Episode 100
Three hundred years ago, Barbados I, the founding emperor of Belpator, attended the Spirit Festival at Lake Beryl.
It was purely by chance that he stumbled upon the true “Spirit Festival of the Lake,” where the lake spirit and her animal friends celebrated together. While the festival was lively and bustling with all kinds of animals and spirits, Barbados I, an uninvited guest, wandered alone by the lakeshore, unable to join in.
Moved by his solitude, the lake spirit introduced him to new friends: a snake, an eagle, and a dog—the three beasts. With their help, Barbados I founded the Belpator Empire—or so the legend goes.
Thus, Belpator’s Founding Festival is less about the emperor himself and more about honoring the three beasts who became his allies. During the festival, citizens participate in various events, choosing to embody one of the three beasts. The idea is to emulate the beasts who helped establish the empire, wishing for the empire’s continued prosperity.
Every fall, the streets resonate with the voices of children arguing over which beast they’ll portray:
“I’m going to be the eagle!”
“No way, I’m the eagle! You be the snake!”
“No! You were the eagle last year! It’s my turn this time!”
These disputes weren’t limited to children. Some proudly declared they had been dogs their whole lives, flaunting their steadfast preferences. Others invoked family traditions, claiming their lineage had always been snakes. There were even couples who spent the festival in separate rooms because the wife chose to be a snake and the husband a dog.
For many, this deep immersion had less to do with loyalty to the empire and more to do with the Founding Festival’s Athletic Games. The games were the only empire-wide recreational event and featured three competitions over the five-day festival: tag on the first day, trivia on the third, and tug-of-war on the final day.
Each beast faction selected 100 participants to compete, and this year’s enthusiasm was as intense as ever. Looking around at the cheering spectators, I commented, “Everyone seems to be having fun.”
“I heard some people wait all year just for this,” Lothania replied, her ruby-red eyes sparkling with excitement.
The tag game that marked the beginning of the festival was about to start. Participants were already growling at each other across the field. Was it over-commitment to character? They even mimicked the growling.
At least our beasts don’t fight anymore, I thought.
“But with only dogs and eagles, I wonder if it’ll be as exciting,” I said.
“That’s why they decided to call the game early this year, Mother. Whichever faction wins the majority rounds will take the victory,” Lothania explained, watching as 100 eagles prepared to hide.
For 300 years, the games had been a three-way contest, but this year, for the first time, it was a duel between dogs and eagles. No one stepped forward to represent the snakes.
Understandable, given that the snake—symbolized by the disgraced Zernia family—was currently imprisoned for kidnapping the Empress. The Zernia family had always attracted many supporters, partly due to their sharp minds and partly due to their famed beauty, but it seemed their legacy had taken a hard hit.
Soon, the tag game began. The eagles ran to hide while the dogs started their pursuit.
As Lothania predicted, the game ended faster than usual. The dogs emerged victorious, and the Royal Arena erupted in cheers. Supporters of the eagles stamped their feet in frustration.
Meanwhile, the real dog, Aiden, remained on high alert, scanning the surroundings, and the real eagle, Vitrain, didn’t even bother showing up. But none of that mattered to the citizens, who were fully immersed in the joy of the festival.
* * *
The next day, Lothania and I wore matching crimson dresses symbolizing the Luminal royal family and headed to the Royal Arena.
Tens of thousands of citizens and nobles filled the arena, their faces alight with excitement and their cheers reverberating through the air.
Finally, the Founding Festival of Belpator had begun.
After the game of tag concluded, Lothania and I hurried back to the palace. The imperial palace was bustling with activity, almost chaotic.
It was the first grand banquet held since the late emperor’s death, and Chamberlain Tito had been rushing tirelessly for days, commanding the palace staff with precision. The maids were also working with intense focus, their determination reflecting in their every movement.
As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, the head maid’s eyes gleamed with excessive zeal. For the first day of the banquet, the imperial designer had chosen a blue dress inspired by the spirit of Beryl Lake. While there wasn’t a single day when my attire as Empress wasn’t extraordinary, even I had to admit today’s outfit was exceptionally resplendent.
