“Absolutely not! No daughters of mine are meeting the ancestors-blessed Queen looking like that!”

Jia pouted as An Chunhei tutted and fussed over her kimono, inspecting it with the discerning eye of a professional seamstress. She tried to suppress the fuzzy warmth she felt at being referred to as Chunhei’s daughter as she defended her choice of attire.

“What’s wrong with these? I thought it would be a good idea to wear Yamato-style dress to show that we’re representing Kaede.”

“Tsk, nothing’s wrong with it, per se—it’s beautiful, and it suits you wonderfully, dear. The problem is that it’s Yamato style, but not actually a traditional design. This was made by a Goryeon—Madam Myeong? This looks like her work.”

Jia blinked in surprise.

“How did you know that?”

Eui facepalmed as Chunhei let out an irritated huff, and Jia got the distinct impression that she’d just stepped in a snare trap.

“Madam ‘Myeong’ is quite famous in our business. A mage who decided to become a seamstress specializing in foreign styles. I’ve always hated the way she plays up her half-spirit traits to appeal to foreigners—it’s degrading! ‘Myeong’ isn’t even her real name!”

Minjun chuckled behind his wife.

“You have to admit, it’s worked quite well for her. She’s really cornered the market on foreign designs.”

Chunhei sniffed dismissively.

“We’ll see about that. I’ve got a few ideas myself—you girls are excellent inspiration. In any case, I don’t think a completely Yamato style is best. You shouldn’t be presenting yourself as wholly on Lady Hayakawa’s side, but rather as a bridge between our nations! A fusion style! Here—take a look at these.”

Chunhei produced a sheaf of paper while Jia and Eui huddled up next to her to peer over her shoulder. On the paper were drawings of some of the prettiest dress designs that Jia had ever seen. Each design was paired with a matching outfit that highlighted the other with its differences rather than simply being the same.

“You go ahead and look through these—pick whichever one you like, I’ve got the fabrics and your measurements. I’ll have them ready in time for your visit to the palace.”

Jia flipped through the pages awestruck while Eui just beamed proudly.

“These are all so amazing! You drew these?”

Chunhei preened under Jia’s praise.

“I’ll do more than draw them, I assure you. My designs are what allowed us to pay for Eui’s education, you know. It’s not easy for commoners like us to gain access to the colleges.”

Despite her proud tone, the room grew a bit somber at the mention of Eui’s tuition. In an effort to lighten the mood, Jia picked out one of the designs and held it up to Eui.

“What about this one?”

“Ooh! Cute!”

The design that Jia had picked was a pair of dresses that combined design elements from Goryeon and Yamato styles, with colors that invoked an image of a matching sunrise and sunset. Chunhei cooed appreciatively at the choice.

“Oh! That one’s one of my favorites too! I think the bright colors of the sunset will bring out Eui’s beautiful hair, while the darker sky of the sunrise will accentuate those striking eyes of yours, Jia. What do you think? I can get started on it right away!”

Jia and Eui exchanged glances and nodded.

“It’s perfect!”

The palace of Songdo, unlike the towering spires of the colleges, was low to the ground and sprawled out across the center of the city in a vast complex that could have been an entire town unto itself. The tallest structure in the entire palace was the central castle, standing three stories tall. Jia and Eui stood at the front gate, an imposing structure made from some kind of magical stone, glowing a soft blue. Jia could sense the powerful magic flowing through the gates in the unmistakable pattern of a shield formation—a second layer of defense in case the worst should happen and enemies breached the main formation surrounding the city and laid siege to the seat of power of the entire nation.

A rather challenging proposition, if the dozen or so xiantian domains inspecting them were any indication. Not only was this city where the most powerful mages in the country operated, it was also where the most powerful and prosperous of the high noble clans made their home—the Seong family. More important than any of that, however—it was where Jia’s friend Seong Eunae lived. She was looking forward to seeing her again.

