The Emperor's Secret Luna

Chapter 3: The Imperial Family

It was the first glimmer of dawn and the sparkling crystal-clear dewdrops dangled on the leaves. It would be autumn soon and at that moment, the clouds were hanging low in the sky with a refreshing and pleasant temperature.

In one of the mansions far away from the Imperial City, it was dark and chilling. If not for the lamps on the pathway, someone would have thought that it was an empty abode.

A young prince sat across a large wooden table with a tall, robust man standing from him.

“Your Highness, an invitation from the Grand Duchy of Chantrea has arrived.” a glossy envelope is placed on the large wooden table. The envelope was sealed with the Chantrea Crest. It has a broad shield with a symmetrical heart-shaped top and an asymmetrical squared bottom that is supported by a Trent on either side.

The man was named Louie Holmes. He is one of the oldest guards serving the 4th prince. He was once in the military. However, after General Stephen died, the 4th prince’s maternal uncle, he stepped down and became Prince Xavier’s personal guard from then on.

He had stayed by the prince’s side, protecting him alongside Butler Herman Patterson.

Speaking of Prince Xavier Thorne, he was the 4th son of the emperor and was extremely unfavored. He was the child of the late Empress Carolyn and the grandson of General Clement Carson.

After the death of General Stephen, the heir to the Carson Family, everything went down. The Carson Family was destroyed and Prince Xavier became abandoned with no one supporting him from either side. At a young age, he was sent outside the imperial palace and lived by himself for so many years.

Hearing no response from the youth, Sir Louie continued, “It was said that all the imperial family was invited to the banquet. For the first time, Grand Duke Chantrea held such a grandiose banquet, which is suspicious. And the fact that he invited the imperial family… Your Highness, do you think Grand Duke Chantrea was joining the fight for the throne?”

Soon, a calm, deep, and low voice reached his ears, “It’s an act.”

“An act?”

Prince Xavier nodded his head slowly, “An act to protect themselves.”

Sir Louie raised his eyes, finally understanding what he meant. Grand Duke Chantrea was trying to show the public that he would be supporting someone in the imperial family. But he was just pacifying both of the princes’ factions. It was inevitable for him to be excluded in this fight for the throne, and so, he devised this plan to see which prince was worthy of his support.

What they did not know was that Grand Duke Chantrea was not planning to support anyone. This was all just an act. He would let the two princes fight for his support as long as they could. In this way, he won’t get entangled in the meantime.

“Your Highness, are you attending the banquet?”

Prince Xavier lightly swept a glance at the invitation under the penetrating light and indifferently spoke out three words, “waste of time.”

Sir Louie nodded and took the invitation back, “Then I will give it back to Butler Herman. He would send a reply to the grand duchy.”

“No need. Leave it there.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Sir Louie put the invitation back and left the room.

As the darkness of the night eloped the sky, the brightness of the full moon penetrated through the huge glass window inside the dark room. The invitation glistened in the dark as it was reflected by the light.

Prince Xavier caught sight of the invitation and saw the name of the person who sent the invitation.

‘LADY ALVIRA CHANTREA’

“The heiress to the largest military. I wonder if you are as valiant as your father.” he coldly chuckled.

***

Time quietly slipped by and the sky was sunny and bright. The vast unending sight of the Imperial Palace stood erect under the light blue skies that looked majestic and imposing.

The open and spacious main street was crowded with people. Sunlight penetrated through the fall foliage colors of the maple leaves, paving the flagstone road with a layer of gold foil. Everyone was busy discussing and preparing for the upcoming grandiose banquet.

In the grandiose imperial garden, there was a carved cypress wood table set up. There was a variety of delicacies spread around the table, which brought forth an alluring aroma.

It was an afternoon tea arranged by the Empress for her two children to attend. And one of them was Princess Octavia, who was recently punished after that incident in the forest hunt.

Wearing a light purple silk dress, she looked like a painting in the pavilion. Her hand was suspended in midair and consciously etched on the paper while the embroidered water-colored dragonfly of her sleeve cuff seemingly flickered and shone vividly under the sun with every movement of hers.

“Imperial Mother, why can’t I attend such a banquet? Everyone was invited! Even my eldest brother was invited as well! Why can’t I?!” Princess Octavia got riled up.

