“ I think she's gaining consciousness, ” Ivory heard faintly the murmurs of the maids that attended to her.“ W-where am I?” Ivory blinked her eyes open, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. She tried to comprehend what had happened, her memory was a bit fuzzy.“ You're in the Royal infirmary, Your Highness,” one of the maids answered.“ H-how did I...” she gasped in realization. Everything before she fainted came flooding back, her eyes popped open and she quickly sprang up into a sitting position, her breath unsteady and her heart pulsating.“ Your Highness, are you alright? Should I get the doctor?” One of the maids panicked.“ Is... Has His Majesty...” her chest tightened as thoughts swirled through her head.“ I was just about walking inside to talk to you. I'm glad you're awake,” Emperor Styles’ voice made Ivory stop midway through her sentence. Her trembling was obvious and so was the anger on Emperor Styles’ face. “ I'm sorry, Your Highness but I had to tell him the truth,” the doc
“ You look stunning, Your Highness,” one of Heli’s maids complimented after touching up her hair. “ I always am,” she had heard that compliment a little too much to care, not to mention how confident she was in her bewitching beauty. “ As always, Your Highness,” the maid bowed followed by the others who stood around. “ Get the carriages ready, we're heading to Black Empire,” Heli announced and the maids got moving. In a moment, everything was ready for the journey and they set out. The Black Empire had been allies of the Yung Empire which now had nothing but a small village left.Their relationship was strained in the last two hundred years which she was confident the Black Empire had long forgotten and despite the fact that neither of them has proven hostile to the other, there has been little to no interaction between the two.“How far away are we?” Heli asked as the wheels of the chariots kicked against the stray pebbles on the rough road. Heli had always been the impatient
*Horn blows as Princess Heli walks into the throne room*“Greetings Emperor Styles” she greeted with a slight bow. The Emperor had a skeptical look on his face while Ivory just looked spiteful….and for good reason too. She was always wary of women around her husband as she knew the long held tradition of emperors keeping a harem. Luckily for her though, Styles had shown little to no interest in keeping a harem of any form and she planned to keep it that way. “Princess Heli, I must say it is a surprise to see you here” Styles responded. Heli smirked as she looked him in the eye. “To what do I owe this honor?” He asked.“Nothing more than my interest in breaking up old norms that have kept our kingdoms isolated from each other” she said.“Hmmm, go on” he nodded as he leaned forward with piqued interest. He was still clearly fascinated by her beauty but more so by her intellect and manner of behavior. Though isolated from each other, most Empires and peoples had at some point in time he
Ragi and the Empress are in the empress's chamber, discussing about the princess. Ragi clearly has his suspicions but the empress simply doesn't like her and is on the defensive, particularly because of what happened between her and the Emperor. She now views Princess Heli as a threat to her position of empress and is willing to do anything to stop her. “I'm telling you she's up to something” the empress said to Ragi. Her face had suspicion and paranoia written all over it. “I don't like the feeling I'm getting from her. I don't like it at all” she said as she lay down on her bed. She looked really pale and fragile. “I feel the exact same way, your Grace” Ragi responded, “I felt suspicious of her from the first day I set my eyes on her. She's definitely planning something ulterior. I'm sure of it” he added. “What shall we do, your Grace?” He enquired. “We need to watch her…to monitor her every move, from what she eats to what she drinks to even who she talks to and interacts
Nighttime had fallen upon the land and the night life of the capital began to awake. Colorful paper lanterns can be seen hanging over the stalls and shops of the traders and the city is just as active now as it was in the day. Meanwhile, back at the Emperor's residence, Princess Heli prepares herself for a successful hunt. She had made no attempts since she arrived here and the drainage of her dark magic was starting to take a toll on her. “Are you ready, Princess?” The eunuch whispered to her. She nodded and assured him that she was okay. Then the eunuch said to the maids standing in front of them. “We will be moving out tonight to see the city sites. Princess Heli here isn't feeling too well and will not be going with us however, we need not make the public know that she is ill. Instead, one of you shall dress in her attire and masquerade herself as the princess. That way we can move without any suspicions. Are we clear?” He asked. “Sir yes sir!” The maids answered as a sm
Ragi followed from a distance, each moment causing him to be more suspicious than the last. The princess who was supposed to be sightseeing was yet to say a word or even acknowledge the places they were going through.She was silent and stiff with occasional nods but nothing more. “Sir, I don't think they mean harm. We've been following them for hours now and all they have done is enjoy the view of the city,” one of the men spoke up. “Enjoy? Do you call this plain walk with occasional nods of enjoyment? If you ask me, this seems like some kind of arrangement. They probably know we are onto them so they are trying to behave as naturally as possible,” Ragi argued. The men exchanged glances. They didn't buy his theory but none was brave enough to dispute it. “So we keep following them?”“Yes. I will return to the palace to speak with the Emperor but you must make sure to keep guard. Watch them closely, alright?” He instructed.“Yes, General.”Meanwhile, Ivory was seated in her room,
When the Emperor called another meeting with the council, they suspected something was about to happen, and just as they perceived, he dropped a bomb on them. “I am sure you are all wondering about the urgency behind this meeting. I want to inform you all that after careful consideration of the Yung proposal, I have decided to accept the marriage treaty,” Styles declared and they jumped to their feet in shock. Ragi was the most stunned. The Emperor assured him days that he would never take another wife and now he was planning to wed the Yung Princess?“Your majesty, you…” Ragi started protesting when the Emperor cut him off.“I will not take anyone's opinion on this. It is a choice and I will appreciate it if you get to work with the marriage preparations,” he stated.“What about her father? You said you would speak with him and…”“Her father is dead. The fate of her people lies with her now and you can see she is doing her best to save them,” Styles intercepted.The Lords exchanged
“The rumors are circulating again. Are they still false?” Mona asked the minute Styles entered the room. “I am not ready to discuss this with you,” he took off his jacket and then cast her a look she couldn't decipher. “You should leave now, I need rest.” Before Ivory could speak, the door opened and a second guest entered. Heli noticed the tension in the room as soon as she walked in but none of it concerned her. “Your Majesty,” she bowed. “I hope you don't mind company. I am bored out of my mind, some interaction would help,” Heli spoke, deliberately ignoring Ivory. “Of course not. You are welcome, anytime,” Styles gleefully replied. Ivory's fists clenched as rage fueled within her. Heli threw her a glance, then with mock remorse, she said, “I didn't notice you had company already. I hope I am not interrupting anything.” “Nonsense! You are not interrupting anything. The Empress was just about to leave,” Styles answered and Ivory gaped at him. This was nothing like the man sh