The atmosphere in the mansion hasn't become any more relaxed while I was napping and everyone is extremely nervous around me. The maids and the guards keep their expressions strictly professional, but their movements are mechanical and they are afraid to meet my eyes.
The Celestials I encounter on my way to the throne room are bowing to me a bit too deeply and the usual excited chatter is gone entirely. It seems that the final realisation that their embodiment of magic isn't purely Celestial hit them hard. The Emperor is considered to be magic itself so they're used to me doing miraculous stuff, but they tasted a full salve of my alien part. I hope that they will recover quickly because their current emotional state is suffocating.
They will come over it eventually, Gotrid and Erik keep assuring me. In the end, I'm glad that I have them by my side and didn't leave them in our apartment. Despite always being surrounded by dozens of people, it's not the same as being in the company of my beloved. Not even the maids come close to the comfort they provide me with their mere presence.
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence arrived five minutes ago," Luviael announces when I sit on the throne and she's also afraid to meet my eyes. She keeps staring into her tablet. "Her Excellency went to fetch them."
"Thank you, Luvi," I appreciate and look at the Celestials standing by the sides of the hall. Everyone is fluttering their wings nervously, but otherwise, they stay absolutely quiet. "I would like to talk to the Japanese representatives in private. I'm afraid that they won't open up easily with too many Celestials present."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Gavreel obeys even though I can tell that he would like to oppose that. Still, with so many guards staying with me no matter what, he can't say that I'm not properly guarded.
I'm surprised to see that the Japanese delegation consists of only two people this timeâthe Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence. And they are both as tense as it gets. Whatever they are about to reveal to me, it's definitely no small matter.
Naturally, Liana arrives with them as well and I study her emotional state. She looks into my eyes confidently and a bit defiantly, but I'm actually glad for that. The Viceroy, of all people, should be someone who isn't afraid to give me honest feedback if need be. I can't have her be afraid of me.
Do you feel strong enough, Your Majesty? Did you manage to get some rest? she asks in her thoughts, knowing that I can hear her if she focuses on it.
I did, I assure her. Please, don't worry, I feel much better.
It's my job to worry about Your Majesty's health, she retorts slightly.
I know, Li, but I'm fine, I reassure her. There's a huge difference between me being unable to rule and just being temporarily weakened. You need to learn how to distinguish between those two and let me do my job when it's the latter case.
That's hard to do when my Celestial instincts panic in both cases, she pouts but shows the ministers where to sit without letting nothing show on her face.
"Your Majesty, are you okay? What happened?" the Prime Minister Ichikawa asks with genuine concern. "You fainted during the battle without any apparent cause and shocked the whole world."
"I was trying out a new spell," I quickly come up with a cover story. "I thought that I could close the rift before more monsters came through. Unfortunately, I overestimated my current strength, channelled too much mana and fainted as a result."
"Oh, so that's what happened?" he's visibly relieved. "But it is really possible? Closing rifts with Celestial magic?"
"That remains to be seen," I shrug. "However, that's not what you came here to discuss today."
"It's not," Ichikawa nods and looks at his colleague, the Minister of Defence Hayashi.
"Let's cut to the chase," Hayashi coughs to clear his throat. "Your Majesty being the son of Haruto Takeda is a much bigger deal than it might seem. What do you know about your father, Your Majesty?"
"Not much," I admit. "I saw him for the first time at the New York conference. When he approached me for the second time, he confessed that he's my father."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Hayashi narrows his eyes.
"He stole my feather from our Prague embassy and did a DNA testing. He told me himself," I explain. "I have no reason to believe that he's lying."
The Japanese representatives look at each other nervously and visibly twitch in their seats. Why is it such a huge deal for them? Do they suspect that something around Haruto Takeda is off? I can feel that they became even more anxious after I insisted that he is indeed my father.
"Our dealings with the Azuchi Group have always been quite unusual," Ichikawa says slowly. "The Azuchi Group helped Japan tremendously when rebuilding the country after the Second World War and they also helped when the Great Financial Crisis hit, but they didn't lend us money for free, of course."
"They wanted political influence?" I take a guess.
"Among other things," the Prime Minister nods. "We promised the Azuchi Group total independence in their business and research. That's why it's almost impossible to investigate them. All their premises have the same status as foreign embassies so we can't just barge in."
"You brought Haruto Takeda to the New York conference," Liana points out. "Aren't you on friendly terms?"
