Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 26

Unlike the Kingdom of Ashen, Chesropis was home to one city known as Yuudai. It was named after the mighty kitsune warrior, Hajime Yuudai, who fought many wars and brought many victories to the kingdom more than three hundred years ago. The city’s kingdom was built on the sunny side of a gentle mountain. It is known as an ever-growing urban city.

Its beauty and uniqueness were matched by the backdrop of gentle hills, which have helped shape the city into what it was today. The trade and weaponry resources these hills brought were of great importance. Still, they were also valuable and influential when it came to architectural designs.

This is because the vast majority of buildings in the kingdom have been built with many round shapes, wide sizes, and elements of the gentle hills around them. The city itself looks majestic with its swarms of fireflies which appear every night, illuminating the city and giving it a delightful and romantic atmosphere at night.

Its main attraction was the shopping district, which was built forty-four years ago. It was designed by a well-known architect who marvelously captured the uniqueness of the kingdom. The architect used a harmonious style to convey his vision in building this attraction. It was this fantastic shopping district that has indeed left its mark on the lives of many creatures.

Besides selling various beautiful clothing, the shopping district also has several coffeehouses, theme restaurants, and bistros that offer a plethora of culinary choices. Those who feel hungry for something else can enjoy going to the amusement park, clubs, or one of the many other recreational venues found all over the city and kingdom.

Yuudai has a thriving economy, which is mainly supported by jewel crafting and trade. However, their most significant strengths were their unique weaponry and armour. Many kingdoms and nations buy their weaponry, such as blades, bows, pistols, shields, staves, and assault rifles. Their leather and plated armour are also popular among different kingdoms and nations, bringing in large amounts of revenue yearly.

She watched as the car drove past a variety of creatures in the city. Most of them were kitsune’s who were dressed in traditional clothing. There were also humans walking about. The city was buzzing with many tourists, and this made her smile. It showed that this was a kingdom with great hospitality. She gave a sigh that had a mixture of contentment and relief.

As the chauffeur continued driving, she saw a great gate made of aluminian. Driving past the gate, she saw seven thin, square towers that formed an almost perfectly squared barrier around the marvelous palace connected by massive, thin walls made of dark green stone. Expansive windows were scattered thinly around the walls in fairly symmetrical patterns, along with holes of various sizes for archers and artillery.

The large aluminum gate, a regular bridge, and strong defenses guard the palace. Still, it was not the only way into the palace. However, it was anyone’s best shot if they wanted to enter and conquer the palace because the palace was heavily guarded. Various large houses are scattered outside the palace gates, and, surprisingly, only the rich live near the palace.

There was a flag hanging on the palace doors. It was made up of five vertical stripes in light purple and dark gold. The emblem of Chesropis consisted of an image of a fox’s head and black claw marks on each side of its head. The emblem stands for the kingdom’s strengths, craftsmanship, intelligence, and honour. The car stopped by the entrance of the door.

“Wow,” she said, stepping out of the car, “the palaces in this world are more intriguing than those in my world.”

The chauffeur opened the boot and took out her suitcase, placing it in front of her. She thanked him and held the handle tightly. Guards were standing next to the door, and some servants were walking around the palace. They whispered among themselves as they saw her, gradually bowing as they passed her. She bowed back at them and awkwardly smiled. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Princess Ai, who threw herself into her arms. She almost stumbled at the sudden impact.

“Nexi!” she exclaimed.

“I missed you so much. Are you feeling better? My father told me that you were sick, and that was why you could not come earlier.”

She smiled at the young princess whose pigtails were bouncing lightly as she spoke while moving her hands frantically.

“It’s good to see you again, Ai. I missed you too. I’m feeling a whole lot better.”

“Great! Let’s go then,” Ai said, holding her hand and thanking the chauffeur. “Mother and father are waiting for you.”

She watched as the female fox dragged her to the throne room, where everyone was waiting for her.

“Mother, father, she’s here!” Ai said, barely containing her excitement.

‘My father was not kidding when he said Ai likes me. She looks more excited to see me than my own fiancé. Where are the brothers anyway?’

“Princess Nexi,” Mrs. Kuba, the queen, said, spreading her arms out as she walked towards her. “It’s great to see you again. Your father told us you were not feeling well, and that’s why we had to postpone this meeting.”

She nodded in response as the queen hugged her.

“Yes, but I’m feeling a lot better now. I’m sorry that I could not meet with everyone.”

“Nonsense,” the king said, approaching her, his red hair standing out from his chiseled face.

“It’s quite alright, Nexi. We are just glad that you are feeling better. Ai, please escort her to her room.”

Ai nodded, “Follow me, Nexi.”

As they walked to her room, she scanned the hallways she passed and saw that it was filled with family portraits and different paintings of nature.

“Are these your paintings?”

She could not help but ask the young fox who was walking in front of her.

“Yes, but only the ones with images of nature are mine. I told you this already, don’t you remember?”

Astoria awkwardly laughed. “I do. It’s just that I sometimes forget how great of an artist you are. You are really talented, Ai.”

Ai turned to face the princess, a slight blush on her face. She grinned.

“Thank you. I just wish my father could see that.”

They stopped outside a light brown wooden door.

“Here we are,” the fox said, her hands clasped together.

“Thank you.”

Ai nodded.

“Once you’re done settling your things, you can join us in the dining room for lunch. You must be starving since it’s a long ride from Ashen to here.”

With that, the fox winked at her and left. She smiled as Ai disappeared around the corner of the hallway. She turned to face the door in front of her, gently pushed it open, and walked inside. Suddenly she screamed as she saw a figure step out of the bathroom.

Yashiro came out of the bathroom with a towel that hugged his lower body, revealing his lean hips and firm, robust body. She held her hands in front of her eyes to block herself from seeing his almost naked body. She did not expect to find anyone in her room, let alone him.

‘Oh my goodness.’

“What’s up with you?” the male fox asked her, water droplets dripping from his long black hair and onto his chest and back.

“Why are you half-naked? Actually, this is my room, so why the hell are you in here?” she replied, blushing in embarrassment.

The fox tsked and walked towards her. He found her quite amusing at this moment and suddenly felt the urge to tease her. He walked towards her and closed the door. Pinning her to the door, she gasped, and her cobalt eyes blinked multiple times in surprise. His gray eyes scanned her as he trailed his finger down her face, his claw lightly poking her.

“I don’t know why you’re asking me such questions, but last time I checked, there was no ‘your’ room. This is ‘our’ room, don’t you remember?” he replied in a playful and teasing manner.

She felt his body heat from the short distance between them, and suddenly, she began to recognise his scent. The air between them suddenly shimmered with his body heat, and her body’s sudden sliver glow. Still, he did not flinch away like any normal person would.

She noticed the glow, and her eyes widened in surprise. She did not know why her body suddenly began to glow, but it caused her head to start spinning. She softly cried in pain as she leaned against him, and he held her close, unsure of what was happening to her or what to make of this situation.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked her, his voice rising in panic and alarm.

“My head,” she answered, struggling to breathe.

She placed her hands on both sides of her face as she felt a hot, throbbing pain in her head, making her feel even dizzier.

“I, uh, it hurts so much!” she cried out.