Matar silently absorbed his father Sapar's barbs and the sharp, rasping voice of his half-brother, Fhajo. Suddenly, the entity of Corvus filled King Matar's mind, its voice a gravelly whisper of pure annoyance.

"Why not simply teach Fhajo a lesson? All he craves is your throne," the Corvus entity hissed, a buzzing echo in Matar's ear.

"He's powerless. Just wait; I'll surprise them all later," Matar mused, a steely resolve forming within him. He then heard an elder speak, their voice frail with the weight of years.

"That's true. We're overthinking things against our king," the elder conceded. The others nodded in agreement, then pressed Matar for his reason in refusing the War King's challenge.

"Answer us, what's your reason for turning down Thallerion's challenge?" Adamoth demanded, his tone brittle with impatience. Matar offered no immediate reply.

"If he can't answer, it only proves he's a coward!" Fhajo scoffed, his voice laced with mocking triumph, a smug smirk stretching his lips.

Laniro began to interject, but the King halted him.

At this crucial moment, Matar spoke.

"In a few days..." he began, his face and tone unnervingly calm, a placid mask. All eyes were fixed on him. "...We will journey to MOONATORIA!" He raised his voice at the end, letting the word reverberate through the hall like a thunderclap, ensuring every soul present heard his destination. A wave of shock and fear rippled through the crowd.

"WHAT!!!" everyone shrieked, their voices a cacophony of utter disbelief.

"Moo---Moona... MOONATORIA!???" Fhajo stammered, his face drained of all color, a pallid canvas of terror.

"Son, have you lost your mind!" Sapar bellowed, his voice a booming wave of incredulity. "You wouldn't even accept Thallerion's challenge, and now Moonatoria?" He nearly held back a laugh, but true to form, he erupted in loud guffaws. "You've truly gone insane, hahahha!!" His laughter echoed like a booming gong, full of derision and triumph.

The people present dissolved into laughter, some scratching their heads, utterly bewildered by the self-inflicted chaos Matar was inviting.

Matar rose, disregarding the pandemonium erupting around him.

"Perhaps the king is simply drunk," some muttered.

"Did he drink wine last night?" a leader queried. "If he were drunk, he'd be stumbling around!"

"He's probably just joking!" another scoffed.

"Since the fall of the nation of Ossibuz..." an elder's voice drifted through the air like a fading memory, heavy with history. "...During the dawn of our own civilization! A king swore that Ossibuz would never again war with Moonatoria, for after that bloody conflict, many suffered, and the Ossibian lineage was nearly extinguished."

"Now, tell me, who among you is the coward you speak of?" Laniro challenged, but no one dared to meet his gaze or answer. He then stood.

"This meeting is adjourned," Laniro declared, rising to his full height. "Let's go, Gallexe, we still need to find those who will accompany us to Moonatoria."

"Am I one of those Matar will take?" Adamoth inquired, a sly grin spreading across his face, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"No," Laniro replied curtly, his voice firm and unyielding, leaving no room for doubt.

"Impossible! Everyone knows that for every upcoming mission, I'm always the one chosen?" Adamoth protested, his voice tinged with confusion and a hint of outrage.

"I regret to say that is not the king's current intention."

As Laniro reached the door, Fhajo pursued him, demanding an answer. "Do you truly believe you'll survive Matar's grand scheme? I warn you, it's like picking up a massive stone and smashing it against your own heads!"

"Matar is both brave and intelligent! I have no reason to doubt his plans." Lanero firmed at his word.

"Really? But on that note..." Fhajo's face lit up like a struck match, a wicked glint in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll prepare your graves for your inevitable suicide." Fhajo quipped, his words dripping with a chilling sarcasm.

"Just ensure the grave you prepare isn't too wide, because if it is, you might find yourself in your own hole," Laniro retorted bravely, his voice sharp and defiant, cutting through Fhajo's mockery.

.

*POKE!

"I taught you since childhood not to be like a normal girl. But you're so stubborn!" She lightly poked Perlend's forehead with hesitation, but Perlend only closed her eyes, expecting to be slapped.