Once my preparations were complete, I turned to find Lothania sitting beside Aiden, enthusiastically patting his shoulder.
“Mother, you look so beautiful! Aiden! Are you even looking? Look at my mother!”
Even without her prompting, Aiden was already staring at me with a dazed expression. He looked utterly captivated, as though Lothania’s playful smacks hadn’t even registered.
“Mother, you’re just like the spirit of the lake! You’re stunning! Aiden! Say something! Isn’t she breathtaking?”
“She’s beautiful,” Aiden murmured, still in a trance.
Lothania smacked his shoulder even harder, her youthful voice rising. “You fool! That’s not enough! You should say she’s so dazzling you might go blind!”
Though Aiden remained oblivious to her blows, I started to grow concerned. He hadn’t blinked in a while, and his lack of reaction to Lothania’s firm strikes suggested he might end up with a dislocated shoulder. My dear Lothania had inherited the fierce spirit of an emperor, and her hands were far from gentle.
I approached and gently rescued Aiden’s shoulder.
“Lothania, you look absolutely adorable today. Like a fairy.”
“I know, Mother! Anna said today’s theme is the Fire Fairy!”
Lothania twirled in her fiery red dress, the fluttering skirt creating a mesmerizing sight. She was so endearing it felt like my eyes might burn from the brilliance.
Her birthday was fast approaching, and my sweet daughter would soon turn thirteen. As I admired her now, I found myself torn—eager to see the graceful beauty she would become, yet wistful for her to remain my fairy-like child forever.
Suppressing the urge to pinch her round cheeks, I leaned down and asked quietly, “Did you visit the library today?”
Lothania’s cheerful demeanor instantly faltered. She pouted and let out a huff. “There’s no point in going.”
Her pouty expression suggested that Melbrid hadn’t told her she was too adorable for words—yet another grievance against the boy.
I briefly considered marching to the library to give Melbrid a stern scolding on Lothania’s behalf but decided against such childish behavior. Instead, I extended my hand toward her.
“Well then, shall we go, my partner?”
“Yes, Mother!” Lothania replied brightly, her earlier disappointment melting away as she clasped my hand.
The banquet on the first day of the festival doubled as a grand dinner, where even young lords and ladies were invited. Unlike other banquets requiring an opposite-gender partner, today was the only occasion when I could enter arm-in-arm with Lothania.
This left Aiden to enter the banquet hall alone—a fact that nagged at me. Unlike other noble families, the Tilender house had only Aiden, and I couldn’t shake the thought of him walking in by himself.
Noticing my gaze, Lothania followed it to Aiden and declared magnanimously, “I’ll let him have your left hand.”
Aiden tilted his head in confusion. Lothania, with an air of authority, clarified, “Mother’s left hand. You can hold it if you want.”
Holding hands as a trio would be as good as declaring ourselves a family to the entire empire. I worried Lothania might feel the absence of her late father, but her heart was far more generous than mine.
Aiden and I exchanged glances, equally surprised by Lothania’s unexpected gesture. Seeing us hesitate, Lothania sighed dramatically, then took matters into her own hands, clasping my hand with Aiden’s.
Fixing Aiden with an imperious stare, she warned, “Let go of this hand, and I’ll never remove the Mark of the Oath. I’ll make your life miserable forever.”
Despite the harshness of her words, Aiden’s face lit up with a beaming smile as he nodded. His hand held mine as if it were the most precious thing in the world, and his expression was that of a man who had just gained the entire universe.
Though Lothania huffed again, she met my gaze and broke into a soft, affectionate smile. My daughter wasn’t just a fairy; she was an angel.
Hand in hand with my angel and my knight, I stepped into the banquet hall.
The room stilled, all eyes on us, filled with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Among the murmurs and bows, one figure approached—a little girl in a bright yellow dress held in the arms of Vitrain. At his side stood a poised, elegant woman, exuding a quiet dignity.
