Chapter 81: Casseopia

Syryn wore Casseopia's dress and stared at his reflection with an expression like he had eaten a lemon. The alchemist was slender enough that wearing the padded item of clothing cut him the figure of a young lady. This time around, he wore a pant inside the dress because he had learnt a lesson about indecent exposure the hard way.

Syryn's long tresses fell in silky lengths down his chest. The teenager was proud of his shiny hair, and there was nothing anyone could say that would make him cut it. With reluctance, he lifted the lightweight crystal crown and placed it on his head. It was a perfect fit. The white veil was draped across his face obscuring everything but his eyes and forehead. The ensemble revealed just enough of him to fool people into believing that it was a young woman under the layers of fabric.

"Syryn?"

He turned his neck to face the young redhead whose jaw had dropped comically.

"Can you not stare at me like that? I'm already uncomfortable enough, Luci."

Lucien snapped out of the 'big sister Syryn' induced stupor with a blink of his crimson eyes. "You look like a gi- different Syryn! It took me a while to recognise you with all that covering everything." The redhead waved his hand in the air gesturing towards the veil and dress.

"Yeah? You think I can find a husband tonight looking like this?" Syryn grimaced at the mirror.

Lucien nodded his head as he grinned. "And you'll get divorced too when he finds out you've got a big bird! Perhaps even bigger than his."

"Definitely bigger than his."

Hearing those crass words that contrasted with the dignified image that Syryn presented, Lucien began to laugh. It attracted the attention of Magnus and Salem who had been hovering near Syryn's door.

The fire mage was first to enter Syryn's room. "Sebastian had the right idea." He looked up and down like a buyer surveying his watermelons.

"Why do you look like a real girl? " Salem asked after Magnus.

"I do not."

"It's the fake breasts," Magnus circled Syryn and studied his figure. "Are you also wearing a corset?"

"No, I'm not."

Syryn crossed his arms feeling the fake breasts push up higher. It was disconcerting.

"Don't do that," Salem advised after clearing his throat.

"Why Salem, you wanna feel them up?" Syryn leered at the embarrassed blonde.

"Syryn, can you please not?" Lucien made a laughing cringing face at his now big sister with a big bird.

The alchemist's eyes were crinkled happily when he noticed the dashing Lunar king's arrival through his window. Syryn's dress was flowy enough to fight in without it getting tangled. He lifted the fabric of his skirt and walked out of the room, revealing the comfortable boots that most definitely were not approved for queen attire.

"Syryn! You are devastating in a dress, my love."

Sebastian's suit was also the colour of pure moonlight. His sandy hair was coiffed back neatly and a crown sat above his handsome face. The mage was accorded the aura of a gentle fairy tale prince by the ensemble.

"It's the burden of being born as good looking as I am," Syryn grouched. "Now open the door."

And Sebastian did just that. The Lunar couple then headed off to the palace in their royal carriage.

"What do I do if the emperor questions me?" Syryn asked Sebastian as the palace lights came into view.

"Stay silent. I'll speak on your behalf, S'ryn. As much as I adore it, we can't let them hear your boyish voice."

"The emperor must be a patient man for accomodating all of your strange requests."

"He values my power, and I'm charmin' when I want to be." Sebastian flashed a token at the palace guards who had stopped the carriage. They were waived ahead after a glance at the silver token. The process occurred three more times before the carriage was allowed to pass through to the main palace compound.

"Are ya nervous?" The mage turned to Syryn.

"No. Are you?"

"I'm honestly very excited. I've been lookin' forward to meetin' the night king."

"The Night king? Is he an acquaintance of yours?"

Sebastian smiled at Syryn meaningfully. "A friend. Ya might know him."

"From where?" Syryn struggled to think of anyone capable enough to run in both of their social circles. Aside from Artemus, there was one other person that was common to the both of them but it couldn't be him, Syryn reasoned.

"From Elysium. Didn't ya have a lot of friends when you were still at King Hill?"

"What's his name?"

The carriage stopped outside a gated structure that was manned by a few more guards. "Why don't ya guess?"

