Draconia Offline vol. 2

78.3. Japan Here We Come - Part 3

I sit down and it's the weirdest feeling. It's not that high up, the estate is hardly a palace, but with everyone sitting on the ground, I feel inappropriate. I want to stand up again, but the throne room is getting crowded with Celestials pouring in.

"The Prime Minister and Royal Consort Erik should arrive in ten minutes," Gavreel reports, checking his phone. "Would you be so exceedingly kind to give a few more blessings before lunch, Your Majesty?"

It's just a rhetorical question. A short blessing session before lunch is part of today's itinerary and I agreed beforehand with it. Honestly, I'd rather go unpack and rest, but I know that I have duties to attend to. This is one of them whether I like it or not. Japanese Celestials make an orderly queue in front of the throne and they step forward one by one. I hope I can finish quickly because I'm getting super hungry.

When Erik finally arrives, I hurry to hug him. It's a bit silly because we were separated for only half an hour, but I was still worried. Erik is happy to be reunited with me, but he frowns for some reason.

"The Emperor is hungry and you still let him give more blessings?" Erik gets furious because he feels what I feel right now.

The commotion calms down in a second and it's dead quiet all of a sudden. It's obvious Erik's accusation shocked everyone. Gotrid and Liana, who were discussing something in the corner during the blessing session, stop whatever they were doing.

"Love, why didn't you say anything?" Gotrid hastily returns to me. "We were waiting for Erik and the Prime Minister to arrive, but if you told us you're that hungry, we wouldn't."

"Does he ever?" Erik sighs and I sense that he's both sad and a bit irritated about it. He thinks that I should express my needs and wishes more often and he's right. Still, even though I know I should, it just doesn't come naturally to me. I'm not the type to complain or demand. I'd rather finish my task if that task involves my people than consider my well-being.

"I wanted to wait for you," I take Erik's hand, begging him not to make a scene in front of everybody, especially the Prime Minister who's watching everything.

"We're really sorry, Your Majesty, we were too eager," Gavreel apologises profoundly and ends the blessing session immediately. "Lunch will be served in a few minutes."

I have no idea how lunch is supposed to be served in a throne room, but Celestial attendants bring small tables and I'm given a cushion as well. It seems I'm allowed to sit in front of the throne for the meal.

"Couldn't they prepare a normal dining room?" Erik complains when he sits down next to me. I hug him with my wing to comfort him because he feels out of his element.

I study the seating order which is apparently so important to the Japanese. I'm sitting in front of the throne, Erik to my right, and Gotrid to my left. Liana is to my right on the side followed by Luviael and my European and American entourage consisting of Soren, Taranah and others. The left side is taken by Japanese Celestials and Ichikawa's entourage.

The attendants start bringing trays with dishes and I'm really glad that I can start eating right away without waiting for everybody to be served. It's the others who can't start before I do. I hungrily sip miso soup and it tastes heavenly. I was eating it regularly in Prague as well, but this is genuine miso soup prepared by a Japanese person using Japanese ingredients. No European restaurant can match that.

I see that Erik is not that thrilled about it, though. He's quite fond of a few Thai and Chinese dishes and he loves sushi, but he was never a fan of traditional Asian cuisine. He's European through and through. I predominantly eat European cuisine in Prague, but I guess some things like acquired tastes in childhood are impossible to lose.

You know, I never understood how you can eat plain rice like that, Erik comments in his thoughts when he sees me ravenously gobbling a bowl of rice.

Dunno, Japanese genes doing their work I guess, I say between gulps.

Well, we should be grateful that you're eating without protests, he concludes, content in the end because I even ask for another helping.

"I heard that you're considering making Japan your second headquarters, Your Majesty," Ichikawa starts a conversation nonchalantly when we finish lunch and coffee is served.

"Where did you hear that speculation?" I frown. I'm sipping my latte slowly, afraid that if I finish it too quickly, they will take the table away and I will have to sit back on the throne.

Ichikawa twitches a bit. "I just want you to know that the Japanese government would support that wholeheartedly."

"To be clear, I'm not here as the Draconian Emperor," I say aloud so that everybody can hear me. "I'm here as the Celestial Emperor visiting his subjects. The Draconian government stays in Prague and that's final."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Ichikawa is taken aback by my straightforwardness, but he recovers quickly. "You're open to making Japan your residence, though?"

"I can promise only that I'm open to that proposition," I nod and I'm not saying it to just the Prime Minister. Japanese Celestials need to hear it as well.

"That's all we ask, Your Majesty," Ichikawa tries to smile a little. It's obvious he doesn't do it often because it comes out cringy.

We keep talking, but we're not going into details. It's just a matter of getting to know each other today. Erik is great at small talk and Ichikawa gradually relaxes in his presence. In a room full of Celestials, he must see Erik as the only reference point. That's Erik's human power—he's our precious bridge.

"What's wrong?" I ask because I notice that Celestials are getting more and more restless over time.

"They don't like you still sitting on the ground when you're not eating anymore, Your Majesty," Gavreel explains. "Also, they hope you will finish blessing those who didn't get their turn yet."

I masterfully hide my discomfort when I'm forced to return to the throne. Liana takes the Prime Minister to the Royal Office to discuss our tomorrow's agenda and I'm left with my subjects. As much as I'm happy about getting to know them, giving out blessings is far from having a pleasant chat over a cup of coffee with new friends.

Still, I can't bring myself to say no when I see how important it is to them. How happy they are that I touch them for a few moments of a brief telepathic connection. I don't want to sit on the pedestal, but, at the same time, when I look at them, I do see them as my subjects I have to protect. No matter how tired I am, my love for them keeps me going.

I glance at Erik when I have a second to spare and catch him intently watching me with a concerned expression. He's mad at Celestials for treating me like a god who doesn't need to rest or have a private life. He might not have any special magical powers, but he took it as his mission to protect me from them. All this time I thought that I was protecting him while it was the other way around.

When he notices that I'm starting to get exhausted because the blessing session took much longer than was anticipated and then we had to attend a two-hour long welcoming ceremony, he stands up and insists we call it a day. Gotrid supports him and, fortunately, nobody dares to argue.

Celestials are sad to see me leave, but at least they understand that jet lag is a bitch. We don't have any energy to explore our beautiful suite and we fall asleep as soon as we land in bed. Something tells me that this will be no holiday.