Lying there on a luxurious mattress and duvet, I sighed, staring up at the plain ceiling of the prison cell invented to incarcerate high-level disaster beasts.
In the end, after that big drama with the four demon lords of Acaedien going berserk, I found myself here in a cell on floor level B9 under the military department. I had no idea that such an advanced prison existed in this kingdom. But then again, why should I be surprised? Technology here was top notch, after all, since Lord Noah was one of the best inventors—magic or otherwise—in the realm.
Apparently, after that scuffle in the woods, Lord Geoffrey had decided that it was best I reside here in this cell for the time being, since it'd be the safest place for me. This was because the high-level barrier that had been erected to imprison disaster beasts would not only suppress my pure qi, but hide it from those with dark qi, such as the seven lords themselves and other powerful beings such as the disaster monsters around the Aurora Realm. Of course, I didn't want any of them to go berserk again and had eagerly agreed. In the end, Aria, Leona, and Brenna decided to become my cellmates, since they didn't want me to get bored, and we ended up making this place as livable as we could.
It had been one week now, and most nights, we had a slumber party, which I introduced, and we had a blast.
The plan was that I stay in this underground cell until Lord Noah could invent a new spell—one that suppressed and hid my qi and at the same time, didn't eat away at my qi core and make me weak in order for the magic to work. Once he had formulated that, he'd cast it on an object for me to wear.
God, I wondered how long it usually took for Lord Noah to invent a new spell. Days? Then again, many days had passed already. How about weeks? Or could it be months? Or years?
Good Lord, I couldn't imagine staying in here for so long. It'd feel like I was really imprisoned.
I gave out a big sigh.
Sitting across from me was Brenna, who had a book in her hands. She flicked her gaze to me and asked, "What's that big sigh for, Alfie?"
I said, "I'm going to die of boredom if this continues for months."
Across the room, Leona chuckled. She said, "Read a book. It'll ease your boredom. Here." She threw one toward me.
Without even thinking, I used my pure qi to catch it in midair.
Sitting beside me, Aria clapped her hands as she chuckled. "Well done."
"Thanks," I said. "I've been practicing."
Since I had discovered, during the episode in the woods, that I had the ability to use my qi to control the movements of objects as if with my own hands, I had been practicing it. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't hard. It was as if the ability had always been with me, and when I had finally initiated it, it felt as natural as breathing itself.
Now I summoned the qi back, and just like that, the book dropped in my hands.
Curiously, I brought the book up and read the title on the cover. "Cursed Dragon?" I frowned. The title sounded familiar. Then again, most novel titles were always so similar to one another, weren't they?
I shifted my gaze to the author's name written in the Aurora Realm language. Instantly, I nearly choked on the air I had just breathed in.
"Touma Nakamura?" I uttered in disbelief. Dad's name?
Leona raised her head and said, "Oh, he's one of my favorite authors. It's the same book you asked to look at back at the camp, remember?"
The same one? But back then, I didn't know how to read the Aurora language. Now, however, I could, though still not fluently.
This was unbelievable. How could Dad's novel be here and printed in the Aurora Realm language?
Heart pounding fast, I flicked the pages and read through the first paragraph of chapter one.
Oh God! Oh dear. Everything was the same.
My mind went into a haze of a mess, and I collapsed back on the mattress.
Brenna crawled over and looked at me curiously. "What's wrong, Alfie?"
Touching my forehead, I said, "I suddenly have a headache." And a shitload of questions.
Aria said, "Would you like me to get you some painkiller?"
I shook my head in the negative. "I'll be fine. It'll ease soon."
Right now, I had another mission to add to my already long list of missions. This one was to figure out how Dad's book, or should I say books—because surely there would be more than one—existed in this realm. Unless, of course, there was another author who had the same name as Dad... and who happened to write the exact same book as Dad... which was very unlikely.
I turned to Leona and asked, "Can you tell me about this author?"
Leona cocked her head to one side. "Not much. Apparently, he's a recluse. The little known about him is that he's eastern, lives in the Yamato Kingdom, and he has a wife, who—per rumors—is apparently very beautiful."
I licked my lips and then asked, my heart pounding fast, "Does she happen to be named Elizabeth and have blond hair and blue eyes?"
Leona cocked her head to one side. "How did you know that? You heard the rumors, too?"
Feeling slightly dizzy suddenly, I shook my head. I said, "No. Just a guess."
