"I thank you all for being able to join us as we begin our selection process. Today will serve as a way to get acquainted and adjusted with one another, the castle, as well as getting settled in. Tomorrow will mark the first day of the selection process. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask either me or one of my royal advisors," Emperor Kruos informs stoically, almost as if he was reading off a script.
"For now, let us go around and introduce yourselves." He concludes, before sitting back down.
He gives a pointed look to the lady on his right, who clears her throat before speaking up. "Greetings, I am Lady Mary-Ann Bridwell from the House of Bridwell. I am pleased to be able to join you all today and wish everyone the best of luck through this process," she introduces in a sickly-sweet tone, batting her eyelashes at the other ladies at her last words.
One by one, the ladies go around introducing themselves, until it is eventually my turn to go.
I clear my throat, feeling all eyes on me, one in particular burning into the side of my head. "Hello, nice to meet you all. I am Lady (y/n) (l/n) from Therasis, a kingdom southeast from the empire. I hope we all get along well." I give an awkward smile.
A lot of the ladies give surprised looks. After all, all of the ladies who were selected were the ladies of either a major duchy within the empire, or a princess of a kingdom from neighboring.
I happened to be the only one who wasn't from either. I was just a mere noble lady from a kingdom on the outskirts of the empire.
'I'm surprised Eliza wasn't invited instead of me, since she is the princess,' I couldn't but sigh mentally. At least it was me and not her, I've saved her some headache dealing with Lady Annabeth.
Speaking of the devil, I look up, directly across the table, and find her glaring at me, though I cannot figure out why since I barely even spoke.
"Thank you, ladies. I look forward to getting to know all of you. For now, please enjoy," Emperor Kruos speaks, before the doors open and maids rush in with platters of food.
A delicious meal is placed in front of me, garnished with fresh herbs. I mentally drool at the sight, grateful that at least I get the finest cooked meals out of this nightmare.
A few of the ladies begin to speak amongst themselves, and the awkwardness from introductions begin to fade.
"So...not even a princess?" Lady Annabeth innocently questions me, taking me by surprise. I pause mid-bite, before lowering my fork.
"Pardon?" I question her. She hasn't touched her food, merely cutting aimlessly into the meat on her plate.
"You are not a noble lady of the empire, nor are you a princess of a kingdom, no? You must have some hidden talent to have landed yourself here," Lady Annabeth playfully spat, though underlying poison laced her words.
I knew she was trying to embarrass me and get under my skin, though there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Furthermore, I wasn't interested in actually participating so her attempts at dissuading me were no stronger than my lack of interest.
I shrug at her. "I have no special talents, Lady Annabeth. All I did was dance with his majesty."
Her knife digs deeper into the steak at my words. I didn't mean to make her mad, but it appears that no matter what I say, she will get mad at me anyways.
'What is this constant rivalry? I merely wish to eat,' I can't help but sigh.
"What did you and his majesty speak about at the ball? You guys must have had a riveting conversation if it swayed his majesty so much," she remarks passive-aggressively.
I place a piece of steak in my mouth, chewing slowly. Annoyance built up in her face at my lack of response, clearly stalling.
Lady Aria clears her throat beside me. "Lady Annabeth, if I may interject...conversations with his majesty may be upon private matters that she may not feel comfortable discussing."
Bless, Lady Aria! I sigh in relief at her interjection.
"Is that so? Well, if Lady (y/n) would have just said so, I would have left it." Lady Annabeth smiles at her, though it was as clear as day that it was the most forced action upon this universe.
Swallowing the food in my mouth, I innocently state, "My apologies, Lady Annabeth. I was chewing, and it is impolite to speak with a mouthful of food. Speaking of which, do you not fancy yours? You haven't touched it at all," I scoop another spoonful into my mouth.
Lady Aria, catching a glance at her plate, loudly gasps. "I think it's quite delicious! Is this meal not to your liking?"
Her exclamation catches the attention of a few ladies as well as the emperor's.
Lady Annabeth flushes at the unwanted attention, slight judgment within some of the ladies' eyes. After all, it was said that his majesty himself chose it.
"No, no. It looks quite delicious, I just didn't get the chance to try it, since I was trying to get to know Lady (y/n)." She forcefully laughs, shoving a spoonful in her mouth.
The curious glances turn back to their original expression, losing interest in the potential drama that they wanted to witness.
Lady Annabeth glares hard at me and Lady Aria, to which we don't pay any mind to, talking to each other, instead.
———
"Thank you all for joining me for this meal. I will be sending you all personal maids that will inform you of your schedules. You are dismissed for today," Emperor Kruos stands, before walking away.