Jia fidgeted awkwardly, trying to resist the urge to scratch at her face as they waited to be ushered inside the palace walls. Eui’s mother had made good on her promise to complete the dresses on time, and Jia was more dressed up now than she’d ever been in her entire life. In addition to the sunrise dress, with its high skirt and long, droopy sleeves, Jia had suffered through the second makeup session of her life—and not the light adjustment that Eui had once given her, either.

A very nice beautician lady who Jia now hated with an unreasonable passion had painstakingly painted her face in order to bring out ‘her best.’ A subtle dark line and light shadow around her eyes brought out the bright golden color of her irises, while a subtle pink blush and a deep red on her lips stood out on a foundation that was—in Jia’s opinion—far too pale white. To complete the look, her hair had been pinned back with clips and combs accented by a yellow-orange flower that completed the sunrise theme of her outfit.

Standing arm-in-arm next to her, Eui had been painted to match, and her appearance—if it was even possible—was causing her more distress than Jia. An Chunhei had insisted that her daughter’s eyes were far too beautiful to stay hidden behind Eui’s long fringe, and for the first time, Jia saw her girlfriend’s hair tied up. Most of Eui’s long black hair had been drawn back away from her face and into a single loose bun high up on the back of her head, leaving a few wispy tendrils to hang down and frame her graceful features.

Like Jia, Eui’s face had been painstakingly made up in order to match her outfit. Unlike Jia’s lighter tones, Eui’s makeup used darker colors around the eyes and especially on her lips to contrast the setting sun of her dress. She had the same pale white foundation as Jia, but notably she had made the controversial decision to leave the scars of her brand unhidden both by makeup and illusion.

In her own words, “Fuck it. If I’m gonna show them my face, then they can look at what they did to it.”

Alongside them, Kaede and Rika looked no less stunning. Kaede also wore an outfit custom tailored for her by An Chunhei—a green and white kimono that matched her crimson hair—while Rika had opted for a more traditional kimono in pastel pink and white. Among them, the one who looked most out of place was Ja Yun, wearing her military mages uniform and trying her hardest to melt into a puddle rather than be seen surrounded by such ethereal beauty.

“W-why am I here again? I could have just stayed back at the embassy—a-actually, maybe I should just go...”

Eui rolled her eyes—this wasn’t the first time Ja Yun had tried to escape.

“Princess Seong Eunae is your boss now, remember? She’s going to want to meet you.”

Jia nodded in agreement.

“Remember what we said—she’ll probably avoid eye contact, but don’t even attempt to look at her eyes.”

Ja Yun shuddered.

“R-right, because she has...magic eyes or something?”

“If by ‘magic eyes’ you mean the ability to completely subsume your will and turn you into a mindless thrall, yes.”

Ja Yun stared down at the ground, and the emotions that Jia sensed from her were entirely inappropriate for the gravity of the conversation.

“Yun!”

The skittish warmage squeaked incomprehensibly and nodded a bit too enthusiastically.

“Sorry! I get it. No looking at the Princess. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’d have managed that without being told.”

Jia and Eui looked askance at Ja Yun while Rika desperately tried to keep herself from laughing. Before they could try to stress the point any further, however, the gates slowly began to swing open. On the other side stood a servant girl with chestnut hair, a pair of floppy dog ears, and a fluffy tail. She was flanked by two severe looking half-spirit mages each at the peak of the third stage.

Han Shin and Sagong So stepped forward and bowed. The captain spoke in a stiffly formal tone as he announced them.

“Captain Sagong So and Lieutenant Han Shin transferring custody of the Yamato envoys and Ambassadors to the palace guard!”

The maid bowed deeply, her voice was low, but distinct as she responded.

“Acknowledged, Captain. Thank you for your service—you may return to the embassy.”

Without another word, Sagong So and Han Shin turned to depart, but not before Han Shin shot Eui a nasty sneer. What was his problem? The maid bowed once again to the remaining group, and Jia noted that she was a second stage mage herself.

