Lottery King 2, page 14
The store was absolutely beautiful with bright walls, crystal chandeliers, and pop music playing gently in the background. There were well-organized racks of leather jackets, silk dresses, ridiculously tiny purses that had to be the height of fashion, and several long cases filled with glittering jewels.
I decided I wanted to buy Poppy some jewelry to commemorate our first international trip together, so I walked over to the nearest case.
“Fuck,” I whispered to myself as I noticed the jewelry didn’t even have price tags on them.
“What is it?” Helena asked as she peered into the case of rainbow-colored gems.
“In my former life,” I chuckled. “I learned the hard way that things without prices displayed are always the most expensive. Because only the super-rich could shop without worrying about the cost.”
“I guess that’s true,” Helena giggled. “But you are the super-rich now, your majesty.”
“Please, call me Michael,” I encouraged her again.
“But we are in public, your majesty,” Helena murmured with a soft blush on her tanned cheeks. “I thought you said I could use your given name in private.”
“It’s just us,” I said with a shrug. “I mean, yeah, we’re not in a private setting, but this is pretty far from a formal event.”
“Very well…” Helena smiled with pleasure. “Michael. I assume you’re looking to buy something for Poppy?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I was thinking of some earrings.”
“That’s a great idea,” Helena said, and she scanned the case. “I think amethyst would be beautiful with her eyes.”
“Oh, those are gorgeous,” I said, and I leaned down to look at the purple studded earrings.
I looked straight at the glittering gems, but I couldn’t see a fucking thing in front of me as Helena’s perfume wafted over my nose. The Grecian harpy smelled like summertime, and her bare upper arm brushed lightly against my shoulder as she pointed to a pair of teardrop-shaped earrings.
I stood up and cleared my throat to try and get a grip on myself, and then a gorgon shopworker strolled over and greeted us with a pleasant smile.
“Good day,” the older woman murmured. “Is there anything I can help you with today?”
The woman had pale green snakes coiled on top of her head, small wrinkles around the corners of her kind brown eyes, and wore deep maroon lipstick. She waited patiently for an answer as I hit the restart button on my brain, and then I pointed at the teardrop amethysts.
“Can I see those, please?” I asked.
“Oh, an excellent choice, sir.” The gorgon woman pulled a ring of small keys from inside the collar of her blouse, flipped through them until she found the right one, and unlocked the case.
The amethysts sparkled brightly in the light as the shopworker pulled the little satin cushion out of the case, and then she placed them on the glass surface in front of me.
“They’re beautiful,” Helena mused as she stood back a little from the case.
“Yeah, they are,” I agreed as I picked up the little cushion.
I guessed the earrings were at least a few carats in size, but I still wasn’t very practiced in judging gem sizes or values. With a quick flip of the cushion, I found the price tag, and thanks to a month of constant sticker shock, I was able to contain my gasp of surprise at the number.
I didn’t know amethysts could even be seventeen thousand dollars, but here we were. Then I realized the price was in Euros, and I did a rough conversion to American dollars. I knew it was more than that by at least a few thousand, but I also knew I could afford them several thousand times over.
Which was still so fucking bizarre to me, and I was starting to get a guilty kind of pleasure out of dropping such large amounts in one go.
“They’re perfect,” I said, and I slid the cushion back to the shop attendant.
“Wonderful, sir,” the gorgon said with a placid smile. “Would you like them gift wrapped? Or will the lady be wearing them out?”
“Oh, I–” Helena started to speak.
“Gift wrapped, please,” I interrupted before Helena could try and explain the relationship between us.
If the gorgon shopworker assumed we were a couple, I would have no problem with it. In fact, I kind of liked the idea that someone saw us and just thought we were together. I shook away the memory of Helena’s perfect breasts as it slammed into the forefront of my mind. There was plenty of time to daydream about fucking Lady Helena, but right now I looked forward to getting to know her better.
The sexy harpy gave me a warm smile before she turned away and started to inspect another case filled with dainty gold chain necklaces.
“Can I show you anything else today?” the shop attendant asked.
Then she pulled out a small box, a perfect square of silver paper, and a golden ribbon from the case. In several deft movements, she settled the expensive earrings in the box and wrapped it beautifully. The little present looked like something out of a jewelry commercial.
“Uh…” I thought for a moment, and then I had an idea.