"Hardly," Ichikawa laughs nervously. "He just let us know that he's coming so that we would issue him a diplomatic permit. At that time, I thought that he just wanted to be present at a historic moment, but now we know the real reasonâhe wanted to meet his son."
The Prime Minister pauses for a moment, hesitating.
"You can speak freely, it's only the Viceroy and my spouses present and the guards are sworn to absolute secrecy," I say amicably. "If the information you're about to disclose to us is strictly confidential, I promise to keep it that way."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, we appreciate it," Ichikawa is relieved, but it's still evidently hard for him. "The reason why we needed time to discuss the matter was that just a year ago we would never even consider telling anyone else about it. However, the situation has changed drastically with four new races suddenly emerging."
"The seemingly impossible became possible," Hayashi continues. "Our wild suspicions are no longer suspicions and it all makes sense now. Long story short, we've always suspected that Haruto Takeda and the people around him aren't... ehm... human. Every time the Japanese government wanted to stand up to the Azuchi Group's growing influence, they showed us what they can do to intimidate us."
That revelation lies heavily for two reasons. First, the Japanese government has always suspected that aliens are living in their country and influencing politics from the shadows. They suspected it long before the Great Evolution, maybe for decades. Did Japanese leading politicians get to experience the Divementis telepathy first-hand?
Second, if I still insist that Haruto Takeda is my father, I will openly admit that I haven't been human to begin with. What a predicament. Hayashi and Ichikawa are piercing me with their gaze, waiting tensely for my answer.
"We checked the security cameras from that day," Ichikawa adds and his voice is trembling. "You clearly didn't have a chance for direct contact with your father back then, Your Majesty. How exactly did he approach you? Did he maybe use some... extrasensory means of communication?"
I freeze. Do they know about my father being a telepath?! I certainly didn't expect that, but it explains why they are so nervous in my presence. They suspect that I might be one as well. I look at Liana and, for once, she looks as if she lost the ground beneath her feet. She's just as shocked as I am. Then I look at Gotrid and Erik and they aren't able to keep an expressionless face either.
I take a deep breath and quickly weigh my options. I have only two: I either come up with a lie or come out. I know that it's extremely dangerous to come out as a telepath to the humans who represent a government, but the alternative goes against my feathers. I want the Japanese to be our close allies and a quality relationship can't be based on lies and half-truths. I've learnt that the hard way.
Li, Erik, Gotrid, I want to put my trust in Ichikawa and Hayashi, I send my decision to Liana and my partners to prepare them a few seconds before I say it aloud. I'm tired of lies. I'm tired of hiding. I've had enough.
Do what you think is best, Your Majesty, Liana surprises me with unconditional support.
Don't worry, hon, the Imperial Guard will protect you, Gotrid says confidently.
We love you no matter what, Erik adds to give me courage.
"Yes, he did," I slowly answer Ichikawa's question. "We talked telepathically."
Ichikawa and Hayashi widen their eyes and gasp for breath. I bet they thought that I would deny it. It seems a part of them hoped that it was not true. Hearing it so clearly confirmed must be mind-blowing.
"S-so... you really are Haruto Takeda's son," the Prime Minister starts shaking, probably imagining all those things I can do apart from magic. "And you inherited his... ehm... special powers?"
"Yes, I've always been half-alien and a telepath," I nod, trying to keep the information simple in order not to overwhelm them. I can sense that they are on the verge of a panic attack. Seriously, what did Taketa do to them to make them so scared?
"You knew from the beginning?" Hayashi wants to accuse me, but it comes out weak. He wants to look brave, but he's just as panicky as his political colleague.
"I was born a telepath, but I didn't know what I was until my father approached me," I set the record straight. "My Mom was a VR developer at Nebula and that's where she must have met my father. However, I was really just a kid back then. I didn't know more than you when the Great Evolution started."
"Really? Nothing at all?" Ichikawa makes sure.
"I have no reason to lie to you at this point," I say. "In fact, it turns out that my Mom didn't tell my father that she was pregnant on purpose. She wanted to protect me from him. I was sent to Europe and was kept in the dark about my origin until now. All I knew was that I wasn't completely human."
"Still, it's too much of a coincidence that not only you played Draconia Online, but you became the Celestial Emperor on top," Hayashi frowns.
