The Trio Odyssey

Part I: Soul to Soul

Chapter 14: The 74th Sovereign of the Ivada Federation, Souht Nan Mahjun

A few hours after the time spent in the Royal Library within the Heto Palace, Raeké’s leafing through the pages of the Book of Tetramery, as told by Professor Tacha. 

The same memory of Sanaje flashes in her head, again, never leaving her alone.

Then, she remembers that she wants to grab some cards because she wants to visualize all of the figures she saw so that she can grasp all of them and decipher their meanings

However, she only gets to recall two of them, and forget the rest; they are the ancient looking building covered in tree roots and debris, and a city with its buildings collapsing in the spin of a fire tornado. 

She puts down her book and stands up, approaching Kostana, who’s apparently spending the rest of her time in the evening reading. 

“Big Sis Kostana, do you know where I can procure some blank cards?” 

Kostana looks back with a strange expression, responding literally roughly. 

“Ha—, how would I know that? Go and ask the Royal Librarian.”

After that, Raeké notices a tall, working, male Royal Librarian, who’s currently arranging the multiple collections of books onto the professionally carved wooden shelves.

The same shy Princess comes near the Royal Librarian and wants to ask, but she stays silent instead, waiting for the Royal Librarian to notice her. 

“Ah—, Your Highness. Are you looking for a book?”

“Blank… cards…”

Shortly after that, Raeké screams out.

“I want some blank cards!”

Meria and the other Royal Librarians averts their gaze toward the loud sound. Of course, excluding Kostana.

Raeké instinctively shuts her mouth with both of her hands, while Maia murmurs.

‘Isn’t this a library? Why did I yell out like that?’

After the prompt silence, the Royal Librarian that the Princess’s been talking to responds quickly, giving a subtle head bow. 

“Yes, Ma’am. I shall procure the blank cards posthaste.”

The Princess adds, while covering her mouth. 

“I want an art kit too! The small one would do!”

The male Royal Librarian bows again and departs shortly. While that, she returns to sit to keep looking into the Book of Tetramery. 

While she’s leafing through the pages, again and again, she criticises some of the pages, showing an emblem of a violet, overlapping double 4-edged stars sitting on top of a violet ring.

‘That’s like, a lot from Elemental Faction; Flame Sub-Faction, Water Sub-Faction, Thunder Sub-Faction…’

Then, she thinks.

‘Well I guess… It’s just the same elements you would see on Earth. But wait… there are more divisions under these Sub-Factions? And, they call them Divisions?’

She sandwiches her face with her hands, muttering out loud.

‘Argh—, there’s a lot to study isn’t it!?’

And then, a Butler from the Royal Household comes into the Royal Library, on the way to deliver the requested blank cards and art kit toward the Princess while bringing them on a clean, silver serving tray with a pure linen tray mat. 

She’s surprised by how fast her request arrived.

‘Wow, that’s quick.’

The Butler reaches to the front of the Princess’s seat and serves them.

“Your Highness, your blank cards and art kit are in place.”

The Princess answers.

“Heartfelt thanks.”

The Butler places the tray on top of the table and waits until the Princess’s done. 

The images are still flickering, so she draws them fast, stroking each line on the blank thick cards. 

She does a few attempts, figuring out how to draw buildings and the atmosphere that surrounds them. 

Now she manages to picture them, but only two of them in her remembrance; the ancient looking building covered in tree roots and debris, and the city with its buildings collapsing in the spin of a fire tornado. While she preserves a rectangular white frame.

They don’t look perfect, but still memorable. 

And then, the Princess sets her head aloft, facing toward the Butler and informing.

“I’m done.”

Then, the Butler smiles, cleaning up the Princess’s mess and leaving the Princess’s artwork.

Nobody can ever tell what each one of those drawings represents and what meaning it bears, but Raeké’s been the only one to be so eager to keep them. 

Later, Raeké walks outside of the Royal Library, holding those two cards. 

She’s heading toward her room to store those cards intact, especially inside the drawer. 

A few minutes has passed, she saunters out of her room and passes by a room that echoes the voices of her half brother, Zihro Nan Souht, and her father, Souht Nan Mahjun.

“Father, so you called me. How have you been lately?”

“My son, Zihro, I wish that Harda the City Reserve is just right next to you.”

She stops taking her steps, slightly pushing the oak doors and peeking at them through the narrow passage between the doors with her one eye. 

“But, Father, I’m still nowhere prepa—(prepared)!”

Souht cuts Zihro’s lines of words. 

“No, I’m sure that a Crown Prince is supposed to be the next awaiting for the title of the Reigning King.”

Zihro seals her lips tightly, looking down with a lot of sweat running down his head. 