Lady Helena was focused intently on a black satin display draped with a gold necklace that looked thin enough to snap like a piece of licorice. There was an inch-long, diamond-encrusted crescent moon dangling from the front of the chain. It was gorgeous, with a dainty and elegant feel that still made it a clear statement of money and status. I walked up behind Helena, and her tawny wings tucked closer to her back to make room for me to join her.
“Do you like that?” I asked, and I pointed at the moon necklace.
“It’s beautiful,” Helena murmured in a dreamy voice. “Maybe I’ll come back and get it as a birthday present for myself.”
“Miss,” I said, and I looked over my shoulder at the gorgon with the green snakes. “I’ll take this, too.”
“Certainly, sir.” The gorgon smiled, and Euro signs practically popped up in her eyes.
The shop’s employees probably worked on commission, and I guessed between the two pieces, she was about to get a nice bonus.
“Would you like this one wrapped as well?” the gorgon asked as she hooked a finger through the gold chain and pulled it from the case.
“No, thank you,” I said, and I held my hand out to take the necklace.
Helena’s mouth fell open as I twirled a finger to tell her to turn around. She shook her head slightly as if to deny the gift, but a quick raise of my eyebrows had the Grecian harpy turning around for me. Helena pulled her long chocolate-brown hair over one shoulder as I unhooked the clasp.
I checked the tiny tag before I pulled it free from the necklace and looped it around Helena’s slender neck. Then I handed the twelve thousand Euro tag back to the attendant as Helena admired the crescent moon in a polished mirror.
“Oh, Michael,” Helena hummed, and she traced the shape of the moon with the tip of her finger. “I couldn’t possibly accept this.”
“You can,” I said in a firm voice. I looked over her shoulder at our reflection in the mirror, and I leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “And you will. Your king insists.”
Helena’s caramel-colored eyes lit up with happiness and childlike excitement, and I knew she wouldn’t argue with me.
“It’s beautiful,” Helena murmured. “Thank you.”
I couldn’t keep the smug grin from my face, so I turned to the gorgon shopworker and gestured for her to ring us up.
“Thank you for shopping with us today,” the gorgon said in a pleasant voice. Her green snakes hissed softly as they watched me with curious eyes. The woman looked up like she was listening to her snake hair, and then a look of surprise filled her eyes, and she lowered her voice. “It’s an honor to have served you, your majesty.”
“And thank you for your…” I paused as I searched for the right word. “Professionalism.”
The gorgon woman smiled, and she dipped her head in just the slightest nod of respect. She slid a tiny bag with Poppy’s earrings inside across the counter, and I gave her a friendly smile before I turned to Lady Helena.
“Where to next?” I asked.
“Well, that’s up to you,” Helena answered with a playful smile.
I chuckled as I held the shop door open for her, and once we were outside, I glanced up and down the long stretch of top-tier shops. There was something I was interested in shopping for, and I spotted a shoe store a short distance down the street.
“I need new sneakers,” I said, and I offered Helena my arm.
“Sneakers?” Helena chuckled with curiosity. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “Mine were getting pretty beat up even before I became king, and though my closet is packed with every kind of fancy shoes I could ever need, there is a distinctive lack of workout shoes.”
“King Vairn wasn’t a big fan of physical activity,” Helena said in a dry voice.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I sighed. “Anyway, I need something for my training sessions with Firo. We work barefoot in the dojo, but sometimes we go for runs around the property, and I really need a good pair of shoes for that.”
“Well, this shop has the biggest selection of footwear in the city,” Helena said as we walked toward the shop. “They’ll surely have what you’re looking for.”
Lady Helena was right of course, the place was full of every kind of shoe I could imagine. One side of the shop was packed with ladies’ heels, sandals, running shoes, and boots of every height, and the other side was packed with men’s shoes. I went right over to the athletic shoes and started browsing the various brands. Only two of the names were familiar to me, but several of them had patterns, logos, and styles that made it clear they were made by various paranormal species.
“Are a lot of brands by people of the Eternal Realm?” I asked as I inspected a pair of running shoes with merfolk scales on the sides.
“Oh, yes.” Helena nodded enthusiastically. “Many major brands and labels are the creations of our people. Prada is one, in fact.”
“Really?” I asked with shock. “Man, so much of the world is tangled right up with the Eternal Realm, isn’t it?”
“Mmhmm,” Helena murmured. “After all, the Eternal Realm is much older than the human world.”
I just blinked dumbly at the gorgeous harpy for a second.
