Vivianne Aesterin
I'd never thought I'd have to witness a day when I had to seek help from the Power Holder that I despised the most-Ezèrian. But now, it was happening in front of my very own eyes.
I watched my bedridden father, the emperor who'd been sick for the past few months get healed magically by a Healer who was a Water Elementalist. The Healer placed her palm on the emperor's forehead, mumbled some spells in the old Elysian language -- her words incoherent whilst closing her eyes and within a few moments, the emperor's scowls ceased, his face no longer looked pale and he looked well enough to be considered as a healthy man.
I scoffed as I was dissatisfied by the result. "Is that all you can do? Why isn't he opening his eyes? I thought you guys had the power of a deity or something," I demanded whilst rolling my eyes.
I always wanted things to be perfect and me being loved by father the most, I always had things perfected and got everything I desired. My father doing so much for me and me not being able to do anything for him in return made me feel helpless and weak albeit I was a possessor of three renèi Possession.
I resembled my father a lot-- all of my sisters did, but I did the most. I inherited the same straight blonde hair from my father, same baby blue eyes, same beige skin color and not to forget, I had the same mole as him which was right under our right eye. Even our personalities were identical. Both were ambitious, self-centered, clever and always determined.
I glared at the Healer who wasn't even from our country-- she was from Elysia who was an adventurer. When she was here for sightseeing, she wasn't really expecting someone to get hurt and her being oblivious to the fact that the general of the emperor was present at the scene, she didn't hesitate to heal that wounded person and that's when the Healer's misfortune began.
She was captured for having potent powers and was now being controlled by the empress, my mother. She was forced to heal the emperor despite her against of will. After seeing her miraculous work done on the emperor, the empress ordered her to continue doing so until the emperor is fully healed.
"Vivianne!" My sister, Marianne who was one year older than me snapped.
I gave her a bright smile as she glared at me, sitting on the other side of the bed. "Yes, sister Marianne?"
"Is this how you talk to someone who is saving the emperor of an empire?" Marianne rose from her spot, walked towards me as her blue sapphire eyes just like father burned in anger.
I stared at my sister nonchalantly, wondering why she was fussing over something as insignificant as this. Doesn't she get it? We're taking help from an Ezèrian! She should be supporting me!
"Behave well, for Ilayna is the reason why our father is alive." She warned me as I tried my best to not burst out laughing.
Just when I was about to answer sarcastically, two figures emerged from the chamber's carved door -- the empress and our elder sister, Julianne.
As Jullianne entered the room, her blonde hair just like us cascaded down to her back, curls at the end and the hairs that'd always fall upon her eyes, secured at the back with gold accessories, making them shimmer and glitter. While Marianne and I were wearing soft coloured cottagecore dresses, Julianne outshone everyone in the room with her champagne tulle long laced dress and the crystal tiara on top of her head indicated she just returned from a formal occasion, for she'd been handling government affairs.
"Has father's health improved?" she asked worriedly as she made her way to the sleeping emperor.
"He is the same! The Healer hasn't done anything. All she does is just cease his scowls and wrinkles. How is that going to help?" I demanded angrily, my voice raised.
"He is at peace when she does that!" Marianne snapped, defending the Healer.
"It doesn't even last forever. Whatever she does is temporary," I pointed out, glaring at my sister.
"At least she is helping him somehow, whilst we, his daughters, who are suppose to cure him are nugatory at the moment albeit three of us possess three renèi possessions." She replied back, both of us eyeing each other.
Marianne walked towards me and smirked. "What is the point of having these possessions when they are of no use?" the fact that her statement made sense agitated me more than anything.
Then, she said something to me that made me lose my patience and mind, both.
"Sometimes I wish I was an Ezèrian and not a renèi Possessor." She whispered against my ears, her words nearly echoing in my head again and again, replaying.
That was it.
A hard slap landed on Marianne's cheek as I looked at what I'd done. Yes, me and my sister never clicked because of our opposite personalities, but I never thought I'd raise my hand at her. Julianne and the empress gasped a little while the Healer enjoyed the scene with a smug smile. I even heard a light chuckle escaping from her lips.