Souht’s irises move to the side of the room, straight toward the narrow passage of the oak doors. 

Raeké’s screaming and jolting out.

“Ah—!”

She falls on her butt. 

“Ouch—!”

Souht pulls oak doors for his youngest daughter: Raeké Issocelle Cazdae. 

She looks upward: Souht is way taller than Professor Tacha. 

Raeké hugs her father’s legs and screams her longing.

“Dad—!”

He kneels and pats the back of her daughter with a subtle smile. 

“My daughter, it seems, you’re still shy. Didn’t I tell you that all you need to do to interrupt a conversation is to knock on the doors, sweetie?”

Raeké replies to her father with a strong multiple nods. 

Zihro is still standing there, stunned by his father’s words that he had to reflect upon himself.

Souht stands up, and lets go of her daughter.

Since he’s tall, he doesn’t hold hands with her daughter to walk together, but her daughter clings to him while holding the side of his trousers.

Her daughter is just around the height of his middle thighs.

Souht looks back to his son, with a relaxed gaze. 

“Zihro, be sure to consider.”

“Yes—, Father!”

Both Zihro and Raeké inherit the ruby-red eyes from Souht. While Zihro remains as Souht’s resemblance. 

Then, Souht walks with his daughter in the corridor, just strolling around like how they used to do it, even long before Souht leaves for his 3-month trip. 

In spite of that, this time, Souht is heading toward a room.

“Let’s go to the Sitting Room.”

As they walk, Raeké blurts out a question.

“Dad, why is my name and Mom’s name different from other people?”

“You are a firstborn of the Cazdae-Ivada bloodline and also officially registered as a Cazdaean Royal ahead of time. Now that you’re here, you’re also officially registered as an Ivadan Royal!”

“Do you remember where I was born, Dad?”

“Obaraeson Kingdom: it’s situated on the Northeast Continent of the Cazdae Empire,”

Souht pauses for a moment, and he kneels again, explaining while he pokes her daughter’s pointy nose slowly.

“also under the reign of the Issocelle Family, which is the name that you got just like your mother!”

Raeké’s eyes squint as she focuses on her father’s finger. 

Raeké shows a full-blown smile as her father wakes back up. 

Afterward, they continued with their steps until they reached the Sitting Room within the Heto Palace. 

The same design of the double margin door made of oak, is standing right after Souht and her daughter, while they hear the chatter of women inside the room.

Souht pushes the door, revealing three women on a cozy, large sofa, talking to each other while two of them are holding their sons: Lisole and Randar. 

The 74th Sovereign of the Ivada Federation, Souht Nan Mahjun, practices polygamy within the bloodline of his family. That’s how Raeké has so many half siblings. 

Only three wives of Souht showed up: Hannorah Nanse Yuos, the mother of Kostana, Kinasa, Randar; Yolka Cyme Nanse Mahjun, the mother of Meria and Rouseht; Yipha Nanse Cleron, the mother of Zihro and Lisole. 

So, it’s clear that the respective mothers are holding their own sons.

Then, Raeké recounts the name of one of her aunties, Yolka Cyme Nanse Mahjun, out loud.

“Dad—, Yolka Auntie’s name is a little weird!”

Yolka gasps, watching the petite Raeké comments about her name.

“What—?”

Souht looks into Raeké’s face and tells a piece of history behind Yolka’s name.

“Raeké, Yolka Cyme is a Hazuish Royal; she’s from the neighboring nation of the Ivada Federation, called Hazue.”

And then, Raeké adds up.

“So, Hazue is just next to Galaa’ the Isthmus?”

Souht grins, praising her daughter.

“That’s right, you’re smart, Raeké.”

“Hehe~, I just learnt about it today!”

And so, Yolka speaks up on her own while she leaves the conversation with Hannorah and Yipha.

“Raeké, I got this ‘Nan Mahjun’ surname when I adopted your father’s family. Now that I’m married to him, I become the Queen Consort of the Ivada Federation, like your mother too!”

Raeké comes up with a curiosity.

“But why didn’t Mom adopt Dad’s family?”

Unexpectedly, the entire room became silent in a split second, letting the sound of the atmosphere and the machineries within the room fill in the silence. 

Stunned by the situation, Lisole hesitated.

“Hm—?”

And, Randar too.

“Huh—?”

Even they are confused why everyone goes silent all of a sudden. 

Souht kneels and faces her daughter up close, holding both of her shoulders.

“Raeké, that’s only a topic for grownups…”

Her daughter’s face writes confusion and unsolved curiosity with a blend of disappointment.

“Why?”

Souht inhales heavily.

“Let’s wait until you’re older, okay?”

“Okay… Dad…”