𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 | 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

03 | The Pitiful Princess

trigger warning: homophobia, mentions of misgendering, swearing, misogyny

D-2

AS THE SUMMER SUN settled at the midst of the blue skies, the heat of the season began dawning on the people as they stripped themselves of their thickened clothing and opted for thinner, lighter clothes. Although, the same could not be said for the Empire's rulers, who – despite the overwhelming heat – dressed just as lavishly as though it was winter, unbothered by the stupidity of their actions as their sweat began dampening the colored fabrics.

Servants held back their tongue at the sight, stifling laughter as they witnessed the Emperor and the Empress attempt to ignore the humidity of the atmosphere, huddled under the shade of the gazebo positioned at the center of the Imperial Gardens. They treated themselves to the fine desserts that lay on silver platters, uncaring that most of their cold delicacies were melting from the sun's warmth.

"My, how much of a pig can you be, Ophelia?" The Emperor Seille sharply questioned, a look of disgust glimmering in his eyes as he stared at his wife, her mouth stuffed with food and her satin white gloves stained with strawberry cream.

Ophelia shot him a glare and swallowed her food, "Not as much as you already are, Seille."

Seille's jaw ticked as he clenched his fists, sneering at the woman before him with his foot tapping repeatedly at the tiled floors. The serene view of the gardens brought him peace, however, as he closed his eyes and relaxed. Since a month before, Seille and Ophelia had settled into an idle routine of neglecting their duties and their responsibilities, passing it on to their only son, who split the burden with [Name], considering they were both children of royalty.

The Crown Prince, Aeron, happily offered his service to the dedication of handling the foreign affairs of Kalor while [Name] handled domestic affairs. The pair agreed and Aeron set off to the borders and [Name] sat behind a desk in her study, where she held private meetings and audiences with nobles and ministers who each shared their problems.

"That illegitimate child better not be putting shame to the Imperial name," Ophelia huffed as she chewed on another apple beignet. "Aeron is a trained prince, he can handle the foreign affairs. But [Name]? God forbid she's off embarrassing herself in front of the prime ministers."

"That would surely be disgraceful for a princess." Seille hummed. "Then again, she is the daughter of that dishonorable homosexual woman who calls herself a righteous king and that self-centered whore of a duchess. It is inevitable."

xxx

As the clock ticked with the arrival of noon, sunlight streamed through a large, arched window and casted shadows across the room. Crowded and noisy, the Meeting Hall was brimming with ministers and lords of local towns and cities, their chatter mixing into a ringing cacophony as they poured out their complaints.

[Name] sat dutifully at the head of the table, shuffling through papers and organizing the most to least urgent problems as of late. Her green hues shone in concentration, earning looks of curiosity from the rest. Since the day Aeron had split the work between them both, [Name] had took it upon herself to solidify her position as a trustworthy and reliable princess and have powerful allies from her own Empire enter her side and prove their unwavering loyalty as her people.

So far, she'd gotten several lowly nobles onto her side with a sprinkle of convincing, at least a hundred noblewomen from high society, and a few higher rank nobles to join hands with her. It was quite easy, though slightly more challenging for her to gain the trust of the Dukedoms of the South and the West considering she was rumored to be alike the Empress and the Emperor who they despised. But regarding their loyalty to her late father and her cursed mother, they agreed to be her pawns.

"Pardon me."

Then, after a minute of filing through the papers, [Name] spoke and everyone silenced themselves. They had heard of her prowess and her capability from other lords and wished to see it themselves — and God, were they so gullible; falling so easily into her trap as they stared at her as if she were an angel, her wings sprouting from her back and appearing golden under the sunlight.

But even that could not hide the horns on her head and the devilish grin playing on her lips as she catered to each of their problems more diligently and intelligently than the last. She was so unlike the Empress(who usually handled domestic affairs), that the prime ministers grinned from ear to ear as they insisted she become Emperor.

[Name] thought out carefully crafted plans and formulated perfect solutions for every one of their complaints, only adding to the overall impression that everyone had of her.

[Name] would be a perfect leader!

She's fit for the role, an even better Emperor than her father!

From such young age of nine, the princess already has the makings of a true Emperor!

And she listened, feeding on their admiration as they sang joyful praises far and wide, trampling on the idea that she was to turn out a disastrous lady. Her soiled reputation became anew with Seille entrusting her with domestic affairs, and the people clung to the notion of a benevolent and wise princess who would soon step up as the light of the empire; the salvation to the people.

With their assistance, [Name]'s grip on the throne was solidifying quickly. She had already won over one-fourth of the empire, and she was to win over the rest at the very chance she gets. From this moment until the day she's conquered the empire and reigns as its Emperor.

She had to.

That throne was rightfully hers, by name and blood, it was hers to claim. With the long absence of her siblings now presumed dead, [Name] was the last of true imperial blood — the rightful heir to the throne.

xxx

With a sense of lethargy seeping into her very bones, [Name] slumped down in her study, her hair scattered across the pillow as she lay on a chaise. She breathed a sigh of relief, flexing her wrists to relieve herself of the pain of paperwork as her butler hunched over a small glass table, pouring her a cup of warm tea for the night.

"Heizen," She calls, lifting herself from the chaise to rest her back against the camel-shaped back of the sofa. "How has Rietta been? Fine, I hope?"

Rietta Arthur was the unmarried daughter of Baron Arthur, sent to serve [Name] as her lady-in-waiting when she was sixteen. With a warm smile and a generous heart, Rietta was the second most loyal to her out of all the people [Name] had been around, topped only by Heizen Muzai, who had been around ever since the day [Name]'s eldest sister, Aliarica, was born. His wispy, dark salt-and-pepper hair and thick, curled mustache stood out more than his almost invisible wrinkles as he smiled at the princess.

Heizen responded, "Miss Rietta is doing quite well, Your Highness. To the despair of the head maid, however, she keeps begging to be back by your side and insists she hasn't fallen sick."

[Name]'s eyes crinkled with joy, mirroring the smile of her butler, who sat down across from her on a camelback sofa. He leaned back, relishing in the softness of the sofa, having forgotten his status as butler as he fell into slumber as quickly as he sat. The princess shook her head lightly and finished her cup, setting it away for the maidservants to fetch.

She heaved herself up on her feet and dusted off her dress, quietly walking to the door to summon her chamber woman and leading her to her private quarters in silence, warning the servant to be careful in the presence of the slumbering butler. [Name], together with her chamber woman, shifted Heizen's body for better comfort and tucked him under a blanket before retreating to her own chambers.

Tonight, she would rest. For tomorrow is the day that [Name] turns ten and enters society officially, and she must prepare to face the world on her own.

In Omnia Paratus
"Ready for all things."