After an hour in the gazebo, Emery and Emperor Claus finally decided to head back inside since it was already past midnight. As the emperor followed the lead of Emery, he could not help but think of the scars he saw on her back when he zipped up her dress.
As far as he knew, she had a hard time in the palace of the Silex Kingdom after she was crowned queen. He was also aware of the fact that Emery was ignored and treated unfairly because the king favored his concubine over her.
“Did she get those scars when she was the queen? Was the unfair treatment included physical torture or something?” he thought.
But then again, there was one thing he promised to himself that he will never do once he makes Emery the empress. And that would be having a concubine.
“On the forehead,” Sir Castor said while watching Emery nock an arrow.Seeing her proper posture and stance, Castor was quite puzzled since he did not teach her those when they first came to the barracks together. Still, he was convincing himself that it was probably because her body remembered the things she could do before she lost her memories. That was highly possible.“Then, the forehead it is,” Emery mumbled.She closed one eye and aimed at the dummy’s forehead. Taking a controlled breath, she released the arrow. A small thunk followed after the arrow hit the dummy right on the head. However, she clicked her tongue since it did not land on the forehead, which only meant that Castor was the first one to ask. She faced him and shrugged
Emery being unpredictable that day was something Castor did not like at all since she never failed to put him in an unstable ground. And for some reason, she was being too aggressive that it was rendering him speechless and confused on how to properly respond. Still tongue tied in front of her, he could not help but look away even though his feet were rooted on the ground.As he struggled to find the right words to say, Emery found him amusing so for the nth time, she decided to tease him.She licked her lips and said, “You can dare me to give you a kiss on the lips since no one is around. I don’t really mind if that is what you want, Sir Castor.”Just when she thought that he would once again turn red like a tomato, she simply received a pat and ruffle on
Thinking that it was just Marianne, Emery gave her permission to enter the room. She put on a cloak before leaving the walk-in closet, but upon stepping into the bedroom, it was not Marianne who greeted her but the emperor.“What are you doing here, Your Imperial Highness? Did I not tell you before not to act in any way that would make the other candidates think that you favor someone?” she said as she walked towards the balcony to close the door.Just like before, she did not look his way, making the emperor agitated because he was not used to her acting that way. He badly wanted to touch her and woo her with not only words because it was clearly not working, however, he was afraid that she would hate him even more.Sitting on the edge of her bed, he looke
The very next day, the party to commence the start of the selection for Varmore Empire’s empress was held in the great hall of the Whitmore Mansion. Everyone, most especially the candidates, wore their finest attire that complimented the light seemingly ablazing the entire hall. The walls were adorned with ornate tapestries and sparkling chandeliers, and not to mention, the floor was a gleaming marble. At the side of the ballroom, musicians were lined up, playing lively tunes while the other guests accompanied it with their graceful dances.The dining room, which was right next to the hall, was set with crystal glasses and silverware, and the table was laden with an array of delicious foods and fine wines.The place was filled with the sound of laughter and conversation as the guests mingles and greeted each other, but Emery st
Their gazes locked for quite some time while they still danced and noticing the attention they were getting from the other guests but simply paid them no mind at all. Neither of them spoke a single word until the music changed. Emery could not tell what Castor was thinking but she waited with much patience, not wanting to rush him or anything. However, he escorted her back to her seat and yet, he just turned his back on her and left.“I should have expected that kind of reaction,” she muttered to herself before taking a sip at her wine with her eyes still stuck on the hall where Castor disappeared.Gazing back at the dance floor, she almost flinched upon noticing that the emperor was glaring at her. This time, he was with Lady Athena so Emery just looked away in order not to attract other people’s attent
Her room was dimly lit so it was hard to make out the face of whoever was trying to break in. Either way, Emery’s first reaction was to unsheath the dagger hidden underneath her dress. Staying close to the wall without making any sound, she tightened her grip on her weapon as the intruder entered her room. She waited for the right time to strike, paying close attention to the sound of the intruder’s footsteps. When she noticed that his footsteps were closer, she immediately swung her hand in his direction but was caught off guard when her wrist was gripped by him.In return, she pulled him towards her and kneed him right between his legs without hesitation. A grunt escaped from her opponent’s mouth as he bent forward in pain and had let go of Emery’s hand.Taking that chance to take him down, she grabbed
Prince Cornelius remained quiet even after Emery’s greeting. He eyed her from head to toe as he stepped forward and looked at her closely. Circling her, he could sense that everyone was tensed as if afraid that he would cause any sort of trouble. However, the lady who just arrived and the very person whom he had heard to be the object of his brother’s affection seemed unaffected by his actions.He must admit to himself that she was a beauty, but if he were to compare her to Lady Serena, Emery would surely lose. Either way, there was one thing he was sure of and that was not giving his approval to her.Standing across from her, he grinned.“You probably coaxed my brother into sending you here with the hope that I will grant you some special treatment,”
Before the guards would notice the presence of the assassin, Emery shoved him into her room. If only she did not act that fast, they could have seen him. Despite the questions swirling around her mind as to why Vasmir would be there, she still kept herself together and faced the guards that came with her.“We will be leaving at dawn tomorrow so take as much rest as you can,” she told them.She received a quick reply from them before they disappeared into their room. Heaving a sigh as she stepped into her room, she immediately locked it upon shutting it close. Her face grew grim as she turned on her heels to see Vasmir, who seemed to be still in a daze and disbelief that he stumbled upon her in that place.“What are you doing here?” she hissed.
