Seize the Crown

Prologue : The End of Solairea

The time has come. This empire will soon fall.

The land of light was devoured by a large fire. The capital was covered in ashes and blood.

Cries for help mixed in with the sound of a large bell.

The land is painted red under this dark grim skies.

It was agonizing to watch.

It was the end for Solairea.

"My lady! There is an emergency!"

"What is happening?"

"It was the Wischerian knights! They have surrounded the palace!"

I felt like my heartbeat stops for a moment making me nauseous.

How can this happen?

"Tell everyone to evacuate immediately! There's no time to spare!"

I took all of my belongings and left my study.

What is going on?

"Marchioness, give us your orders," said the knight who I came across with.

"Where is the emperor?" I asked.

The two of them look at each other before giving me an answer.

"He fled."

I laughed unbelievably.That asshole. He had the guts to escape when he was the one who made this war happen.

I told the knights to help everyone in this palace evacuate before heading towards the west wing.

"They had infiltrated the west wing of the palace!"

I almost lost my balance when a noble bumped me at my shoulder. I could have gave him a glare but he was now running away.

The whole palace is in chaos. The people is in panic and their emperor had leave them hanging.

"My lady, you need to go to the escape room now! We don't have much time left, they have infiltrated the west wing. You might get caught!"

My personal maid told me when I saw her running towards the east wing where the escape room is located.

"Where is the empress? We need to get her to safety. I'll go to her chambers, wait for me at the escape room."

"Yes, my lady. Please be safe."

The chambers are located in the west wing of the palace. The empress and his son may still be in there so I had to hurry.

I managed to avoid the Wischerians but I was astounded when I saw the once white painted walls were covered in red tinted blood. There are some knights lying lifeless in the ground, while the others are struggling to survive.

"My lady, what are you still doing here?" A knight who I came across with asked weakly. I looked at him pitifully as his body is covered with wounds. It seems as if I can see his soul slipping through.

"Have you seen the empress and the crown prince?"

"I had safely brought them to the escape room a while ago, my lady."

I sighed in relief.

Margaux, I'm glad that you're safe.

"Good job keeping the empress and the crown prince safe. You may now rest, mighty knight," I whispered.

I saw him smile one last time before closing his eyes.

Now, it's time to save myself.

I was almost caught by a Wischerian on my way to the escape room but I quickly hid behind a pillar and avoided to make some noises.

"Where is the emperor?" I heard a Wischerian knight asked.

"He's not in his chambers. Maybe he escaped already."

"How troublesome, make sure you find him and don't let him live, kill him immediately."

My breathing hitched and my forehead throbbed.

Wischerian knights has swarmed the whole palace in a short amount of time. We were greatly outnumbered. The worst case is that the three-fourth of the Solairean forces are away for expedition. It would took days for reinforcements to arrive.

Should I ran away? Should I just leave Solaireans suffer?

I am just a marchioness. A former princess who lost her title and climb down to ranks when she got married. I am powerless. I am weak.

I can't do anything for Solairea.

I should just leave everything behind and start anew in a new place.

Yes that's it.

I heaved a deep breath and stealthily walked towards the escape room. Just a few more meters.

"Viviana," I muttered when I saw a familiar room.

Viviana Maurice Wischeria.

The princess of Wischeria Kingdom. The root of this war is hidden inside a secret room in the emperor's study.

I scoffed and was about to pass the room but my conscience is killing me.

I should help her escape.

I entered the emperor's study and the cold air greeted me. I never paid attention to the surroundings and pulled a lever hidden in the bookshelves.

The wall split into two and inside is a room with a woman in dark black hair and angelic face struggling to get out of her chains.

"Princess," I called out to her.

She immediately faced me with eyes full of sorrow but it quickly turned into resentment as she saw who called out to her.

"Lady Evielle," she scoffed.

I just sighed and went towards her direction but she avoided me.

"Don't be stubborn. I'm here to help you," I said and showed her some keys but she just glared at me.

"Help? A help from the sister of the man who ruined me? What a joke." Her voice screams bitterness and rage. My chest throbbed in pity fo her but I just went to her direction and started freeing her from the chains.

"Listen, I'll take you to the west wing of the palace. Wischerian knights are there and you can get home safely."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I don't know. You guess," I sarcastically answered her. She just laughed like a mad woman but anyway, she just let me try to free her from the chains which are chained at her ankles.

"Just leave me here Lady Evielle, Wischerian knights will come and save me soon from here. You don't need to continue this heroic act by freeing the slave of your monstrous brother and trying to help her out in this hellish place."

"Really? So should I leave you here and let my brother's knights took you out of here and deliver you to him so you could continue to be his w***e?" she fell silent and she had been freed from the chains in her ankles.

"Guess you don't want that huh," I muttered and helped her up.

I motioned her to follow me and she quietly obeyed.

The source of this war is this woman. The emperor abducted Princess Viviana of Wischeria with a shallow reason.

To warm his bed.

What an asshole.

He drag the Solaireans into this war but he was the first one to flee.

Thinking about it makes my blood boil and makes me want to behead him with my own two hands.

"Stop," I whispered as I saw a Solairean knight. He was running away so he quickly disappeared in the area.

I grabbed Viviana's hand and dragged her along with me so we could arrive at the west wing faster.

"You could have done this much more earlier. This war would not had happened," she whispered.

She's right. If only I had been a little braver, but all I had really done is to cower and ran away.

If only I can turn back the time.

"Stop."

A cold voice echoed throughout the ballroom floor. My heart throbbed in fear when I had realized that we are surrounded by Wischerian knights. Their swords pointed right at me.

"Morpheus," Viviana whispered.

I was suddenly hit by realization as my eyes met a pair of dark blue orbs. I immediately avoided his gaze when I felt some chills on my spine.

Even if his face is covered with an armor and even if this is the first time I had seen him, I am undeniably sure that this man infront of me is the Crown Prince of Wischeria.

Morpheus Sorraine Wischeria.

The swordmaster beast, the cold blooded predator and the cruel prince of Wischeria that could make his enemies grovel and kiss his toes.

And that man is right in front of me now... the end of his sword is pointing right at me.

"W-Wait!"

I turned to look at Viviana when a knight took her away from me.

Ah, damn. This is my doom.

"Raise both of your hands."

I quietly obeyed and just looked at the ground.

Mother Empress, please help me.

"State your name."

"Evielle Solairea-Emett."

I closed my eyes when I felt Morpheus' presence behind me.

"Ah, the former princess of Solairea, the sister of the emperor and the wife of the deceased, Marquis Emett."

My heart raced once again when I heard the name of my husband.

"What did you say?" I tried not to stutter as I looked at him directly.

"Would you like me to repeat? The princess of Solair-"

"What did you do to Westin?!" I was about to attack him but I was held back by a knight.

"The Marquis? Oh, I chopped his head off."

My hands went cold and hot tears rolled down my cheek when a head rolled down to my direction. It was Westin's.

A sharp cry echoed in the ballroom floor, I didn't know it was mine if I haven't felt the pain on my throat.

"Don't worry, we shall send you to follow him right now."

"You monsters!"

"B-Brother! Wait! Please!" I can hear Viviana's voice in a distance.

I felt my sanity slipping out.

Why? Why should I be the one to pay for the emperor's sins?

Is this my karma for always running away? For always leaving things to an irresponsible superior?

For not making my own decisions?

"Behead her! Behead her!"

I felt numb. I wanted to cry for more but I can't.

I heard a sword unsheathed as I was looking at those dark blue orbs for one last time.

And I didn't know, that those eyes would be the last thing I would saw as I felt the cold metal blade against my nape and the darkness swallowed me whole.