She was still upset about her being locked up for weeks. If not for her imperial mother pacifying their imperial father to let her out, she would still have stayed inside her courtyard.

But right after she was finally out, she would hear the news of the grandiose banquet prepared for Alvira. And the worst thing was, she was the only one who wasn’t invited! She has been proud and spoiled since then, so how could she swallow such humiliation?!

“Do you still need me to tell you what you have done at the forest hunt?” Empress Victoria’s face darkened and her ignited eyes glared straight at her, “Kneel down!”

Princess Octavia did not move. The two maidservants of the empress immediately rushed forward and held onto each of her arms, then, with great strength, forced her to kneel down. The more she struggled, the tighter she was held down.

“Eldest brother!”

Prince Isaac had barely opened his mouth when he was intercepted by Empress Victoria’s words, “You should not plead for this ungrateful child, 1st Prince. She must know the severity of what she had done. She was no longer a child that she could willfully do anything she wanted. Her willfulness might be the cause of your downfall, so think carefully 1st prince.”

Prince Isaac immediately understood what his imperial mother meant. If something had happened to Lady Alvira because of his younger sister’s childish behavior, there was no way for him to become the crown prince. Now that he was in a stalemate with the 2nd prince, he needed the military power of Grand Duke Chantrea more than anything. So, he couldn’t allow anyone to hinder his plans, even if it was his beloved sister.

Seeing how her eldest brother was not speaking up for her, Princess Octavia immediately turned around and glared at them, “Imperial Mother, what actually have I done wrong that you are treating me this way?! That horse was mine to begin with, but just because she was the child of Grand Duke Chantrea, she was given the priority?! I am the princess of this empire, not her!”

“What have you done wrong?” Empress Victoria turned to look at her with an icy look and harbored a thread of fury. “I don’t care about the feud between you and that child of Grand Duke Chantrea! You can curse her, spread rumors about her, or anything. However, you can’t put her life at risk! You are lucky that nothing serious has happened to her or else, who knows what Grand Duke Chantrea would do? Now is the most important time for your brother and we need the support of Grand Duke Chantrea to succeed! And because of what you have done, we are now at a disadvantage! If not for your brother pleading me to beg your imperial father to let you go, you would still have been locked up in your courtyard!”

Princess Octavia wanted to retort back but Empress Victoria raised her hand. In the next moment, the two maidservants carried her by force out of the garden.

“That unfilial brat!”

Seeing his imperial mother still fuming in anger, Prince Isaac poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. “Imperial Mother must not be angry. Octavia is still young, so she still has so much to learn. After this, she must have already learned her mistake and pondered over it.”

Empress Octavia took a sip before answering, “I really have spoiled her too much. Look at her, she was so muddle-headed!… And you, you even want to plead for her! You always defended her. That’s why she became like that!”

“She’s the only full-blooded sibling I have, it’s right for me to protect her,” Prince Isaac softly said, “But don’t worry, imperial mother, I know my limitations. I won’t let anything hinder us from succeeding.”

Empress Victoria’s anger finally subsided after hearing such an answer from her sensible son. “What are you planning to do now? After what your sister has done, I’m certain that Grand Duke Chantrea would feel hostile towards you.”

“You don’t have to worry, Imperial Mother. I will handle it carefully.”

Seeing such confidence in her son’s face, Empress Victoria nodded. “Alright. Mother will trust you in this… On the other hand, pay attention to the 2nd prince’s side. They will certainly make a move at the banquet.”

“Understood Imperial mother. I will pay more attention to them.”

Empress Victoria smiled gracefully as she said, “Remember that you are the rightful heir to the throne. You must not let anyone take it away from you.”

“Yes, this imperial son won’t fail you.”

***

Just the night before the grandiose banquet, Grand Duke Chantrea called Alvira over to his study.

“My child, tomorrow is your birthday banquet. Everything had already been prepared. The 1st prince and 2nd prince had responded that they would be attending, so remember what I have told you before, understood?” Grand Duke Chantrea looked over at Alvira with pride.

His little girl had grown up to be so dependable, which was such an assurance. His wife would be so proud after seeing their daughter now. Such a beautiful and smart young lady she had become.

“Yes, Father.” Alvira nodded.

“One more thing, I have heard that you also sent an invitation to the 4th prince. Why?” Everyone knew the situation of the 4th prince. He was confused after hearing that his daughter included him in the list of invites.

