33 Risen#re

Most of the day had already passed when the escort arrived at, 'Wildders Home for Children Foundation', it was the only orphanage in Xelia's capital. It was also the place where all the children were placed temporarily.

Anya had been lounging in the directors' quarters and she was impressed with how luxurious it was, by now all the children were removed from their pods, fed, and dressed in good clothing, the oldest ones were around 15 years while the youngest were just infants.

Anya moved down the halls to greet the empress when she noticed the convoy closing in on the orphanage.

"Your majesty, ", she did a small curtsy to the empress and joined the other aides behind her, the golden carpet was laid on the ground once more and the empress crossed it until she entered the doors of the orphanage, within a crowd of people awaited her, reporters stood at the ready, and the children of the orphanage were lined up along the walls standing respectfully.

After a long bow to the empress, they all returned to their feet and stood in solemn attention.

Taliyah could feel their hunger for a story but she was in no mood to put on a long show, since she had claimed Lirian, she hadn't spent more than a few hours with him and two months had long passed, it was time for her to be a mother again and she wanted it to be done quickly.

She waved her hand to gather everyone's attention, "I'm sure you all have many questions for me," she said with a charming smile, ", you have five minutes to ask me whatever you want, after that all of you should be able to show yourselves out, now you may begin."

The reporters all raised their hands silently, it was very unlike reporters but they were trying to behave the most frantic of them were repeatedly trusting their hands up down while bouncing on their feet.

On the right side, she spotted a dark-skinned lady in a red coat standing calmly, at once she understood that she was the reporter the president planted to ask her the question that needed to be asked, "You in the red coat."

"Your majesty, we have all been curious as to why you are interested in a couple of orphans that have come in from a lesser-world?"

"These children do not come from any ordinary lesser-world but my home world, it is for this reason that I have brought them to Xelia to give them a better chance at life, it is the least that I can do for the children of my planet which is why I will also be donating 10 billion credits to the 'Wildders Home for Children Foundation' for the improvement of their lives."

Her donation was enormous it was more than some galactic conglomerates made in a year, and even as the empress it showed a lot of sincerity, that amount turned the orphanage into one of the richest organizations on the planet in a heart-beat.

Taliyah continued answering questions, five questions later she selected a reporter that seemed as if he would have fit if he didn't ask his question, "Your majesty, people all over the world have been guessing that you will be adopting one of the children, could you confirm or deny this speculation."

The hall fell into silence as they awaited the empress's answer.

Taliyah wasn't surprised that people were able to connect the dots, "It has been a long time since I have had a child of my own, and after a lengthy discussion with my husband we decide to adopt a child, and raise that child on Xelia."

Before the reporters could jump onto their next question she clapped her hands together, "That will be all."

The reporters looked unwilling and that gaze filled with hunger still burned, as the empress, she had long learned that journalists were like worms with an ever-growing appetite, the more you feed them the greater their hunger, they were impossible to satiate.

When the room cleared out, the director ran behind the empress she looked like a dog that had received a treat, "Your majesty, it is my greatest honor to serve you, I will be certain to put your very generous donation to good use for the betterment of the children."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," said Anya as she stepped up from behind, ", you know I have been searching for years for a bottle of 62-thousand-year Vincent scotch," she smiled at the director, "Oh, and did I mention that I managed to find one earlier today, it was delightful by the way, even I'd feel a hole in my purse if I bought one.", she flashed the director a mocking smile.

"I still have half the bottle, your majesty, we should enjoy it later."

Taliyah felt her face muscles cramp up as she continued to force a smile, it was all too common for directors of NPO's to embezzle funds, but as long as they did their job properly, they turned a blind eye to such activities.

Anya wouldn't have done anything if she had just found the wine but that entire room was filled with treasures, she even took the job of liberating many of the things for herself, it was always fun to steal from a thief because they couldn't even complain about it without causing problems for themselves.

The director's face sank as she heard Anya, losing the wine made her feel like she had been sucker-punched in the face, there were only ten bottles she had been able to track down, and that was the only one for sale, and she bled her coffers dry to get it.

"It was a gift that I received from a very generous man," she lied with a straight face, "I had been planning on opening it on a special day, and having the empress here today was the perfect reason, unfortunately, that no longer seems possible." she gave a dry chuckle.

"That must have been a very generous man let him know that Anya Capriska would like to thank him personally for such a lovely gift."

"I will." she answered with a strained smile, "Your majesty may I take you to see the children."

"Yes, that would be lovely, I'd like to see the younger children, the younger the better."

"Certainly, your majesty,", she looked at the empress fawningly, "If I may be so bold as to speak of one of the children," when Taliyah nodded, she took it as her cue to speak.

"Whilst these children have only been here for a day, there has been one notable child amongst them." Taliyah's eyes lit she was certain that they would speak of her Lirian.

"When my staff saw the child, they mistook him to be a girl at first, he is just the most beautiful thing like the incarnation of the gods themselves, and he behaves like no other, he never cries and eats his food without fussing and his eyes, your majesty, by the gods it's like looking into the spiraling galaxies with every star shining brightly."

Hearing that description Taliyah was certain, it could be no one other than her Lirian, "Take me to him at once."

Even the president was taken aback at the directors' words and filled with curiosity, because along the way she had practically been boot-licking the empress but even then, she had not praised the empress in such a manner.

In a room on the upper floors Lirian was being carried around by a caregiver and three others surrounded him, they had been taking turns to carry him and they were trying their best to entertain him, and it seemed to earn his favor.

The thought made him feel very complicated, it was a completely foreign concept to him and as he enjoyed it, he slipped into his throne world in his mind to speak to his other-selves.

As he looked around, he realised that all his past selves were looking at him coldly.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, he still remembered the last time he was here, but even so they shouldn't be treating him with hostility.

"WHY!?" one of his selves shouted.

He looked around in confusion.

"We would have done anything," one said.

"Given anything," another continued.

"Just to have one person in this filthy world treat us like a person."

"All this time you remained asleep,"

"You don't even understand the pain we suffered,"

"So, why do you get to experience the love, adoration, and fawning of others,"

"While we suffered our whole lives just to survive,"

"How is it fair that you get to reap the benefit of all our years of gathering knowledge,"

"Without experiencing the same pain as us."

Lirian looked around in confusion, he could hardly believe the words he was hearing coming from his past selves they were all him after all, it didn't make sense they had always been there for themselves, but now they were treating him like an outsider. "I have always been here, I may have seemed asleep, but I was always awake but unable to say anything..." how could they not understand that he had, had it the worst of them all like a silent observer always watching and feeling their pain but being unable to do anything about it.

"SHUT UP, YOU LIAR!"

"GIVE US THE THRONE!" they roared.