“What?” Helena asked.
“I just…” I shook my head. “I’m still trying to adjust my perspective on the world to include the fact that paranormal people are everywhere. I spent twenty-eight years not even knowing there were harpies or faes or merfolk or vampires, and now I keep learning how much a part of my life you all already were. I’ve known about Prada for forever, you know? It’s just wild to me.”
“It has been our intention to keep our existence hidden from human eyes for centuries,” Helena said with a little shrug. “But that doesn’t mean we are in hiding.”
“Yeah, I guess not,” I chuckled.
I picked a pair of dark gray running shoes that were close to a thousand Euro. But the price was well worth it since they fit better than any other shoes I’d tried on in my life, and then Helena and I walked back out onto the street.
Lady Helena’s comments about the Eternal Realm being older than the human world got me thinking, and I started to notice that almost all of the people we passed on the street were various paranormals.
“Not many humans around this part of the city, huh?” I asked. I assumed we were in an area that was more heavily populated by members of the Eternal Realm.
“It’s not just this part of the city, Michael,” Helena said in a light tone. “Many older parts of the world are mostly populated by paranormals.”
“Whoa, really?” I gasped.
“Yes.” Helena smiled. “Places like Greece, Italy, Japan, China, India, Egypt… the oldest countries in the world are made up primarily of our people.”
“So are there more humans in…” I said in a puzzled voice. “In like younger countries? Or are there just more paranormals in the world in general?”
“There are higher populations of humans in the newer parts of the world,” Helena confirmed. “Places like America in particular. The indigenous population is pretty evenly divided between paranormals and humans, but the populations that came over from Europe… they’re mostly humans.”
“That’s… weird,” I murmured as I tried to wrap my head around all of this.
“It’s not really,” Helena said with a slight frown. “You see, the people of the Eternal Realm encouraged humans to make the pilgrimages to the new world.”
“What?” I gasped, and now I was totally shocked.
“Oh, yes.” Helena nodded. “The America you know now, the American history that is taught in human schools? That was all inspired by the persuasion of the Eternal Realm. You see, vampires, werewolves, gorgons, sirens, witches, merfolk, harpies… we all wanted to be able to live a bit more freely, and so we planted the seeds that grew into the exploration of the new world by the Spanish and later the English. Though the Norse were technically the first to explore the new world, they didn’t colonize it quite as completely as the others.”
“I– uh…” I stuttered, and I realized I had to reorient my entire view of the world. Then a question slammed into my mind. “Wait… then why the fuck is my mansion in Orlando?”
“What do you mean?” Helena asked.
“Like… why isn’t the king’s home in Europe or Asia?” I clarified. “If there are more of my subjects on this side of the Atlantic, why am I living in the states?”
“Oh, the king’s mansion hasn’t always been in Florida, Michael,” Helena said. “The King’s palace used to be in Wales.”
“How did it get moved to Orlando, then?” I asked.
“A former king relocated the capital to the new world about two hundred and fifty years ago,” Helena explained. “He supposedly longed for a change of scenery, and he wanted to establish his rule in the new world. He felt it was important to have a strong presence of the monarchy in the Americas, even if there were fewer paranormals there.”
“Huh,” I breathed, but my mind was spinning.
The presence of the king in the States seemed plenty established to me now, and based on what Helena had told me about the situation that brought us to Greece, I was starting to think my presence was more needed here. Maybe it was time to move the king’s home and capital of the Eternal Realm back across the ocean. Plus, that would definitely give me the space and distance I might need from my family to keep them from getting too involved in my new life or asking too many uncomfortable questions about my future wives.
It also had the potential to hasten my education in the Eternal Realm as a whole. It was sort of like a person immersing themselves in French culture to learn the language. Being neck-deep in it made learning a part of everyday life.
I decided I would look more into the idea once this situation in Greece had been handled. Picking up my entire life and hightailing it across the world right now wasn’t a great idea, but a well-planned long-term move could be exactly what my new life called for.
“Oh, we’ve walked right to the shop I sent Poppy to,” Helena laughed as she looked up at an elegantly scrolled sign.
“Oh, perfect,” I chuckled. “I was thinking we should grab some lunch.”
“Would you like me to go in and see if she’s done?” Helena offered. “We don’t want you accidentally walking in on her in her chosen dress.”
“Good point,” I said with a wry smirk. “Thanks.”
