Chapter 14: Ch 14. Stubborn Man
The servant hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head. "Your Highness, I’m afraid that won’t be possible. King Phoenix always hates it when people come to disturb him after he’s gone to sleep at night. So it seems I won’t be able to do it—even if I managed to get there, his personal guards would just chase me away," the servant explained.
"Oh, really?"
The servant nodded, then said cautiously, "King Phoenix doesn’t like to be disturbed at night—that’s an open secret in this palace. Not even Lord Sovel or his personal attendants are allowed to approach him at night. Once, there was a new servant who didn’t know that rule; he accidentally entered King Phoenix’s room at night and was beheaded the very next day," said the servant, causing Selena to let out an exasperated sigh.
Jhon Nix and all the illnesses he kept secret from everyone—that was why he never got better. He didn’t even try to let anyone know so they could take care of him; Selena truly realized that, aside from being secretive, he was also incredibly foolish.
"What a hassle! That stubborn man! He could die if he doesn’t drink this," Selena muttered, then finally pushed aside the blanket. "Take me to his room—I’ll go see him myself."
The servant nodded obediently and walked over to open the room’s door. Selena adjusted the sleeve of her nightgown, which had slipped down, then followed the servant toward King Phoenix’s palace.
The palace seemed fairly quiet, with several guards standing watch—their faces almost identical. Since they were in the Fox Palace grounds, most of them had pointed ears and long tails.
"Is the Fox King already asleep?" Selena asked, thinking of that man.
"Yes, Your Highness. The King has gone to his room and hasn’t come out yet; he’s likely already resting," the servant replied obediently.
Selena nodded; she knew Vylen had already left the reading room and had even decided to confine his father to the old man’s room for a while before making a decision.
Earlier, Vylen had met with her to inform her of this, and Selena had allowed him to take charge. For now, the old man couldn’t be put to death right away; Selena had some rather suspicious premonitions. So she still considered him useful and felt she needed to interrogate him herself later.
Selena also didn’t quite understand the premonitions and vague visions that appeared in her mind. She also didn’t yet fully know what constituted her codes or powers. She’d only acquired them this morning, so she still wanted to study them and simply follow her body’s movements and instincts.
Staring at the cup in her hand, Selena had reflexively picked it up and snapped her fingers. She wasn’t sure if this would work or not, although she remembered that earlier that morning she’d been able to immediately neutralize the poison in Dali Hawksen’s body.
"Your Highness, we’ve arrived."
Selena gazed at the entrance gate to the Phoenix Palace, which wasn’t very large—after all, their section of the palace in this area wasn’t very big either. This was merely the main palace, where they would reside after she married him. Each of them had their own palace in different locations.
"Your Highness, do you need anything?" asked a guard stationed at the Phoenix Palace gate politely.
"Is the King of Phoenix already asleep?"
"It seems so; I saw Lord Sovel leave his room a little while ago," replied the guard.
Selena gazed toward the gate, her gaze piercing through the air until she sensed Jhon’s presence—he was on the verge of death. He was curled up on the bed, writhing in pain as the fiery aura surrounding his body began to blaze.
It was as if two battles were raging within him—a battle between the cursed flames that continued to burn his heart and his own power, which was slowly rebelling to fight the pain while simultaneously building a defensive barrier.
If left any longer, the man could die, destroyed by the flames within his heart and his own burning power.
"Open the door," Selena ordered with a firm gaze. "I want to go in."
"Your Highness, I’m afraid it might put you in danger," the guard replied quickly, his expression turning worried. "His Majesty the King does not like to be disturbed while he’s sleeping; he could get very angry."
"He has no power to get angry at me—right now, he actually needs me." Selena glared at him. "Open this gate, or else tomorrow morning you’ll find him dead, and you’ll lose your King!"
Hearing her serious tone, and realizing the change in this woman’s identity—which had been confirmed by the Eldoria World Council—the guard finally ordered his subordinates to open the gate.
"Be careful, Your Highness. Let me accompany you," said the guard, following Selena as she entered the Phoenix Palace.
Armed with the old memories of the body’s original owner and the clues she’d gleaned from the hot aura emanating from Jhon’s body, Selena hurried over and found Sovel.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?" he asked, bowing respectfully.
"Is the door locked?" Selena asked, prompting Sovel to nod.
"The King always locks his bedroom door before going to sleep, and it seems tonight is no exception. I’ve been keeping watch outside because I feel a bit uneasy—the aura of heat emanating from his room is very strong tonight. After hearing what you said in court this morning, I intended to keep an eye on him—just in case Your Majesty’s illness flared up again tonight. But he wouldn’t let me in at all or let me fetch his medicine," Sovel said with a worried expression.
Selena sighed in exasperation. "Such a stubborn, self-righteous man—if he dies, he’ll just be a burden to everyone," she grumbled irritably, causing Sovel’s eyes to widen.
"Your Highness, is the King in danger?" Sovel asked anxiously; his face tensed so much that his eyes glinted slightly.
"Open this door immediately, no matter what it takes! After that, you’ll see for yourself how he’s doing," Selena said without answering his question.
Sovel seemed to sense that this was an emergency and immediately kicked the door open. As soon as it swung open, a wave of heat surged out, causing them to cover their faces for a few seconds.
Selena did the same, but only briefly, before she finally darted inside.
"Who gave you permission to open my door?!" Jhon snapped, his voice crackling with pain. "Get out! Get out of here!" he shouted.
Selena watched him angrily shoo them away, even though he was curled up on the floor, unable to open his eyes.
Ugh, this tough-guy act is so annoying!
"Your Majesty... Oh my God, the Sacred Phoenix Flame inside your body is about to explode!" Sovel said in a panic, trying to approach him, but the searing heat forced him to stop three steps away from Jhon.
"Don’t worry about it! Get out!" Jhon snapped rudely; even lying there on the bed, he looked like a weak bird unable to control himself.
Jhon’s body also occasionally seemed to transform into a phoenix, and his face would at times take on a terrifying, dying expression. This made Selena realize that this was the limit of his ability to endure the pain in his chest.
His body shifted into its true form as a phoenix to create a stronger shield, though it didn’t help at all. The pain remained the same.
"Get out of my room! You don’t need to worry about me! Get out, Sovel—"
"You’re about to die but you’re still acting tough. I hate this arrogant attitude of yours, King Phoenix," Selena interjected coldly, instantly silencing him.