Drakkon

Chapter Thirty-five

"Master is considering to go and capture Keung himself. He said that he will either bring Minos or Atreus with him."

"What exactly does Keung want from Meilin? Why does he want the throne and why does he think that he is more deserving?"

"Keung has always been power hungry. He retired from the previous emperor because he was found to have been conspiring an assassination attempt on the emperor. There wasn't any proof to pin against him so instead he was forced to leave, but now that there is a new Emperor, Master Drakkon, he wants to overthrow him in the name of 'justice' and 'peace'. He is using Master Drakkon as a way to claim the throne that he always wanted. Empress, many people wish to be the emperor. The emperor is the most powerful man in the empire and he has rights over everything; there will always be people that want that power."

"I'll have to figure out politics if I want to survive here," I murmured to myself. If I was going to be the wife of the Dragon, I needed to understand all sorts of politics and I needed to learn to be clever. After all, just because I was the wife, didn't mean that there wouldn't be other women that would claim Meilin's heart and attention. If I was going to survive in the palace, I needed to start to learn how to play all of these political games.

Nikator cracked his knuckles and gave me a sideways glance. "Don't worry about surviving here; as long as one of the Peccata is with you, you'll be protected. We would never allow anything to happen to you."

"That's reassuring."

"No, really. We all like you so we'll protect you 'till the end. Not only are you Master's precious wife, but you're someone precious to us. You were nice to all of us and we don't forget kindness. We're hardened warriors, though some of us don't seem to be," he said with a soft smile, "but we're not used to people being kind to us. We don't seek kindness, and we don't necessarily need it, but when people like you, who are kind to each of us, shows us that we have feelings, it's nice."

I was touched by his words, not sure what to say to them. It was true that I treated them like I would treat my siblings, but that was just how I was. I couldn't hate on someone for vain reasons. I wanted to see the best in everyone.

"I think that's what Master saw in you," he mused. "Kindness and hope."

My cheeks heated up just at the thought of Meilin. He had told me that he loved me, and I couldn't get that out of my head.

"Empress, I think your younger brother might have a . . . um, crush on Vita."

I blinking back in surprise and turned to him. My family was still in the palace and were due to leave in a couple of days, if they chose to, since Meilin had allowed them to stay for as long as they wanted. To think that one of my brothers might have liked Vita was unexpected, though I couldn't blame any of them since Vita was beautiful.

"Which one? Enlai, Wen, Yunru?"

He rubbed the nape of his neck and shrugged. "One of the twins."

"Wen or Yunru," I said.

"Yeah, one of them," he said. "It would be better if you told him to not fall in love with her. Vita will never love them back."

Vita, though we had spent many weeks together, was still a mystery to me. Unlike the other Peccatum, she hadn't opened up to me, even when treated with kindness. I didn't know much about her, since she didn't tell me anything, even when I asked.

"Vita doesn't love anyone but Master, Bohai, Fang, and the Peccata. We're her only family and it's hard for her to trust or love anyone. She, like Thera and most slave girls in Sanguis, was . . . mistreated as a child, and thus has no trust for men."

I gasped, my eyes widening. "But she must've been only six or seven—"

"It's often in Sanguis to have that happen. Boys are no exception either; for example, Minos was also . . . mistreated. Remus and I were left untouched since we're undesirable, but the others weren't so lucky. Atreus wasn't subjugated to that either. Most slave children are touched, but not all."

The thought made my stomach churn, the color draining from my face. "Nikator, how can children be desirable to anyone?"

He shrugged. "We're not people. We're slaves."

"Yes, but—"

"Empress, life is cruel."

I stopped walking and could only stare at him helplessly.

"Tell your brother that Vita won't be able to return those feelings for him."

"I will," I whispered.

"Maybe, one day, she'll love again, but I don't think that's today."

My heart trembled for her and forthe rest of the Peccata, and I couldonly marvel at how strong they were to live through so much.