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
“Your hands work like magic. I haven't had a massage this good in years,” Styles confessed, moaning softly as her fingers worked on his shoulders. “Do not flatter me, your highness. I can only try. I am sure I am not even half as good as your wife,” Heli said coyly.“Who? Ivory? I doubt she beats your expertise. I haven't even had a massage from her before now,” Styles answered honestly.“Oh,” Heli moved to his back. “I suppose you're not on good terms? I felt the tension in the room, right from the moment I walked in.”Styles didn't respond and Heli rolled her eyes. There was still some resistance to her magic. This meant she needed more blood. “It's okay if you don't want to share. It is really not my business. I know I'm an outsider and I shouldn't even be here…” she paused, waiting for her manipulative words to take effect.“Do not refer to yourself as an outsider. You are soon going to be an Empress in this great kingdom,” Styles told her.Heli smiled, “Does that mean you will
“What brings you to my abode, Cedric?” The voice would have been scary to anyone else but Cedric had known this man long enough to tell that he wasn't half as scary as his voice was. “I brought a proposal I'm sure you would be interested in,” Cedric responded, staring at the curtain separating him and the man with a relaxed expression.There was no response for almost a minute.“Hope you don't mind asking your maids to entertain me while you contemplate on my words,” Cedric said, signaling one of the maids over. “I'll like some meat and strong wine,” he ordered and she nodded before leaving. “Does this offer have to do with taking a life?” The man asked. “Does it matter?” Cedric retorted. “It does. I told you I do not walk that path anymore. I am trying to give back to my people what nature has blessed…”“Cut it out, Rim. You didn’t recite a speech when we were eliminating the Emperor,” Cedric interrupted.“No, because then it seemed like nothing It is one of the acts I am asham
“Klein, I have a job for you.”The latter was not so excited when he heard it. His sister already narrated her ordeal with the princess to them and he had a hunch that Cedric was going to use him next. If only he was wrong. “Does this have anything to do with the Yung Princess?” Klein asked and Cedric winked. “I see you caught on quickly. You're a smart man and I love smart people.” “Do you?” Cedric snorted, “You don't sound very excited. I mean this is the first time I'm asking something of you, I expected you'd be eager to show how useful you can be.”Klein’s expression remained stoic. He wasn't going to buy into such cheap manipulation. Not with a sorceress involved. “You want to be regarded as royalty yet you can't even do something so small,” Cedric scoffed. “If it was so small, you would do it yourself but you can't. Because just like the rest of us, you are terrified,” Klein stated and Cedric’s smile vanished. “You have no right to speak to me in that manner. Have you f
“What has gotten into you?! We were here to have a peace talk and you went ahead to injure her!” Ragi sounded exasperated but Ivory was raging mad too.“Don't you dare blame me for my actions, Ragi! You saw what happened there. She provoked me! Was I supposed to fold my arms and smile at her?” Ivory fumed.Ragi ruffled his hair, glancing at the swarm of doctors surrounding the bleeding Princess. Ivory had gone all out on the attack and surprisingly, the princess didn't even make a single attempt to fight back. Ragi was smart enough to know that it wasn't because she was powerless. A woman with ulterior motives wouldn't mind getting beaten to a pulp to execute her manipulation.“I understand you, perfectly but you should know that you are a queen. You shouldn't let your anger get the best of you. At all times, you should try to be diplomatic. The Emperor will not take this lightly,” Ragi tries to explain calmly.“To hell with the Emperor! If he had just stuck to the vows he made to me
