Sebastian could never guess what was going on in his father's mind, but he knew that whatever reason he had called for Diya could not be good.
He had been given his sword back- clean of any blood, as was its remarkable properties- and sheathed it by his side. Thinking back to Diya's style of swordsmanship, a strange recognition flickered like a weak candle inside him. I swear I've seen that fighting style before–
"Duke and Duchess Elsher–" Emperor Carlos barely finished his sentence before the greedy couple were before him. He smiled through their obsequious greetings before speaking. "I was wondering if I could have a word with your daughter in private?"
"Of course!" Duke Elsher quickly agreed. He glanced at Diya and she could easily read the message in those cold eyes. Don't mess this up.
"Sebastian, Miss Elsher, please follow me," Emperor Carlos said, turning around.
Stranger danger unless he's the Emperor. Diya thought sullenly, following Sebastian.
Diya was led down a nauseously ostentatious hallway. The large and impressive paintings served as overbearing reminders: No matter how great you are, remember your place. You are beneath us. Tuck your shirt in.
Emperor Carlos twisted an elaborately decorated gold knob and pushed open the door. Sebastian held it open for Diya and she brushed past him coldly, barely offering him a backwards glance.
The room was clearly the Emperor's study. Books with uncracked spines lined the impeccably kept bookshelves pressed against the far right side of the room. A quaint seating area with comfy chairs and a coffee table dominated the middle, and a desk with papers piled on it in tidy piles was pushed on the left.
An oil-painting of the previous Emperor and Empress hung over the desk. Diya wondered how Emperor Carlos could get anything done with his parents forever frozen in judgemental stares behind him.
"Please, both of you, take a seat." Emperor Carlos gestured grandly to the chairs, sinking into his own.
Diya obeyed, trying to avoid making eye-contact with the Emperor or the figures in the painting. The air crackled with a nervous energy, and she didn't even need to look over to know Sebastian was the cause of it.
"Why did you call me here? Your Highness." Diya hastily added the last two words, her hands curled into tight fists in her lap.
"Diya Elsher...I have heard much about you," Emperor Carlos said, with an unsubtle glance at her wrist.
Diya tugged on the sleeves of her dress with slightly sweaty fingers. Sebastian had been without prejudice, but she could not expect the rest of the Imperial Family to be the same.
"Father, why have you called us both here?" Sebastian asked, dragging the Emperor's attention away from Diya.
"I was incredibly impressed with your display of bravery in the room just now, Miss Elsher. The Imperial Family is forever in your debt. Furthermore, Sebastian told me how you helped defeat the Fjardka in town before too much damage could be done."
"It was nothing," Diya said, wishing this conversation would end quickly and she could leave. It was a bad idea to come here today.
"Not at all!" Emperor Carlos smiled and pulled over a thick stack of paper, "You managed to subdue an enemy even the Imperial Guards were struggling with twice, you showed brilliant skill with a sword, and you are a Necromancer. Despite the... shall we say, negative stigma surrounding your kind, you are quite the powerful individual."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Diya accepted with a respectful bow of her head, secretly not liking the way the Emperor said 'your kind'. But she would have to swallow down her displeasure if she wanted to make it out alive.
"Father, please get to the point. It looks bad that the Crown Prince is missing his own birthday banquet." Sebastian tried to keep his tone light, but he could not hide the nervous edge.
Emperor Carlos nodded seriously. "You are right, Sebastian. To put it simply, I want Miss Elsher to be your bodyguard."
Diya chuckled nervously, shuffling to the edge of her seat. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, my ears must be ringing from the- the fight earlier. It sounded like you said you wanted me to be Seb- the Crown Prince's bodyguard?"
"Your ears heard correctly, Miss Elsher."
"No, no, no," Diya said, too anxious to remember formalities. "I'm sure there are many other fine guards with lots of experience within the- the Imperial Army that can take this position."
"Those guards with experience you talk about," The Emperor's voice dropped to a deadly whisper, "allowed an intruder to infiltrate the Palace, were easily defeated, and just stood by while someone else had to defeat the assassin. I have never seen anyone display such skill today, so I am confident in my decision."
Diya winced and glanced at Sebastian, hoping he would speak up. She could deny this request but if the Elshers found out she rejected such a boost up the social ladder, it would be a one-way ticket to the Light Room.
Thankfully, Sebastian understood her distress. "Father, Diya is still quite young–" Excuse me? I am older than you! "–so I don't think her parents would allow her to take on such a dangerous position."