I say my goodbyes to Lady Aria, before walking off to my bedroom.
'What a delicious meal!' I happily pat my stomach.
At the front of my door, Sarah is waiting for me. She bows at my arrival. "My lady, your schedule is clear for the day. Tomorrow, I will come fetch you for horseback riding at ten in the morning," she informs me.
I smile at the prospect. 'I love horseback riding!' Maybe this won't be so awful.
"Thank you, Sarah." I thank her as she opens my door for me.
"Will the other ladies be there?" I question her as she follows me inside, shutting my door.
"Yes, my lady. Alongside his majesty," her words instantly make my smile drop, scowling.
'I take it back.' I was a fool to think that it would be a peaceful horseback riding session.
A knock at my door snaps me out of my thoughts. Sarah looks at me, and I nod at her. She opens the door, slightly surprised at the person behind it.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Emperor Kruos.
Leaning against the door frame, he nods slightly at Sarah. She bows, before rushing out, leaving me alone with him.
I clear my throat. "What are you doing here?" I look at the hall's wall behind him, visions of my kiss with him coming to surface within my head.
'This is so awkward!' I mentally scream.
"I was going to invite you out to tour the castle, since you are the only one who has never been," he informs me.
I finally look at him, raising an eyebrow. "You couldn't have gotten a maid to do that?"
He shrugs. "Did I not say there is no one else better to learn from than the emperor himself?" He reiterates his words from our dance at the ball.
"What if I am busy right now? Would I be excused?" I bat my eyelashes at him, grinning largely.
He smiles at me as if I was a clueless child. "That would be impossible considering your schedule is empty today."
I groan. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Nope." He turns and begins walking, looking back at me expectantly.
I trail behind him, begrudgingly. "Wouldn't this create unfair bias? We should invite the other ladies." I point out.
"The whole point of this selection process is for me to get closer to the candidates to determine who is the best fit. There is no such thing as unfair bias, since that is how I will need to choose the empress in the end." He shoots that idea down.
"Does that mean you will be touring the grounds with the other ladies, as well, then?" I question him.
He shakes his head. "You are the only one who doesn't know the layout of this castle."
"But then that would be unfair, since I am getting special treatment!" I exclaim, exasperated.
He sighs. "You know...the other ladies would be dying for a chance to spend some time with me, since it strengthens their chances. A lot of them have specifically requested private conversations."
"Right! And I think you should take them up! You know...the ones that actually requested," I nudge him.
He looks down at me, narrowing his eyes.
"You are quite the stubborn mule." He comments.
"Thanks?" It oddly did not sound like an insult.
"It wasn't a compliment."
"Oh. Well, it sounded like one."
He sighs at me, before opening a door. "This is the kitchen." We walk in, and a wonderful fragrance hits my nose.
"Ah. The best room in the castle." I wave my hand around, wafting the smell to my nose.
"They are currently preparing dinner. Do you have any specific requests?" Emperor Kruos's eyes soften at my elated state.
"(F/food)." I immediately requested. It had been one of my favorite dishes growing up. A simple, yet tasty meal.
"That's it?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't wish for something... fancier? We have the finest chefs, the best livestock, and the freshest ingredients possible for every dish, and you wish for only (f/food)?"
I give him a slight glare at his disrespect of the delicacy that is (f/food). "It's not about the luxury, it's about the fulfillment," I lament.
"Sometimes, the best dish is the one you least expect," I continue, throwing my hands up.
"There are some dishes where they serve you a pea size amount that may look real fancy, but leave you dissatisfied and still hungry, but the plain, simple one is the one that is hearty and fulfilling. Even if it is not the most presented, it is the best because of its dependability to satisfy you," I explain in passion. I love food.
"On the surface, it may not look like anything special, but it holds a special place in my heart. That is how I feel about (f/food). You get it?" I end my rant, looking at him.
Emperor Kruos looks at me, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Yeah, I get it." He puts his large hand on my head, lingering. "I'll be sure to put that request in with the chef."
———
The rest of the tour goes by smoothly, our conversations primarily centered around the palace and its workings.
I felt like there was a shift in the air. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but it felt like I had become much more casual with his majesty. I no longer felt immense fear like I once had when I had first met him.
Conversely, his majesty had gone out of his way to personally tour the palace and allow me to request a specific meal for dinner, making me feel much more assured in my prospect that he didn't wish to harm me.
Regardless, I must still be on alert, for that underlying threat he posed about Therasis still lingered.
So long as I remain on his good side, yet also make myself seem unworthy of an empress, which I am, then I can leave this place on good terms with his majesty.
