Volume I: Chapter 2: The Imperial Family
1623 Words
Meanwhile, in the Land of Fidelphia. Another bull's eye for the first imperial prince, targeting the portrait of the Crown Prince.
"Haven't missed a shot, sire," remarks Prince Howard's butler Jonathan. He came in carrying the prince's dinner in a stroller.
Jonathan began to say, "The coronation is coming..." but stopped short of finishing. He intentionally became the next target and nearly took the following shot.
He tracked the path of the knife before shifting back to the prince. The remarks made by the careless butler likely set off Prince Howard's hysterical episode. He raises both of his hands in the air, giving the "I surrender" sign.
"I AM SUPPOSED TO BE KING!!" the prince exclaimed.
He carefully straightens his posture and says, "Yes, sir," trying to reassure the prince.
"THAT IS MY PLACE! THAT IS MINE!!!" He exclaimed. "I work hard for it BUT FATHER ONLY SHAME ME FOR THAT BASTARD i***t!!" he shrieked.
He takes something out of his pocket and says, "I understand, sir. I have your medicine here." It's probably a tranquilizer.
He stopped his crazy outbursts and continued, "After, we can think of a certain plan to obtain it from him. I mean, TAKING IT BACK... from that unworthy guy."
He used to be a bright, wonderful, and pleasing child, blessed with amazing gifts but despised and rejected. He was struck down with shame, followed by setbacks. His pride was being violated and his ego was crushed. Unfortunately, he had emotional and psychological issues. Severe depressive disorder, panic episodes, and even developing hysteria. In other words, he's gone a little crazy, but not to the extent of experiencing hallucinations. Simply hysterics; unstable psychological and emotional states.
Jonathan gave him his medication and let him sit down so he could relax.
Back to the Center Kingdom.
The coronation finally took over.
People started to protest outside the Silver Crest Kingdom and his butler, Stephen, was getting worried.
"Just push them away so they won't cause too much trouble," replied the soon-to-be emperor. With a disregarding look, he turned his eyes away and uttered, "I don't mind at all; I'm still going to be emperor whether they like it or not."
Stephen replied, "You are so considerate to spare them, sir."
"I just don't want to waste my time worrying about unnecessary things. I can execute them if I want to," he said with unreal arrogance.
Stephen let out a sigh.
The prince called out. "Hey," as he studied during one of his parchment scrolls detailing the rules of the empire at the coronation.
"Yes? Sire?" asked Stephen.
His softly spoken, "Whatever happens after... I want you to..." he continued.
"Live," he mumbled. Sporadically, sounding like a sweet boy despite his adult appearance.
It makes the mere butler feel acknowledged.
Grinning, Stephen answered, "As you wish, sire. Rather, I will serve you until death." He then bowed respectfully.
Prince Evan looked at him with a cornered stare, like it was his natural way to look at things.
He can create walls of pride while keeping a tender side hidden.
He is now ready and willing to confront his people.
He met the princess, his younger sister, on his way. She greeted her with warmth. She bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, may the heavens acknowledge you and bless you with a long life and good health, Great Emperor."
He cast a descending look.
"Is the flower left in my castle merely a thistle or a poison?"
His abrupt actions stunned the princess's entourage.
The emperor proceeds to the coronation hall.
Unlike her attendants and maids, the princess remained calm and signaled them to stay still as well instead of reacting impulsively.
"I am always amazed by the prestige of how you attain the throne," she said.
"And now you are asking me whether I am a heavy acquaintance or a terrible enemy," she said afterward.
Nevertheless, the emperor's mistrust towards their beloved princess is all the servants can see, and they quickly react by scoffing at the future emperor since they are unable to hold back to such critique.
The princess became furious and spoke up.
She reprimanded, enforcing the royal norms, "SILENCE!! You are not allowed to slander anyone in the royal family, especially inside this castle. Father's absence is not a permit to commit such crime."
The princess spoke bluntly, silencing her servant, "You are neglecting a fact! The identity of the second prince's mother is unknown, yet the former emperor did not come from any royal family either. He was just a commoner."