Marianne brushed her fingers against her red cheek. She scoffed as she slowly raised her head and looked at me. She didn't feel embarrassed or hurt and I was also not regretful of what I'd done. Both of us were just fuming in anger and wanted rip each other's head off.
"Truth hurts, does it not?" she smirked like before while I was surprised by my sister's reaction. "Have you forgotten-that I am a Curse Possessor and I might curse you for what you just did?" her voice was intimidating.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I do not regret what I have done. What you said is considered as treason," I told her sternly.
Then, I gave her a dark look and said: "And you also seem forget that I am a Mind Possessor," now I leaned closer to my sister's ear. "So, I might possess that delusional mind of yours, manipulate it and make you curse yourself instead." I leaned back and smiled at her sweetly.
"Marianne and Vivianne!" the empress finally spoke after hearing both of ours threats to each other. "I want both of you out of my sight. And do not come to visit your father until you have made up." Our mother, Agatha Aelish Aesterin told us sternly.
Both of us nodded solemnly, suddenly feeling shamed for creating a chaos in front of an outsider and their bedridden father. "Yes, mother." We obeyed in unison and bowed before exiting the chamber.
While making my way to my chambers, my eyes suddenly landed on two guards who were acting absurd and I couldn't help but observe them.
The male guard was trying his best to make the female guard to not fall over and tried to make her walk rightly. The female guard mumbled obscenities, making me gasp while he hushed her. She smacked his head and walked clumsily while singing inaudibly.
"What do they think they're doing?" I mumbled as I watched them in horror. I shook my head, not caring about the absurdism of the guards and made my way to my chamber, hoping I don't run my way with those drunkards. Didn't they know it was against the rules to be intoxicated while you are on duty?
If it was any other day, I'd have had them be punished severely for breaking the rules and regulations but given the current situation where I was too tired and confused to give them a piece of mind, I decided to let the situation go. Besides, my sister would see them when she would be on her way to her chamber, she could teach them a lesson.
Just when I was about to open the doors of my chambers, pretending I didn't notice those two boozers, a warm hand gripped my wrist, making me turn around and see who dared touch the hand of an imperial princess without her consent.
My jaw dropped when I saw it was the male guard. "You peasant! How dare you--"
Not only he had the audacity to be drunk, to touch me, he also had the audacity to cut me off midsentence. Without letting me finish, he tugged me to my chambers while his other hand tugged the drunk female when she was about to sprint off to somewhere else.
Before I could yell or shriek his hand away from me, he'd already dragged the female and I to my chamber and instantly closed the door with a loud thud. He hurriedly locked the door, let down the curtains frantically while I prepared myself to use my renèi Possession, thinking of possessing this blithering's arrogant mind and make himself jump from the window.
Just when I was about to begin manipulate his mind, he begin to strip, making my eyes wide and scream but he hushed me by putting a finger on his lips.
Don't scream, that's unladylike. Just manipulate his mind and make him jump off the window, everyone will think he killed himself.
I told myself and wanted to start again but this time I got distracted and I was glad I did as I had no intention of killing my future husband.
As he took off the busby hat, I saw his dark messy brown hair, ruffled and strands of his hairs lazily brushed, making them fall over his deep-set brown eyes. For confirmation, he hastily took off the uniform, making him revealed in his white poet shirt with long sleeves and a pair of black slim pants. There was no mistake in saying this man in front of me was indeed, the man I was going to amalgamate in a few days and we were very much not allowed to meet each other, not like this on top of that, too.
How did he come here? How did he even pass the guards? Did he not get seen? Are his parents aware of what nuisance he had just created?
"His Royal Highness, second Prince of Elysia, the glory of Elysia, Prince Ember." I instantly curtsied, confused but as a proper Princess, I had to perform the basic etiquettes, albeit this jackass didn't deserve any of it. "I. . . how did you. . .why are you-"
"Oh, Vivianne," he called my name like we were informal to each other. He didn't even bow me back. "Drop the formalities already. We both despise each other, what's the point of doing this?" he cocked his head to side, smiling like the blithering that he was as his dimples appeared on his face.
"I see you're as insolent and disrespectful as you were before," I shook my head.
He gave me a curt bow. "Precisely, Your Imperial Highness." Sarcasm. That's all I could sense in his voice.
