Emilie of the Royal Heart

Chapter 15: The Emperor, Very Pretty

"Y-your majesty!" Emilie said wide-eyed as she emerged from the room and then corrected herself, "rather, your imperial majesty!"

Immediately, she dropped into a curtsey and then gasped as her robe parted and revealed her bare legs. She shot up into a stand before being told to rise.

Her voice was all but a nervous giggle now as she said, "I am ever so grateful you have come to my rescue... though I do wonder how you opened the door, your excellence?"

The Emperor laughed and to Emilie's disbelief, it was a comforting sound. She relaxed against the wall behind her. She tucked her hands in between her body and the wall.

The Emperor was only a little taller than Aurora with the same broad shoulders. In stark contrast to Aurora, though, the Emperor did not have brown eyes. He had crystal blue eyes. And though his brown skin had a cool tone like his brother, it was a notably lighter shade as was the hue of his hair. There was something slightly odd about this combination, but Emilie couldn't put her finger on it. It was as if the artist who created him had used the same rich brown shades as his brother to color him in and then went over it gently with an eraser.

"I think we can drop formalities in circumstances such as this," the Emperor assured her, then said, "you'll have to excuse me as well, I don't remember being introduced."

His eyes flitted down her body and then flicked up to meet her gaze again. He cleared his throat like he regretted taking an obscene look at her while she was in such a vulnerable state, but kept his eyes locked with hers like he wasn't going to apologize for it.

"Yes, well," Emilie breathed, feeling the back of her neck and her cheeks heat up with warmth that hadn't come from the bath, "that may be because I'm supposed to be introduced to you in a short time, your imperial majesty."

"Ah, I see. You're Lady Emilie, my big brother's fiancee."

Emilie's jaw dropped and before she could think about it, she blurted out, "big brother?"

The Emperor furrowed his eyebrows at her and he scratched his chin as he slowly answered, "it is true one of us was born first. Rory happened to make it out before me. So, yes, my big brother."

"You're not twins, are you?" Emilie marveled. Her mind was racing because there was a very specific line of Fellen code that made this discovery extremely perplexing.

The Emperor laughed again, "no, no. Rory is my senior by three years. Why? Does this change your feelings for him somehow?"

"Huh?" she muttered, eyes trailing the ground in front of her as she tried to understand the state of things in the royal line of ascension before she sparked to life and her eyes snapped up to the Emperor and she gushed, "oh! Of course not! Nat-naturally not, your imperial majesty. But -but..."

"What is it that's making you forget yourself so completely in my presence?" he mused.

"What!" she huffed in rising panic. Emilie pulled her robe further around her body and she swallowed, "have I - am I - er, I mean - uh... have I been too casual, your imperial majesty? I apologize immensely."

"Oh, it's alright, Emilie," the Emperor waved his hand through the air.

He placed his hand on the wall beside her to prop himself up, but he didn't abuse the lean to get closer to her than was appropriate, which Emilie appreciated. He quirked his mouth to the side and surveyed the hallway for travelers.

Then he whispered, "I'll forgive you this once only because I have caught you in your robe right out of your bath and it seems only fair. Please, tell me what's on your mind. You've made me too curious."