Divine Empress (COMPLETED)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Raina's POV

I am exhausted and my lower back and legs were aching, holding my breath as slowly push myself to the side of my saddle. I stopped, feeling myself slowly sliding down off my saddle, glad that I was getting off my feathered horse. But realising I was falling to the ground, a squeal escaped my lips while my hands scrambled to grab the lead rope, but never got a hold of the rope and fell.

luckily…

“I don’t see any grace with you, Empress,” hearing Gaibin say, blissfully laughing as he held me. I glared up at him, I wanted to say something but if I did, I fear he would drop me like a hat and there was pain in my body. He lifted an eyebrow with a smirk, waiting for a comeback from me, but stayed silent with a glare, “did you lose your tongue?” He asked.

“You just want a reason to drop me… So, I’m just say nothing,” I said. He continued to laugh at me, steadily and gently, to pull me off my Hippasang. I groaned tiredly and in pain, felt my feet finally touching the ground, but could not find my footing and tightened my grip on his clothing. “Don’t drop me!” I squealed, trying to feel the ground under my feet as my legs wobbles and knees knocked at each other.

“… And why would I do that?” He joked, carefully pushing me to stand. Finally, I got a hold on my footing, slowly balanced on my feet. I still held on him, “Empress, you will never make a good traveller and warrior.”

“Hahaha, funny,” I forced a smile, my stumbling back and letting go of Gaibin. While shrugging my shoulders, I glanced around our sight, and trees were all I could see with a few scattered homes and corrals. Two nights and two days of traveling, tired and hungry, and greeted to a peaceful scenery of Tookai. Arriving Tookai as the sun readied to set, “so what are we doing now?” I asked, lazily turning my gaze to him.

He took a deep breath with a smirk, like his going to add more merciless news, “we’re going to have dinner and sleep. Tomorrow morning will meet with the mad King.” He smirked. I sighed in relief before I knew it, stumbling backwards and fell onto my butt. I did not care at all, I’m tired and hungry, my body ached and my body ready to shut down. “Dear, we’re not camping out. We’ll be staying that comfort inn, but if you feel like sleeping out, I will not stop you,” he chuckled, and he walked passed me.

I threw myself, laid on my back and whimpered, “I want to die!” Hearing gently stomping of two Hippasangs and Gaibin’s footsteps, my eyes were closed, guessing he was taking the feathered horses somewhere. Flickering my eyes opened, grunted as I pushed myself up, “why am I here?” I wondered, why did I become too loud for my abilities? My body sure wanted to kick my big mouth.

Throwing my gaze over my shoulder, lazily stared up at Gaibin, “carry me…” I groaned. He glanced at me and smirked, laughing loudly. My lips pouted and whined, “but I’m your Empress!”

“Should I care?” He asked.

“You should!”

“Too bad, I don’t!” He laughed before entering the inn.

What have I done for this treatment? I’m an Empress! I screamed in my head, rolling my eyes. Taking one more long deep breath as I pushed myself up on my feet, my knees shook with aches and cracks as stood, panting and groaning, then dragged my feet to the inn.

Entering the inn, greeted by a warm welcoming from the inn owner, she bowed to me in respect and I bowed back to her. I glanced around, seeing few people in the restaurant, spotting Gaibin already making himself comfortable in the table with a wine jug in one hand then two glasses in the other. Walking over, I noticed how some people, even the workers in the inn, had flowers in their hair. Taking a seat across from Gaibin, while he poured a glass for me, then himself, I saw flowers on Gaibin too, “Gaibin, why does everyone wear flowers on their head?” I asked.

He smiled and said, “Gaia Kingdom mostly worship Gai Bele, goddess of Earth and fertility, and we show our love for her by wearing flowers on our hair. And the name of the kingdom, Gaia, means Earth for the goddess.”

“Earth Kingdom…” I hummed, lifting the glass. “So, HuddOmen Empire… Who do they mostly worship?”

“All the gods and goddesses, the Empire welcomes all religions and important religion events are celebrated. You just have to give some time and you’ll be attending one after the other.” They placed food on the table, we both muttered ‘thank you’ as the person walked away, “Empress, fill your—”

I ignored Gaibin and gulped down some tasty warm meat and greens, I moaned lightly, “yes! This it!” I said with my mouth full and continued to grab and chew down my throat.

“You’re far from grace, you know that?”

“No time to eat… Time for food…” I heard some chuckling from across, before hearing soft thumps and clicks of bowls and utensils…

Sighing in relief, laying on my back, dinner was ravishing and now I laid on my bed—just need to loosen up my clothing then sleep! I told myself as I stretched my limbs, and my eyes grew heavy with each blink I made until I was in darkness.

“Empress… Empress…” I heard someone sang in the distance of darkness. “Empress…” Slowly I’m drawn away from the darkness and before I knew it, a bright light shined over me. I turned myself, trying to escape the light, but there was still light, where was my darkness!? I cried, going to back on to my back, and opened my eyes. Gaibin hovering over me with a smirk, “can’t you do anything on your own? Or did you get used to people doing things for you?” He asked.