"Not interested."

The respect and friendliness offered to Sebastian by the smiling guards showed how popular he was with the people that knew him. More than one pair of curious eyes observed Syryn. Just who was the lady that Sebastian had chosen as Cassiopeia? The gossip mill had churned out the existence of an alleged fiancé but most people were unwilling to believe that the kingdom's most prolific womaniser would settle down so early.

When Syryn stepped through the threshold of the palace, a curtain of power washed down over his body. It was the first line of defence in an arsenal of spells set up to protect the royals. It was also the reason Syryn hadn't chosen to glamour himself in the illusion of a woman.

"Ya okay?" Sebastian glanced at him.

"Perfect."

The older mage slipped his arm through Syryn's. "Pretend yer in love with me, sweetheart."

"Most marriages are loveless."

Sebastian turned to Syryn and forced the younger man to look into his eyes. "What do ya love, S'ryn?"

"Myself."

"Anythin' else?"

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Syryn narrowed his eyes at Sebastian. "No. You're up to no good, aren't you? This whole pretend love scenario, what is it about Sebastian?"

"I'm tryin' ta make someone jealous," the older man replied, smiling like the scheming fox that he was. "This person would hate for me to be in love with my darlin' fiancé."

"An ex then? Someone who rejected you?"

"That's not important. Can ya humour me fer tonight?"

Syryn dug his heels in. It was time for him to get what he wanted.

"Tell me about the squid, Sebastian. We're not going any further if you don't spill."

"You're really doing this now?" The mage lifted his brows at the alchemist who was doing his best impression of a dead-pan face.

"Don't keep the emperor waiting," Syryn answered with the calm of someone who had all the time in the world. "Unless you have nothing to say because you were actually lying about it. If that's the case then go ahead and let the emperor wait." It was an evil ambush on his part but in Syryn's reasoning, it was the perfect payback for a scenario where the mage was pulling the wool over Syryn's eyes.

Sebastian was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he prematurely gave up his intel, Syryn could walk out right now and he would be left without a queen. If he didn't spill, they'd be stuck here for however long it took for Sebastian to break. The older mage could see from Syryn's expression that the teen was ready to butt wills right there in the corridors of the royal palace.

"You're evil," Sebastian whispered.

"It's in my nature."

The mage pulled Syryn to a corner and bowed his head closer to the teen. Giving in wasn't his style but Sebastian was smart enough to know when to surrender. In a low whisper, he asked the alchemist, "What glows blue and cannot be captured or confined?"

The younger man answered, "The squid?"

"Think of somethin' else, S'ryn. Yer a mage and quite familiar with it."

What made a mage? The ability to channel mana. It defined the powers of every single mage in existence. If the answer wasn't mana, it must have been something associated with it. What else was related to magic and mana? What was blue and could not be confined? The answer hit him like a bolt of lightning and Syryn almost combusted from how satisfying it felt to have an explanation that covered most of their questions. The answers fell like dominoes after the tiny nudge by Sebastian. 

"Mana crystals!" He whispered back. "The creature could be made of magical energy or something similar and that's why it kills mages. It probably feeds on mana to stay alive."

"Yes," Sebastian grinned, happy that he could finally bounce ideas off someone else. "We could be wrong about it but the explanation fits doesn't it? Only magic could make a solid creature pass through opaque objects."

Though magical creatures existed in their world, none displayed the properties of mana crystals. The glowing blue crystals were difficult to store because they tended to sublimate through most containers. Syryn was aware that Sebastian's theory had to be verified before they truly got excited about it, but he had a feeling that the mage was right about the squid - a living creature that was made up of and fed on magical energy.

Their heads were nearly bumping together, eyes glued on each other, and the world forgotten. Syryn felt a hostile gaze from behind him but before he could turn, Sebastian placed an arm on his shoulder and held him in place. "Focus on me," he was told.

And from the corner of his eyes, Syryn saw a tall dark figure sweep past them. The amount of hostility radiating off the man could have choked a timid person to death.

