Draconia Offline vol. 2

82.2. Illusive - Part 2

"Love, you haven't eaten anything," Erik nudges me during lunch when I tell the maids to take away the leftovers. My plate is still mostly full.

"Sorry, I just can't," I shake my head, hoping they won't force me this time.

I somehow survived the whole morning without letting anyone suspect a thing. Attending two important meetings required my full attention and took my mind off thinking about my dreamy torturous training, but another night is inevitably approaching.

My wings in the real world are just fine, of course, but I can't get rid of that unpleasant after-feeling. I still vividly remember the chains crushing my precious feathered limbs. If I could, I would just curl under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate, snuggle with my partners and let them comfort me. However, that wouldn't solve a thing and I have important work to do.

"Do you feel sick, my love?" Gotrid put his hand on my forehead, checking my temperature.

"No, just a bit tired and without appetite," I shake my head, trying to sound convincing. "I promise to eat a snack later. Is the Prime Minister coming?"

"In fifteen minutes," Luviael reports, always staying by my side. "The meeting should take two hours, a flying session after that."

My mood gets brighter when she mentions that. I have something to look forward to even though I dread the evening. My stomach tightens painfully whenever I think about what's coming. Will my father use torture as a means to train me again? And what should I ask him? It has to be something clever this time, I can't waste another opportunity.

We move to the office and I catch Erik and Gotrid watching me intently. I can tell they are slightly worried. I will have to force myself to eat normally to avoid further suspicion. The fact that I'm constantly focusing on hiding a part of my mind from them isn't exactly helping either.

"Your Imperial Majesty," the Prime Minister bows deeply when the guards let him enter the Royal Office. I'm glad that we can all sit around the table like in Europe.

Liana joins us and we start discussing the conditions of a significant number of Celestials staying in Japan indefinitely. The Prime Minister is quite pushy with his agenda, but I understand his motivation. He just wants to protect his country and he knows that pride has no place in this matter. Japan doesn't have any military force the way the United States do.

"Enjoy the flight, hon," Erik sees me off when the meeting ends and I quickly change into a sporty robe. "In the meanwhile, I'm having an afternoon tea with the Prime Minister."

"You're amazing, you know that?" I kiss him.

Erik might not have any executive power, but his representative role is invaluable. Humans never relax in my presence so an informal meeting with the Celestial Emperor's Consort is exactly what we need to deepen friendly relations.

"I know," he grins and playfully squeezes my right wing.

I have to exert all my willpower not to twitch. Erik's touch isn't painful, of course, but it reminds me of last night.

Then I spread my wings and fly up. Flying always helps me take my mind off difficult things and clear unnecessary thoughts. Gotrid asks me if I want to play a game, but I shake my head and continue ascending. I stop only when I'm above the clouds. No matter how proficient my father's telepathy is, I highly doubt he can reach that far.

Wanting to use every opportunity to spend some quality time with my partner, I engage Gotrid in an aerial courtship dance. He joins me enthusiastically and, for a moment, I forget about my father and everything. However, Gotrid eventually gets out of breath, so I hover for a while to give him time to rest.

"L-love?!" Gotrid exclaims and is staring at me for some reason.

"Feel free to rest more, should I conjure a levitation platform for you?" I offer even though a Celestial should be able to effectively rest when gliding.

"No, I mean... you're not flapping your wings!" Gotrid widens his eyes.

At first, I have no idea what he's talking about. Then I realise that he was right. While waiting for him to catch his breath, I stopped flapping my wings to get some rest as well, yet I'm effortlessly hovering. That realisation startles me, whatever was keeping me afloat gets disturbed and I start falling. Naturally, I spread my wings again and fly up in no time, but something unusual just happened and I have no idea how I did that.

"Your Majesty, what was that?!" Vermiel and Sareash hurry to me. Of course, I had to be seen by almost everyone.

"I don't know," I say honestly. "Subconscious air magic?"

"That's amazing!" my Celestial entourage starts flying around me in circles, celebrating another achievement. "Will we be able to do that as well soon?"

"I don't know," I repeat.

I have a nagging feeling that it has something to do with my secret training last night. My father was surprised that I was able to fly in my dream just because I believed that I could. How hard can it be in the real world where the air is abundant and my trust is even stronger? I've always felt that the air is my ally, something I can rely on. Holding me in one place doesn't seem so difficult.

We land and before I can tell them not to say anything to anyone just yet, Vermiel runs off to report to Liana.

"It's astonishing, love, why aren't you happy?" Gotrid takes my hand and kisses me. "I thought we had you finally overcome your unwillingness to demonstrate your powers."

"I have no idea how I did it," I sigh. "It's premature to celebrate."

"You did it once, you can do it again," Gotrid isn't put off at all. "Do you think we will be able to hover like that as well?"

"Maybe?" I'm not sure.

How much does it have to do with my Celestial powers? And how much of it is a result of my last night's training? What held me effortlessly in the air was pure magic, but I have a feeling that I used the non-Celestial part of my brain to do so. Is that what makes me the embodiment of magic? Is that the question I should ask my father this night?

*****

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, we doubled the security," Sareash assures me when I'm being escorted to our suite after a day full of meetings.

I nod approvingly, hoping my cringy smile won't give me away. The shield has been reinforced and Celestial guards doubled which gave my subjects an illusionary sense of safety. But the truth is that they can't protect me against my father. All that impressive Celestial magic is useless when compared to someone who can invade minds.

Erik goes to take a quick shower while the maids change me into a light sleeping robe. Gotrid is already getting excited because we have a full hour before we should call it a night. Erik returns and surprises me because he's wearing a yukata he got from the Prime Minister. He's so handsome. Both of my amazing partners are.

"What's wrong, love? Tired?" Gotrid grabs me around my waist and pulls me closer.

"Hon, you're lost in thoughts, but we can't read you," Erik pokes me between my eyebrows.

"Sorry, just thinking about tomorrow's agenda," I lie. "I don't want to burden your minds with my mess."

"You know that's never the case," Gotrid kisses my left wing gently. "Let us share your burden."

"Even better, don't think about tomorrow when we have an hour to cuddle," Erik suggests. "Let tomorrow happen tomorrow."

"You're right," I force myself to smile. "Would you give me a massage?"

Erik and Gotrid grin at each other, symbolically crack their knuckles and pull me onto our bed. I lie on my stomach, spread my wings to the sides and sigh out in relief when they start working on my back and wings. Their touch is pure heaven to my weary body and I project my enjoyment out to let them feel pleasure in return.

I'm afraid to fall asleep, but I eventually do.