Lord Faustin nodded. "It's prepared especially for Lord Noctis."
"Too bad he's destined to miss out," Lily Bai chuckled.
Because Lord Noctis isn't going to the Divine City at all.
The three disciples, holding their wedding invitations, landed at Southcourt Palace, where palace maidens guided them to a resting area.
The Qilin Divine Lord and the Lu Clan were also present. Lily Bai and Luna Lian were already good friends, so they sat together without bothering to avoid suspicion.
At the wedding feast, Lily Bai saw members of the Leshan clan.
It was her first time seeing any Leshan clan members besides Liam Leshan himself.
Several dignified elders came, along with a few younger ones—likely Liam Leshan's siblings. They all sat among the groom's family and friends, and their numbers weren't small.
The bride's side, of course, had even more relatives.
Two hundred thousand years ago, the Phoenix Clan was nearly wiped out.
Now, after two hundred thousand years of thriving, their numbers have grown strong again.
Besides High God Felicity Quinn’s direct elder sister’s family, there were all sorts of aunts, uncles, and cousins, filling the seats to overflowing.
Mia Quinn seemed to have gained a new younger brother, just newly transformed, about five or six years old, clinging to one of Felicity’s husbands for a hug.
That man was probably his father god.
But in this situation, he sternly refused and let the little boy sit beside Mia instead.
The little boy looked unhappy, pouting and teary-eyed, looking very pitiful.
Mia gave him a fruit, which he took and gnawed on seriously, finally feeling better.
Lily Bai chuckled again and looked toward the others.
Then she realized that almost all her old comrades from the Palace Guard Barracks were present.
She hadn’t really thought much of it before.
But after a hundred years apart, seeing them again felt incredibly dear.
She could still remember every one of their names.
But nothing could ever go back to the way it was.
His Majesty the Celestial Emperor was nowhere to be found…
She really missed His Majesty.
If even she, an outsider, felt this way, Sean Shaw must be suffering even more.
Thinking about this, Lily Bai couldn’t help herself—she slipped away to a quiet spot and used a Messenger Charm to call him.
“What’s up?” Sean asked lazily.
“We’re all at Southcourt already. Don’t tell me you’re still in bed?” Lily Bai asked.
He’d been staying at the Sigil Sect lately, spending days researching something with Baxa and nights in her quarters… sleeping.
“Mm. I slept too late last night,” Sean said. “Did you get there so early?”
“Had to make it for the auspicious hour!”
“Aren’t you tired?” He yawned.
Lily Bai blushed, unwilling to discuss whether she was tired. She said, “Southcourt Palace is lively today! Nearly all our Palace Guard comrades are here!”
“Oh…”
“I suddenly thought of His Majesty,” Lily Bai said. “Have you missed him all these years?”
Sean was silent for a moment, then answered, “Mm.”
“I believe he’ll come back. As long as we hold onto that hope, there’s a chance.”
“You called me just to say that?”
“Yeah!” Lily Bai said. “I suddenly missed His Majesty. And I thought, if even I miss him, you must be suffering so much more…”
“I just want to sleep right now,” Sean said.
Lily Bai: “…Then go back to sleep.”
“Mm.” He hung up.