“Welcome to Songdo palace, honored guests. My name is Hyeong Aecha, and I will serve as your guide during your stay here. Please do not hesitate to inform me if you need anything. Queen Seong Eunhee is ready to see you, if you’ll follow me please.”

Hyeong Aecha spun neatly on her heel and set off toward the central castle with her guards in tow, and Jia’s group had no choice but to follow. As they were led through the enormous complex in silence, Jia stared at the back of the servant girl guiding them. ‘Hyeong’? Was she related to Dae? He’d never mentioned having any family, so perhaps it was a coincidence. She looked older than Jia, but not by much—by appearances she seemed to be in her early twenties, but as a mage that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

The central castle of the palace was even more massive up close. Though it was only three stories tall, it was still by far the widest building Jia had ever seen. A building that huge could have comfortably housed the entire population of the slums in Yangye—yet here it was, standing as a symbol of power and opulence for a single noble family. Jia tried not to worry herself over it, but it still bothered her.

The main hall of the castle was a wide open area, with a ceiling high enough that it was clear that the main hall at least did not have any floors above it. Portraits, sculptures, wall scrolls, jade statues, and more littered the hall in an artful display of the incredible wealth of the ruling clan. Jia couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps Eunae was capable of forgiving the Ans’ debt after all. The royal family was rich beyond even her wildest fantasies.

Finally, they were led to a large set of double doors, which once again had the familiar set of enchantments preventing Jia’s domain from seeing inside, as well as a third shield that would no doubt suppress her domain once she entered. The palace defenses were nothing if not formidable. Hyeong Aecha stood aside as the guards flanking her smoothly stepped forward to pull open the double doors. The maid’s voice called out with magically enhanced volume.

“Presenting Princess Hayakawa Kaede, Magus Ambassador Lee Jia, and Consuls Takeda Rika and An Eui.”

Hyeong bowed low and ushered them in.

“You may enter the throne room.”

Ja Yun got the message and stayed behind as the rest of them stepped inside. The throne room was as impressive as the rest of the castle, easily triple the size of the lecture hall back at the academy in every direction. Jia’s attention was captured more by the people within than the magnificence of the architecture itself, however. No fewer than four members of the Seong clan were present—each and every one of them a xiantian mage.

Jia recognized Seong Misun—Eunae’s oldest sister—standing furthest from the center, and from the sour glare coming her way, Jia guessed that Misun recognized her as well. Her attire was just as scandalous as it had been back at the academy, with bare legs and shoulders clearly visible along with a generous window of cleavage that would give even Jianmo’s female form a run for its money.

Flanking the throne itself were two women that Jia didn’t recognize, but were no doubt similarly members of the Seong family. They were dressed far more conservatively, and stood tall, eying the group with cold analytical expressions. Finally, sitting on the throne with one leg crossed over the other and a relaxed posture, was what could only be the queen herself.

For the first time, Jia had cause to appreciate just how distinctive the Seong clan really was. She had observed the family resemblance between Eunae and her sisters before, but what she saw now was uncanny. Every single member of the Seong family had the same alabaster skin, the same tall, curvy figure, the same raven black hair and piercing blue eyes, the same tall black fox ears, and the same array of bushy white fox tails, each tipped black like a giant calligraphy brush.

Though Jia could mostly tell them apart by their faces, despite the resemblance, it was as if each and every one of them were twins of different ages. The only other feature that set them apart was the number of tails. Seong Misun had six, proudly displayed behind her, while the two flanking the throne each had seven. The queen herself, Seong Eunhee, had no fewer than eight—as close as any had ever come to a perfect avatar of their nine-tailed ancestor, the Kumiho.

Seong Eunhee smiled at them as Jia and her friends bowed respectfully, keeping their heads down until they were given permission to do otherwise. Being in such close proximity to so many powerful mages was stifling. Queen Seong’s voice was distressingly similar to Eunae’s, but deeper and more melodic as she spoke.

“Welcome to Goryeo, my guests—or welcome back as the case may be. It’s good to finally meet you all. You may raise your heads—let us talk.”