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ONCE Angelina and Ryuho were alone in their room, both sighed deeply at the same time.
“I don’t like this place,” Ryuho said, gazing out the window. “It’s weird. Should I burn everything to the ground?”
Angelina smiled stiffly at this disturbing proposal. “No, that would be terrible. The Vinkas wouldn’t have anywhere to go.”
Ryuho slapped his tail against the floor. “That Kalavinka gives me the creeps. I don’t care what happens to this place. Are you sure you’re okay, Lina?”
“Everyone here only calls me the Polaris Princess…”
Angelina understood Ryuho’s anger all too well. It felt as though she were losing her individuality. The people here only wanted her for her status as the Polaris Princess. Despite valuing her title, they had no appreciation for Angelina herself.
To Angelina, her name represented her precious individuality. In the past, she’d simply been called That. She’d been of so little value that no one had given her a name. Because of this, she hadn’t found her reason for being. Receiving the name Angelina had felt like permission to exist as her own person.
Angelina was both the imperial princess and the Polaris Princess. It was natural for the daoshi to call her the latter. Yet even though she’d visited as a representative of the royal family, no one had called her Angelina or simply Princess even once. She sensed a certain stubbornness behind this decision. Despite everyone’s kind words and expressions, a sense of uneasiness bordering on threatening plagued her. She felt constricted as if a snake were slowly coiling itself around her. It was growing hard to breathe—and not solely because of the thin air.
“That old hag suddenly ordering you to take the exam is weird,” Ryuho said.
“Yeah, it doesn’t seem like she’ll take no for an answer. Hopefully, the weather clears up tomorrow. Then we’ll be able to go home, right?”
Maybe they intend to confine me here until I take the exam, regardless of whether the rain stops, Angelina thought. If that happens…
Overcome with anxiety, she hung her head.
“If it’s still misty tomorrow, you can ride on my back, and we’ll escape together!” Ryuho shouted. “If you wear lots of clothes to keep warm, you won’t catch a cold, right?”
“But if we do that, Big Brudder’s ascension ceremony might end in failure…”
That worried Angelina. If the Heavenly Sovereign Temple didn’t approve of the Solar Announcement Ceremony, they might not approve of Kyril as the crown prince.
“Feilong and Kyril won’t care about that!” Ryuho exclaimed.
Certainly, neither would scold Angelina for running away. However, she would disappoint Tomi and possibly give the hostile nobles a reason to revolt. Considering this, she wanted to ensure the ascension ceremony’s success at any cost.
Steeling herself, Angelina lifted her head. “…If we can’t go home tomorrow, I’ll take the exam.”
“You want to belong to the Garuda?” Ryuho asked, digging his forehead into Angelina’s side.
In response, she squeezed him in her arms. “No, I don’t. I won’t let that happen. So you’ll stay by my side, won’t you?”
“Yep. I’ll never let the Garuda have you!”
Ryuho gave Angelina a big, wet lick on the cheek. Afterward, they curled up like two kittens from the same litter and slept.
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🐅 🐅 🐅
THE next morning, Mt. Jinlong was clear of rain and mist.
“See, the matriarch is a liar!” Ryuho shouted. He howled at the sky, his voice reverberating across the mountain. Startled birds beat their wings and flew away.
Later, a former Vinka brought them breakfast. The meal consisted of lavish porridge sprinkled with gold dust, freshly fried dough, and still-steaming milk tea. The gentle texture of the rice porridge warmed Angelina’s heart and body.
After she’d eaten her fill of scrumptious food, the matriarch arrived. “The recent downpour washed away the bridge spanning the river,” the woman said. “We’re currently restoring it, but since we’re all women on Mt. Jinlong, the repairs will take some time…”
“The bridge is broken?” Angelina asked for confirmation.
“Yes. I didn’t mention this before for fear of worrying you…”
Angelina suddenly felt trapped with nothing to rely upon.
When will the bridge be repaired? she wondered. When will I be able to go home? What are Kyril and Father doing?
Angelina had thought she could go home when the weather cleared. According to the matriarch, however, the bridge had been washed away. Unfortunately, Angelina had no way of confirming the truth.
“The soldiers at the foot of the mountain have set up a temporary camp while waiting for the bridge to be repaired,” the matriarch said. “We’ve sent them a letter attached to an arrow asking them to return to the capital.”
The woman’s friendly smile caused a shiver to run down Angelina’s spine.
“No way the bridge is broken,” Ryuho muttered under his breath.
Angelina nodded lightly. The mist and the bridge being washed away were just excuses to buy time. The matriarch didn’t intend to let Angelina return home until she agreed to become a Vinka.
After realizing that, Angelina steeled herself and looked the matriarch directly in the eye. “If it is the will of the Holy Garuda, I’ll take the exam.”
Her resolute tone—which sounded nothing like a young girl—caused the matriarch to hesitate. Perhaps this is the majesty of the Polaris Princess, she thought.
“In that case—!” the matriarch began, but Angelina cut her off.
“However, I would like Ryuho to accompany me.”
“But—”
“I promised to never leave my divine guardian’s side at the Heavenly Sovereign Mausoleum. Even if I become a Vinka, that won’t change.”
When Ryuho nestled close to Angelina, she patted his back softly.
Hearing the name the Heavenly Sovereign Mausoleum, the matriarch bit her lip. She couldn’t overturn a decision already made by her own order. The Starlight Mausoleum was a holy site and the empire’s oldest temple. Nevertheless, the Heavenly Sovereign Mausoleum was higher ranked and more exalted, as it belonged to the palace. The matriarch couldn’t scorn such an establishment.
“Understood,” she said. “I’ll tell the Vinkas to explain the process to you, and we’ll carry out the exam tomorrow.”
The matriarch smiled, for the Vinka exam was a mere formality. Very few girls failed at this stage. So long as Angelina took the test, the matriarch could appoint her as a Vinka. She would accomplish this no matter what. If successful, even the cruel Emperor Feilong wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on the Heavenly Sovereign Temple.
Unlike previous emperors, Feilong seemed to hold the faith in contempt. He hadn’t conducted the proper rituals for three whole years, citing the mourning period as his pretext. He’d even been reluctant to hold the recent ascension ceremony.
Furthermore, the military force accompanying Angelina for this ceremony was the largest in history. That had given everyone a glimpse of Feilong’s distrust. The matriarch suspected him of trying to destroy their entire religion someday. Therefore, she needed a trump card with which they could protect themselves.
“May I have the Kalavinka teach me?” Angelina asked, adopting a dignified tone. “As the Polaris Princess, I cannot disgrace myself.”
The matriarch nodded. “Of course. I don’t mind that in the slightest.”
At last, Angelina had become assertive about taking the exam. The matriarch smiled sinisterly. Their luxurious hospitality must have changed the young girl’s mind.