"Night King," Syryn whispered to Sebastian, noticing how the man's presence commanded attention from those whose eyes were magnetically drawn to his aura and build.

"Yes, what do you think of him?"

Syryn watched the black figure disappear into an archway. "Looks powerful. Can you beat him?"

"Not likely, and it doesn't matter. The Lunar King always wins. That's how the story goes."

"Okay," Syryn nodded slowly. "Well, this has been fun but I hate the dress. I'm going home, Sebastian."

The blanket of panic that immediately enveloped the mage's whole demeanour gave Syryn a much-needed hit of satisfaction.

"Just kidding. Let's go meet the emperor."

"You evil witch!"

Syryn's eyes smiled happily.

The emperor's court was large enough to accommodate all the biggest VIPs of Elysium. Alongside him was present the empress in all of her noble glory. Syryn could also see the royal children including Lillith and Drake in attendance. The Nobles and ministers were all dressed like peacocks showing off to each other.

As soon as he entered, the alchemist had noticed the grand Night king on a knee before the emperor who was smiling like he was looking at his grandchild.

"Stand up Night King, you do not need to bow before me tonight. You're also a king, the same as I." The emperor graciously told the man just as the empress noticed Sebastian and Syryn's arrival. She turned to her husband and whispered. The emperor then promptly looked up and smiled at Sebastian first and then Syryn.

"The Lunar king and the queen Casseopia, come before me. Let me have a look at you." Syryn was sure that the last sentence was directed at him.

Without much effort on his part, Syryn imitated the dignified walk of someone brought up in a high-class home and used to receiving respect from people. He saw the smile of approval on the empress' face and knew the act was working. It was all in a day's work for Syryn, alchemist extraordinaire and aspiring actor. 

Sebastian paid his respects to the royal couple and his fiancé followed suit.

"Sebastian, I didn't quite believe it when you told me you had a fiancé," the emperor stroked his beard and examined Syryn as he spoke. "But I'm starting to think I was wrong."

Syryn's Indigo eyes were like rare amethyst. And from what people could see of his milky forehead, the alchemist appeared to be a young lady of exquisite beauty hiding behind a veil. Almost every single courtier in attendance wanted to pull the veil down and take a good look at the face hidden away by Sebastian.

"It is my luck that allowed her to accept me for all my flaws, your majesty. I have found the person I aim to spend the rest of my life with." The mage turned to the alchemist with such a tender smile on his face that it nearly even fooled Syryn. He stared back at Sebastian with mild horror and quickly remembered to lower his head, faking the embarrassment of a shy maiden. 

Syryn could have been imagining it but right then he felt the weighted gaze of the Night king peeling away his veil away with just the force of his stare alone. Sebastian's ex was truly a jealous one. The teen appreciated the Night king's powerful built and wondered just who it was under that mask. Just who was it that had such an amazing height and build? Was there a blank space in his list for another name? Yes.

Sebastian's sappy reply sent the Emperor into a bout of joyful laughter. He was ecstatic that the mage was finally settling down after all the trouble he had caused. "I'm declaring your wedding to be held next month then! No arguments Sebastian. You have made this emperor a very happy man today."

"N-next month?" Sebastian's smile faltered just a little bit.

"I for one am eager to see more talented seedlings in the kingdom. You will do well to have many children, won't you?" The empress smiled kindly at them.

"Children?" Sebastian met Syryn's wide eyes, a cold feeling pooling down his back. "It's too early to say that your majesty. We have much time to enjoy our youth before thinking about having children." His mask was showing signs of cracking.

"Nonsense, us women must bear children while youth and strength aid us." She turned to Syryn with a motherly smile. "My dear, you must let us know so I can send you some of our best nourishing ingredients for when you're with child."

Syryn choked on air when the empress said those words to him. An arm went around his shoulder comfortingly and he made a bow towards the royal couple. He was going to fight Sebastian later - man to man. 

While Sebastian covered for the both of them, Syryn's sights wandered over to Drake who was also staring at him.

'Syryn,' the prince mouthed with a wicked smile on his face. He had been recognised.

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