“Certainly.” Helena smiled and disappeared into the shop.
I took a deep breath and enjoyed the sight of merfolk, gorgons, sirens, and harpies as they strolled down the street.
“Your majesty,” Nyxx rasped softly behind me.
I turned around and found her white eyes in the shapeless shadow she hid in.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Might I suggest a place for your lunch, your majesty?” Nyxx asked. “There is quite a crowd at several of the places nearby, and I believe a quieter place would be safer.”
“Alright, yeah.” I nodded.
“Thank you,” Nyxx rasped. “Kage has informed me that Phaedra’s is quiet, and the menu is quite good as well.”
“Great, we’ll go there, then,” I agreed. “Thanks, Nyxx.”
The shadow nymph’s shapeless face seemed to nod once before she sank back into the shadows and disappeared completely. A moment later, Helena and Poppy walked out of the shop with their arms looped together. They giggled and shared a mischievous smile before Poppy stepped into my arms.
“What are you two giggling about?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Poppy said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Uh-huh,” I scoffed with humor because I didn’t believe that for a second. “So, Nyxx suggested we go to Phaedra’s for lunch. Helena, do you know the place?”
“Oh, yes,” Helena said with enthusiasm. “The food is excellent, and the service is superb.”
“Good, I’m starving,” Poppy declared. “Is it far?”
“Not terribly,” Helena said. “We can walk there in about ten minutes. Follow me.”
The Grecian harpy led the way, and I laced Poppy’s fingers with mine as we walked.
The place was beautiful, and the pristine sign welcomed us with bold black letters edged with what looked like real gold leaf. Decorative columns lined both sides of the wide double doors, and a male harpy maître d’ in a black tuxedo with tails and a tiny mustache greeted us.
“Party for three?” the older harpy asked in a Greek accent.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Do you have any outdoor seating?”
“Naí,” the man said, and he nodded.
I glanced at Helena, and she nodded to confirm the maître d’ was going to take us to an outdoor table.
Nyxx had been right, the place was pretty quiet for it being smack in the middle of lunchtime. It was huge inside, with plush red carpets that I knew must have been a nightmare to keep clean. The tables were covered in crisp white linens, crystal wine glasses, and more forks than I knew what to do with. We followed the harpy host through the main dining room, up a flight of wide stairs to the second level, and out onto a stone balcony that held a half-dozen tables.
I decided I wanted to buy Poppy some jewelry to commemorate our first international trip together, so I walked over to the nearest case.
“Fuck,” I whispered to myself as I noticed the jewelry didn’t even have price tags on them.
“What is it?” Helena asked as she peered into the case of rainbow-colored gems.
“In my former life,” I chuckled. “I learned the hard way that things without prices displayed are always the most expensive. Because only the super-rich could shop without worrying about the cost.”
“I guess that’s true,” Helena giggled. “But you are the super-rich now, your majesty.”
“Please, call me Michael,” I encouraged her again.
“But we are in public, your majesty,” Helena murmured with a soft blush on her tanned cheeks. “I thought you said I could use your given name in private.”
“It’s just us,” I said with a shrug. “I mean, yeah, we’re not in a private setting, but this is pretty far from a formal event.”
“Very well…” Helena smiled with pleasure. “Michael. I assume you’re looking to buy something for Poppy?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I was thinking of some earrings.”
“That’s a great idea,” Helena said, and she scanned the case. “I think amethyst would be beautiful with her eyes.”
“Oh, those are gorgeous,” I said, and I leaned down to look at the purple studded earrings.
I looked straight at the glittering gems, but I couldn’t see a fucking thing in front of me as Helena’s perfume wafted over my nose. The Grecian harpy smelled like summertime, and her bare upper arm brushed lightly against my shoulder as she pointed to a pair of teardrop-shaped earrings.
I stood up and cleared my throat to try and get a grip on myself, and then a gorgon shopworker strolled over and greeted us with a pleasant smile.
“Good day,” the older woman murmured. “Is there anything I can help you with today?”
The woman had pale green snakes coiled on top of her head, small wrinkles around the corners of her kind brown eyes, and wore deep maroon lipstick. She waited patiently for an answer as I hit the restart button on my brain, and then I pointed at the teardrop amethysts.
“Can I see those, please?” I asked.
“Oh, an excellent choice, sir.” The gorgon woman pulled a ring of small keys from inside the collar of her blouse, flipped through them until she found the right one, and unlocked the case.
