***
IT TOOK us almost fifteen minutes to arrive at the Reburene Palace. The trip was just silent. I felt like a tree stump all that time because Samael and I were still together. Meanwhile, I could not see Rosette sitting on the opposite side.
Even though I was sitting on Samael's lap the whole time, he went down the carriage as soon as the knight opened the carriage door. I wonder if I was that light that he could carry me with ease.
"Greetings to the heir of the sun of the Reburene empire!"
I turned around, and there was a line of maids facing our direction. Despite being maids, I could see the differences between their attires with the few maids assigned at my palace. It was not surprising though. The maids here were serving the Emperor, while the Peridot Palace had the Emperor's illegitimate child that was not meant to exist to begin with.
Aside from the maids, there were also more knights in line close to the walls of the entrance. There was a respected distance that the knights and the maids shared.
"Are you all right, Your Highness?" Rosette asked me worriedly. I nodded at her.
"Your Highness," an old man greeted Samael. He was probably Samael's butler.
"Where is my father?" Samael asked coldly, not minding the age of the person he spoke with.
"In the middle of a meeting, Your Highness," he politely replied to the crown prince.
"I need to speak with him."
"It will probably take His Majesty an hour to meet you. Is it possible for Your Highness and guests to wait until then?"
"No," he sternly replied. "Tell him I need to talk to him right now. Tell him I am with my younger sister, whom he hid from me."
The butler frowned at what he said and looked at me—probably staring at my hair and eyes. I was certain he was confused as well at the sight of me. Despite being Samael's butler, it did not necessarily mean he would be told of all secrets of the royal family.
"But—"
"Inform him that I will let the barbarians into the empire," Samael threatened the old man.
I saw beads of sweat build upon the butler's forehead. He nodded nervously and took the handkerchief from the pocket next to his lapel. "Of course, Your Highness."
We entered Reburene Palace, which was very different from Peridot Palace. Every corner and core of the palace was brighter and made of one prominent thing—gold. It could not be mistaken for any other place but the Emperor's palace.
A row of knights inside stood still in their position indoors. There were also maids passing by and giving a polite nod in our direction. They stayed in that position until we passed them.
The butler went ahead to let the emperor know what Samael said, and Samael quietly walked down the hall. He knew his way around the palace. Rosette quietly followed and kept her distance from us.
"Greetings to the heir of the sun of the Reburene empire!"
I caught a glimpse of those voices, and three old men had their heads down in our direction. They look like scholars.
Instead of greeting them back, Samael just passed them by. He wasn't much of a talker, even though he was inside the emperor's palace.
When we arrived in front of two large doors engraved with the symbol of the de Lovett family—a wolf with a sword and a shield—it opened, and one after another, men were coming out in a line.
They noticed Samael and gave way to him as they saluted him repeatedly.
Instead of checking out who they were, I felt Samael's hand on my nape and brought my forehead to rest on his shoulder.
"Hide your face," he whispered.
I just nodded. So, I could only see pure darkness instead of seeing where we were or who we were passing by. I could still hear the greetings towards him, and silence enveloped my surroundings after a few moments.
Samael's hand went down again from my nape towards my back.
"What reason do you have to request an audience from the emperor in the middle of a meeting with a threat from your words?" My system trembled at that baritone voice. I immediately turned around, and my eyes widened.
Oh, my God!
A man was sitting in front of the throne. His attire was formal, and many medals hung by his chest. He was wearing a blue uniform partnered with white slacks. He was wearing military boots, but it was not just ordinary footwear. It was definitely of the highest quality of leather that cannot even be compared to that of an ordinary knight.
His hair was luxuriously black like Samael's, and it was well-combed. His eyes were dim, and like Samael, they were a beautiful blue. And even without a crown resting on his head, I could not be mistaken about his identity.
He was the emperor. He was Renée—my father. It seemed so hard to believe, but it was true.
Aside from those, I could note that he was so young! He could be mistaken to be in his late twenties only! I know I wrote that the emperor was handsome, but to look like an attractive bachelor? What the heck?! Does that mean my brother, Samael, would be just as handsome as the Emperor when he grows up?
I gulped as my mind returned to the present time. I was not Charlotte who wrote the characters; I was Renée.
He was Astaroth de Lovett, the eighty-ninth emperor of the Reburene empire—the father of Samael and Renée.
I noticed the Emperor checking on me because of my long blonde hair while I remained wrapped in Samael's arms. As embarrassing as it was, I was sure he would not let me down. And before my eyes met the emperor, Samael spoke, which caused me to look at him and turn away from the emperor again.