“Where did the light come from?” I groaned, closing my eyes, feeling so comfortable as sleep called for my return. But the light was seriously annoying!

“It’s the sun…”

I opened one eye to glare up at Gaibin, “where did it come from?”

“Huh… From Sol Ra.”

“I officially hate that guy,” I groaned.

“Too bad, Empress. But it’s morning, have your breakfast, get ready and let’s meet His Majesty, King Daehyun.” I groaned again, this time louder, then turned to my side. “And when we are done, then prepare for another journey back,” he chuckled, and I screamed.

After Gaibin’s threat to not give me breakfast, I finally got out of bed and cursed everything and everyone in my head though, while I ate my sweet breakfast porridge, I forgot why I was angry until saw Gaibin Smirk; I remembered. I gave him the silent treatment as we head to the meeting point. As we walked on the gravel path, I noticed the barren fields on each side of the path, “huh… Where are the crops?” I asked, confused and worried about the area.

“Ah, she speaks,” he joked, glanced over his shoulder meeting with my glare. “Tookai is known for their fertile, but three years ago, the number of growing crops decreased until nothing grew…” He sighed.

“GAI… BIN!” I glanced up ahead, seeing this man running towards us. He wore all white, which looked more like his nightwear, with his top not tied revealing his hard toned chest. “Gai! Bin!” He called out again, his long black flowed with the breeze as he ran, a grin on his face.

“KING DAEHYUN!” Gaibin called out, grinning widely with his arms opened wide for a hug.

A smile grew on my lips, tilting my head, that’s the mad King? I asked myself.

“Your Majesty!” I heard someone crying out, standing on toes to look over. I chuckled, seeing King Daehyun’s servants running behind, with his coat and boots in hand.

“Gaibin!”

“Daehyun!”

The mad King jumped into Daehyun’s arms, embracing like long-lost friends, King Daehyun leaned back and cupped Gaibin’s cheeks, “I just had rush over to see you. I missed you, Gaibin!” King Daehyun said gleefully, then leaned in for another embrace. “It felt like a long time!”

Gaibin laughed, “we saw each other the other week.”

Stepping back, “it felt like a long time.” King Daehyun said, and his servants panting behind. Now that I had a close of the mad King, I noticed slight grey hairs on his hair and his eyes had a cloudy blue and brown colour. As his servants placed his royal blue coat on his shoulders, he turned his gaze to me and gasped, “Divine Empress!” He ran to me, and his coat fell off his shoulders. Pulling me into an embrace, “you’re so short…”

As he pulled away, I said with a pout, “I’ll have you know I’m average height in my world.”

“And which world is that?” He asked.

“Earth…”

He roared out in laughter and glanced over to Gaibin, who was laughing as well, “you right! I love her!” He exclaimed and glanced back at me. “So, Empress, why are you here and what do you want?” He asked, as his servant placed his coat on his shoulders again.

“To honest, my big mouth got me here. But I have the best interest for the Empire and your Kingdom—to prevent a war from breaking out, and I’m not sure if I just reveal the council’s plans…” I said, wondering if I seriously had a big mouth.

King Daehyun cheered, lifting his arms and once again cause his coat to drop from his shoulders, “I already know that! Even Arriors Empire is trying to get my kingdom.” He laughed on the top of his lungs, “but don’t see either Empires worthy to my kingdom.”

 “Then why agree to meeting me?” I asked.

"I just wanted to meet the Divine Empress,” he shrugged his shoulders. “But you’re that Divine.”

I gaped, “and also, she doesn’t have grace…” Gaibin said, and my gaping mouth wide in shock, glaring over to Gaibin, who just winked over at me.

Lifting my head, “well… I never wanted the title of ‘Divine Empress’.”

“Yet here you are…”

Yet here I am,” I nodded my head. “King Daehyun… Why don’t you want to give your kingdom an heir?”

King Daehyun tapped his finger on the temple of his head, “I want to end the madness.” He chuckled, and when his servant once again placed the coat on his shoulders. He snapped his gaze to the servant, “why are you hovering behind me! Are you trying to kill me? You want to kill me!?” The servant stayed in a shaken bow as he yelled down at him.

“Daehyun!” Gaibin called King Daehyun, who quickly softened his gaze and glanced to Gaibin. “Let’s get back to business,” he smiled.

“Oh… Yes,” King Daehyun whispered with a smile, turning his gaze back to me. “I’ll give you the Kingdom…”

“What!?” I gasped in confusion.

“Let’s make a bet,” he glanced around, “if you can heal this land then you are titled to have my kingdom.”

“What if I don’t?”

He grinned, “then you marry me.”

“But I’m already married?”

“That’s not an issue…”

Oh… I knew nothing more about my ‘divine powers’, but I accept this bet and able to heal this land, then I lower the chances of war and the villagers in Tookai would get their fertile land back. However, if my powers cannot heal the land, then I would get married again, and I do not know how I would explain it to the Emperor who was already my husband. “Okay, I accept your challenge,” I said, with a smirk.

I’m just going to trust my luck on this…