Chapter 9: Angelina’s Coronation
FIVE years had passed since Yule Castle’s collapse. The lake water had been drained little by little, and the restoration of Yule had begun. The sight of Yule right after the draining had been heartrending. Only the collapsed castle and dilapidated city remained. Nevertheless, the Yulan citizens who gathered there today wore peaceful expressions. Their country had been stolen, forcing them to become nomads. The joy of returning home outweighed anything else.
Yule Castle had crumbled to dust. The hexagonal prism tower had collapsed, and it was impossible to tell where the queen’s room had been. Likewise, the golden tree Rachiel had been bound to had withered. Of course, the platform had been blown away as well. Only the bell remained. Rachiel and his wife—the inaugural Queen of Yule—had forged it together. During the founding of Yule, they’d rung the bell while praying for happiness.
Feilong had urged Angelina to consider repairing the castle as the first step in restoring the nation. He’d considered this her duty as the Queen of Yule. Ultimately, Angelina decided to build a concert hall over the ruins. Though Yulans viewed the castle as a holy site, Rachiel probably wanted to forget about it after his long imprisonment.
And if we rebuild the castle, people might suspect the Yulan Secrets Arts are sealed there, Angelina thought. We can’t allow that conflict to brew again.
That said, she’d been reluctant to destroy the bell, as it was a relic of Rachiel’s dead wife. While considering a plan to preserve it, she’d finally decided to build a concert hall on the castle ruins. There, she would repurpose the bell as a decoration.
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THE opening ceremony of the concert hall had arrived. Yulan citizens gathered to see the unveiling of their country’s new symbol. The concert hall was shaped like a mortar bowl with a roof over the stage. While the golden bell sparkled atop the roof, the audience seats were partially outdoors with a moveable roof.
During springtime in Yule, snow still blanketed the ground, and the chilly air bit into one’s skin. Nonetheless, snowdrop flowers had finally begun to sprout from the crevices of the white powder.
Angelina left the greenroom in a Yulan dress. She also wore a collared cape with silver fur to protect against the cold. Feilong had personally hunted a rare, mystical fox to provide his beloved daughter with it. Of course, he’d also enchanted the cape with protective magic. The cruel emperor’s love for his daughter grew more terrifying with each passing day.
Recently, Angelina had turned ten years old. After her coming-of-age ceremony, presiding over the opening ceremony would be her first official duty. As the Imperial Princess of Jinlong and Queen of Yule, she would conduct the music at the concert hall—the symbol of Yule’s restoration.
Her white, knee-length dress had been woven from silkworm thread and decorated lavishly with delicate lace. Furthermore, the garment had been embroidered with silver thread. To top it all off, crimson rubies modeled after the Tianshi’s Protective Seal sparkled on the fabric here and there. Her white, high-laced boots were quite warm as well. Finally, she wore white wings on her back per Rachiel’s request. Altogether, she could have been mistaken for a tianshi in this outfit.
“Are you sure this isn’t weird?” Angelina asked, her cheeks flushing.
She posed that question to Ryuho, who was waiting in front of the greenroom with Hisame. While Ryuho held the conductor’s baton, Hisame held the sheet music. Both boys had decided to join Angelina on stage.
“Whoa!” Ryuho shouted, his cheeks turning red as well. “You look cute! So cute!”
He always called Angelina cute, no matter what she wore. Even so, his straightforward compliment still made her happy.
“I’m serious—you’re cute as a button!” Ryuho exclaimed. “It must’ve hurt when you fell from Heaven ’cause you look like a tianshi!” As Ryuho shouted excitedly, ears popped out of his head, and a tail sprouted from his lower back. “Huh?! Are you kidding me?! Why did that just happen?!”
Ryuho had maintained his human form for the past five years. He hadn’t transformed into a tiger since declaring his intent to become human in front of Rachiel. Bewildered, he tried to shove his ears back down.
“You’re getting overexcited, Ryuho,” Hisame said with a wry smile.
Still, Angelina’s cute enough that I understand his excitement, he thought.
“But I suppose I can’t blame him,” Hisame continued with rosy cheeks. “You look very beautiful, Angelina.”
“…Thanks, Hisame,” Angelina replied, slightly embarrassed.
Her stomach churned with nerves. Soon, she would have to stand on stage and address everyone as the Queen of Yule. Afterward, she would conduct the concert hall’s opening ceremony. Her hands quivered at the idea of conducting in front of such a large audience for the first time.
“What if I mess up?” she mumbled, her heart racing.
“You’ll be okay,” Ryuho answered, sticking out his hand. “I’m right here with you.”
When Angelina took his hand, Hisame held out his hand from the opposite side. “I’m here too.”
“Yeah!” Angelina exclaimed.
Thus, the three children walked to the stage while holding hands. A great number of traveling performers filled the orchestra seats. A Yulan troupe would perform for the opening ceremony rather than a famous orchestra. Angelina took up position in front of the music stand at the center of the stage. Hisame let go of Angelina’s hand and unfolded the sheet music atop the stand.
The Yulan audience stirred. A strange figure stood on either side of the young, angelic girl. One was a Nanranese prince with tiger ears and a tail. The other was an Andan prince with fangs and a horn growing from his forehead. As the crowd’s murmurings grew louder, Angelina recoiled.