"I ask for the answer to a question, Your Highness, Father."
"Is it so important to disrupt a meeting with the nobility?" The Emperor seemed to have no appetite at that instant because their meeting was disturbed. It was evident in his monotonous tone.
"I found this child in the Peridot Palace in the south. Is she . . . my sister?" he asked without hesitation. There was no fear nor hesitation in Samael's eyes, even when talking to the highest person in power and authority. Just like what I have written, he was only talking to his father, but he still respected the Emperor and not just anyone.
I slowly shifted my gaze to the most powerful man in the empire. He remained seated, but unlike before, his hand rested on his chin. It was as if he had no interest in listening to his own child's question.
"Put the girl down and get out, Samael," he ordered.
"Father—!"
"You have so much spare time for fun playing and leaving the palace instead of practising. Do you think that it doesn't reach my ears?"
I felt Samael's grip tighten on me. I glanced at Samael's face; he was still staring at his father. He wasn't blinking at all. It was about a minute before he lowered me to the floor. I immediately stood properly. I immediately felt a big ounce of pressure in the whole room, as if trying to put me down to my knees.
He made a polite bow before leaving the large and spacious throne room.
"And you, who are you?" he asked monotonously as he looked at Rosette, who was now holding my hand. The emperor's voice was sending shivers down my spine.
"Greetings to the sun of the Reburene empire," Rosette politely greeted while bowing to the emperor. "I am Rosette Renauldi, the head maid of the Her Highness at the Peridot Palace."
"Renauldi?" There was a momentary silence at that utterance by Emperor Astaroth. I was unsure if it was my imagination that I heard Rosette clearing her throat. "You are the son of Duke Renauldi."
Rosette did not let go of my hand, so I could not escape the tightness of her grip. But I witnessed the anxiety and fear on her face. Who wouldn't? We were facing the Emperor of the Reburene Empire. One wrong move would cost us our lives.
"T-that's right, Your Majesty."
"And if I'm not mistaken, you rejected the position as heir of the Renauldi duchess to become the head maid of this illegitimate child?"
I was horrified by what I heard. Illegitimate.
It was true, but I felt pain in my chest. Honestly, I shouldn't feel this way because I'm not the real Renée. Am I just too affected because I am in Renée's body?
I felt my heart beating fast. I looked up at him again.
His blue eyes glazed over as he stared at me. I looked like a little rabbit in front of a giant wolf who was ready to pounce on me and eat me alive.
My grip on Rosette tightened because I was feeling overwhelmed. Worry? Fear? I could no longer figure out which one I was feeling. But it was the same genuine fear that Rosette was experiencing.
"Leave me and the child for a moment," he said.
Rosette was full of doubt as she released my hand. I knew she worried about me, especially since this was the first time I met the Emperor.
And even I was afraid for my safety. There was no certainty of what will happen to me today. It was not in the manuscript that I would cross paths with Samael and Emperor Astaroth. They were not meant to meet Renée yet.
I felt frozen on the spot as I watched the Emperor descend from his throne. His red cape was remarkable as he closed the gap between us.
As he stood in front of me, the depth of his stare became more prominent. If I were to base it on our positions, it felt like he was looking down at me. He was imposing his position against me. I felt powerless and insignificant.
He touched my cheek. Instead, he squeezed it, but it wasn't painful. It seemed like he was pressing my cheeks like soft bread. That forced me to look straight into his blue eyes.
"Golden hair and red eyes. . . . A child with Asmodean and Amai blood . . . " It was loud enough for me to hear the Emperor's voice.
I then saw the gradual change in the colour of his eyes. Like Samael, from blue, it also turned a bright bloody red shade. It was different from that of Samael and me. It looked like a beautiful blood-red ruby. And even if it was intimidating, I could not help but admire it.
"Do you know who I am?"
A moment of silence filled the room. No matter how large the receiving hall was, I was sure I could hear even the faintest noise of my sweat dropping to the floor and every beating of my heart. It was that kind of uncomfortable silence.
"F-Father?" I was embarrassed, and his eyebrows scrunched even more.
Oh, my God! Did I mess up? It was unintentional! Plan C! Plan C!
"Father!" I greeted happily. But despite my bright smile, I was praying he would not end my life then and there.
Renée was still a kid! This was not what I wrote in the novel!
***
P R I N C E S S T H I R T E E N 0 0
JO ELLE