That was the best plan.
'Leave on good terms with the emperor.'
"What are you thinking about?" Emperor Kruos brings me out of my stupor.
"Nothing, your majesty. It must be difficult to manage such a large empire," I blurt out instinctively, not wanting him to know what I'm thinking.
He turns his head to stare out of the window as I am, the empire stretching beyond the horizon. Snow trickles from the sky, leaving the floor covered in a thin layer of white, blurring the end of the stretch of land.
"It isn't when you are used to it," he brushes it off. "You were royalty, were you not?"
I nod, hesitantly. "Yes, technically. Though, I never did much as a princess or royalty for that matter. We had such a small population to govern, and my parents never wanted me to dabble in such matters. I am not exactly apt for such things."
"You will learn," is all he states, leaving me confused.
"Not anymore, your majesty. I am no longer a princess nor do I have a kingdom to govern." I joke, nudging him with my elbow.
Emperor Kruos doesn't respond to that, his eyes still focused on the view outside the window.
I clear my throat, scratching the back of my neck sheepishly at my failed joke. Perhaps it was too early to be mentioning my fallen kingdom?
"How come your parents never married you off?" He turns his head at me.
I look at him, shocked. I wasn't expecting him to ask that. "Well...my family never believed much in arranged marriages for noble benefits, your majesty. We've always believed in marrying for love."
"I see." His face gives no hints at his emotions. "And you still plan on doing so?"
I ponder his question. "Yes, I suppose. There is definitely much less pressure to marry into nobility, since I no longer hold such status. Though my parents never pressured me, the royal advisors urged me to marry for the sake of our kingdom."
"There are times where I felt regret for not making such attempts in order to help our kingdom prosper, and there are times where it has kept me up at night. Maybe my home would have been spared." I recalled the first few nights after I had escaped into Therasis.
The tossing and turning at night, the vivid nightmares, the regret that squeezed my heart at my lackluster attempts to strengthen ties. Maybe if I had tried, then things would have been different.
I continue in his silence. "Regardless, it is now too late. What has happened, has happened. Now that I no longer have to worry about that anymore, there is no point in marrying to gain such things. I wish to live a humble life with someone I love."
Silence fills the air at my words.
Opening my mouth, I hesitate before speaking. "I never told you this, but when I first heard about you, I pitied you." I was feeling boldly honest at the moment.
He looks surprised at my words. "How so?"
"When I first arrived in Therasis, I was told what you had gone through in order to be able to be where you are now, and I couldn't even imagine myself having to go through what you went through, for my kingdom." I thought back to one of my conversations with Eliza.
"But, that is what makes the Empire such a powerful force. A ruler who can be swayed by no emotions, for the ice around his heart cannot be thawed, is a ruler that stops at nothing to achieve his goals," she concludes.
"I pity him," I blurt out.
"While people may associate that with power, wealth, and status, I pitied you because we are all still human with emotions and desires of our own, even if we don't show it. Doing everything for the sake of your kingdom rather than your own happiness must be difficult." I wring my hands together, concluding.
Regardless of the rumors of the emperor having a heart of stone, I truly believed that deep down, there were things he felt and desired that he had suppressed to get to where he is.
"And why do you believe that?" He asks, thankfully not upset at my prodding and honest opinions.
I raise an eyebrow at that. "Well...for starters, I can tell that you clearly don't desire to marry. After all, there is no reason for you to delay such a process if you feel no emotion towards it, especially if people are beginning to speak. That, in itself, is a desire, and you must have some reason driven by emotion if you have been pushing it off for so long."
Emperor Kruos looks at me, before laughing. A passing maid jumps, clearly startled at such a sound coming from his majesty, before scrambling down the hallway.
"My my! You are quite an excellent reader, (y/n)!" He grins ear to ear at my analysis. His eyes ignite, a raw emotion that I cannot quite describe in his eyes.
"You never fail to surprise me with your words. It is my first time in my life hearing that I am pitied." He says as if it is a foreign concept.
He leans down, mouth inches away from my ear.
"Perhaps I will heed your advice and start acting upon my desires."
———
A/N: omg I am not satisfied with this chapter at all idek what I was even writing halfway thru but I wanted to get this out since I probably won't be able to update until this weekend most likely. I passed my midterms thankfully, but work has rammed me up the ass 😩
If you follow me on quotev as well, you know my updates come much earlier on that. This is because when I copy my writing over to wattpad, my formatting gets all jacked so it's super annoying and tedious having to go through to fix everything.
Thanks for all the support so far!
Love yall ❤️
Note to self: this chap needs priority editing