An excellent argument, Diya's right eye twitched, if my parents gave two shits about me.
"Of course." Emperor Carlos leaned back in his seat. "I am not a monster. I will be consulting the Elsher Family on this matter. If they, and Diya, agree then she will learn Royal etiquette and start once the school year is over."
"Thank you very much for the opportunity, Your Highness." Diya no longer cared how angry the Elsher family would get. "But I do not think I can-"
"You want to get accepted into RAN, don't you? Almost every Necromancer wishes to do so."
Diya froze, her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She gave the tiniest of nods, clutching the skirts of her dress tightly.
"What can be more impressive than having the Imperial Family backing you on your application, hmm?" Emperor Carlos tilted his head to the side.
Diya turned the offer over in her head. She could officially apply for the RAN scholarship on her twentieth birthday- just two years away. Then she would be free.
But was it worth it? Could she become a slave to the family she despised?
"Could I discuss this with my family first, please?" Diya asked.
Emperor Carlos smiled, already knowing he had won the battle. "Of course. I shall call the Duke and Duchess, and I will fully discuss the conditions and opportunity."
"Then I will take my leave." Diya stood and bowed to the Emperor and then to his son. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"I'll walk with you." Sebastian stood and opened the door for Diya. This time, simply because the Emperor was watching, she thanked him.
"Hey, Diya, I'm really sorry. I had no idea he would ask that!" Sebastian babbled as they walked back to the hall. Laughter and music floated from behind the doors, and Diya sped up slightly.
"It's fine, Your Highness," She replied stiffly, not looking at him.
"Diya, can we talk?"
"If that is an Imperial request, I cannot deny it."
"Please stop using formalities with me!"
"Whatever you want." Diya added quietly, "Your Highness."
"Diya!" Sebastian grabbed her arm and a jolt shot down her spine.
She shoved him back and scowled. The lights in the room dimmed as shadows slithered up the walls. "Did you just shock me?"
Sebastian was just as surprised. He raised his palms in surrender, eyes wide, and stammered out apologies. Great...another thing I have to apologise for. He thought gloomily. Now she will never want to talk with me.
Diya rubbed her arm and tried not to show how much it hurt. She took several deep breaths and tried to calm her rapid heartbeats before speaking. "Sebastian, I know you didn't know that the Emperor would ask that. I'm sorry for being so angry."
"You did nothing wrong." Sebastian beamed, happy that Diya seemed to somewhat forgive him. "I'm sorry that I hid my identity this entire time. I just- it felt nice being normal. But I shouldn't have lied."
Normal. The one thing Diya could never hope to be.
Her shoulders dropped and she tiredly rubbed her forehead. Diya could no longer be bothered to remain angry that Sebastian hid his identity. She had much bigger problems to worry about. "It's fine. This is a huge mess."
"The messiest mess." Sebastian agreed, nodding dolefully. "Are you going to accept?"
She spread her arms wide, a slightly manic smile tugged on her lips. "At this point, I don't see how I have a choice."
"What do you mean?" Sebastian frowned. "Surely your parents won't make you do something you don't want to do?"
Diya stared at him. "What kind of happy childhood are you living in right now?"
"They would force you to do this?" Sebastian knew his family wasn't perfect, but his parents would never put him forward for something he wasn't ready for.
"Duh," Diya rolled her eyes, "this is a wonderful opportunity to elevate their status. Can you imagine what high society would think? 'The Reject Elsher daughter is given the opportunity of a lifetime! Wow, the Duke and Duchess raised her well!' "
"Oh." Sebastian mumbled, mentally kicking himself for not being faster in the ballroom. If he had dodged the sword, then Diya wouldn't have needed to jump in, and she wouldn't have caught the Emperor's eye with her skills.
"Hey," Diya flicked his forehead and Sebastian flinched back. "Don't blame yourself."
He scowled and rubbed the area she hit. "That hurt!"
"Good. It was supposed to."
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"You drifted into thought and looked serious- which is very unusual. Plus you're nice, so it was easy to guess." Diya shrugged and then glanced at the double doors at the end of the hall. "You ready to go back in?"
Sebastian grinned and held his arm out which Diya took. "Nope. But let's go."
************
Next chapter: Second
Qotc:
1. Thoughts on the Emperor?
2. Thoughts on Diya's adoptive parents?
I hope you guys liked it!
Stay safe and thanks for reading :)