Finding Stardust

"We were unlucky just now," muttered Xion, feeling concerned. "I hope nothing big happens that can change the future. From now on, we have to be more careful."

Emma nodded shakily. Her mind was in a mess. She missed her father so badly. They were separated for more than 15 years and when she thought she would finally be able to meet her mother and father, they were snatched from her forcefully.

"Okay .. I remember the party will start in an hour. Do you want to go straight to the palace?" asked Xion. "Or do you want to calm down first?"

Emma looked around her and then sighed. "I want to go straight to the palace and find my mother. I just want to see her from afar."

"But you look too much like her," said Xion while scratching his head. "You will attract attention if we go to the party."

Emma looked down and checked herself. She finally frowned. Come to think of it, she didn't think her likeness to Arreya was what made the servants think she was Princess Lilia, but ...

"It's because of my clothes," said Emma. "If I wear a modest outfit or dress up as a maid, people won't pay much attention to me."

"Ah .. that's right." Xion just realized that Emma was wearing a very beautiful dress. Of course, since she was a princess, in the future she always wore fine clothes that only a noble princess would wear.

That's why, as soon as Madam Ze saw her, she immediately suspected Emma was the princess they were looking for.

"I'm going to find a maid outfit so I won't attract attention," said Emma at last. "You too."

Xion nodded. "Good idea. We'd better go to the palace first. The servant's uniforms there must be different from those of the servants at the crown prince's palace."

After she pulled herself together, Emma and Xion finally flew off towards the royal palace. Because it was night time, they could fly without being seen by anyone. Once they reached the palace, Emma used telemancy to make a servant take her to the servants' quarter so that she could get their uniforms.

There, she obtained uniforms for herself and Xion. Not long after, the two were walking casually in the palace hallway.

"The party is held in the ballroom in the middle of the palace complex," said Emma. "We better get over there."

Emma learned Akkadian history with Therius and Atila and knew a little bit about the wedding tradition. She knew the bride and groom usually had a party on the night before the wedding to meet people who were important to them and introduce each other's families. It was almost as important as the wedding ceremony itself.

Emma was really eager to know, what prompted her parents to take such drastic actions. In all Akkadian history book she read, Kaoshin was described as a traitor and homewrecker, while Arreya was given so many unpleasant nicknames, as a cheater, a woman who was not loyal to her fiancé, etc.

Every time Emma read historical articles that portrayed her mother in a really bad way, Emma felt very angry. However, unfortunately, she didn't know what really happened that made her mother decide to leave Darius the night before their wedding. If she knew, she might be able to defend her mother.

Emma had often wondered about the 'Whys'. She really wanted to hear directly from her mother what made her mother and father run away at the last minute after they decided to bury their love and sacrifice their feelings for the sake of their countries. 

Unfortunately .. Emma would never know the answer to all her questions because her parents had died.

Tears started forming in the corner of her eyes when she remembered them. However, this time Emma didn't let herself cry. She managed to hold back with all her determination.

Yes ... she must not put herself and Xion in danger. Even though she really wanted to talk to her mother and ask her questions ... she had to be content just seeing them from afar.

"Okay, I know that place," said Xion. "I've been there a few times with Therius. Let's go now!"

Xion grabbed Emma's hand and walked out of the servant's quarter. They hurried down the palace hallway. When they walked out of the door and arrived in front of the large courtyard, suddenly, their steps halted.

A large carriage pulled by six pegasuses had just landed, and from it, several people dressed in elegant clothes got off. They all had impressive appearances. As soon as the men saw Xion, one of them immediately raised his hand and signaled for Xion to come.

"Hey, you servant with long hair, come here. The prince needs your help," he said in a commanding tone.

Emma immediately assumed that these new arrivals were powerful mages because she couldn't invade their minds at all. She could only read the thoughts of the coachman.

'Xion, it's crown prince Darius and his bodyguards. They need your help to find someone. They think you are a servant here.' Emma turned her head towards Xion. 'They are very powerful. Don't fight them.'

'I know,' replied Xion. He could not draw attention to himself, so he was forced to pretend to be a servant and approach the bodyguard with respect.

"Good evening, Sir. What can I do for you?" asked Xion politely.

At that time, Prince Darius stepped down from his carriage and walked towards Xion. For a moment, Emma and Xion were stunned to see the handsome young man.

Darius looked very much like Therius. It's just that if Therius looked cold and sometimes ruthless that made people feel intimidated, Prince Darius was his opposite. He looked so gentle and warm.

'Is this the man who almost married my mother?' Emma could only wonder. 

Darius and Arreya reminded her of herself and Therius. Therius's uncle that she saw today looked like he was in the same age as Therius, in his late 20's. 

Darius had a handsome face with neatly arranged platinum-colored hair and brilliant green eyes. He looked very intelligent and forbearing. Even though his face looked similar to Therius's, his movements were graceful and made him look soft like a woman, a bit like Aeron.

Emma could immediately judge that Prince Darius did not possess any magical powers. He was always protected by powerful bodyguards, as expected from the crown prince.

"Good evening," the prince smiled as he spoke to Xion and Emma. "We need your help to find my nephew. I just heard from the chief of staff that he has been missing all day. We are having the most important event tonight, and I want him to be a part of it."

This man's voice was authoritative but pleasant. Although his movements were gentle, he still had the charisma of a mature man and the future king.

Seeing the man in person, Emma finally could understand why her mother was friends with Darius and even decided to marry him, even though she loved another man. 

Darius was a kind man and he had always treated Arreya very well since they were little. That was why Arreya felt it was better to bury her love for Kaoshin and still marry Darius.

Her reason was more about Darius's feelings than the political interests of their two countries. That's how much she cared about the man.

Emma had read quite a lot of news stories and historical records about Prince Darius, but it felt so different when she met him in person. Darius was nothing like what she expected.

Now, when she saw what Darius was like in real life, Emma wondered why her mother and father made the last-minute decision to leave Akkadia and run away together.

Could it be... that something big happened the night before the wedding, which triggered them to take a drastic decision? Maybe something happened that no one else but Arreya and Kaoshin knew about...

Either way, Emma sincerely hoped that she would be there when it happened so she could find out why. She felt that she needed to know, so she could get closure, and finally let go of her parents.

"Your Highness... we will help find your nephew," said Xion respectfully.

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From the author:

So, what happened was, I ate my favorite food (stir-fried mussels) way too much and it made my tummy so upset that I was in pain all day. It was really awful.