CHAPTER 11: HONEYMOON (9)
~11.9~
*****
“Goddess of Light, Kye Akari, at your service!” May as well use my stupid title in my favor. This should really get them.
The boys’ eyes suddenly darted around, quickly finding the person they were most dreading to see. Hannah emerged from the crowd behind Kye and Alethea with the evilest smile anyone had ever seen. They immediately tried to run.
“<
“So, here we are,” Hannah said as she approached. “Once again, my idiot grandsons are promising rewards for people, giving them false hope by holding back so much that you just barely beat the challengers. How did you like your cousin’s performance? You should take note, boys. That is how a proper royal performs. So, now that somebody has beaten you, I believe it’s time to pay up. And wouldn’t you know there are a lot of mouths to feed! Come now, boys, time to make good on your promise!”
“B-b-but, Hannah, we’re-”
“Uh, huh? But?”
“We don’t have that much contribution! We can’t feed so many!”
“Then you’ll have to work! And I know just what you could do!”
“Oh my, they’re royals and they have little contribution?” “How shameful!” “They’re nothing but showoffs!” “They’re giving royals a bad name!” The crowd quickly turned on the shameless brothers.
Kye and Alethea joined Hannah with their own evil smiles.
“I have an idea,” Kye said. “Hannah, what do you think of-” She leaned in and whispered in the elder royal’s ear.
“Oh, that’s evil,” Hannah replied with a grin. “I like it. Do it.”
Kye quickly drew a circle of mana in the air.
“What’s that for?” Johnathan asked.
The circle solidified and showed the inside of a room in the resort. Specifically, the room where Allison was staying while taking care of Kaede. She didn’t as much as look up from her book. She merely made a gesture with her finger, saying to come in.
“Your punishment,” Kye answered and shoved them inside before closing the portal.
*****
After claiming victory over Johnathan and Joseph, Kye’s group rejoined the others, and everyone went to the resort branded shack for lunch.
“Mmm, what shall I have?” Kye pondered aloud.
“Oh, Shi-chan, we should get some barbeque!”
“And ice cream!”
Alethea and Michelle had stars in their eyes. Adele and Kye exchanged amused glances.
After they ordered, they started looking for seats. Kye noticed three women wearing sunglasses sitting in the corner, two with their backs to them, and each wearing a different swimsuit. One had purple hair and wore a black bikini and a white button-up shirt over it. Another had white hair tied into a ponytail and wore a white set with no shirt. The one facing them had purple hair and wore the same outfit as the first, except her shirt was buttoned once under her breasts. The one facing them looked up and met Kye’s eyes. The blonde smiled and waved at her, and the woman pulled her glasses off and smiled. Kye froze, her eyes widened.
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What the hell?
“Shi-chan? What’s up?” Kye didn’t respond. She was like a statue, her eyes locked on the mystery woman. The other one turned around to see.
What are they doing here?!
“Shi-chan?” Alethea followed Kye’s line of sight and froze the instant she laid eyes upon the woman. The others soon began to notice. Michelle raised an eyebrow and walked over to greet them.
“Princess?” Liliana said.
“Princess, what’s wrong?” Aliana asked.
“Yeah, are you okay?” Hannah asked. “You feeling dizzy?” Hannah followed their line of sight and saw Michelle greeting the women. “Oh! What a surprise! Evelyn!”
The woman stood up and walked over, leaving Michelle with the other ones, whom everyone recognized by then as Alfia. “Hello, Hannah. You have quite the entourage today.”
“Quite! Have you met Kye and Alethea? They seem to recognize you, though I don’t know why they’re just standing there like statues.”
“Oh, yes, we’ve met before.”
That face. That voice. Those piercing eyes!
“Ladies, greetings! Layla told me you are on your honeymoon. Congratulations!”
Kye and Alethea met Evelyn’s eyes again. They were having trouble pulling themselves together.
“Are you feeling unwell?” She casted a healing spell on the two. “Better?”
“Oh yes, much, thank you,” Kye said. She actually felt better. Did she just...
“Thank you very much!” Alethea said, unsure why the spell eased her anxiety. She and Kye shared a quick glance.
Michelle and the other two that were sitting with Evelyn walked over as well. Kye glanced over to see who the third woman was. She knew the white-haired one was Alfia and greeted her. “Oh, Cate!”
The third grinned and pointed behind her with her thumb at the sea. “I take it that was you a few minutes ago?”
Kye shrugged. “Maybe.”
“You show up the trouble twins?”
“She sure did!” Hannah proudly announced. “Johnathan and Joseph were up to their usual, and your beautiful cousin here got them good.”
“Haha, good work, Kye. It’s about time those twats got what they deserved.” Caitlyn chuckled. “So, you’re married now, eh? Quite the unusual marriage, I must admit. I think you’re the first polyamorous royal marriage.”
Astraia, who was quietly standing nearby, knew that was false. “Actually, there was one other I can recall. It was from before when my father was emperor.”
“Oh?” Caitlyn’s eyes sparkled. “You don’t say? Old Atlantis lore, do share!”
Astraia chuckled and told everyone about her family lineage. The most known members of the Atlantis family were the three sisters and Alethea. Before the asteroid disaster, there were many more. The family was by no means small, but all but the sisters lost their lives in the disaster.
Astarte and Astraia never had children, but their sister did. “Athanasia was quite the young royal. She was only twenty-eight when the asteroids fell. Alexandros and Artemios were fourteen and thirteen.”
Alethea grimaced hearing about her deceased adopted siblings. “I wish I could have known them.”
Astarte smiled. “You would have gotten along with Athy quite well, I think.”
“Our mother, Andromeda, died on the same island as them.” Astraia looked away. “We found our mother’s remains in the rubble, but we never could find any traces of Athy, Alex, or Arti.”
Kye eyed Eve upon hearing that, but soon looked back at Astraia.
“The sovereign before our father was Empress Athenais. Our grandfather’s name, the Emperor Consort, was Asterius. Our great-grandfather, the sovereign before Athenais, was Aeternitas. All were living until that day. We never knew Aeternitas’s wife. She died before even our father was born, and none of Aeternitas’s ancestors were alive when father was born either.”
“I’m very much glad all three of you survived that day,” Alethea said. “This world would be nothing like it is now without you.”
Kye held a hand to her head. “Goddess Elysia, please save my brothers!”
What?
“Shi-chan?”
Alfia noticed what was happening and subtly cast a spell to ease Kye’s mind. She looked up at her Liliana, then at Alfia. “Another memory?”
“Yes. I will allow it to play out if you wish, but I don’t recommend it.”
Kye smiled apologetically. “Thank you for stopping it. Those memories are rather painful, physically, and usually mentally as well.”
Alfia smiled. “Of course, Eli.”
“Yes. We have blessed lives now.” Astraia grabbed Astarte and Alethea and hugged both. “I’m so thankful for our family.”
*****
Revision: 2024-2-9