บท 11: THE RIDE TO THE PALACE BANQUET
The much awaited 18th name day of youngest prince came shortly.
Exactly after three days since the emperor started sending invitations to every clans, they started riding their way to the palace.
On the Mu Clan residence, a certain little girl was secretly eyeing the carriages lining on their courtyard.
" I wonder how crazy this people could be??! Who sane person would think of using gemstones as an ornament?!!!" Mu Lingxi asked in disbelief.
She stared fixedly at one of the blue gemstone deeply engraved into one of the carriages.
"Haaaayyy... If I could just take home even just one sapphire as big as this one, it would be enough to give me a life of fortune" she sighed as she touched the sapphire attached on the carriage's door longingly.
"MEOW"
[Quit that looked you silly girl, you looked like you were about to kissed that stone. ]
"Hmp! Good for you, you don't care about money but not me. Can't you see this one???? Once we sell it, I could buy you whiskas for as many as you wanted!"
She answered as if encouraging her cat to help her dig out the stone.
"MEOW"
[ Not before you got yourself in trouble, and maybe have your hands chopped in the process. What do you think? ]
Janus reminded her sarcastically.
"Tsssss... kill joy"
Lingxi pouted as they climbed inside the carriage. After she settled herself on her sit she looked at her cat and asked,
"Oh, where is Yanyan by the way?" she remember the fragile looking girl who was always following her like a shadow. It was a surprise not seeing her.
"MEOW" [ She seems running around, looking for something. ] the black cat said without much interest.
They waited until the servants finished loading the remaining carriages with all of the gift prepared for the upcoming banquet. Before they departed, Yanyan arrived still catching her breath. It seems that she was really running around all this time.
"Goodness! Gracious! I've been worried sick that you decided to run amok again this time, I've been looking for you since this morning" Yanyan looked relieved seeing her young miss sitting quietly inside the carriage
"Am I really that troublesome????" she wondered why would Yanyan take her as a willful child that needs to be supervised 24\7 .
Instead of confirming her thought. Yanyan bit her lips and lower her head, still panting heavily.
"MEOW" [Ohh?? I see.... It seems like she was really running around but she was not looking for something but for
[S-O-M-E-O-N-E. ] Janus said as he looked backed to Mu Lingxi, nodding with a face saying now-I-know.
Mu Lingxi felt loss when she saw the reaction of Yanyan and her cat Janus. To saved herself from this awkwardness she looked outside of the window, and said "Let's get going"
One by one, the carriages lined the street in long succession. These beautiful carriages blinded the eyes of the observer with its extravagance as they paraded it outside the gate. As if afraid that someone might missed how wealthy they were, they decorated their carriages with colorful gems in all sizes.
Each of the carriages was attached to a magical flying beast. These beasts has a body of an eagle in its front and a hind half of a horse, commonly known as hippogriff.
After a while the carriages set off one after another. With the carriages attached to their end, the hippogriff started to fly their way towards the palace.
"OHH! A hippogriff! It's a hippogriff! WATDA!!! I never thought a creature like that would exist in this world as well!" Lingxi said excitedly
"MEOW" [ Little lad, now I wonder if you had taken your medicine or not? You seems to be overly excited. It's just a beast. Don't make a big fuss out of it. ]
"Hmp! You won't understand even if I tell you. It was like a dream come true to see a hippogriff. I feel like I was just a one step away from Hogwarts" she said longingly as she continued looking on her window holding her batted breath. It seems like her eyes will soon turn into heart shape as she was looking to those flying beast lovingly.
"MEOW" [ You're hopeless. ] Janus felt tired arguing to her overzealous master.
Meanwhile, Yanyan on the sideline who was observing Mu Lingxi's weird affectionate gaze had a question mark all over her face. She was perplex to see her young miss staring fixated outside the window while smiling like a lovestruck fool out of nowhere
Of course she don't have any idea what was the master and cat duo was talking about since they were bantering through their mental telepathy right from the start.
There is no way she would be able to hear their conversation.
It was a safe and smooth journey. The flying beasts can be seen flying like a flock of birds. Although it looks like an oversize group of birds from afar.
After almost three hours of riding, the hippogriff started to descend and then not too long they reached the ground smoothly.
"Woah! it's a long ride. My butt has been all sore from the ride. I can't wait to get out of this carriage.
"Don't worry young miss, we're almost there." Yanyan assured her.
She waited for a couple of minutes but the carriage has no sign of stopping.
"I thought we're almost there?! It's been a while already since we reach the ground why are we still travelling?" Lingxi was having a headache.
Honestly speaking she preferred the ride when they were still flying. At least up there all she have to worry was her butt getting sore from sitting too long. But when they travel on ground, the carriage started to wobble and the continuous shaking due to rough road was so uncomfortable. She was getting motion sick and it send her on the edge of vomiting.
Seeing the discomfort on Mu Lingxi's face, Yanyan felt sorry for her. Her young miss was never used from getting uncomfortable so she was worried how she feel right now.
"I'm really sorry for this inconvenience young miss but we really can't travel through air once we enter the main city Rising Sun. His majesty personally asked a sorceress before to enchant a protective formation within the 1k radius of the palace to avoid unwanted guest. Anyone who wished to enter the palace must travel on ground." Yanyan said apologetically
Mu Lingxi just nodded and closed her eyes. She don't blame Yanyan at all for her discomfort but it is just that she really don't like how it feels.
Mu Lingxi was carrying her little black Janus in her lap. When Janus looked up he saw how his master's mood quickly change from an energetic willful child into being lethargic.
After licking himself as like how a typical cat cleaned themselves, the little black cat stretched its back and climbed carefully at Lingxi's shoulder. He settled himself next to Mu Lingxi's neck and curled its body. After getting into his comfortable position the black cat close its eyes and resume sleeping.
Mu Lingxi felt her cat stirred from her lap and moved to his neck. She was too tired travelling and sick from the occasional rocking of the carriage so she don't mind her cat for the meantime as she focused herself on her breathing in an attempt to ease her discomfort. But the low purring sound of her cat Janus permeated her hearing. Together with its warm and soft body, Janus presense calmed Mu Lingxi and her previous exhaustion was eventually being washed away like a tide. Her worn-out body soon relaxed and as if working its magic, before she knew it, she was already dozing.
While she was sleeping, she had a weird dream. She dreamed of how she will dig out the precious stones from the carriages without anyone knowing.
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