One of the earliest examples of a woman coming in power that could rival an emperor's authority is Empress Natsume Takahiro, her maiden name. The wife of the first emperor in Sang who established the Ryuu Empire. Her greed for power could surpassed...
It is said that women are weak and pitiful, sometimes air headed. The inferior gender, but when women used their beauty, it is indeed, dangerous. Especially if a woman possessed an exceptional beauty and bearings. What heartless man will deliberately and continuously torture such pitiful and beautiful creature?
At this age, the power of women rely heavily on men. So if the men grovel at their feet, what will happen then?
The woman is wearing a simple white robe, as pure as snow, under the moonlight, her hair is glinting like silver and her eyes are bright with a hint of stubbornness, unwilling to give up.
She's currently sprawled on the ground pathetically. Giving a feeling of pity and protectiveness of whoever saw her, wanting to help her up and hide her from the cruel world.
And this beautiful woman's tender white hand is currently being stepped on by him. His left feet is not that actually carrying his weight, only his other right feet. He was just lightly stepping on her hand, if he put another tiny little force, he's going to break her hand.
This kind of situation is the very picture of tyranny.
A man with black armor that gives the air of power and authority is stepping on the delicate beauty's hand.
Since when did he allowed himself to fall into a beauty's trap? He doesn't know himself. It's just that the woman in front of him gives him an inexplicable feeling that he doesn't felt for years, and he willingly falls.
He was never the type of man who endeavors himself into a woman. He has seen countless beauties, being openly offered to him, each of them has their own charms and beauty. He already has great restraints.
And yet...
This stubborn little lass, even if she's currently being stepped on by someone, her pride won't break down easily.
Unknown to him, he has already unconsciously remove his feet while staring at her.
Not only that, she reminds him of someone that he had suffered for and dreamt of.
He lightly shook his head.
Impossible.
He crouched down, and lightly grabbed her chin with his thumb and index. His gaze lingering on her pretty face, sweeping from her perfect dark brows, long lashes, bright eyes, small protruding nose, to her cherry lips. The woman also stared straight back at him, as if inspecting him from head to toe with an unreadable expression.
He swallowed and unknowingly whispered the name that pushed him to his limits, his only dream and hope.
"Natsume... "
The little beauty was startled, her expression turned stiff, and her breath caught up in her throat.
How did he know? What gives away her identity?
Just as she was about to open her mouth and speak, a soldier rushed over to them and respectfully bowed.
"Your highness..."
It feels like a thunder struck her when she heard those two words.
Your highness.
It can't be...? Yuan Kang... The King of Xue, and he uttered her name?
A handsome boy with a boyish grin resurfaced in her mind.
"I don't have a power to stop your wedding and asking you to run away with me would be very selfish of me, your whole clan is involved but someday I'll definitely-- no, I'll absolutely make you mine"
She started recalling that scene in her mind.
The Sakura trees' petals were falling into him, he glanced at her for a while.
"Until then... until then... Can you promise not to forget about me and the promise I made to you after four or five years have passed?"
Eiji Arata is silently standing on the high palace walls. His eyebrows furrowed, seemingly in deep thoughts.
It's been three days since the bloody war inside the palace. Three days...
The enemy suddenly withdraw when the tide was already in favor to them. It was suspicious, they have already invaded the palace, why not burn the whole palace down and get some important informations. The fire they caused during that night was only a diversion, turns out that their true target is the queen herself who barely escaped from her residence and the fire is actually far from reaching the inner palace where the queen resides. Instead of burning the inner palace too, they send assassins, cultists, and soldiers alike to abduct the queen. They have gone all out.
Their enemies really knows where to strike the vital part. This is why you shouldn't show any weakness to your enemies, but Raiden loves the PDA and now look where it landed. He openly gives Natsume a political power that can even challenge and rival his own, the treasury is openly held out for her to drain.
This is a fact that Raiden overlooked, thinking that no one will dare to lay a hand on her, not even a single strand of her hair can be hurt. He has overestimated his power. There's still the Xue, the Hoc, and also the Dark Cultists. Their enemies are sandwiching them.
And danger is always lurking in every corner of the place she's in.
She got kidnapped, twice. First, the Dark Cultists and now the general of Xue.
When he first receive the news that Natsume was abducted, he froze on the spot, as if the heaven and earth fall onto him. His trusted aid then came to him and said in a panic stricken voice;
"We must send a word to his majesty in the Northern border!"
Eiji quickly rejected the idea. If he's going to inform Raiden that the queen went missing right under his watch, he might as well send his head to him on the platter.
Izumi Ryuu, his cousin faced a punishment for not fulfilling his mission and was relocated at the desolate Keito. What's more if it is him who failed his mission inside and not outside of the palace?
He knows that Raiden is getting muddle headed. He will surely abandoned his men in the North if he knew of this matter, he had already done it before, and in a moment of impulse, he will surely be slashed. Furthermore, the Prince is under trial.
What will become of the dream of uniting the whole States of Sang if he told him then?
A simple sentence like Natsume is missing. Will have a drastic change in many people's lives, the citizens, the soldiers, the nobles and royalties.
That's how powerful Natsume had become for these past years that she became popular, there is not a single person in Sang and the newly acquired territory of Hoc who don't know her name.
Natsume Ryuu, the one governing the internal affairs and can do what she likes without her husband's interferences. Even the chauvinist officials tried to curry favor with her as soon as they realized this changes.
Eiji has made up his mind not to tell Raiden, he had deployed a lot of soldiers, even the assassins who were rarely used to look for Natsume. Three days have passed and there was still no sign of her. Can he still continue to lie?
Here's a close-up picture of Natsume, the same girl on my book cover.
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