Chapter 90: Tension
Emperor Tai waited for King Aenon eagerly, sitting in the Palace's back pavilion, watching the never ending bright blue sky sipping his ginger tea and taking a bite of the moon cakes. King Aenon had zero interest in meeting up with him, but duty calls shouldn't be turned down, to him.
King Aenon made his way through the different palaces and ponds taking the longest route to the pavilion to take some time to think, trying to also think of the things he might say and order. But thing was sure that topic is going to be Huo, his return and his connection to Water Realm.
"What took you so long? I have been waiting here like for hours,"
"Apologies, your highness, I lost my way and went the opposite side of the palace and had to search the way once again from the entrance, it still confuses me, and I didn't want to exhaust my energy since apparated already," King Aenon explained.
"Fine, whatever ," Emperor Tai made rude remarks and continued to remain in the rotten mood. King Aenon controlled his temper and toon a seat though he was not asked to. Tai have him a look.
"What?" Water King and the Emperor. But Tai said nothing and directly got into the conversation.
"Did you not receive the letter from the Demon's Castle signed by the moonchild?" Emperor Tai asked.
"I did," Water King said.
"Are you happy?" Tai asked.
"Pardon me my lord," King Aenon said trying to be as humble as he could.
"Are you not happy that now your son in law is back, and any time Aqua could too?" Emperor asked, he looked absolutely bothered with the letter received.
"You really are great at making jokes your highness," Water King fake laughed.
"You must at the least have the common sense to know that am not joking but is under a very crucial circumstance," Emperor snapped at Aenon, who clenched his fists under the table. The clouds immediately turned gray like it is about to rain, filled with nimbo-cumulous clouds. Emperor Tai looked at the sky and got even more angrier.
"Are you not the descendant of the Shenlong why can't you control the weather and do a better job," When Emperor Tai made such a bad remark, King Aenon let it rain, literally pouring down in the part of the palace they were spending time in and let him drench in water while stayed without a drop of water touching him. "Stop them immediately, " he ordered.
"I'm not allowed to use my exquisite powers while am inside the Celestial Palace and get attention above you my lord," Aenon mocked the Emperor.
Emperor Tai hit the table with his right hand, "I said make it stop," he ordered Aenon who in a very cool mood got up and performed a magic by setting the sky to flood the portion of Emperor's palace alone. He wanted to laugh the man's face and dare not do it. The rain stopped and Aenon performed a spell to dry the wet Celestial King.
Emperor Tai relaxed and took a deep breath. King Aenon couldn't how easy it is to toy with he Emperor of the Heaven and felt shocked. He had proved that he doesn't deserve to be an Emperor by easily getting distracted with a matter like coronation. Easily spreading and earning hatred from the people around, to Aenon it was a surprise to see how people did not rebel against him at all. And realized how true it is that the wise kings never live long while the most crooked and bad reign over the kingdoms for thousands of years.
"Back to what I was saying, Huo has returned, did you meet him?" Tai asked directly what he wanted to know from Aenon.
"No, I didn't know about it until I received the letter," King Aenon lied plainly to not complicate things in his life.
"How can I believe that?" Tai asked.
"You don't have to, if you can't, but am not going to prove it to anybody," Wayer King snapped back the Emperor shutting down his running mouth.
"I.. I did not mean it that way, you know it," Tai tried to take back him words. Little did he know that it was the Water Realm who first discovered him, and then treated him when he was at his lowest, a week back, and kept him in the palace safely for number of day before Huo left back to Demon Realm and declared about his return. Tai had zero trusted followers, Water King could tell that straight, and not even the Empress of the Heavens backing him. "How did he manage to return? I want to know that," Aenon could understand from that question that Tai wmis well aware the doing of Aqua and her crystals. Instead of saying his daughter's name, he apologized to his late friend, the late Demon King Dritan and used his name.
"Dritan saved Huo, that is all I know, and about how, I have no idea,"
"Damn it," Emperor said. "I should have visited the battle ground that day, I could have turned the tables completely, " he cursed himself regretting how he tired to sit on the throne safely and sent his son only to see him die and guilt filled his heart. Aenon saw hiw easily Emperor Tai trusted his words and felt bed to be lying to a person since he also had no other go but protect his family form the cruel man's grip on them with the warning of extermination lying on their Water Clan. King Aenon carefully chose his place and pace in the game initiated. Aenon honestly did not want to see him sitting on the throne anymore.
"I must find the original heir to throne at any cost," Water King decided inside his head. "A fake Phoenix must end his tyranny if he can no longer be useful to the universe serving the people well, instead of hating the souls, exploiting the power, and finding fault at everyone, belittling them,"But Aenon had no idea about where to search for the original Phoenix descendants in the universe since almost everyone has been brutally murdered by Tai's father, the late Emperor of the Heaven.
"Do me a favour," Emperor Tai finally reached to the point of the meeting after all the drama.
"What is it?" Water King asked as if he had no clue.
"Go to the hell, Attend his crowning ceremony, be the witness and report it to me, about everything, the people you meet there, the crowd that supports him, the demon officials who are still in power, watch everyone and come report to me,"
"Is that all?" King Aenon asked sipping the tea the maid served him.
"That would be all Aenon," Empress Tai said. He did want to ask more about watching Volca and Fiona closely but did not want order them afraid to out his pride down and make the righteous Aenon doubt him.
Water King got up and looked at Tai directly at his face. "I will go there myself," he said and prepared to leave.
"Take that Grand Prince with you, " Tai suggested.
"Why?"
"Because he should know what the enemy's court looks like, as one of the Heaven's future leader, teach him well, even though he has committed an unpardonable crime," Tai reminded Aenon of several things.
"I have my daughter Milan to take my throne and as for Aiden, he will make a good leader maybe, but we were ready, even he was ready to get the punishment if in return you executed those two Demonesses, but you did not, hence we are not willing to give up on our son," he said and kept his porcelain tea cup down with a thud.
"Let's not discuss about the past and reopen the healed wounds," Tai said and tried to cover up the topic.
"My wounds never healed, " Aenon said before he took off.
"Ours, Ours Aenon," Tai said reminding him how he also is a father who lost his only heir to throne. Aenon respected that, he bowed and he left the celestial palace as quick as he could apparating the moment he stepped out of the gates.
He rushed back to Water Realm and asked for Aiden immediately to make a little change in their plan.
"Not in two days, " he said to his nephew. "We can't go to Human Realm Day after tomorrow, we will have to postpone and settle down something else first,"
"What?" Aiden asked disappointed.
"We are assigned to go watch Huo and the moves he makes, witness his coronation and report back immediately, " Aenon informed Aiden and his Aiden is commanded to accompany the Water King along.
"I really hate that man, I do," Aiden declared his hatred for Emperor Tai and accepted the request to accompany his uncle to the Demon Realm for the coronation ceremony just like he did before accompanying Aqua and Milan years back. The flashback ached his heart. The time he discovered how Aqua will never belong to him. And within the few weeks after he caught her, she left saying goodbye forever. Aiden's eyes filled with tears and he wiped them before his uncle caught him. He then took his leave and drunk himself sleep. "I can only do this, immerse myself into the miserable ache and past memories of you, my love," and he fell asleep for a long time.