Finding Stardust

Finally, Xion was forced to tell Emma what had happened to her father. He couldn't hide the information, even if he wanted to. He swallowed hard and spoke in a sorrowful voice.

"Your father, General Kaoshin Stardust, has passed away."

Emma had guessed that was what happened. She bit her lip even harder because tears had streamed down her cheeks. She was still trying to stop herself from crying, but it was so hard.

At this time, she had to think clearly. She must be able to do something.

"Then .. where's Haoran?" asked Emma, ​​trying to make herself sound calm. She must be able to gather as much information as possible to make a decision.

"Haoran is in the hospital and being treated by Doctor Salas. He's fine, you don't have to worry about him. Nobody in Akkadia knows who he is. Therius keeps his promise to you to give Haoran the best care," Xion explained. "He will be okay."

"I want to see him," said Emma. "How do I know if he's all right? How do I know that you are not lying to me?"

"Hey, Little Miss. Can't you see that either Therius and I have always been a gentleman to you so far? We are men of integrity, and we always keep our words," Xion gently reprimanded Emma. He did not directly say that it was Emma who had been untrustworthy and didn't keep her words because he did not want to hurt her feelings. "I am telling you. He is fine. You can trust me."

"But ..." Emma was about to argue, but Xion touched her hand and calmed her down. He knew Emma just needed to be convinced.

"If you go to visit him in the hospital now, you will raise suspicion, and the enemy will investigate who he really is. You will actually put Haoran's life in danger," Xion said firmly. "If you want that to happen, go ahead. I'll take you to the hospital right now. They will use him as collateral to capture you."

Emma fell silent at Xion's words.

Oh ... why was she so unlucky?

She was about to cry again, but Emma had gotten used to the fact that tears didn't solve anything. So, she held back her tears as hard as she could.

Finally, she nodded dejectedly.

"Where's Therius now?" asked Emma.

Her clear mind was starting to return and she wanted to hear directly from Therius about the situation in the capital and how bad the war was going on. 

And then... what should they do now? What would be her role in this unpredictable situation?

Emma had lost her father. She didn't want to lose her mother either. She had to do something so that Arreya would not be killed in the battle if Akkadian forces attacked Thaesi.

Emma had seen for herself what General Moria and his men look like in The Dragonite. They were fierce and formidable. If they were to attack her mother, Emma wasn't sure Princess Arreya would survive.

"Therius is in King Cassius' palace. He will come home tonight. You can now wash up and eat to restore your strength," Xion persuaded. "We'll meet him tonight and talk. There is a lot to discuss between us."

Finally, Emma nodded weakly. She tried to get out of bed, but her body was too weak. She almost fell while trying to get up and stand on her two feet.

"Let me help you," said Xion hurriedly. He immediately held the girl's body and supported her to stand up properly. "You just sit on this sofa, okay. I'll call the maids to help you clean up and get changed."

Emma couldn't refuse Xion's help because she had no choice. She did not understand why her body felt so weak and fragile.

After making sure that Emma was properly seated, Xion left the room and called the maids. He arrived not long after with two young women wearing neat black uniforms.

"The princess needs to change clothes, you girls please help her," Xion said to them.

The two of them nodded respectfully and walked over to Emma, ​​while Xion walked out of the room.

Only after the young man left, Emma could study the room she was in. The girl then realized that she had never seen such a beautiful and luxurious room in her life. Not even in lifestyle magazines on earth.

The room was very spacious with high ceilings and several pillars made of what looked like shiny marble with various beautiful carvings. Based on her calculation, the height of each pillar alone was about six meters.

She felt like she was in the palace of the giants. Why was this room so big?

The bed was located in the center of the room. It had a beautiful design and was made of solid wood, which was carved with exquisite craftsmanship. On the bed was a very comfortable mattress, decorated with light blue linens that looked luxurious and beautiful.

There was a thick, soft carpet around the bed. As she stepped on it, Emma was immediately reminded of the saying 'walking on the clouds'. Maybe this was what they meant, she thought.

There were various other pieces of furniture in this majestic room and they all looked very charming.

A room fit for a princess, Emma was reminded of what Haoran said to her in the past. He said, Emma only deserved things fit for a princess.

Ah.. she missed him so much.

Emma looked around her and admired everything she laid her eyes on. She remembered that Therius was the crown prince of a very big and advanced kingdom. Of course, his palace must be commensurate with his position.

The girl momentarily forgot her sadness as she stared at her surroundings dumbfoundedly. She had never seen a place so beautiful and was charmed by the beauty around her.

Who used to live in this room before she came?

"Princess, we will help you take a bath and get dressed," said one of the maids in a very respectful voice.

Emma looked up and saw the young women. As she stared at them intently, she read their thoughts. She wanted to know what they thought of her.

'So.. this is General Stardust and Princess Arreya's daughter? She is so beautiful .. But, oh, what an unlucky girl.'

'Did she know her father was just executed last week? Oh my... she must be crying lots. Her eyes are puffed, and she looked so disheveled.'

Emma immediately looked away and didn't want to read anymore. She was not ready to hear what happened to her father.

She already knew that Kaoshin had died. Xion had confirmed her assumption. However, she didn't want to hear in detailed of what happened, let alone hear it from other people.

So.. my father was executed? Oh God....

Emma tried to calm down and looked at the young women. After she pulled herself together, she let the two women serve her.

"Your Highness, my name is Ola, and this is Kira," said the first maid respectfully. "We will help Your Highness to bathe and get dressed, then prepare all your necessities. After you are done, Sir Xion is waiting for you in the dining room to eat together."

Emma just nodded in understanding. 

"Thank you," she replied weakly,

Ola prepared warm water for her bath in the huge marble bathtub which was situated in the center of the room and had a beautiful design. She poured a few drops of oil into the warm water and soon the room was engulfed in a nice aroma that made Emma felt so relaxed.

Meanwhile, Kira helped Emma undress. Initially, Emma wanted to refuse her help. She was not used to being served like this. She could undress herself, take a bath on her own, and get dressed. She was not a disabled person!

But it turned out when she tried to unbutton her clothes, Emma realized that even her hands were too weak for such a simple thing. She had completely lost her strength.

She was finally forced to let Kira help her. After all, Atila taught her while she was on the ship, that a princess or queen should get used to receiving help from servants and assistants so that she could focus on other, much more important matters.

They helped Emma got in the bath. It was filled with warm water with such a good smell. Her nostrils were immediately filled with the calming aroma. Emma slowly began to relax. She closed her eyes and tried to forget everything bad that had happened during the past six months. Before she and Haoran went to the moon and met AWA.

She was trying to remember when she and Haoran were traveling in Switzerland. Then they visited Shanghai to meet Haoran's birth mother. It was so wonderful and heartwarming.

Then they got married secretly in Shanghai because Haoran wanted to be with Emma, even to the ends of the world, if she decided to go back to Akkadia.

Only thinking about those beautiful things could make Emma stay sane during this devastating moment of her life.