"I don't think I can spend a day with you without strangling you to death," I decided to drop my ladylike act and just be myself in front of him.
"I can't believe, for the first time, you and I want to do the same thing to each other," he grinned cheekily as I also smiled toothily, both of us being sarcastic.
"I honestly feel sorry for those who've to endure you and your impertinent ass," I clicked my tongue, not caring about my choice of words. Mother would be disappointed at me.
"Oh, please don't. They're very much patient with me- unlike some people." If the emphasizing wasn't enough, his cheeky smile got on my nerves more.
"I'm telling the guards about your infiltration to an Imperial palace and I don't give five flying shits about the consequences." I declared as I made my way to the door, only to get held by his hand again.
"Vivianne," I craned my head to see him- he suddenly looked serious, and slightly intimidating. He wasn't being his usual self- carefree and jaunty which only meant one thing: he had a consequential mission and he wasn't here to have fun by breaking the rules like he did when he was fourteen.
"We need to have a talk- you can expose me after that," he said quietly, his voice suddenly so serious that I'd to rethink about if it was really Elliot in front of me.
"I thought you came here to have fun because you like sneaking in and out of palaces," I said, jerking my hand away as I remembered the old times when he'd sneaked into my room for the first time.
He'd sneak into our palace -- mostly into my chamber because he was bored and didn't have anything better to do. When I'd asked him what he'd do if he gets caught, his answer was always the same: "I'm protected."
"I'm twenty-one, for crying out loud," he rolled his eyes.
"That doesn't stop you from acting like a child, does it?"
He heaved a long sigh and smiled. "Can we, please, talk normally? Without arguing? Only for- hey, Erin! Don't do that!" he chided when he saw the female guard- who I don't think was actually a guard throwing herself on my bed and swimming on it with a wide grin.
"What does she think she's doing! Who even is she?!" I yelled as I walked to my bed, dragged her intoxicated body while cringing and made it stand up.
"I. . . . I apologize on behalf of her-she's a bit intoxicated right now. Will be alright after a nap," he said, his attention on her as he told her to stop grinning, making her grin even more.
"A bit? She reeks!"
"Did I not apologize for that?" he raised his eyebrow, his silvery voice suddenly deep and dangerous.
"You infiltrated the imperial Palace, broke the rules, touched an imperial princess without her consent, barged into her room, stole the imperial guards' uniforms, disguised yourself and who knows what have you done to the guards and after everything, you say sorry?" I said sternly and continued.
"Do you know just how much of trouble you're in when you get caught?" I asked. I knew His Royal Majesty well- he was a stern man- always liked to abide by the rules, and those who broke it didn't end up well. Elliot was one of them. He liked to provoke him.
"Why are you like this? Why do you like to get in trouble so much?" I finally asked, sighing.
"Trouble finds me, I guess," he pointed to the girl who was still out of her mind and was mumbling inaudibly.
"Who is she?" I asked, staring at her in awe.
"Let's talk about our amalgamation first," he smiled.
"Our amalgamation? What's there to talk about?" I scoffed, looking away. "We are going to get married in a few days, we are going to vow to protect each other, isn't that just wonderful?"
"Vivianne, you and I, we both know we're going to destroy each other the moment we amalgamate. We don't want this- not you, not me, nobody! we're just going to ruin each other's lives," he was desperate, I could see the desperation clearly visible in his eyes.
"What are you trying to imply?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He took a deep breath. "Let's break this alliance. I can do it-no, we can do it."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Was he being serious? He wanted to break the amalgamation? Now? "You want me to go against my mother? The empress? I'd rather kill myself than disobey her,"
"Besides I can't do it anyways," my father's pale and frail face came to my vision. This amalgamation could save him. It could save the emperor and I, as his daughter am willing to do anything to help him.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
I scoffed. "You don't have to pretend like you don't know about the contract between His majesty and my mother,"
"Vivianne, I don't have any idea what you're talking about," his face was suddenly pale. As if a sudden realisation hit him.
"You seriously don't know?" I was more surprised. How could he not know that?
He shook his head.
I laughed. "You're unbelievable,"
"Sit," I smirked and gestured him to sit down, for he might not be able to digest the truth.
"Let me tell you the deal between two savages."