However, Queen Pyramia was a loving mother and couldn't repeatedly slap her. Her first slap was merely a result of her shock and grief.

"You should have just told us you were getting married; our situation wouldn't be this dire now, and your father wouldn't have taken your disappearance so hard," Pyramia insisted.

"I love Xerxez... And I knew you would separate us if I told you about this back then. The truth is, I also waited for an opportunity to tell you that I left to be with Xerxez, but my worries held me back, and even in my condition, I couldn't admit the truth to him either."

"What did that man feed you that you were blinded by love?" Queen Pyramia's question echoed in the princess's sad room. "I can't believe I had a child who thinks like you!" Queen Pyramia glanced at Perlend's skin, which was covered in boils, like ripe grapes.

"I don't think I'll last long in this world, please forgive me, Mama." Perlend forced herself to remain calm as she endured the throbbing pain in her muscles and bones, as if gnawed by termites.

"The Phoenix's curse is now before me. Perlend, don't leave me." The queen pleaded, but she knew no one could escape the curse.

Queen Pyramia paused, seeing her daughter's condition worsen. Perlend's breaths were shallow, and she seemed devoid of strong emotion. Pyramia's heart was no longer filled with anger, but with pity, as the truth struck her: death seemed to be at the door, ready to take Perlend due to the Phoenix's curse.

"Your return is enough for me to forgive you. If your father were still alive, he would forgive you too. Whatever you've done, we would forgive and love you." Perlend embraced Queen Pyramia, and her face, which had seemed untouched by sunlight, brightened.

"Thank you, Mama," Perlend replied. "Here is the baby, who will continue the Phoenix's bloodline, a moment I know you also yearned for." A trace of joy appeared on Perlend's face, infecting the queen as well. "If my life is the path for the Phoenix lineage to continue, then I am ready to give birth to the baby, the fruit of my true love for Xerxez."

"My child, I would rather the Phoenix bloodline end than see you suffer." Pyramia's chin sagged when she heard Perlend's answer, even though the queen genuinely envied those who had grandchildren. But every time the queen thought of the curse on her ancestral lineage, it felt like a needle piercing her heart.

"However, there's nothing we can do now, since the baby is already here." She gently took the baby from Perlend's arms, like a cat. The baby's angelic face wiped away her grieving heart.

"Pyramus," Perlend said, making sure her voice wasn't hoarse as she spoke the baby's name. "We named him Pyramus." Perlend lay on the bed, exhausted. She again felt the soft touch of the fabric, the flower-soft bed, and its lasting Sakura scent.

Queen Pyramia knew that if Phoenix blood married non-Phoenix blood, their child would inherit the curse.

According to the elders of Peronica, the curse was a disease that spread throughout the body; however, it had no cure. And the condition would worsen when the cursed person gave birth, completely weakening their body like a flower that would eventually wilt.

"Pyramus is so handsome! The child inherited Peronica's complexion." Queen Pyramia looked at Perlend's pale, closed eyes, her hair falling onto the bed like dry flower petals, yet her beauty remained.

"Pyramus has your face, Perlend." Queen Pyramia also shed tears of joy, but then realized Perlend was already asleep from exhaustion.

Suddenly, Queen Pyramia heard knocking on the doors of the other chambers. She heard her name being called, so she answered,

"Come in!" Three soldiers of Peronica, clad in rose-colored armor, rushed to the princess's room, entered the doorway, and stopped upon seeing the queen holding a baby.

"Your Majesty, we have something to report to you—whose baby is that?" said Terron, a soldier whose hair stood up because he loved to get attention from women.

"Tell me quickly, because I have something more important for you to do right now." The baby was awake, and Queen Pyramia was delighted to see the baby's lively movements.

"Hoosh...hosss...oy! Our Pyramus is awake." The queen simply gestured for them to report immediately when she saw the three of them speechless.

"We caught a woman behind the palace, but she said she's from Thallerion and is Princess Perlend's maid." The soldier, Qun Lun, deepened his voice slightly when he mentioned the princess's name, as he knew the queen was still grieving, especially after the recent funeral ceremony.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.