Whispers of a Dead Empire

Calixa Pov:

The town was beautiful, but in what felt like an antiquated way. It was like I was attending a Renaissance festival, but with a heavy touch of fantasy elements. In fact, there were a few elves standing near a tavern-like building that looked like they were straight out of a Tolkien . Which was impressive in its own right. But I had to restrain myself from gawking at everything.

But I circled back to what he said earlier about the war golems. The way he said it reminded me of machines of some sort. Not to mention the name Assyrian. If my memory serves me correctly, that was an old Mesopotamian empire. Normally, I wouldn't have jumped to any of those conclusions, but when he brought up the summoning, that was when everything fell into place. A part of me hoped that there were other people from Earth here, but the other part of me didn't want that. I didn't want to interfere with them, nor did I want them to bother me. I was content to stay locked away in my corner of the world.

"Oh, Mother! Can we go to that store there?" Nyx piped up again and squeezed my hand as she pointed toward a wooden building on the left. A few people, who were clearly adventurers, were sitting outside talking among themselves.

My eyes traveled up toward the sign that hung over the top. Inscribed in the aged, weathered wood was a turquoise flame. In a heartbeat, I knew what she was pointing at. "Not right now, but we will be here for a day or so. But eventually, we can visit." My dear daughter was obsessed with magic. However, I didn't mind indulging her in it, so I created a metric ton of coins to ensure that I had enough money to spend.

"Okay mother." She thankfully dropped the subject as we trudged forwards.

Redrick grew quiet as we all walked together, and I could feel dozens of eyes resting on us. I knew that coming here would gather attention, and honestly, it made me feel a little uncomfortable, but I would bear it for now. I had my palatines and Alessia nearby, so I'm confident I could handle anything if it came my way.

I ignored all the gazes that were coming our way and followed Redrick further into town. All around me, wooden buildings were reaching upwards, and the ambient hum of conversation reached my ears, bringing me a sense of comfort that made me miss restaurants. The hum of dozens of conversations happening at once was just reassuring in a way that was hard to describe.

"This is the town square. From here, you can find every major district, as well as houses of import. Mine is the building right here." He pointed towards a house that sat happily in the middle of being oversized and undersized. It radiated a sense of nobility with the gate that sat in the front and had pillars connected to a small breezeway.

But in front of the house stood two soldiers who wore cloaks over their armor. From the depths of the darkness that shrouded their faces came eyes that seemed to peer into my soul. "These are the king's royal guards. They are here for security, and with them around, plus your guards, you shouldn't have any issues being here." He gestured towards the one closest to us, and it nodded and opened the gate for us.

The other stared at us as we walked past, and I felt naked under its gaze. But I pushed further ahead and walked past them with no further trouble. Together, we walked down the small trail that led to the door of the house. Plants lined the sprawling pathway, and I could see tulips, daisies, and my favorite which were the red roses that looked like they were in mid-blossom.

I think I will try to make a garden in my domain someday. Sitting there in the middle, eating food and watching the flowers bloom would be nice. The thought passed through fleetingly as we approached the door. In front of it stood an elderly gentleman who seemed to be well past his prime. He looked like a traditional butler, and he even had a set of glasses on his face that reminded me of old-timey monocles. "Welcome back." His white glove-clad hand crossed over his chest and bowed slightly towards us.

"Everyone, this is Gerald, my head butler. He will attend to all your needs, so please do not hesitate to ask him for anything." Redrick gestured towards the butler, who nodded and straightened himself out.

"Hello. My name is Calixa Asteria. I am the Empress of Asteria. This is my daughter, Nyx, and my chosen Alessia." I quickly pointed them out as I spoke. Nyx replied with a slight wave, and Alessia merely nodded in response.

"What of the six who are with you?" Gerald glanced around, and instantly I felt the hairs rise on the back of my head. He could see them? However, before I could reply, Alesia spoke up.

"Those are our personal guards. They will not require any attendance nor substance." Her response was curt and to the point. But within, I could detect a sense of fear. She clearly didn't expect them to be spotted so easily, either.

"I understand. Please, come inside. Allow me to show you around the grounds." The elderly man pushed open the front door and gestured for us to enter.

Redrick took the lead. "If you would excuse me, I will head to my office. Once Gerald finishes showing you around the house, he will take you to me." He curtly nodded and scampered off, looking a little overwhelmed with everything.

Not that it bothered me in the slightest. I was the one who put this on him, so he could take all the time he needed for his preparations. The moment I crossed the threshold of the building, cool air assaulted me in soft waves, reminding me of an air conditioner. A furtive glance around didn't reveal any air vent, so I was at a loss. But I also didn't want to look dumb by asking where it came from.

We stood in the foyer, and next to us was a small enclave of shelves with what looked to be slippers of some sort. "This is the foyer. We ask that shoes be removed upon entering here for cleanliness reasons." He reached out and quickly presented us with slippers.

I stifled a surprised cough. I didn't have a thing against it, but this struck me as something that I'd seen before, I just couldn't remember where.

"Mother, do I need to take off my shoes?

Nyx glanced up at me, and I nodded my head. "Yes. You need to respect their rules when you are in someone else's home."

She grumbled out her displeasure as she reached down and started to untie her boots, and I spared a glance towards Alessia. "Are you doing alright? You have been quiet this entire time."

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just keeping an eye out. Being out here just makes me feel uneasy." She replied as her golden eyes came to rest on me, and I felt my heart flutter in my chest.

She looked so hot in her dress suit. I couldn't imagine her in a dress, so it was a good thing that I talked her into wearing this for formal occasions. "I'm sorry. We will only be here a few days." I yearned to reach out to reassure her, but in public, I had to keep the public displays of affection down. I needed to keep my image up, even though it ate at me to be unable to do the things I wanted.

"I know, Empress. I'll be okay, though." She flashed me a warm smile, and I nodded my head and quickly bent over to undo my boots.

Once I was done, I slid my feet into the slippers and glanced up toward Gerald. He glanced at us and nodded his head. "Good, come along. I will introduce you to the head maid and the rooms you will be staying in."

He spun and stepped up onto the small ledge that led further into the house. I took Nyx's hand and followed him into a large lobby. A dual staircase sat on opposite sides of us and was lined with various pictures depicting people I had no names for. Hanging from the ceiling was a chandelier with six silver orbs hanging, casting a warm light that met the wooden walls.

"This is the main lobby. The staircase to the left leads to the administrative wing, and the staircase to the right leads to the guest suites. Please, come along." Gerald didn't miss a beat as he damn near glided away.

I pulled my daughter along with me as I ascended the staircase behind him and took in the various artworks. Looking at it all made me feel like I was in a natural history museum looking at some long-dead nobles' art collection. It was beautiful, though.

When we finished our journey, we stood in a small hallway that looked pretty much the same as the rest of the house. Paintings lined the length of the walls, and near the furthest door down was a woman who wore a maid's outfit. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and looked to be no older than twenty-three. She was a cute little thing if anything.

"This is the head maid, Miranda. Please, do not hesitate to reach out to her for any of your needs if I am not around." He gestured towards Miranda, who gave us a small bow.

"Hello, and welcome to our estate." The formalities bugged me, but they were a necessary evil. This was a life that I chose for myself in the end, at any rate.

"Thank you for having us," I replied with a curt nod and strode further down the hallway.

Miranda stepped to the side and opened the door, revealing a decently sized room with two beds made perfectly with snow-white sheets.

"Mother, these beds are so big!" Nyx let go of my hand and rushed into the bedroom, giggling as she threw herself onto one of the beds and started to roll around. This was going to be a long trip. I could already feel it in my bones.