Chapter 15 – To Royal Capital and Tails of Temptation

Chapter 15 – To Royal Capital and Tails of Temptation

Ten luxurious carriages moved like a royal procession across the grand roads, heading straight toward the capital city of Granto. The sun gleamed off the Rivera family crest embossed on their sides, and guards on horseback flanked them in perfect formation.

These were the personal carriages of Duke Rivera.

In one of them, nestled in embroidered cushions and velvet-lined walls, sat Stella, Nyx, and the Duchess Rivera. Well—technically, there was also a Maid(Clara) in there. You just couldn’t see her.

Why?

Because she was entirely buried under Nyx’s tails.

The poor girl made faint, muffled sniffing noises as she tried to breathe, but Nyx, unfazed, just wagged her tails idly like she didn’t notice the human trapped under them.

Stella, meanwhile, leaned lazily against the window frame, her galaxy-filled hair shimmering softly. Her half-lidded, sleepy eyes said: I’d rather be napping.

As they chatted casually, the Duchess turned to Nyx with a warm smile.

“Nyx, dear, when someone in the capital asks who you are, just tell them you’re a prestigious guest of Duchess Rivera from a faraway land, alright?”

Nyx blinked. “Faraway land... sounds mysterious. I like it.”

The Duchess chuckled softly. To her, both of her daughters were now radiant forces of nature. One was the night sky personified, filled with galaxies. The other—a seductive flame with the kind of beauty that could burn kingdoms to ash.

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She turned to Stella with a knowing look.

“If anyone asks about your hair, just tell them you awakened some unique magic. That should explain the color.”

Stella blinked once, slowly. “Sure. Cosmic awakening equals hair dye. Got it.”

But the Duchess’s expression shifted to a sharper, more dangerous smile.

“Though once word spreads… flies will buzz. Nobles. Magicians. Especially those old fools from the Magic Tower. They’ll come flapping their dusty robes, trying to recruit you.”

Her tone grew icier.

“If they try to force you? I’ll crush them with noble pressure. Or crush their kneecaps. Whichever works faster.”

Stella gave a lazy thumbs-up.

“Go, Mother.”

Suddenly, the sound of hooves drew near as a knight Aster galloped up to the window.

“My Lady,” he called out, “we’ve reached the gates of Granto.”

The capital city loomed before them—Granto, seat of royal power and pride of the Alvaro Kingdom.

And soon after, the Rivera family carriages pulled up before the towering gates of the Royal Castle.

When they disembarked, the entire Duke family stepped out in full. Stella, her galactic hair catching the light. Nyx, wrapped in a loose crimson kimono, barefoot and beautiful. The Duke and Duchess, ever the regal pair.

Waiting for them with a dazzling smile was none other than Second Princess Freya Alvaro.

“Welcome, Duke Rivera,” she said with courtly grace, then turned with a little extra sparkle toward Alexis. The way her eyes softened as she spoke to him made Stella want to gag—so sweet it might have given her cavities.

The two shared a love-dovey greeting that made even the nearby knights glance away awkwardly.

But when the Princess’s gaze turned toward Stella’s hair, her whole face lit up.

“Your hair…! Lady Stella, what in the world? It's stunning!”

Stella gave her best sleepy-smile-awkward-cosmic-girl face.

“Ah… I awakened my magic.”

“Really?” Freya stepped closer, inspecting the shimmer in her strands. “But even magic doesn’t do this. What kind of magic did you awaken?”

“Unique kind,” Stella replied blandly. She wasn’t about to drop the “my soul merged with a infinity core” story at a royal event.

Then Freya’s eyes drifted—no, locked—onto Nyx.

Specifically, onto her tails.

Nyx gave a polite bow, but she could already feel it.

Predatory energy.

“And who… is this?” the princess asked, voice almost trembling with curiosity.

“My friend,” Stella said, placing a hand on Nyx’s shoulder, “from a distant continent.”

Freya’s eyes glowed. Like a child discovering a ten-tailed plush toy.

Nyx felt a shiver crawl up her spine. She could practically hear the princess mentally calculating how hard it would be to “borrow” a tail.

Stella sighed, already foreseeing trouble.

But the formalities continued, and the royal doors opened.

The Rivera family was led inside.

and behind them, the Duchess whispered to Nyx with a smirk.

“Take care of your tails.”