If the throne is to be awarded based on royal blood requirements, then both the preceding and subsequent emperors are ineligible. It indicates that this criterion has already been discarded.
The first imperial prince and the imperial princess were the true half-bloods.
"Do not be absurd," she said in a much softer tone.
"Do you think my father is ill-witted? He built this great empire on his own, do you think he has gone insane on making a firm grip on such a decision? What I mean is, it'll be a big idiocracy to leave a strong empire that my father desired and built for years just to be thrown down into ruins because of an unworthy heir," she said. Everyone was speechless.
A boy who bore a striking resemblance to the royal princess's father arrived when she was still a small child.
It was true that it was one of his sons.
He was a prince and her brother.
No one knows where on earth he comes from and how it happens.
The princess visits the young prince's segregated palace covertly out of curiosity when the emperor locks him away. She saw the second prince through the window as she climbed a fruit-bearing tree that was near the second prince's mansion.
Princess POV:
"He possesses those stunning eyes that seem so alien to everyone." I've always wanted to play with him even though no one likes him, but I still don't understand why father locked him up.' The princess pondered.
Days went by, and he was repeatedly called before the imperial high priest, the judicial court, or even by father, the emperor, for various reasons, including his alleged involvement in treason, assassination, and raising his armies to fight the emperor.
He was locked up inside his room all the time and no visible evidence has ever been given to them. Still, he simply undergoes disciplinary punishment from time to time for such unproven crimes.
Until,
The same young boy who, after being severely beaten by his older brother, stood with trembling weak knees and was the one who uttered things like "I hate you for fooling my mother; you take her away, you heartless monster," while hoping powerlessly to change things.
' I never imagined this charming prince with stunningly brilliant, innocent eyes that I've always thought highly of... was a threader appointed by the heavens,' she reflected.
`Indeed.. Very well... Indeed`
"You almost killed him..." the princess whispered to herself.
"You nearly killed Father,"
"effortlessly"
But how?
That incident occurred just in front of my eyes.
At this point, I completely understand
Days, weeks, and months after every war there are elites of masked soldiers, and the one leading them was a face that I have never seen before.
A solemn, cold, and dead atmosphere.
Until I found out who he was.
and
It was You.
You are the youngest elite warrior and Father's most dangerous weapon.
You are the head of all the assassins.
You are always kept hidden
An outrageous threader and
Yes...
Father?
I am completely persuaded.
A very capable ruler...
I'm aware that you see someone other than your obstinate son.
particularly after seeing those eyes.
I think that was very nostalgic."
End of POV.
Her senses sprang back from her inward reverie when an explosion erupted from the eastern wall. The traitors inside opened the city gates.
Panic struck everyone. Every guard was sprinting in and out.
Her butler, Vladimir, asked a guard walking through the castle's hallway, "What's happening?"
With such words, he fled, saying, "The first prince attacked, he is entering the Center Kingdom (The Capital)."
The princess was startled by the remarks and hurriedly raced to battle. Vladimir pulled her back.
"Release me, I". She was cut off abruptly.
"My lady, you should think twice. What are you going to do? Even with your sacred weapon, you cannot barge into the problem," Vlad replied.
"I do not wish to interpose between my brothers' conflict in regards to the throne. I am the Lady of this Kingdom and those are my people. A lot of people will be killed! Let me save them!" she insisted.
Vladimir, convinced by her will, let her go.
Allowing herself to run and move freely, Princess Lizobelle rends the lower portion of her garment up to her knees.
To avoid being recognized, she wore a shawl over her head and covered her face. She then unleashes her sacred weapon, the Amigine.
Amigine is a long metal bow that can be summoned from nowhere and it is under a treasure-type sacred weapon.
Treasure-type weapons are extremely valuable. It can restore strength and power for the threader and the other threaders fighting alongside it, in addition, it has a booster effect and adds power to the attack. It can manipulate the arrows and the amount of power it uses and then release it. Also, it can simply be combined with the acquaintance's attack.
The princess's attributes and abilities, which included being an exceptional archer and a peace-loving, empathic royalty, qualified her to be Amigine's threader.
However, she concealed it from everyone to avoid her and her sacred weapon being used for personal gain.
- Writer