Fate just had its way of playing with the lives of people, especially Emery who seemed to be its favorite to play with. Emery gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl. She thought that having them would finally mend her relationship with King Lawson that was on the verge of being broken once more, however, she was wrong. Rather than having a stable relationship, it became more chaotic when King Lawson came back from a three-week trip to another kingdom for a diplomatic meeting. Her heart broke as she watched him return with another woman. It was not just an ordinary woman, but the younger sister and seemingly exact replica of Royal Concubine Hazel. She received the king’s utmost attention with the reason that King Lawson felt guilty of letting Lady Hazel be killed. Hence, his only way to redeem himself was to treat her younger sister better. Emery let it slide, thinking that her twins needed more attention from her since their father barely spent time with them. However, even in he
The people along the main street of Elescaster City halted whatever they were doing upon hearing clops of horses’ hooves getting louder and seeing a group of men passing by at a rather fast speed towards the direction of the palace. They had to clear the streets in order to avoid getting stomped. Several of the men were clearly foreign soldiers judging by the unfamiliar armor they wore. However, they only grew curious of the other two leading them since they wore a hooded cape that hid their faces from anyone. It took them several minutes to reach the main gates of the palace, halting their horses to get their identities checked. The two people at the front removed their hoods, revealing a young boy and an older woman. With only one look at the younger one, the guards could tell that it was none other than the twin of the empire’s Crown Prince. His hair was as dark as the night, which was contrary to his pair of eyes that resembled the golden sun. The guard bowed their heads in his
In the midst of the wide gladiator stadium filled with spectators both from the noble and ordinary families, two women faced off against each other, their swords at the ready. Right at the side where a large throne stood was Emperor Claus overlooking the open ground with Castor right next to him. The other knights stood at different posts around the stadium to make sure that no outsiders would dare interfere with the duel.The rows of seats right below him were occupied by the ministers, including the emperor’s three advisors—Sir Tarkin, Sir Vlachos, and Sir Louvel. As much as these three men were against the said duel as it could put the empire into a state of instability because of Emery’s non-Varmorian blood and lack of influence and wealth, this was also by far the safest option they have to keep the Hagans’ reputation unstained. They were already aware of th
On the day before the duel between Emery and the empress, the former just finished her daily training with Jadeite in the barracks of the knights. She did not want to exhaust herself too much so right after their morning drill, she decided to go back to Euthoria Mansion and have some rest. Jadeite, on the other hand, stayed behind and had sparrings against the other knights. Before she could leave the barracks, Castor walked up to her. “You still have some time to back out,” he said even though he already knew that Emery would do no such thing. “Backing out is not one of my options, Sir Castor,” she replied. Just as she was about to leave, she stopped for a moment and hesitantly asked, “H-His Imperial Highness… H-How is he? He never visited for the past few days so…” “If you are worried, then it is better to go and check up on him yourself,” the knight replied, giving her a pat on the shoulder before heading back inside the barracks. Emery let out a sigh. She did receive a report f
Upon Emery’s return to Euthoria Mansion, she clenched her fist in annoyance upon seeing that the emperor had returned first. He was waiting for her right at the entrance, but even after stepping out of the carriage, she still gave him the cold shoulders. However, even before she could take another step away from him, he held her wrist, stopping her from running away from him again.“Just five minutes of your time, please let me explain myself,” he pleaded.Emery took her hand away from him and the very next second, her hand landed on his cheek with a sharp slap. Those who witnessed it froze in place, not knowing what to do at all because intervening in such a heated yet cold war between the two seemed to be enough to make one pass out.“You shou
The consecutive clashing of blades filled the open ground of the knights’ barracks as Emery and Jadeite continued to fight each other. It had been more than five minutes already and yet the latter showed little sign of exhaustion despite the fact that she had been all over the place like an agile and skilled monkey. Meanwhile, Emery seemed to be so close to falling on her knees as beads of sweat ran down the side of her face. Her heavy breathing pretty much showed that her endurance was not that good.“You have gone rusted, Emery!” Jadeite claimed, wearing her infamous grin.She tightened her hold onto her pair of short swords and sprinted towards Emery. She had tired her out so a head-on and full attack would most likely end the first round of their sparring. Slashing diagonally with her right hand first, Eme
It was early in the morning when Emery finally regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes and the very first thing that came into sight was the familiar intricate drawings of her room’s high ceiling. The back of her neck still ached and the wound on her back that was still healing felt like several needles were piercing her skin all at the same time. Groaning, she shifted her gaze to the side and saw the emperor looking at her with a worried look.Only then, she was reminded of what had occurred even before she lost consciousness. That was enough to make her sit up and leave the bed.“Milady!” the emperor called out, rising from his seat and going after her.Emery opened the door of her twins’ room and rushed to the crib. She felt her he
“Different,” Jadeite hissed. “He is definitely different because he will hurt you in another way. First, he just watched his empress trample over you during their wedding reception. What’s next? Watch you die? Is that considered love, Emery? Is that how you define it?”Emery was unable to say a word, hence, Lila stepped between them and pushed Jadeite out of the room to help her cool down her head. Raphael, on the other hand, simply gave Emery a small pat on the shoulder.“Jadeite has a point,” he said. “However, if you truly want to stay here, then I support you for that. I know you are thinking about the kids’ future so you are not to be blamed.”She managed a small smile.
Emperor Claus strode towards her and dropped his sword before grabbing Emery behind the neck. He pulled her close and sealed her lips with his, making the knights turn their backs on them to give them privacy.His kisses were harsh, torrid, and rushed that Emery had a hard time keeping up with him. She had her hands lean against his chest to gain control, however, even if she tried to make him slow down, she failed to do so.His hand slipped around her waist as he deepened the kiss while hearing the almost inaudible moan of the woman he could not have enough of. After several more seconds, he seemed to have snapped back to his senses upon tasting something metallic—blood. He slowed down before breaking away, leaning his forehead against Emery’s and looking her directly in the eyes as they both tried to catch their breath.