"Is it?" I shrug. "Recently, I've realised that I have a faint memory of possibly testing an early version of Draconia Online when my Mom was still alive. I do remember playing a game in which I had wings. My perfect immersion ability most probably comes from the fact that my brain had a chance to adapt to VR while it was still developing. Also, my Mom studied behavioural psychology. She may have conditioned me to stay interested in games and Draconia Online in particular."
"Your mother was preparing you to become the Celestial Emperor from the beginning?" Ichikawa opens his mouth.
"My Mom's intentions are still unclear," I shake my head, "but it's possible. She might have thought that I would be able to protect myself better if I was both a telepath and a magic caster."
"Who else knows about Your Majesty's family background and special ability?" Hayashi is curious.
"Only Celestials and race rulers," I inform them. "You're the first government in the world I decided to disclose this information to and I hope that you won't betray my trust. The world hardly came to terms with four new races and monsters appearing and isn't ready for telepaths."
Ichikawa and Hayashi look at each other, but their resolve is stable.
"We understand, Your Majesty," Ichikawa nods solemnly. "We deal with Taketa and his people regularly, but we're still freaked out every time, knowing that we're facing real telepaths. If other governments or the general public found out... well, let's say that we're perfectly aware why you keep it secret and we're honoured that you decided to tell us."
"I hope that you won't be afraid to deal with me from now on," I voice one of my concerns. "I assure you that I'm not like my father."
"Is your telepathic power weaker because you're only half-alien?" Hayashi asks a bit too eagerly.
"Not necessarily, but it's different," I set the record straight. "For instance, I'm also an empath. I can feel people's emotions while my father can't. You could say that my power is more empathic while my father's power more aggressive."
"You can feel other people's emotions?" they are taken aback. "All the time?"
"It's an extra sense I can't turn off," I admit. "It gets overwhelming at times, but I'm glad that I have it and you should be as well."
Both Ichikawa and Hayashi tilt their heads in confusion.
"What His Majesty is trying to say," Liana says rather dramatically, "that all those times His Majesty prevented a conflict between humans and Draconians was mainly thanks to his empathic ability. He doesn't want to feel anyone suffer unnecessarily. A pure Celestial Emperor that would be exactly according to our lore would never be so kind, understanding and benevolent."
I cough because I don't want the conversation to turn into Liana blatantly praising me, it's embarrassing.
"Anyway, could you please tell us in a nutshell when the Azuchi Group first approached the Japanese government and your dealings with them so far?" I ask.
Ichikawa nods and starts by telling us how the Azuchi Group first emerged in the second half of the twentieth century as a manufacturer of computer parts and quickly became the leading power of innovation. Before anyone knew it, they were the richest corporation in Japan that generously offered their money to rebuild Japan after the war. The Japanese government took it and got caught in their web.
Ichikawa also reveals that the knowledge of the Azuchi not being human gets passed from the Prime Minister to their successor and that only a very limited number of people in the government who deal with them directly know about it. With a heavy heart, he tells us that every time a new enthusiastic Prime Minister tried to oppose them, they openly demonstrated their power.
"You never sought help from your allies?" Liana frowns.
"And tell them what exactly?" Ichikawa sighs. "That the Japanese government is being influenced by telepathic aliens? We would be laughed at. Besides, and I hate to admit that, the Azuchi Group has been helping Japan so tremendously that most of my predecessors were more than happy to give them what they wanted. Moreover, they never mess with our state affairs too excessively so turning a blind eye to their operations has never been a problem."
"Money can buy many things," Liana notes from her own experience. "An eccentric billionaire can get away with almost anything and having aliens living in your country doesn't seem like such a big issue if they're sponsoring your country's technological advancement and pay taxes."
We stay quiet for a while. Liana pinpointed it well. After that, I answer a few more questions before it's time for Ichikawa and Hayashi to leave. They are still shocked that the Celestial Emperor is a confirmed telepath, but I can feel genuine trust slowly brewing between us. Still, it's obvious how relieved they are that the court protocol doesn't allow them to shake my hand when saying goodbye.
"That went well," I say, no sarcasm intended, and turn to my partners. "How about we take a bath to finally relax and..."
I notice that something's wrong with Erik only when I see how pale he is. I was so focused on the meeting and ensuring its success that I completely forgot to pay any attention to my partners who had just been listening and giving me their quiet loving support as always. I did notice how tired Erik had been, but I was comforted by his confidence so I disregarded it.
In that second when I see Erik collapsing, it all comes to me: I just might be the worst telepathic partner ever.