The Trio Odyssey

Part I: Soul to Soul

Chapter 9: Sponsorship

Lord Chamberlain stops marching and faces toward a tall door of a room, he knocks the door using the placed, metal door knocker. 

The Princess's heart rate increases so suddenly due to nervousness, opening her eyes wide, breaking a few sweats and muttering about it. 

‘Why am I suddenly nervous here?…’

Both of them hear a man talking from behind that door in an echo.

“Come in.”

Lord Chamberlain pushes the double margin, oak door with both of his hands by raw physical strength. 

Lord Chamberlain steps back to the left side of the door outside of the room and practices his swinging, humbly welcoming the Princess into the room. 

As the Princess steps into the room, the first thing that she notices inside the room is a gray, wide, round, horseshoe table with side panels and tall ceilings and pillars. 

And, the light that escapes through the wide window also flashes before her eyes blindingly at some point that she instinctively flies her palm to cover her vision, narrowing her eyes.

Then, the very same man who tells to come in, chuckles and comments about the Princess’s reaction toward the blinding light. All the while, he’s standing from far away behind the table. 

“Hahaha—, our host star, Julaera, is surely so bright.”

Then, again that man, orders Lord Chamberlain, Juvon, who’s waiting outside of the room.

“We may have some privacy.”

Lord Chamberlain bows his head slightly and closes the oak doors slowly and carefully to avoid making any noise.

There are two Reigning Kings from the Ivada Federation, standing before the Princess, and she doesn’t recognize them much since recently.

Another Reigning King in the room keeps his mouth shut on his seat, sending the Princess a held stare. 

The Princess notices the threatening gaze right away, making her feel uncomfortable and subtly frightened.

While the talkative Reigning King sees the quiet moment, he immediately continues his topic with the conclave.

“Let’s skip the formalities, now that we are behind the doors. I believe you haven’t acquainted with us very well.”

“To you, I’m Jaw, or Jaw uncle… or call me whatever you're comfortable with.”

The Reigning King of Galaa’ the Isthmus, Jaw Nan Hitra, faces toward The Reigning King of Dumaja the West, Hotavar Nan Lief, asking about his turn to introduce himself. 

“Why don’t you introduce yourself too, Hotavar?”

His Majesty, Hotavar, relaxes his eyes and shoulders, saying his name with his eyes closed and arms crossed on his front.

“Hotavar.”

Jaw turns back to Hotavar quickly, recounting about Hotavar’s unfriendly attitude. 

“Aw— No need to be so cold toward Souht's daughter, would you?”

Despite that, Hotavar remains silent in his stance.

Immediately after that, Jaw resumes with his talk, finally reaching a topic that gets serious. 

“So, your father speaks about you often, Raeké.”

Raeké pauses for a while, and the answers. 

“Ah—, you mean, Dad?”

Raeké’s sweat drops a little with worry written on her face clearly, muttering about the situation. 

‘Being famous isn’t always good, I think…’

Jaw tells more about the conclave. 

“That’s right. We do not force you to come. Besides that, this is an option that will help you to further your studies in this very Federation.”

He elevates his right arm with a fist to the height of his chest, emitting violet rays out of his fist as he opens his fingers and summoning his Chimeric wrapping around his arm and torso. 

It’s a violet serpent with seven eyes, wide fins and is thrice as big as Kostana’s Chimeric. 

Jaw takes out a tiny colorless pearl from his pocket as he questions Raeké without any eye contact, focusing on the pearl.

“And, what’s your age now?”

Raeké mouths her age. 

“Um—, seven years old.”

Then, Jaw steps a little forward to a gray, round plinth around the height of his waist, placing that colorless pearl on a slot atop of the middle of the plinth.

There appear curved, long, visible holographic panels on display in front of Raeké. While Jaw states his intention of inviting Raeké into the conclave. 

“We offer you a sponsorship.”

Raeké reacts unconvinced, doubting about the idea of the sponsorship.  

“Sponsorship?…”

Hotavar unexpectedly stands up, elucidating and furthering the conversation. 

“Sponsorship for enrolling into any of the schools shown here. You may choose whichever you please.” 

“You have two options of enrolment in the Federation that leverage this sponsorship:”

He draws out the variety of images such as school ground landscapes, lecture halls, libraries, and extra, readable, simplified texts of information to be understood for a lass as young as Raeké. 

“on the 2nd of Neullae, 12,974MJ, Dumaja Royal Academy, Karka District,”

“or on the 12th of Neullae, 12,974MJ, Academia of Galaa’, Lanmiet District.”

“Of course, you are free to let go of this choice since you do have more choices out there.”

“However, you might miss the opportunity to control your immense size of Occult Energy you inherit directly from the Queen Consort, Raesha.”