Klein followed Cedric to see Rim but the sorcerer didn't seem excited to see them. He looked like he wanted them anywhere but his home. “Why are you here?” Rim asked Cedric. “I don't understand. We already discussed this, didn't we? I told you I would bring someone for the fortification process and you agreed on it. Why the sudden change of attitude now?” Cedric asked. He didn't the vibe he was getting from Rim. From the look on his face alone, it felt like the man had already withdrawn from the course. “Okay, here's the thing, whatever we agreed on doesn't stand anymore. I can not help you with this. If you have any other problems, feel free to bring them to me but this? Count me out,” Rim said.Klein was relieved to hear it. He already knew this was a bad idea. Thankfully, even the sorcerer saw it that way. “What do you mean by that? Did something happen?” Cedric asked suspiciously and Rim shook his head almost immediately.“Nothing happened. Why would you even think that?” Rim
“I do not wish to remain married to you.”Her words still echoed in his mind hours after he left her cell. He had been too stunned to give any response then so he simply left the cell.He wanted to dismiss her words as a mere bluff but his heart wasn't buying it. Somewhere in his guts, he felt that it wasn't just an empty threat.He sat on his bed, thinking about the recent happenings. In the last few days, he felt lost. Like everything happening around him was beyond his control.Sometimes, it felt like he had no control over his actions either. His mind would agree on something and he would end up doing another.Styles lay on his bed. Whether he was overthinking or not, he knew one thing for sure. He would never let Ivory go. He would never forgive himself if he did.Meanwhile, the eunuch entered while Heli was having her lunch. He heard what happened to her earlier, but since the Emperor was with her, he couldn't come in. Now she was alone, they could talk freely. “My Princess…”
“You already cast this spell on me. Am I supposed to stay awake forever, Darell?” Ivory was fed up. “Please calm down, your highness,” Darell said softly. “How many more of these temporary spells do I need? You already did the first one and it wore off in three days or less and now this?” Ivory exasperated.“We are trying to buy time to find a solution, Your Majesty. Please understand,” Darell explained calmly. She couldn't find it in her to get pissed at Ivory. She couldn't even imagine what the woman was going through now. “You know what, I'm done with this!” Ivory growled and stormed out of the room. “Where is she going? Somebody stop her!” Darell yelled but the glares that Ivory threw their way made them stand back. They resorted to informing the Emperor as he was the only one who could calm her down. Ivory got to the kitchen and matched to the cabinets where the knives were kept. The maids gasped as she grabbed the butcher knife. Darell rushed into the kitchen at that mom
Darell went to the execution ground with a couple of guards. Roy was still unconscious and it was perfect for her operation. She set her materials in place and started the ritual. Soon enough, she invaded Roy's mind but just before she could extract the information she was looking for, his eyes flew open and a cruel laugh escaped him.“What do you think you are doing?” He asked her. “Do you think I will keep such confidential information in my head?” “What did the Empress do to you?” Darell demanded.“Nothing,” he shrugged. “Was it the Emperor then?” She asked. “He doesn't need to do anything for me to punish him. I love the feeling of crushing the weak,” he laughed. Darell knew this man was a maniac.She knocked him back unconscious with an enchanted powder and began the ritual once again. Although he made it clear that the answers were not in his mind, she didn't want to relent. Even if she didn't get a direct answer, she was sure she would find a clue on how to stop it. She
The first hit had Daniel flying across the street. He let out a loud groan as his back connected with the tree. This wasn't the regular fight he was used to but he knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he challenged Roy.He forced himself up the ground and charged towards Roy but the man easily swung him to the side. “You know when you challenged me, I actually thought you had some insight on how to fight me spiritually,” he huffed, “but engaging you has proven to be a waste of time!”“Which is why you should take me on!” A feminine voice challenged from behind. Roy already recognized the voice as Darell's.He whipped his head around, surprised that she could get the chains off her. He'd always known there was something special about this woman and every single minute he spent with her proved that she was twice as powerful as he was.“I didn't expect you to be up so soon,” he said. “How long did you think I could stand the stench of your wife?” Darell retorted. “Wife?