The amethysts sparkled brightly in the light as the shopworker pulled the little satin cushion out of the case, and then she placed them on the glass surface in front of me.
“They’re beautiful,” Helena mused as she stood back a little from the case.
“Yeah, they are,” I agreed as I picked up the little cushion.
I guessed the earrings were at least a few carats in size, but I still wasn’t very practiced in judging gem sizes or values. With a quick flip of the cushion, I found the price tag, and thanks to a month of constant sticker shock, I was able to contain my gasp of surprise at the number.
I didn’t know amethysts could even be seventeen thousand dollars, but here we were. Then I realized the price was in Euros, and I did a rough conversion to American dollars. I knew it was more than that by at least a few thousand, but I also knew I could afford them several thousand times over.
Which was still so fucking bizarre to me, and I was starting to get a guilty kind of pleasure out of dropping such large amounts in one go.
“They’re perfect,” I said, and I slid the cushion back to the shop attendant.
“Wonderful, sir,” the gorgon said with a placid smile. “Would you like them gift wrapped? Or will the lady be wearing them out?”
“Oh, I–” Helena started to speak.
“Gift wrapped, please,” I interrupted before Helena could try and explain the relationship between us.
If the gorgon shopworker assumed we were a couple, I would have no problem with it. In fact, I kind of liked the idea that someone saw us and just thought we were together. I shook away the memory of Helena’s perfect breasts as it slammed into the forefront of my mind. There was plenty of time to daydream about fucking Lady Helena, but right now I looked forward to getting to know her better.
The sexy harpy gave me a warm smile before she turned away and started to inspect another case filled with dainty gold chain necklaces.
“Can I show you anything else today?” the shop attendant asked.
Then she pulled out a small box, a perfect square of silver paper, and a golden ribbon from the case. In several deft movements, she settled the expensive earrings in the box and wrapped it beautifully. The little present looked like something out of a jewelry commercial.
“Uh…” I thought for a moment, and then I had an idea.
Lady Helena was focused intently on a black satin display draped with a gold necklace that looked thin enough to snap like a piece of licorice. There was an inch-long, diamond-encrusted crescent moon dangling from the front of the chain. It was gorgeous, with a dainty and elegant feel that still made it a clear statement of money and status. I walked up behind Helena, and her tawny wings tucked closer to her back to make room for me to join her.
“Do you like that?” I asked, and I pointed at the moon necklace.
“It’s beautiful,” Helena murmured in a dreamy voice. “Maybe I’ll come back and get it as a birthday present for myself.”
“Miss,” I said, and I looked over my shoulder at the gorgon with the green snakes. “I’ll take this, too.”
“Certainly, sir.” The gorgon smiled, and Euro signs practically popped up in her eyes.
The shop’s employees probably worked on commission, and I guessed between the two pieces, she was about to get a nice bonus.
“Would you like this one wrapped as well?” the gorgon asked as she hooked a finger through the gold chain and pulled it from the case.
“No, thank you,” I said, and I held my hand out to take the necklace.
Helena’s mouth fell open as I twirled a finger to tell her to turn around. She shook her head slightly as if to deny the gift, but a quick raise of my eyebrows had the Grecian harpy turning around for me. Helena pulled her long chocolate-brown hair over one shoulder as I unhooked the clasp.
I checked the tiny tag before I pulled it free from the necklace and looped it around Helena’s slender neck. Then I handed the twelve thousand Euro tag back to the attendant as Helena admired the crescent moon in a polished mirror.
“Oh, Michael,” Helena hummed, and she traced the shape of the moon with the tip of her finger. “I couldn’t possibly accept this.”
“You can,” I said in a firm voice. I looked over her shoulder at our reflection in the mirror, and I leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “And you will. Your king insists.”
Helena’s caramel-colored eyes lit up with happiness and childlike excitement, and I knew she wouldn’t argue with me.
“It’s beautiful,” Helena murmured. “Thank you.”
I couldn’t keep the smug grin from my face, so I turned to the gorgon shopworker and gestured for her to ring us up.
“Thank you for shopping with us today,” the gorgon said in a pleasant voice. Her green snakes hissed softly as they watched me with curious eyes. The woman looked up like she was listening to her snake hair, and then a look of surprise filled her eyes, and she lowered her voice. “It’s an honor to have served you, your majesty.”
“And thank you for your…” I paused as I searched for the right word. “Professionalism.”