“And, if you do come, we have assigned Professor Tacha to be there too.”

Jaw comes into the conversation with a smile. 

“So, what do you think, Princess of Mixed Blood?” 

Raeké considers her choice, murmuring as her eyes travel throughout the panels.

‘On Neullae, 12974MJ. That’s like next year’s January.’

‘I can’t believe it… I’m going to school again, as a kid.’

‘But what other choices do I have?’

‘Hmm—, something about their sponsorship does feel kind of fishy.’

‘Because, do I even have the rights or some eligibility to even earn this sponsorship of theirs that others don’t?’

‘What are they actually investing me in?’

‘Their words are seemingly, so held back. Are they hiding something?’

‘Professor Tacha is my personal professor, and she won’t be teaching me anymore when I enter any Occult school… Eh—, how could I remember such things?’

‘Ah—, no. I shouldn’t forget that this is not my body to begin with. Currently, I have absolutely no clue and couldn’t fully comprehend my state.’

The pain of pulsation from when she’s at the Ceremonial Hall returns abruptly, promptly covering her temple with her hand and muttering her words internally.

‘Ugh—, it’s hard to make decisions… Can’t think… too much…’

Being unable to think well, Raeké comes up with a brief, exhausting answer. 

“Neither.”

Jaw reflexively answers her turn down. 

“Sweet. But isn’t it a let down?”

Raeké puts her arm away from her head when the pain fades, asking for permission to exit the room. 

“Sorry. May I be dismissed now?”

Afterward, Raeké sits at a comfy window bench far away from the room she’s previously in, muting her words all the way back.

She grieves personally, blaming herself for her own decision, or might not be hers, and holding her head in frustration. 

“Seriously, why did I even turn that down?! It’s a great opportunity! What a let down!”

“Ahh—, no—! This is not good!”

Raesha walks through the corridor, hearing her daughter’s groans and rushes toward her. 

“Honey, what’s the matter?”

“Mom—, Ké refuses the sponsorship…”

Raesha sits beside her daughter since the bench is long, hugging and soothing her daughter’s whining cry. 

“Here, here. Don’t cry, Ké. It’s okay. Don’t grieve, you still have other schools you can enroll in.”

Raeké’s cry stops with a rapid shift in her mood to a happier one, looking up into her mother’s face up close. 

“Really?! Mom, where will it be?”

Her mother answers with a cheerful voice.

“If it’s nowhere outside of the Federation, why not at the Dotemian Occult School in Hilo District?”

Raeké is fascinated by the fact of the school she can enroll into, expressing her thoughts out loud. 

“Whoa—, that’s so close from here!”

Raesha confirms her daughter’s comment with a broad smile.

“Yes!”

Then, her daughter asks again.

“Mom, how long will I be studying with Professor Tacha?”

“About 2 months left, sweetie.”

Raeké’s disappointed with the short duration of her study time with Professor Tacha, who is her favorite private tutor since her childhood. 

“Mom, Ké’s growing up right?”

“Yes, that’s correct, sweetie.”

“That means one day, Ké will be as tall as Mom, as smart as Mom, and as beautiful as Mom!”

Once again, Raesha smiles softly as she stares into her daughter’s childhood happiness only to find sorrow backfires at her, remembering about her conversations with His Majesty, Hotavar, and His Majesty, Jaw. 

A few hours ago, Raesha raised her voice a little higher than she ever spoke within the conversation, sounding her parental concern about her dear daughter. 

“…Sir, the Princess, Raeké, is still so young—! I implore you not to invoke her in any political issues!…”

His Majesty, Jaw, replied to the Queen Consort, Raesha. 

“…Queen Consort…, no. Raesha Issocelle Cazdae.…”

“…You remember whose blood your child inherits, right?…”

Raesha was in shock, thinking negatively and quietly hating them. 

“…Just… What are they planning to do… with Raeké…?…”

Raesha was gravely worried at the time, wanting to fight back. But she knew brute force was useless against them, even if she could do that at the moment.

And so, she convinced herself to control her temper and maintain her composure, silencing her words for a moment and letting her calm down. 

‘…Violence won’t do a thing with these kinds of people.…’

Then, Raesha looks back at her daughter, and turns her head right and left, seeing Lord Chamberlain approaching her and her daughter. 

Lord Chamberlain arrives and greets the Queen Consort and the Princess, informing them about the next event within the gathering. 

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, the hour almost arrived for the Accord to be read: at one Sol-Togue.”

Raesha wakes up and hands her hand toward her daughter. 

“Alright. Let’s go, Raeké.”

Raeké holds her mother’s hand with both of her hands, getting ready for departure for the Accord reading.

“Yes, Mom!”