Eisha didn't dare look back as she ran. Although she was afraid of what would happen to Daniel with her gone, she knew it was necessary to save the Empress before the monster she once considered a friend got to her. She didn't think that Daniel was equipped enough to hold him down for long and her legs were getting tired. On sighting a horse from a distance, she quickly flagged the horse and luckily it was a royal horse. “Who are you running?” The soldier asked. Eisha was about to respond when she suddenly realized that a single royal horse couldn't be out here in their market.It only meant one thing. Without responding, she dashed past him, running to catch a carriage to the palace. Her heart skipped when she heard the horse galloping behind her.“Hey, woman! Stop there!” He yelled. She quickly diverted into a narrow street and went through several houses, confident he wouldn't find her. By the time she was out on the street again, the rider was nowhere in sight. She flagged a
“You need to come with me to the palace now,” Daniel told Eisha. “Why? Is something wrong?” She asked. It was sudden to see him return at that this time of the day so she knew for sure that something was up. “Yes, very wrong. The Empress, something is happening to her and we don't know the cause of it,” he said. “What is wrong with the Empress?” Eisha asked. “Her nightmares are becoming reality. She has bite and claw marks all over her and it's becoming frightening. I have this feeling it might have something to do with Roy,” he said. Eisha frowned. She didn't exactly see the connection. As if he read her mind, he responded. “The attacks started immediately after the ceremony,” he explained.“I know Roy is into some shady business but I am not sure he has anything to do with the Empress' ailment,” Eisha argued. “Fine! Even if he's not responsible for it, let's inform the Emperor about his true identity.”“I don't know, Daniel. Is that really necessary…” Eisha drawled uneasily.
Darell opened her eyes to an unfamiliar environment. The place was stuffy and smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Her heightened senses could pick out the smell of a rotting corpse somewhere. She tried to sit up from the lying position only to discover that her body was chained to the bed. Her nose scrunched in irritation. “You're awake,” the gruff voice startled her. She didn't notice his presence in the room, until now. “That's good. I was hoping we could have a civil conversation.”“If you were going to abduct me, you should have at least picked somewhere with enough oxygen. I would the bare first than a room with a rotting corpse,” Darell said.Roy's eyes widen in shock. He thought the spell he used to give the room a homely smell was very effective since no one ever complained about it.How come she smelled it in just seconds of consciousness?“I don't know what you're talking about,” he denied. “You have a yard behind this place, don't you? Didn't it occur to you
Darell squinted her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of his true appearance but there was nothing for her to see. Everything was concealed by the mask on his face. “I don't want to kill you. Left to me, I wouldn't even be here but you are trying to interfere with something that is none of your business and I can't let that happen,” Roy said. “You mean the royal family? I'm afraid that is every bit my business as it is yours and I am going to stop you,” Darell said confidently. Darell pulled out a sword, surprising her. For someone with such an evil aura, she expected him to go fully spiritual on her. “A blade? I thought we were playing with magic. Except, you're not as powerful as you pretend to be,” she mocked. Roy didn't let her words get to him. The mountain already weakened him enough. Any attack he made on this woman had to be physical.She could head to head with him spiritually because of his weak state but her dainty form was no match for his physical strength.“You are not
“What do you think?” Ragi moved away from the Empress with a puzzled expression. “I must confess your highness, I have never seen anything like this. It is strange to me,” Ragi said.Ivory’s shoulder sagged hopelessly. She was expecting that response. Even in her kingdom, there had never been a record of anything like it. “So what do we do now? We have less than ten hours to figure this out, Ragi. I don't want my wife going to bed and waking up with more injuries. We need to do something about this,” Styles said. “I'm sorry, your Majesty but I really don't understand what we can do in this situation. It is a new ailment and it is quite scary,” Ragi sighed.Ivory stood, begging to be excused. She couldn't take it anymore. The images in her head was scary enough, she didn't need a reconfirmation.Styles wanted to go after her but Ragi stopped him.“Maybe Darell can help,” he suggested.“Right, Darell! Why didn't we think about that earlier? Get her here as soon as possible. I'll go
Ivory sat in her chelanvers, staring at the clock. She was afraid to sleep. She didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time.A part of her was still trying to convince her that it was all in her head. That she probably for the scratches from thrashing. But the injuries were too deep to have been her nails and the doctor confirmed it too.Styles walked into the room and this time, she was well aware of his presence. “My love,” she smiled. “Why are you still awake? It's pretty late,” he asked then glanced at the baby's cot, “was she giving you trouble?”“A little but I'm glad she's asleep now. I didn't expect you to come in so soon,” she said. Of a truth, she didn't expect him to come to her chambers at all. She was afraid he would easily notice the marks. Although she was fully clothed, she could feel the lust as his eyes roamed her body. “You're a bit overdressed, don't you think?” He spoke up and she bit her lip. “I was catching a cold,” she lied. “Are you feverish?” H