The gorgon woman smiled, and she dipped her head in just the slightest nod of respect. She slid a tiny bag with Poppy’s earrings inside across the counter, and I gave her a friendly smile before I turned to Lady Helena.
“Where to next?” I asked.
“Well, that’s up to you,” Helena answered with a playful smile.
I chuckled as I held the shop door open for her, and once we were outside, I glanced up and down the long stretch of top-tier shops. There was something I was interested in shopping for, and I spotted a shoe store a short distance down the street.
“I need new sneakers,” I said, and I offered Helena my arm.
“Sneakers?” Helena chuckled with curiosity. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “Mine were getting pretty beat up even before I became king, and though my closet is packed with every kind of fancy shoes I could ever need, there is a distinctive lack of workout shoes.”
“King Vairn wasn’t a big fan of physical activity,” Helena said in a dry voice.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I sighed. “Anyway, I need something for my training sessions with Firo. We work barefoot in the dojo, but sometimes we go for runs around the property, and I really need a good pair of shoes for that.”
“Well, this shop has the biggest selection of footwear in the city,” Helena said as we walked toward the shop. “They’ll surely have what you’re looking for.”
Lady Helena was right of course, the place was full of every kind of shoe I could imagine. One side of the shop was packed with ladies’ heels, sandals, running shoes, and boots of every height, and the other side was packed with men’s shoes. I went right over to the athletic shoes and started browsing the various brands. Only two of the names were familiar to me, but several of them had patterns, logos, and styles that made it clear they were made by various paranormal species.
“Are a lot of brands by people of the Eternal Realm?” I asked as I inspected a pair of running shoes with merfolk scales on the sides.
“Oh, yes.” Helena nodded enthusiastically. “Many major brands and labels are the creations of our people. Prada is one, in fact.”
“Really?” I asked with shock. “Man, so much of the world is tangled right up with the Eternal Realm, isn’t it?”
“Mmhmm,” Helena murmured. “After all, the Eternal Realm is much older than the human world.”
I just blinked dumbly at the gorgeous harpy for a second.
“What?” Helena asked.
“I just…” I shook my head. “I’m still trying to adjust my perspective on the world to include the fact that paranormal people are everywhere. I spent twenty-eight years not even knowing there were harpies or faes or merfolk or vampires, and now I keep learning how much a part of my life you all already were. I’ve known about Prada for forever, you know? It’s just wild to me.”
“It has been our intention to keep our existence hidden from human eyes for centuries,” Helena said with a little shrug. “But that doesn’t mean we are in hiding.”
“Yeah, I guess not,” I chuckled.
I picked a pair of dark gray running shoes that were close to a thousand Euro. But the price was well worth it since they fit better than any other shoes I’d tried on in my life, and then Helena and I walked back out onto the street.
Lady Helena’s comments about the Eternal Realm being older than the human world got me thinking, and I started to notice that almost all of the people we passed on the street were various paranormals.
“Not many humans around this part of the city, huh?” I asked. I assumed we were in an area that was more heavily populated by members of the Eternal Realm.
“It’s not just this part of the city, Michael,” Helena said in a light tone. “Many older parts of the world are mostly populated by paranormals.”
“Whoa, really?” I gasped.
“Yes.” Helena smiled. “Places like Greece, Italy, Japan, China, India, Egypt… the oldest countries in the world are made up primarily of our people.”
“So are there more humans in…” I said in a puzzled voice. “In like younger countries? Or are there just more paranormals in the world in general?”
“There are higher populations of humans in the newer parts of the world,” Helena confirmed. “Places like America in particular. The indigenous population is pretty evenly divided between paranormals and humans, but the populations that came over from Europe… they’re mostly humans.”
“That’s… weird,” I murmured as I tried to wrap my head around all of this.
“It’s not really,” Helena said with a slight frown. “You see, the people of the Eternal Realm encouraged humans to make the pilgrimages to the new world.”
“What?” I gasped, and now I was totally shocked.
“Oh, yes.” Helena nodded. “The America you know now, the American history that is taught in human schools? That was all inspired by the persuasion of the Eternal Realm. You see, vampires, werewolves, gorgons, sirens, witches, merfolk, harpies… we all wanted to be able to live a bit more freely, and so we planted the seeds that grew into the exploration of the new world by the Spanish and later the English. Though the Norse were technically the first to explore the new world, they didn’t colonize it quite as completely as the others.”