In response, Ryuho took her trembling hand again, his grip warm and strong. At the same time, Hisame took her other hand softly. His cool, gentle grip helped calm Angelina’s nerves. When she lifted her head and looked around the theater seats, she found two suspicious figures lurking behind the rearmost pillars.
“Oh crap,” Ryuho swore under his breath. “Should the emperor even be here?”
Feilong and Kyril had come to the concert hall in secret. Noticing Angelina’s stare, they scrambled behind the pillars.
Father and Kyril are such worrywarts, Angelina thought. Mixed exasperation and happiness caused her lips to tug into a smile. But yeah, I’ll be okay. I’m not alone anymore.
As Angelina took a deep breath, Ryuho squeezed her hand encouragingly. When she looked at his radiant smile, her heart raced. Not from nerves, however. This happened every so often when she looked at Ryuho as of late, causing her face to boil.
“Are you okay?” Hisame asked.
With a jolt, Angelina fixed a smile on her face and took a deep breath.
“Thank you for attending Yule Concert Hall’s opening ceremony,” she said to the crowd. “I hope you enjoy the music and each other’s company!”
Angelina raised her arms while holding Ryuho and Hisame’s hands. The three children—who were so different in appearance—smiled while keeping their fingers interlaced. That coaxed a smile from the Yulans as it suggested a peaceful future. One in which diverse people groups joined hands.
Hisame unfolded the sheet music on top of the music stand. At the same time, Ryuho let go of Angelina and presented her with the conductor’s baton with both hands. After taking the baton, Angelina exchanged glances with the boys, who disappeared into the wing. Now alone on the stage, Angelina gulped. As the stares from the orchestra nearly crushed her, Ryuho’s voice echoed in her head.
“You’ll be just fine, Lina!”
Ryuho hadn’t been able to use telepathy since becoming fully human. Angelina waved the baton upwards, his voice encouraging her. At that moment, Rachiel appeared in the upper air.
“It’s a tianshi!” multiple people cheered in unison.
When Rachiel pointed to Angelina, the audience gasped and turned their attention back to her. With all eyes on her, Angelina waved the baton down, and the orchestra began performing the Yulan National Anthem. The music rang out in perfect harmony. The troupe performed with a diverse range of instruments procured during their travels. Various sounds mingled together, including eastern flutes, western bells, southern drums, and northern organs.
Meanwhile, Rachiel sang in the blue sky, and the Yulan people accompanied him. The entire concert hall joined together in song. As the final note of the choral national anthem began to fade, the golden bell rang out. A loud peal preceded a deep, resonant clang. As that repeated seven times, the Yulan citizens turned their gazes skywards. Angelina looked up as well.
“This tolling marks the queen’s coronation…” someone mumbled.
Overcome with emotion, the Yulan people looked up at the golden bell. Tears ran down some of their faces. As Ryuho and Hisame also turned their gazes skyward, Rachiel descended and kissed Angelina on the head. He crowned her with a silver tiara. Three rubies in the center formed the Tianshi’s Protective Seal. The blood-red gemstones reflected the sunlight, standing out in clear relief against the blue sky. The crowd fell deathly quiet upon witnessing this solemn occurrence.
Rachiel hugged Angelina from behind with both arms. At the same time, his fluffy, white wings enfolded her in a blissful embrace. “Angelina Xin Lei is the new Queen of Yule!” Rachiel cried. “She has received a crown from Heaven!”
The crowd jolted as if awakening from a dream. “Long live Queen Angelina!” they cheered in unison. “Long live Queen Angelina! Long live Queen Angelina!”
“Sing for us again, Queen Angelina!” someone shouted.
As Angelina gaped, Rachiel winked at her. “The coronation anthem comes next.”
Smiling, Angelina lifted her baton again. The Tianshi’s Protective Seal glowed warmly on her raised fist. A hush fell over the crowd as everyone awaited her forthcoming words.
“Our next song is the coronation anthem!” she declared, waving her baton down.
Music filled the theater. The magic overflowing from the baton swept up everyone’s singing voices and spread them throughout the entire country. Peach-colored light transformed into raindrops and fell from the sky.
“It’s a sun shower!” Ryuho shouted, reaching out his hands to catch the rain. Without thinking, he licked his palms. “And it’s sweet!”
Hisame licked his hands as well before looking up at the sky raptly. “It’s literally nectar from Heaven. It’s making me feel kind of euphoric.”
The fragrant spring rain melted the snow. Flowers began to bloom, and people laughed with each other. Birds sang, trees rustled in the wind, and light danced all around them. Voices extolling Angelina rang out across the spring sky.
Who would believe I was once a nameless princess? she wondered with a laugh.
She recalled her past lives. Resolving to live during those painful days opened up new paths. Fortuitous meetings had repaired relationships. Bonds formed through forgiveness had given birth to incredible love.
Rachiel hugged Angelina again. Then, he flew skywards, getting drenched in the sweet rain and disappearing into the fluffy clouds. At once, the rain stopped, and the clouds dispersed. The sky was now so bright and sunny as to be mysterious.
Did he go back to his home in Heaven? Angelina mused.
The idea filled her with relief. Nonetheless, she never wanted to forget the gentleness of his white wings.