* * *
The new lifestyle of mine—living in a prison cell under the military department with Aria, Leona, and Brenna—continued for a couple more days until, finally, Aria received a call from Lord Geoffrey one morning.
Once she terminated the chat, she turned to me and said, "It's done. Your new qi suppression item."
I clasped my hands together in glee and said, "Then go and get it." After all, I couldn't wait to get out of here.
Aria and Leona left together, while Brenna stayed behind with me.
I waited impatiently, and Brenna chuckled in amusement. When Aria and Leona finally returned some twenty minutes later, Aria proudly presented a pair of exquisite earrings.
They were gold-encased pendants of emerald, the gemstone the same color as Lord Geoffrey's and Aaron's eyes, in fact. Or is it the other way around?
Regardless, they were stunning, and I sucked in my breath as I gazed at them in awe. I noted that they had the design of the Acaedien motif, the one that was branded on their flag, with the shape of a heptagon. Within that heptagon was a rose with seven petals, and on those petals, too, were swirls linked with symbols and script.
Leona said, "They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"And they have our emblem," Brenna said. She giggled. "The lords are claiming you as theirs now, Alfie. Wearing these means that you belong to Acaedien."
I was speechless at hearing that.
Gosh, how cunning those men were to cast a spell that I desperately needed on this beautiful jewelry—with their brand on it. Were they intending to broadcast to the world that I belonged to them and their nation now? Surely, everyone could see a pair of earrings, but not so if it was a necklace pendant, which could be hidden underneath clothing.
Yes, very cunning indeed, those demon lords.
Brenna picked up the jewelry and put them on my ears, one on each side. Once done, with the dangles jingling elegantly beside my slender neck, my pure qi, which was floating around me in the form of white, glittering dust particles, suddenly disappeared and drew right back into my body.
Leona said, "It worked. I can still sense your qi, but it's not overwhelmingly strong."
I nodded, laughing in excitement.
Aria said, "Now then, how about we get you dolled up?"
I asked, cocking my head to one side, "What for?"
Leona said, "To present you to the lords, of course."
Aria said, "You haven't forgotten that the lords have many questions they need to ask you."
It dawned on me. Of course, they hadn't interrogated me about my background and how I had found that necklace yet.
I nodded my head in understanding. Simply wanting to get it over and done with, I said, "Then let's go."
Within the next two hours, I found myself, along with the girls, back at our quarters in the east wing of the palace. There, I spent some time soaking in the hot spring pool because I was told to by Aria. She was firm in the fact that I needed to look enchanting before the lords since, apparently, it was custom.
After I was cleaned—spic and span—with my fair skin all soft and glowing and my long hair silky and shiny, I headed into my small room wearing a robe.
There, Aria presented me with a beautiful dress that nearly made me cry with joy.
Gosh, I had never seen a dress like this before. Surely, it'd cost the earth to obtain. Surely, it was nothing a girl like me could ever afford.
This dress was such a pale pastel green that it was almost white, which would obviously go very well with my new emerald earrings.
Aria ushered me over to sit down on my bed and began her magic. Well, not real magic, per se. She was merely putting makeup on me, which apparently wasn't so different from home, after all, what with the bottles of moisturizer and foundation, followed by the application of eye shadow, mascara, blusher, and then lipstick. Once she was finished with my face, she helped me put on the dress.
"Done," she said after zipping me up at the back.
Thus, I finally turned to look at myself in the mirror.
Staring back at me was indeed an enchanting girl. Her long hair elegantly framed her oval face, her slanted dark-brown eyes were twinkling, her plump lips were red as roses, and her skin was fair and glowing.
The A-line silhouette pastel-green dress fit her body perfectly and snuggly, with the beaded sheer cap sleeves wrapped elegantly around her shoulders, the sweetheart neckline showing off her, umm, well-endowed chest, and the floor-length tulle skirt enhancing her slender figure.
"Wow!" I expressed, hardly believing that this was me.
Aria said, "You're a beauty, Alfie."
It was then that Leona and Brenna came in through the door. They, too, had bathed and changed into beautiful gowns and were ready to meet the lords. As was Aria, who had done so before helping me.
Brenna said, "You look stunning, Alfie."
Leona nodded in agreement.
I said, "Thanks."
"Shall we get going?" Aria asked.
My stomach knotting, I nodded my head and said, "Yes, let's."