All these years, only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd princes were invited to any of the banquets held inside and outside the palace. The 4th Prince was always excluded. If not for his sharp memory, he would have already forgotten his existence. For so many years, he had not seen the 4th prince step foot in the Imperial City. From how he looked now, he had already forgotten about it.

“Just for courtesy. He is still a prince after all.”

It was a reasonable reason. Alvira did not pay any attention to any of the princes’ situations, but since they were inviting the imperial family, it was right for them to include the 4th prince. Although she wasn’t really expecting to receive a reply from him.

Among all the princes, this was the only prince that she had not seen yet. She might have known his existence but she did not know anything about him except that he was the youngest prince.

“You are right. The other officials might find fault against us if we excluded the 4th prince. They might use it against us.” Grand Duke Chantrea paused briefly and asked in a worried tone, “By the way, how was your health? Have you taken those medicines prepared by Doctor Leopold? What about the tonics I asked them to prepare?”

Alvira sighed as she glanced at her father, “Father, it’s almost a month since that incident happened. I had fully recovered. You have to stop worrying now.”

Grand Duke Chantrea was not convinced at all and called Doctor Leopold over to his study. “We have to be certain. You will have a long day tomorrow. I don’t want you to fall ill again.”

Alvira kept her silence and just let her father do what he wanted. He might be a little extra when it is related to her, but it shows how much he cared for her. She knew that by heart.

After her mother’s death, Duke Chantrea became an overly doting father. Her mother’s death had caused a deep scar on the duke’s heart. He was afraid of losing his only daughter too. That’s why he placed too much attention on her well-being. That incident 5 years ago put a stain on the old man's heart.

After checking her pulse, Doctor Leopold said, “Your Grace, Lady Alvira is perfectly fine. She had already fully recovered from her injuries. You can put your heart at ease.”

“That’s good. That’s good.” Grand Duke Chantrea looked warmly at his daughter. “Go back and have a rest. It’s your big day tomorrow.”

The sun rose and all the households were busy preparing for tonight’s banquet. Horses were brushed, carriages polished, lavish outfits donned and, as the sun began to set, the whole empire was set abuzz as the streets were filled with the most luxurious carriages as they all went towards the Grand Duchy of Chantrea.

With all the various carriages lined in front of the palace, all the various court officials had with them treasures from all over the empire gathered today to celebrate the only daughter of Grand Duke Chantrea, Lady Alvira Chantrea.

The 1st prince’s carriage arrived grandly at the gates. His personal guard, Alonzo Reath, was sitting outside the carriage as he looked coldly at the carriage coming over to the side.

The 2nd Prince’s extravagant carriage caught up with them, and crystals clinking could be heard as Prince Allen stuck his head out of the crystal-beaded curtain.

“Oh, it’s eldest brother, the 1st prince. What a coincidence!” he sneered mockingly at the sight.

Prince Isaac drew his own carriage curtain and nodded. He did not want to argue with this stupid fool of a brother of his in this public area.

When Prince Allen saw that Princess Octavia was missing from the carriage, he smiled even more.

“So eldest brother didn’t bring Princess Octavia with you? Wow, I wonder how deeply hurt she would be. Oh well, it’s understandable. Princess Octavia had done something terrible to Lady Alvira. It would be quite inappropriate for her to attend. But rest assured, my eldest brother, I would help you talk things out with Grand Duke Chantrea so that he won’t feel hostile to you at the banquet. No need to worry.”

“Thank you for your understanding, younger brother.” Prince Isaac retorted curtly as he put the curtain down, not wanting to see that sickening face any longer.

Within the 2nd Prince’s carriage, Prince Elliot, the 3rd prince and the full-blooded sibling of the 2nd prince, raised his head and asked, “Elder brother, you shouldn’t have to taunt eldest brother like that.”

Prince Allen laughed at his brother’s worried expression as he replied, “Stop worrying, will you? What can he do then?… It’s rare for us to have an advantage over him, so why not use it to the fullest? Besides, it’s not our fault that he had such a useless sibling like the princess!”

“I want you to be careful. After all, eldest brother is the son of Her Majesty.”

“What can Her Majesty do to us? If Imperial Father favored her, the 1st prince would long have been the crown prince. Am I right? But look, he is still a prince, just like us. That means imperial father was having doubts about his ability,” Prince Allen casually said.