The Great Banquet Hall of the Suiseiryu Shrine was a masterpiece of indulgence.
Long tables of polished driftwood groaned under the weight of exotic fruits, glowing
sea-nectar, and platters of silver-scaled fish. But all eyes—and all stomachs—were
focused on the center of the room. There, resting on a pedestal of heated stone, was
the Golden Phoenix Bird. Its skin was a perfect, crackling amber, glazed in a reduction
of sun-blossom honey and mountain spices that filled the air with a scent so heavenly
it almost made the terrified nobility forget about the "Duke-marble" incident.
Jee-shahn was already seated at the head of the table, his silver crown tilted
haphazardly over one ear. He didn't wait for the High Priest's blessing. He didn't wait
for the royal musicians to finish their opening fanfare. He simply reached out and tore
a drumstick the size of a club off the bird.
"Finally," Jee-shahn mumbled, his eyes half-closing in bliss as he took a massive bite.
"The 'noise' was almost worth it for this. This bird didn't die in vain; it died to fulfill its
destiny as my lunch."
Jasmine sat beside him, her right hand resting on the table. The marriage ring
shimmered under the chandelier light, the name JEE-SHAHN pulsing with a faint,
protective azure glow. She was still in a daze, watching her three sisters—the
mermaid-blooded beauties—hovering nearby. They were no longer mocking her.
Instead, they were watching Jee-shahn with wide, shimmering eyes, as if they were
trying to solve a puzzle that might explode.
"So," the eldest sister, Mina, whispered, leaning in so close her silk robes brushed
Jee-shahn's shoulder. "Your Majesty... I mean, Brother-in-law... does the food in the
North truly taste better than our Southern delicacies? Or do you find our 'flavors'
more... intriguing?"
Jee-shahn stopped chewing and looked at her. He saw the subtle flutter of her
eyelashes and the way her sisters were preening themselves. He let out a long, heavy
sigh that threatened to blow the silver crown off his head.
"The flavor would be better if people stopped talking to me while I'm using my mouth
for its intended purpose," Jee-shahn drawled. He pointed his half-eaten drumstick at
Mina. "You're making 'sister-in-law noise.' It's a very high-pitched, bothersome
frequency. Sit down and eat a carrot or something."
Mina's face turned a brilliant shade of coral as she scurried back to her seat. Jasmine
leaned over, whispering urgently, "Jee-shahn! You can't just tell my sisters to go eat
carrots! They're princesses of the Aurex line!"
"And I'm a man with a bird," Jee-shahn replied, reaching for a bowl of honey-glazed
carrots. "The bird is currently winning the popularity contest in my head. Now, be a
good 'running lady' and pour me some of that blue wine. My throat is dry from all that
'accepting' I had to do at the altar."
As Jasmine reluctantly reached for the crystal decanter, the three brothers watched
from the opposite end of the table. They weren't eating. They were staring at
Jee-shahn's ring on Jasmine's hand, their faces pale. They knew that in their culture,
the ring didn't just mean marriage—it meant the husband's soul was now the guardian
of the wife's house.The "Monster" wasn't just a guest anymore. He was the foundation.