Draconia Offline vol. 2

83.3. My Alien Half - Part 3

"Oh," his answer genuinely surprises me. I thought that he was not eating anything because he doesn't want to accept our hospitality. But, in reality, he can't eat anything. With Noage being the only Earthborn in the mansion and him not attending the meeting, we didn't take vegan options into account. All of these fancy treats have either cheese or eggs on them to suit Celestials.

"Did nobody ask about the dietary needs of our guests?" I turn to Luviael who's almost always by my side. Honestly, I'm annoyed that we made such a stupid mistake.

"We didn't expect... I mean... not many Japanese...," Luviael gets pale, realising her blunder.

"Get to the kitchens right away and personally make sure there will be a vegan option for lunch," I hiss, my voice uncompromising.

Luviael bows several times and runs off, flustered. I didn't want to be harsh on her, but she's in charge of these things and even tiny mistakes might influence the overall atmosphere during official meetings.

"I'm sorry about that, Hayashi-san," I apologise. Luviael might have made that mistake, but I'm responsible for my subjects.

"That's okay, Your Majesty, I'm not a fan of snacking between meals anyway," he says indifferently, but I just know that he was complaining about non-vegan options to his assistant a few minutes ago. Time to change the topic.

"I'm really glad to have friendly relations with Japan, Hayashi-san," I start lightly. "I might not be a citizen, but I was born here."

"Born, yes. I suppose you're still investigating on your own and trying to find out who your father is, Your Majesty?" Minister Hayashi narrows his eyes.

I frown. Why in the world is he mentioning that? Is he suspecting something? Did the Japanese government make a connection and didn't share it with us?

"Naturally," I answer and all the friendliness from my voice is gone. Hayashi might not hate Draconians by default, but it's obvious that he doesn't trust me specifically. He's studying my face intently as if looking for signs of me not being who I claim to be.

"Allow me to be blunt, Your Majesty," he says openly. "We don't know who your father is, but he was clearly involved in developing Draconia Online. It's difficult to get any information about Nebula, but considering your mother hardly ever left the company's premises during that time, I somehow find it hard to believe that she met your father in some random bar."

His hunch is correct, of course, but I'm more impressed with his bluntness. Politicians are never this direct. Minister Hayashi is sharp, there's no fooling him with excuses and pretences. I have to be careful.

"You're probably right," I simply nod, surprising him with being blunt in return. "So? Are you implying that I had something to do with the Great Evolution? I was just a child when you deported me and I haven't visited Japan until now."

"No, I'm implying nothing of that sort," he denies quickly, realising that he probably crossed the line and potentially insulted the Celestial Emperor. "I just think that a proper investigation of your family background could possibly shed some light on the whole situation."

"What makes you think that we're not looking into it? Are you not investigating Nebula yourself?" I look straight into his eyes, being well aware that it makes people uncomfortable.

I just wanted to intimidate him a bit and test if he will avert his eyes, so I'm taken aback when my brain establishes a telepathic connection.

He knows something. I know he does! Celestials are not telling us everything. How can we trust them?

I have to exert all my willpower not to flinch. It takes much more focus and isn't nearly as clear as with my partners and Liana, but I can read his thoughts when looking straight into his eyes! Is it the result of my father's training?

Now he's looking at me strangely. Did I insult him? I have no idea what he's thinking. I'd rather deal with a bunch of scary Dragonkin in a frenzy than talk face-to-face with the Celestial Emperor. He could crush me with a single thought if he wanted. That beautiful face of his makes him only more terrifying.

I hide my fists in the long sleeves of my robe because I can't show that I'm clutching them. My dark premonition was right—I do look scary. Hayashi doesn't manage to keep eye contact for too long and looks at Erik instead which instantly breaks the connection.

"We're not taking over the JSDF, Hayashi-san," Erik says because I stayed quiet for too long, still absorbing the fact that I can probably do indirect telepathy with anyone now while my partner is desperately trying to save the situation.

"Jiro, is something wrong?" the Prime Minister unexpectedly shows up, addressing Hayashi by his first name. Are they friends? It's not common for the Japanese to be on a first-name basis with colleagues.

Only now I notice that we have quite an audience. It's not like we were raising our voices, we kept the tone professional, but Celestials must have sensed a burst of wrath coming from me. Liana catches up to me, afraid that diplomacy has failed because of a misunderstanding. She's shouting at me in her mind to just let it go.

"Ichikawa-san, the Minister of Defence seems to think that I have personally something to do with the Great Evolution," I explain coldly, having no intention of letting it go. I have to stand my ground.

"What?" the Prime Minister looks at his colleague with disbelief. "Jiro, did you offend His Majesty in any way?"

"Why is everyone deliberately ignoring the fact that His Majesty's mother was a VR developer working for Nebula and his father most probably as well?" Hayashi-san clicks his tongue and even though he makes me angry, I have to admire his courage.

"So what if they are?" Liana frowns. "Do I have to remind you that our Emperor was just four when his mother died and you deported him to the EU?"

"That might be true, but it can't be a coincidence that a child of two Nebula developers became the Celestial Emperor," Hayashi insists, unshaken. "Everyone is too scared to even hint at it, but I won't be intimidated. Just look at him! Consider what he can do and he's barely scratching the surface of his powers!"

He bravely looks straight into my eyes again which establishes a direct connection. He means every single word because his thoughts are exactly the same. The man in front of me is scared of facing the Celestial Emperor because he truly believes that I could kill him with a single telekinetic wave. But he's not backing down. Despite his fear, he decided to voice what everyone else is afraid to even mention. He's looking at me and he isn't fooled by my pretty face.

I can feel my subjects becoming dangerously wrathful, ready to jump in and protect their Emperor against any insult. However, my own wrath disappears completely. I've never met a politician so direct and transparent before. I feel a wave of sympathy towards the Japanese Minister of Defence.

I also see... an opportunity to be more honest with our allies.

"Li, I wish to speak with Hayashi-san and Kinishima-san in private," I demand. "Prepare a meeting room for us right away."

"What? But Aefener, it's not...," Liana opposes.

I know that she means well, but I can't have her questioning my authority in front of the Japanese. I have to act as the Emperor towards her whether I like it or not.

I recall the moment when my mind came up with that dreamy scene of me and my partners peacefully eating pancakes without a care in the world. That was my wishful thinking as my father pointedly called it, yet I was still wearing my royal attire. He was right after all. The kind personality I inherited from my Mom is clashing with the ruler in me.

I am kind and I hope that will never change. But I have to face it—being kind doesn't always go well with being the Emperor and doing what's necessary. For the benefit of my people, I have to combine kindness with wisdom. And right now, it means to become uncompromising.

"You will address me as His Majesty and that was an order," I look at her and don't even have to apply any telepathic pressure to make her shiver. I do consider her to be my closest friend, but I painfully realise now that there are limits to our relationship. She's not my equal to question me.

"As you command, my Emperor," Liana bows and, for the first time ever, she's afraid to meet my eyes.