🌸|𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸|🌸

🏮CHAPTER EIGHT🏮

"I don't understand..."

Lihua looked at herself in shock as the crowd began to point and cry out in her direction. Their voices became jumbled, tumultuous shouts of panic until she couldn't make out any of their words. They reacted as if Lihua had just revealed herself to be some sort of horrible monster.

How could they look at her like that? She was just as confused as them! Lihua was the daughter of a fire emperor - a fire dragon emperor to be exact. The people of the Huo empire felt immense pride over their gorgeous, silky warm brown hair. When they felt the purest form of emotion, the tips of the strands turned golden, bronze, or flaming red. Their eyes -- sweet, entrancing browns - colors of sunshine, the fiery hues of sparks had incredible, gem like depths to them and were admired by all of Crystal Arcadia.

Therefore, there had to be some sort of mistake!

Black hair? Blue eyes? Was the moon not working tonight?

"What happened to us...?"

The soft, familiar sound of Zian's voice at her ear made Lihua turn to her right. As her now wide, ocean blue eyes widened to take in his altered appearance, an involuntary gasp slipped passed her lips. Zian's long, cascading hair had deepened to a dark, oak wood brown. Sliding his ponytail over his shoulder to examine his hair, he let out his own surprised gasp.

His eyes! Lihua's hands flew to her mouth.

Zian reflected her look of horror as he finally looked up at her with his suddenly flaming orbs. Zian's eyes were now a bright, intense shade of red. In them danced excited, alarmed flames — flames that swayed like the ones inside of her father's. They were so vivid and alive — the eyes that she had been meant to have. In fact, with those eyes, Zian looked so much like—-

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Cling, cling..

The sound of the sparkling jewels hanging from Lihua's ears seemed to echo through the room as she whipped her head around to glance in her father's direction. The chattering in the room had stopped the moment Emperor Huo's booming voice shook the palace walls.

In the midst of the deafening silence, Lihua felt fear bubbling up inside, curling up in her throne toward Zian. Emperor Huo stood in front of the crowd, small sparks flying off of his skin in his rage. His eyes burst forth flickering flames as he looked in the direction of the children. Back and forth, he glanced between them. Lihua had only seen him this angry a few times in her life, but enough to know it was hard to dissuade him at this point. Each time she'd seen sparks fly from his body, she'd run and hid.

Only this time, Lihua had a very strange feeling that there was nowhere to hide.

She felt like a detestable bug when he looked at her like that -- like he wanted to squash her under his foot and burn her to ashes.

"Father, I..." Lihua tried many times to tell him she didn't know what had happened, hadn't tampered or meddled with the ceremony, had only sat and done what he'd asked -- to be still. However, her voice was small -- a murmur, even. Her words died in her throat each time. He was so far away, and yet he seemed to be towering over her.

Zian wrapped an arm around Lihua's front, protecting her trembling body, as if to comfort her. She glanced up into his face in surprise and was met with his warm, reassuring gaze. It eased her more than she thought any touch ever could.

"Zian.." she murmured. He had never shown any sort of affection for her in public before -- not with the fear that it'd be known they had feelings beyond that of a noble and their servant. They may have been split apart if anyone had found out. But now, something in Zian seemed to have changed.

The fire in his eyes must have been proof of it!

When Lihua reached to touch the arm Zian had wrapped around her, she felt a jolt run through her entire body. It was like two opposing forces clashing and refusing to intermingle, instead giving off waves of pure, powerful energy. When Zian tenses, she realized he had felt it, too.

After briefly looking into his flaming eyes, Lihua glanced down to see where her hand met his arm. What she saw gracing their skin made her eyes widen and the entire room erupt in shock.

The sleeve of Zian's arm had slid back just enough to reveal the red crest of the fire kingdom just inches away from his wrist. Since the beginning of time, the rightful Huo dragon emperor was born and blessed with this mark. It promised the throne and all of the glory that came with it.

How could Zian be the heir? I'm the daughter of the Huo emperor...

Lihua feels her stomach twisting in knots when she sees a soft blue crest on an identical spot on her arm. The mark symbolized peace, tranquility, and ocean waves — the crest of the Shui empire.

There has to be some sort of mistake!

Zian and Lihua tighten their grip on each other, tensing up when they realize the guards were starting to move in the middle of the crowd. Some formed an array, as if to protect the party guests. Others moved to protect the emperor.

Most of the guards started walking toward Lihua and Zian, lifting their weapons to attack.

"Don't you dare touch them!"

A woman's voice rang out, mighty and powerful. The room quivered with the strength in her tone — it was like an encouraging melody. The way the voice bounced off the walls and shook the heart in Lihua's chest reminded her of when Emperor Houzhu addressed a room...

But the woman who stepped out of the crowd and walked toward her and Zian wasn't at all who she expected.

Or thought she knew.

There was something different about Nuwa when she walked. Her head was held high, her back was straight in a regal posture, and her normally warm expression was fierce and threatening. She cast one sorrowful look in the direction of the children before coming to a stop a few feet before the throne and turning on her heel to face the crowd head on.

Lihua had never seen her mother look this intimidating before. In the presence of party guests or any social event, she was told to sit still and be quiet. Lihua had never seen her mother talking to anyone other than the friendly palace staff.

But now..Nuwa knew something, and whatever it was, it made Lihua's stomach twist.

"Nuwa, what is the meaning of this! Did I tell you you could speak?" Emperor Houzhu's skin burst with flame. As always, he spoke down to her. Lihua always hated the way he spoke to her, like she was beyond beneath him. She could never find the voice to stand up for her mother, and Nuwa obeyed him readily.

Lihua expected her mother to bow deeply in apology, for speaking out of turn, for getting in the way.

But Nuwa stood straight and tall, didn't so much as flinch under the emperor's demands as she usually did.

"Mo...ther?" Lihua breathed out.

Nuwa's head snapped in the direction of the emperor, and the entire room stiffened at her sudden change of demeanor.

"I speak when I want to speak. You have no control over me, you fool. You never have."

The room fell into silence. What shocked them further is what Nuwa had to say next.

"Lihua is not your child, Houzhu," Nuwa breathed, "She is mine and the deceased Water Dragon Emperor Shui Tao's child. Zian is your son and heir to the Huo Empire's throne. It's about time you all knew what I know."