The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Eighty-Four

"If I were to marry your princess, or the princess of Avris, it wouldn't matter. They are all royalty, but I assure you with Luna she has more than enough wealth of her own, and is a more suited candidate to rule the empire." Emperor Cabel shrugs, sitting back in a chair.
"Your highness! We came all this way and now Princess Safia is heartbroken! She believed she would become a candidate, but you ignored all traditions to stay with that concubine!" A man shouts.
"Concubine?"
Emperor Cabel glares at the room of advisors from different kingdoms.
They flinch as his eyes glow brightly with a calm smile on his lips.
"I gave her back her rightful title, her title is not 'concubine'."
The atmosphere grows heavier, almost suffocating as everyone instinctively holds their breath.
"You dare to stand in front of the emperor of this empire, where none of you guppies belong to, trying to stick your noses in businesses that don't concern you or your kingdoms. I assure you, I have enough wealth to pay your king's for the trouble, but to insult the future empress is a foolish mistake."
Emperor Cabel stands, gripping his sword.
"Y-Your highness! You can not harm us! We can place an order against you to start war!" Another man exclaims.
"And? Does any of that matter when you're sitting here on your lazy asses, insulting the future mother to the empire? To think you'd all sit in front of me and believe I can not do as I please in my empire, is enough to punish you all for insulting me. To think you lowly rats are so delusional that you believe you have a say in someone else's land, especially one that can overthrow your own kingdoms. Tread lightly, you might find yourselves in a difficult situation." Emperor Cabel unsheathes his shining polished sword, holding it close to his face.
His eyes stare at the shining reflective blade.
His tongue runs over the flat part of the blade, licking it from the base of the blade to the middle.
He rolls his tongue in his mouth, savouring the taste.
"Exquisite. Poisoned with the Taipan serpent venom. I always thought it tasted delicious. Bitterly sour like ammonia, yet sharply metallic like fresh blood." Emperor Cabel licks his lips, walking around the room.
He instantly appears behind a man, holding the blade close to the neck of the man who called Luna a concubine.
Emperor Cabel looks around the room at the nervous advisors who watch in a cold sweat.
He holds the blade millimetres away from the man's skin, his face and neck dripping with sweat as he stares at Emperor Cabel's sword.
"To think you'd try to call for war or try to control the 'demon emperor', who casually eats the poison glands of wretched serpents. I've ate this poison ever since I could walk. I wonder how it can affect a being who's had no exposure to the deadly rare venom."
The room falls silent as the men watch Emperor Cabel's calm, amused expression.
"Do you wish to die this badly that you call my fiancée her dead title?" Emperor Cabel lowly speaks into the man's ear.
"F-Forgive me, your highness! I was careless and forgot my place!" The man cries, staring at the blade.
"Is that all you have to say? What a poor choice in words. I'll leave your life in someone else's hands then. Bring in Princess Safia. If she's willing to get on her knees and lick the blade, I'll let you live. If you can't call for her, then taste the poison yourself." Emperor Cabel grins.
"Please spare Princess Safia's life! Take mine instead!" The man shouts, determined.
"Hm?" Emperor Cabel watches the man's face, grinning.
He takes the blade away, sheathing it.
The man collapses forward, panting.
"If you speak ill of my fiancée again, you'll have the choice to die or let your own princesses die, but who knows. I might just kill your princesses after I display your guts at their feet. Watch your tongues from now on or I'll rip them out and grill them for you to eat. This meeting is adjourned." Emperor Cabel walks out of the room, the advisors all speechless and mortified.

"Your highness, Lady Luna has returned to her bedroom for the night." Lance calls out, approaching Emperor Cabel from down the hall.
"I see. Good job, is she doing alright?"
"Yes, your highness-"
Lance pauses as Emperor Cabel walks past him.
"Y-Your highness, this scent."
"My breath? To think it'd be this pungently bitter, hopefully those fools drop and die from the scent."
Emperor Cabel scoffs, removing his handkerchief.
He wipes his lips, removing the residue of the venom.
"Your highness, you may be desensitized to the venom but it could damage you."
"Have you forgotten? A small lick of it's nothing compared to the amount I was forced to ingest."
"Still, you need to be cautious of your health. Please wash your mouth and avoid sharing your saliva with Lady Luna."
"What a flirtatious way of speaking." Emperor Cabel walks, snickering.
"Your highness, the venom will still be in your mouth even if you scrubbed it clean for hours. She's never been exposed to such deadly venom before, so you must do well to not share saliva for the next few days."
"I know. Make sure you bring her something to eat before bed. I'll be returning to the celebration hall." Emperor Cabel shoves his handkerchief in his pocket.
"You'll be returning?" Lance tilts his head, confused.
"Those stupid advisors of mine will be more at ease if I attend for the full night. I'm doing this for Luna, don't get me wrong."
"Yes, your highness. I'll join you in the ballroom afterwards."
"Perfect." Emperor Cabel walks through the hallway, heading to the loud sounds of music and laughter.