“What did you find on the Yung princess?” Ragi asked Lord Archie. “I didn't find anything unusual. The princess was speaking the truth. The Wang Empire is indeed terrorizing them. They took their people captive and raided their town on several occasions. The princess’ intention might be pure,” Archie answered. “I agree with Archie. People make marriage treaties all the time. She probably thought this would be the best way to get accepted,” Lord Blane concurred. Ragi had nothing to say to it. Since the investigation concluded that everything the princess said was true then all they had to do was revise the proposal.“The Emperor has declared his disinterest in continuing with the marriage,” Ragi informed them. The confusion on their faces mirrored his exact expression when Styles informed him. “I don't understand. Wasn't he the one declaring he would marry her at all costs? You even got insulted in your effort to dissuade him,” Lord Orio imputed. “I know. I was just as surprised w
“ 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
“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