The Emperor sees Renzai, and Seiryuu at the bridge. And Astri is with them. Astri’s spouses and family were lined up before the Emperor arrived at the bridge, and they also bowed in respect to him. Seijuurou looks at Astri and is impressed to see a beautiful female, he wasn’t expecting to et a young and good-looking female. He imagined that a Goddess would look like an Elder, and he was very wrong.
The females of the Hiya noticed quite fast Seijuurou’s eyes on Astri, and they got envious and angry at Astri’s presence. She was being favored constantly since she arrived. The older one, Seiryuu’s mother, spent almost all of her life there, and she could rarely walk inside the sacred areas unless with Renzai. And he seldom looks after her after she gave him enough heirs.
Seijuurou walks to et them and looks at Astri with impressed eyes. She simply smiled kindly at him and bowed in respect:
"It’s my honor to et you, Emperor Seijuurou. Great leader of Tsukihina."
He might not be a Mizuryuu, but he can sense her great energy, and soon he falls to his knees and bows his head deeply to her. Shocking the females of the Hiya. In their culture, if the Emperor bows, all of them should bow, and soon everyone but Astri’s family was bowing, too. Even the females of Hiya.
"Wow.. That was sothing I never saw happening so fast." Carist whispers to Galion.
"Should we bow..?" Dieg whispers to Wayde on his side.
Wayde shrugs his shoulders, not knowing the right answer.
"Goddess of Nature... It is an imnse honor for to be in your presence." Seijuurou says.
"I say the sa. It’s more than an honor to et such an amazing leader who makes a whole nation in balance. I can only thank you for trusting and empowering Nature." She says, and kneels, bowing to him the sa way.
He’s shocked to see her bowing to him, and he presses his forehead to the ground as he tries to be lower than her. Seeing Astri bowing to Seijuurou made her spouses and family also bow to him.
The females of the Hiya are questioning each other about why the Emperor is bowing. They couldn’t hear what he called Astri, and they’re not sure about the reason the Emperor is showing so much respect.
Astri raises her head, knowing that he wouldn’t raise first, and then holds his hand to make him stand up with her.
"Please, Your Highness. Do not feel lower than . I am just an image. You do all the work of making things possible. You and the Mizuryuus have been doing an amazing job of keeping the balance of your realm. If half of the world were like you, things would be so much more balanced. We appreciate you very much, and we’re very happy to know that future generations are to learn from you." She says.
He lost his voice for a mont. The way she treats him is not one of superiority, but also not putting herself lower than him. She’s pulling him to keep on the sa level, a place he never felt before, and he was feeling..fortable for once.
"I...appreciate your words. I’ll keep honoring Nature as long as I live, milady."
"And even after you go to the spiritual world, you will still affect the world." She says.
Everyone else raised their heads and stood up. Astri presents her family to the Emperor. Yuki watched the Emperor’s energy, and she could sense that he’s looking at Astri with the sa feeling she looked at her: As a caring mother.
For a grown male to look at her that way can only an that he’s lonely. He’s a great leader, a good male, but is lonely in his role.
Claud and Kangki also noticed that, by reading his mind, they can understand that his role is lonely. People see him as a faraway position; females only see him with the desire to have power. They can see that staying good in his position is not an easy task.
"Shall we?" Astri asks Renzai.
"Of course, milady. Please, Your Highness, it humbles us to have your presence in the Sacred Castle." Renzai nods.
"It is my honor, my friend. It’s always good to co here." Seijuurou smiles.
They go inside together and sit in the garden next to the Sacred River. Reigan slowly walked to Astri, after stealthily leaving Shinkou’s lap. She carries him and smooches his face, then puts him on her lap.
"My Reigan is actually getting used to a big family very well. I was worried he would feel left out." Astri ntions to herself, scratching Reigan’s head.
Astri tells her story to Seijuurou. He listened carefully and is very honored that sowhere in his realm was pure enough to save her.
"And you decided to live here? You deserve a Palace just for you." Seijuurou says.
"No. I still have many things to help the Beast Kingdom. However, living here gave many ideas of what to do there. And also help other realms."
"Oh... I forgot that while I worry only about my realm, you worry about the whole world.. That’s a very heavy weight, milady." He softly says.