“I– uh…” I stuttered, and I realized I had to reorient my entire view of the world. Then a question slammed into my mind. “Wait… then why the fuck is my mansion in Orlando?”
“What do you mean?” Helena asked.
“Like… why isn’t the king’s home in Europe or Asia?” I clarified. “If there are more of my subjects on this side of the Atlantic, why am I living in the states?”
“Oh, the king’s mansion hasn’t always been in Florida, Michael,” Helena said. “The King’s palace used to be in Wales.”
“How did it get moved to Orlando, then?” I asked.
“A former king relocated the capital to the new world about two hundred and fifty years ago,” Helena explained. “He supposedly longed for a change of scenery, and he wanted to establish his rule in the new world. He felt it was important to have a strong presence of the monarchy in the Americas, even if there were fewer paranormals there.”
“Huh,” I breathed, but my mind was spinning.
The presence of the king in the States seemed plenty established to me now, and based on what Helena had told me about the situation that brought us to Greece, I was starting to think my presence was more needed here. Maybe it was time to move the king’s home and capital of the Eternal Realm back across the ocean. Plus, that would definitely give me the space and distance I might need from my family to keep them from getting too involved in my new life or asking too many uncomfortable questions about my future wives.
It also had the potential to hasten my education in the Eternal Realm as a whole. It was sort of like a person immersing themselves in French culture to learn the language. Being neck-deep in it made learning a part of everyday life.
I decided I would look more into the idea once this situation in Greece had been handled. Picking up my entire life and hightailing it across the world right now wasn’t a great idea, but a well-planned long-term move could be exactly what my new life called for.
“Oh, we’ve walked right to the shop I sent Poppy to,” Helena laughed as she looked up at an elegantly scrolled sign.
“Oh, perfect,” I chuckled. “I was thinking we should grab some lunch.”
“Would you like me to go in and see if she’s done?” Helena offered. “We don’t want you accidentally walking in on her in her chosen dress.”
“Good point,” I said with a wry smirk. “Thanks.”
“Certainly.” Helena smiled and disappeared into the shop.
I took a deep breath and enjoyed the sight of merfolk, gorgons, sirens, and harpies as they strolled down the street.
“Your majesty,” Nyxx rasped softly behind me.
I turned around and found her white eyes in the shapeless shadow she hid in.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Might I suggest a place for your lunch, your majesty?” Nyxx asked. “There is quite a crowd at several of the places nearby, and I believe a quieter place would be safer.”
“Alright, yeah.” I nodded.
“Thank you,” Nyxx rasped. “Kage has informed me that Phaedra’s is quiet, and the menu is quite good as well.”
“Great, we’ll go there, then,” I agreed. “Thanks, Nyxx.”
The shadow nymph’s shapeless face seemed to nod once before she sank back into the shadows and disappeared completely. A moment later, Helena and Poppy walked out of the shop with their arms looped together. They giggled and shared a mischievous smile before Poppy stepped into my arms.
“What are you two giggling about?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Poppy said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Uh-huh,” I scoffed with humor because I didn’t believe that for a second. “So, Nyxx suggested we go to Phaedra’s for lunch. Helena, do you know the place?”
“Oh, yes,” Helena said with enthusiasm. “The food is excellent, and the service is superb.”
“Good, I’m starving,” Poppy declared. “Is it far?”
“Not terribly,” Helena said. “We can walk there in about ten minutes. Follow me.”
The Grecian harpy led the way, and I laced Poppy’s fingers with mine as we walked.
The place was beautiful, and the pristine sign welcomed us with bold black letters edged with what looked like real gold leaf. Decorative columns lined both sides of the wide double doors, and a male harpy maître d’ in a black tuxedo with tails and a tiny mustache greeted us.
“Party for three?” the older harpy asked in a Greek accent.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Do you have any outdoor seating?”
“Naí,” the man said, and he nodded.
I glanced at Helena, and she nodded to confirm the maître d’ was going to take us to an outdoor table.
Nyxx had been right, the place was pretty quiet for it being smack in the middle of lunchtime. It was huge inside, with plush red carpets that I knew must have been a nightmare to keep clean. The tables were covered in crisp white linens, crystal wine glasses, and more forks than I knew what to do with. We followed the harpy host through the main dining room, up a flight of wide stairs to the second level, and out onto a stone balcony that held a half-dozen tables.
