Chapter 15. Colors of the Left Behind

Hatsuki watched in awe as the two ladies performed with their faces covered with a little gold coin cover. Their coordination was epical; hand motions were as light as the touch of a feather, and yet, the music blessed their ears.

The divine beasts reserved the seats for them. Since the room was still very dark, they couldn't see the number of eyes following their movements. 

As the performance continued, to each person in the room, a lantern appeared on its own. For the newly (fake) engaged couple, two lanterns with orange carnations drawn on had appeared.

"Uh?!" Hatsuki slightly gasped.

"They are the lanterns for the ceremony. Do you want to try lighting them?" 

"Eh? Sure. 

Yuki stood up from his place and lit the match, which was present at the table. He directed Hatsuki to turn the lantern upside down, and as she held both the top and the bottom, Yuki placed the burning matchstick on the lantern's fire compartment, which soon caught on and started to create the hot air, making the lantern float. 

They repeated the same process for the next lantern, and by the end of the performance, many of them started to let go of their lanterns.

"Should we leave ours too, ma—Imean,, by dear fiancé?" A wide, bashful grin formed on her lips while holding the lantern. 

"Sure, my dear," Yuki replied back, and so, together, they let the lanterns rise up. The dark room was sort of like the endless space, letting the hopes roam.

The strings of the guzheng had started to get intense. The smoother melody was replaced with a heavy and hard one. As they played the instrument, a violet smoke covered both the ladies and their surroundings. Then after, the presence of the little fairies that were dancing all along could be seen. 

Those little tiny beings had their own flair as they danced and spread the golden dust, sharing out the joys and blessings. It made the final performance worth the wait. As the performance ended and the two women bowed and left, the lights turned bright, changing the entire ambiance of the room. 

"Now that the beginning performance has come to an end, let's focus back on the main theme of the assembly. The return of the dragon lord: The prophecy." said a man standing at the center of the five beasts. 

There was a round of applause from the twelve zodiacs as well as from the guests present.

'He seems familiar,' she remarked at the back of her mind, as the spokesperson had a very identical face to someone she had seen before. It tingled her senses, but for the time, she let go of her mindless thoughts.

Instead, Hatsuki took a look around the hall. The divine beasts were in their animal form; their pristine selves proudly sat on their seats. The white tiger had her paws crossed while those hunter eyes darted towards everyone. The vermilion bird had a poised manner, her wings spread out as a way to show her dominance. The black tortoise had an immense energy emanating, his wisdom-filled vision comprehending everyone. The seat at the center had been left empty.

"Let's first start with the introduction, and we shall dive deeper into the topic. I am Dong Min, the spokesperson for the event today, and I am from the capital. As per the prophecy, when the castle in the sky can be seen, the dragon lord shall come back to life. Although the castle isn't clearly seen, it's starting to get clearer, and so… will the dragon lord truly review? If he does, then we must start preparing for the celebrations from now!" With that said, the rejoicing could be heard and felt as apart from the beasts, everyone else cheered.

'Dong min?' Hatsuki had her eyes constantly on the man. Feeling a sort of remembrance, yet she couldn't pinpoint it.

"But before we further proceed, we have a few questions for the arbiter, who is currently the embodiment of the dragon lord." The man turned all the cheerfulness to hawk-eyed at Yuki and the unknown girl beside him. 

Suddenly Hastuki felt little bumps all over her skin as a surge of cold sensation fell upon them for a brief moment. The sound from the hall felt fainter. 

"Indeed, Arbiter. How come you did not invite us to your engagement? Do you think so little of us now?" asked the white tiger as she had her fierce eyes on the daring man. 

"Now that's a surprise. When did you even get an engagement arbiter? "Hey, little girl, he isn't taking you as a hostage, is he?" The vermillion bird had a taunting tone, not holding back or mincing its words. 

"Indeed, at this stage I am more concerned for the girl. If he ever does things despite your will, you can call out for us. The arbiter has the tendency to be very assertive, you see. Don't just fall for his good looks," said the black tortoise while his sharp eyes observed every movement of the arbiter. 

Hatsuki, despite her accelerating heartbeat, tried to stay calm and simply gave a look at each of the beasts when they spoke. Their voices were loud and clear, and although the remarks were unminced, she could feel the bond they had, as even in those remarks, there was warmth just the way she had her mother would often bicker.

"You all truly never miss an opportunity to disparage me." Yuki sighed. This was the reason he didn't like attending these assemblies. 

"Although all your false accusations would only stir up my dear fiancé's heart, as even on the darkest days and on my hardest days, I love her as though she is my light, so I humbly request that we don't further discuss my life and focus on the present matter." 

His words were so nimble, making everyone in the room stagger. How could the ever-so-cruel arbiter even utter such slick honey words in the presence of his lover?!