulgarness has rubbed off of me."

"That's not a maybe anymore it seems," Sylviana sighed. "Jeez, how can the way he brings himself up belies what lies within him."

"We already know that he has enormous potential, we just see the saplings growing, that is all," Fei smiled as she turned back.

"I don't think the word 'grow' suffices to describe what he is," Sylviana had her brows twitched. "After all, he came from no cultivation to suddenly poof! Now he is standing amongst those scary people."

"In less than a year too," Fei chuckled. "It's a shame that he only shares a kiss with you."

"?!" Sylviana's face jerked up as a boiling red hue crawled out from her jaw to her temple. Her lips quivered as her eyes had crocodile ears threatening to course through her cheeks. "F-Fei, you!"

"What? I'm just testing the water," Fei chuckled.

"That's not funny," Sylviana frowned.

"In the garden, Garuda Cit—"

"Fei!" Sylviana glared at her maid before finding herself standing with two feet beside the bed.

"Good, at least you woke up," Fei smiled, "now go take a bath or a shower, be proper like the queen that you are."

"Hmm!" Sylviana grunt.

"Oh no, my dear miss is growing to be an old man, what a cruel world," Fei put her hand on her temple as she prawned herself away from the room.

"Hmph!" Sylviana pouted as she saw her maid changing by the day. "Honestly, he is leaving bad habits all over, even Fei."

She sighed before she darted at the window. Her kingdom was much more peaceful than before, the neighboring kingdoms won't do anything rash and started a war with Nostria without serious repercussions from the rest. Her kingdom was the place where his journey began, where he ultimately unified the entire Deo later on.

Nobody would expect him came down to this kingdom naked were it not for the vouches from the people living in it.

"If only you were a proper gentleman— that could shut your lips for once," Sylviana's face blushed before she shook her head. "Alright Sylviana, stop fantasizing about such nonsense, he wouldn't be able to shut his mouth every time he sees beautiful women. Hah, he himself is the one that ruined his own chances... or... is it? Is that how he filtered out his women?"

Sylviana sighed, "Hah, I'm going to take a shower."

...

"Phuah! So that's why you're back here, older sister," Jugen nodded. "I never thought that he would soar so high in the nick of time. I expect nothing less from my big brother."

"Wuwu?" The little black wolf, Fenrir was resting on top of Jugen's head.

"What's that little fella, you agree with me huh," Jugen chuckled. "Though, sadly, my arrow can't keep up with your master, however, I will stride on! Hahaha! I'm sure he wants me to do that too."

Fenrir narrowed his eyes at Jugen's laughter.

"Hah!" a palm was struck against a training dummy made of pure iron before dinging echoed.

Her ponytail swayed from the sudden movement before crashing against her back. The golden shimmer of her hair and the slightly pointy ears that she had, the one called Golden Demoness, were back in her yard loosening some of her muscle.

"You know, big sister," Jugen gulped. "Aren't you kinda stronger than last time?"

Karina sighed before she revealed her sweaty face and heaving breasts. "You should take your time more seriously."

"Hey! You don't have the right to say that, I broke my knee after training with Uncle Tristan yesterday."

"Huh? What are you even training for? Aren't you an archer?" Karina put her hand on her waist.

"Well, he said that a good archer must be able to wield at least a dagger to defend himself where arrows won't help," said Jugen as he imitated the helmetless knight.

"A great one won't even need a dagger now wouldn't he?" Karina crossed her arms.

"Hmm, that's true but do you have that much confidence in me big sister? Oh my god, big brother really is my savior, even you started to believe in me a little."

"What does he have anything to do with any of this," Karina raised her brows. "Stop correlating stuff that doesn't correlate Jugen."

"Alright, alright, o big sister, Karina, the Golden Demoness of Nostria—" then he spoke softly, "and the teacher that has forbidden relationship with her one and only student."

Karina's ears twitched before she turned with a solemn voice and death marked in her gaze, "I'm sorry, but can you repeat that o little brother of mine?"

"Ah, no no, no, too bad my lips are sealed, my knees are broken, I will call mother o—..." Jugen darted down as his face turned a bit solemn.

"Jugen..." Karina soften up as she saw her little brother's eyes slightly turned vacant.

"Hey, do you remember her face, big sister?" Jugen looked up.

Karina sighed. "Not as much as you do, it's been a long time Jugen, we don't need to bring it up right now."

"It's just that, you know, I don't know what happened to her, why did she have to die at the time."

"Jugen!" Karina shouted.

"S-Sorry, I just got too engrossed with melancholy there," Jugen smiled wryly as he scratched his ears.

Karina sighed. "What happens at the time happened, there is nothing that we can do to change that. It's better to face the future than to face the past."

"You're right," Jugen sighed before he leaned back. "By the way older sister."

"Hmm?" Karina turned to face the iron dummy. "What is it?" she kicked the iron dummy before letting it ding.

"I have trained my sensory skill with Uncle Tristan, but why can't I notice you if I closed my eyes— even though you're literally only seven steps away from me."

"Oh, that?" Karina pushed a gentle palm against the iron dummy before it shattered with a loud detonation. "Huu~... Well, thing's got a little out of hand when I was out training with Lyon in the forest nearby."

"Out of hand huh?" Jugen raised his brows. "I wonder what that means."

"Stop getting funny ideas, I swear you hang out with Lyon too much, his behavior soon will corrupt you."

"Says the woman who trained him."

"Dare to say that again?"

"No, I already have one knee left, I use this one to go to the kitchen, so please no."

"Hmph," Karina crossed her arms. (Though he did promise me to go to Hell together.... that sounds really awful).

Jugen's ears twitched, "Huh?" he darted at the sky above before his pupils shrunk.

A huge boulder tears the sky apart before crashing right against one of the towers in the palace. The loud boom trembled the entire Nostria before all of them froze at the sight.

Karina felt her skin crawl and her pupils visibly shrink. She realized which part of the palace was destroyed and her heart immediately jumped.

"Sylviana!!" her scream echoed throughout