What he said hit her family’s hearts intensely. They knew that she carried a heavy weight, but they took so ti to understand that, and they often forgot about it. Seijuurou could see that very fast, and they could understand he could do that because he carries a similar weight.
Renzai and Seiryuu also understand him since they also carry a responsibility that not everyone would willingly take.
While they were having tea, Astri started to ask questions to Seijuurou not about how he rules that realm, but about himself. Such as the kind of food he likes, or if he likes art. And at the sa ti, he feels pressured, because he rarely thinks about the things he likes, he’s also liking to think about it.
The energy was very pleasant, until they saw the females of Hiya marching their way. Renzai is looking at them with a grave expression, as if they have committed a serious cri.
"May I know the reason for this?" Renzai asks.
"I would like to know why these females are spending so much ti in a sacred area, and why do you spend so much ti with a female that is not , Lord Renzai." The oldest female asks.
Seiryuu pinches his nose, sighing disappointed and also ashad to see his mother doing sothing this low.
"Lady Kaede. Have you forgotten the rules of this Castle? Or rules to be in the presence of our Emperor?" Renzai asks.
"I do rember. I’m just asking why these rules are not being applied to them." Kaede says and points directly at Astri.
Astri rolls her eyes and looks at Seijuurou.
"This is a constant on every realm we go. Females always hate ." She whispers to him.
"Oh... That’s a sha." Seijuurou says, not liking that she’s being disrespected this way. "Master Renzai. Don’t they know who is here?"
"I deeply apologize, Your Grace." The females bow to him.
"Your presence is too great to be shared with people we don’t know, and that doesn’t look like from here." Keiko says.
"We’re just worried that these females are not aware of the rules to be females of the Hiya, Your Highness. My spouse apparently is keeping a blind eye on that." Kaede says.
All of them are wearing clothes that expose their collarbones and cleavage very much.
"Silence." Seijuurou says, and they quiet down, lowering their heads more.
Astri’s family is watching that carefully, because Seijuurou’s voice is sothing that even females need to quiet down. Normally, females never quit without being physically challenged sohow, and they obeyed him without him needing to raise his aura to scare them away. By only keeping his energy steady is enough to keep the females from getting closer.
"Apologize. Now." He orders.
"I deeply apologize, Your Grace." They bow, kneeling and lowering their heads on the ground.
"Not to ."
They look up, confused. Seijuurou looks at Renzai.
"They don’t know who they’re challenging?" Seijuurou asks.
"They’re not worthy to know if they can’t feel her presence. But since they beca so disrespectful, I need to intervene, my lord. I apologize, Lady Astri." Renzai answers.
"You don’t have to. I’m way too happy to be bothered by jealous females. I can’t bla them, either. You’re all honorable males, and I have amazing spouses." Astri says.
"We’re the ones that are honored to be sharing the sa space as you, Your Highness." Seijuurou says.
"You don’t have to call that way. Astri is just fine." Astri says, playing with Reigan with her hands, tickling his belly.
"I could not.."
"Lady Astri is very humble. She never treats us as if she is higher than us, even if she is." Seiryuu says.
"Higher than you?" Keiko asks, completely confused.
"Lady Astri is simply bigger than the Mizuryuus, bigger than . She’s the Goddess of Nature. She is Nature." Seijuurou says.
They gasp in shock, like they were hit on their faces with the most gracious punch.
"Impossible.." Kaede mouths, looking at Astri in shock.
"Are you implying that any ordinary female can trick , Lady Kaede?" Kenzai asks.
"No! It’s not that, my lord.."
"Then I suggest you keep your tongue quiet. And to cover yourselves. If a Divine Goddess does not dress provocatively, you should be ashad of doing so." Seijuurou says.
They quickly pull their yukatas, covering themselves more.
"Now, apologize to the Goddess." Renzai orders.
"I deeply apologize." They say in unison and bow to Astri.
"They’re not being truthful." Kangki says.
"I also believe that." Seijuurou says, smiling.
"I deeply apologize, Lady Astri!" The females repeat louder.
"Still not true." Kangki affirms.
The females look at Kangki, whose eyes are scary, which makes them look away. They’re worried that what he’s saying will make the Emperor give them a worse punishnt.
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