(Star Wars) To Love A Slave

Chapter Thirty-Three - Well That Backfired

A/N: I'm on Spring Break this week so hopefully, this story will have more chapters up this week!

The audience roared with cheers when Charlotte walked on stage. A tight, snake skin dress hugged her slinky figure. Her bleached hair hung around her torso in straight, blond tresses. Her hazel eyes still held that snake-like appearance and her signature red-orange lips quirk up into a soft smile.

"Welcome to Exclusively Imperial! I'm your hostess, Charlotte La'Beaux and today, we have an exciting show for you!" She clasped her hands together in front of her as the audience's applause died down. "Later on in our show, we will have a new singing sensation from the Cordellia system here! To start off this special edition of EI, please give a warm welcome to the power couple everyone's talking about!"

The audience began cheering wildly as a picture from the Imperial Coronation Ball flashed on the digital board behind the young host. "Emperor and Empress Vader of the Galactic Empire!"

If it was even possible, the audience got louder when the pair walked out. They had this certain air of elegance as they strode on stage, meeting up with Charlotte in the sitting area.

Almost reluctantly, Charlotte gave Padme a hug while Vader stuck to just shaking her hand. She sat down across from them in a leather seat, the pair together on a matching couch. With his arm around Padme's shoulders, a flame of jealousy burned within the talk show host. Charlotte quickly shook away her feelings and began the interview.

"Thank you so much for joining us, your Highnesses. I believe this is your first interview as a couple, right?"

Vader nodded. "I don't really like interviews that much but I thought it would be fun to do it one time with my beautiful wife." A soft blush crept onto Padme's cheeks when he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. The audience awed while Charlotte just looked the other way.

"Well why don't you and your wife share your story?" She sat a bit more forward in her chair. "From what we do know, Empress, you weren't any kind of royalty nor were you from a family of power." Padme could see those hazel eyes narrow at her slightly.

"How did a girl like you end up with a man like the Emperor?"

Vader glanced between his wife and the other woman carefully, feeling the tension rise rapidly as his wife grew uncomfortable. In a nonchalant way of calming her down, he pulled Padme into his side which made her rest her head back on his shoulder gently.

"Well, about a month or two ago, the first annual Imperial Ball was held in honor of the late Emperor himself. I was hand picked by Vader and his board of officials to sing at the celebration and as they say, the rest is history..." She turned her head to the side and pressed her lips to his cheek gently.

While the audience cooed again, Charlotte merely continued her questions. "So let me get this straight; Emperor, you could have had any woman you wanted and you chose some slave girl. Why her?"

He felt slightly insulted by her question. "Forgive me for answering the question with a question here but why not her?"

"I'm just pointing out the fact that a few years ago, your last interview to be exact, you were asked about your future. This is what you told Solace Mignon..."

As the clip began to play behind them, Padme became really uncomfortable as the interview flowed through the speakers around them...

"So let me get this straight... You have an ideal woman but you're not the relationship type?" Solace laughed. "How does that work?"

"I know what I want but she doesn't exist. My standards are too high..." The younger version of Vader chuckled along with him. "Tall, blonde with blue eyes and a smokin' little body. The kicker is that she has to be all natural, no hair dye or surgery allowed!"

Solace chuckled as he asked another question. "So what if she does exist? Will you pursue her?"

"Are you kidding?" Vader feigned a serious expression. "I'm not the relationship type because I could care less about feelings and such! Being a family man is just not for me!"

The clip ended with both of the men laughing. As the monitor flashed the show's logo yet again, Charlotte continued her assault. "If you take a look at her, she isn't anything like you described to Solace. Care to explain why?"

Padme's composure slightly faltered a bit. "What is this interview really supposed to be about? Getting to know the imperial couple or insulting us?"

Before she could go on, Vader stepped in. "Like I said, people can change their minds. I was around seventeen at the time of that interview, which was roughly five years ago. I was young and stupid, I fully admit that, because my ideal woman is the one I married." Padme looked up at him as he continued, his eyes shooting daggers at Charlotte.

"My ideal woman is a woman who's always gonna have my back, even when she doesn't agree with me. A woman who can help me raise a family with pride. A woman who puts a smile on my face when I first wake beside her every morning." He paused, smirking in victory as she paled beneath his gaze.

"My ideal woman is my wife, Padme, because with her, none of this matters. We could both be slaves and dirt broke or nobles and rich because it wouldn't matter. I love her more than anything..."

With that, the audience erupted with applause as the couple kissed. Charlotte felt a little defeated but she wasn't done yet. The snake had one more trick up her sleeve.

"Alright, that one... That one I'll give you a pat on the back for. However," She narrowed her eyes at Padme. "Empress, a little birdy told us that you fainted at the imperial ball two months ago. Our sources say you're terminally ill; care to explain?"

Vader caught his wife's troubled gaze, feeling her through their force bond. Ani, you said no one knew!

Foster was supposed to keep his mouth shut!

Before Vader could stop her, Padme got up from the couch and ran off stage. "Padme!" Just as he was about to go after her, he turned his gaze to Charlotte.

"You better go fry your hair off one more time because after this show, there will be no more. Have a nice career, La'Beaux..."

With that he left after his wife, leaving a stunned Charlotte behind on the couch.

"Don't go away... We'll be right back after these short messages..."