Draconia Offline vol. 2

79.1. Love Undivided - Part 1

I slowly open my eyes and what I see is an unfamiliar ceiling made of wood. The curtains are closed around the bed, but the light breeze and brightness reveal that it's morning and the maids opened the window already.

Erik and Gotrid are still sleeping. They usually wake up before me, but they were jet-lagged, unlike me who managed to take a nap on the plane. I decide to let them sleep a bit more and carefully slip from their grasp. I have to smile when I see that Erik hugged Gotrid's wing instead of mine.

I open the curtain and I'm silently greeted by Cien and Ayala. They quickly put a light morning robe on me and I get warm slippers. I'm tempted to go on the porch to take a breath of fresh air which is leaking inside through a half-opened shoji screen and, surprisingly, I'm allowed to do so. Bright sunlight doesn't hurt my Celestial eyes and I stretch to the sides, yawning.

It feels surreal—like I woke up in a different world. And it took just a few steps from my bed to be outside. I didn't have to ask for lengthy permission and my mind isn't overwhelmed from the very morning. It's tranquil and the garden is beautifully minimalistic.

I smile to myself. It's not true that Celestials hate greenery. We just don't like the overgrown chaos that the Earthborn prefer with things that can make our wings dirty and bugs that sting. This is perfect, though. Neatly cut lawn, a few trees and bushes, a small pond, clean benches to sit on, decorative rocks and some gravel.

"Your Majesty, I hope you slept well," a Celestial woman with short black hair I blessed yesterday at the airport greets me, bowing in front of me on one knee like some medieval knight.

"I did, thank, you," I say and gesture that she can stand up. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sareash, Your Majesty, your new Guard Captain," she introduces herself and happily flutters her brown wings. "It was my duty to train the Japanese Royal Guard and now it's my duty to ensure Your Majesty's safety during your precious visit."

She's looking at me with anticipation, waiting.

"Please, continue to do so," I nod and Sareash feels immensely relieved. It was Liana who was working on the Japanese Guard postings because I gave her that authority, but Sareash still feels at ease hearing it from my mouth directly.

"What's the time?" I ask Cien.

"Half past six, Your Majesty," the maid answers. "Would you like to have breakfast right away? The court reception starts at eight so we have a lot of time."

"A bit later, I'll wait for my Consorts," I shake my head and turn to my new Captain. "Would it be okay for me to walk the garden a bit?"

"Of course, the whole estate is fiercely guarded and this inner courtyard is just for Your Majesty, the Consorts and the Viceroy," Sareash says. "We hoped you would enjoy some greenery."

"I definitely would," I admit. It's so different from my life in Prague. I could never visit the premises around the skyscraper. But here, there's a lovely garden right next to my bedroom and I can go exploring without a lengthy permission process.

I walk around, feeling quite free. The courtyard is surrounded by the building complex from all sides and the whole state is protected by the shield so the guards aren't nervous about letting me roam a bit. I could get used to that.

I sit on a bench next to the small pond and let my wings fall on the grass. I take a deep breath and try to enjoy the peaceful scenery. I'm thankful that my subjects are giving me some space for a moment.

I close my eyes and try to taste what Japan feels like. I mostly feel the Celestials in the mansion, but when I focus, I can catch the overall vibe of the city. It's astonishing to fully realise that I'm nine thousand kilometres away from my home in a totally different culture—a culture that's supposed to be mine as well. I do speak the language, but I'm a foreigner here. Will that change?