Men of Vorenia (16+) DISCONTINUED

The Applications

One week later, Orelia lounged on a couch in the drawing room just outside of her bedchambers. In one hand, she held a tea cup, in the other, registration documents for those wishing to become candidates. Men from all over the continent had applied for the trials, some from kingdoms having more representation than others. There were three for Fraujar, Viscount Gelic and Count Spelic making up two of them. Orelia raised her brow as she looked at the other Fraujarn. There was a small portrait shown next to the applicant's name. He had dark hair and porcelain skin. There was a moment before she looked at his name. Long, elegant letters formed the name. Ragnar Vitkevich. Orelia sat up sharply, setting the other applications down on the side table. It was the Sixth Prince of Fraujar.

The Prince’s face was downtrodden in the portrait, reminiscent of how he reacted at the coronation banquet. She remembered his forlorn expression when his father spoke down to him. As she gazed at the portrait, his green eyes found her’s. Despite the lifelessness of the picture, his eyes spoke wonders. There was something inside of his eyes, but she couldn’t tell what. His gaze was full of steel, making him look near to a battle hardened soldier. Orelia was genuinely curious about Ragnar, but she wanted to select her consorts fairly.

She set Raganr’s application with the others, flipping through them for a moment. She recognized the seal of Kareveth in the top right corner of two of the documents. The first Karevethen seemed to be a nobleman. He appeared to have groomed hair and extravagant clothing, and almost an excess of rings and jewels. His portrait had him posing with his right hand on his face, showing off his rings. Orelia counted three on his right, possibly four on his left. She sighed, placing the paper down and looking at the other Karevethen. Artemus Maxim, the Duke of Riftgard and Ambassador to the Empire of Vorenia. Orelia smiled gently, his portrait smiling back at her. She reluctantly returned the application to the pile, leaning back and looking toward the ceiling.

There was so much to do in only one week. She had twenty six applications to go through, and she had only looked at five. Orelia wiped her face with her hands, groaning. A knock on the door made her crane her neck to see. She sat straight, clearing her throat. “Enter.” she said just loud enough for her visitor to hear.

Orelia turned to face her visitor as the door opened, standing to greet them. “Ah, Lord Maxim. How is your day so far, Your Grace.”

Artemus smiled, closing the door behind him. “Fine, Your Highness. I see you have read my application, Empress.”

“Indeed,” she grinned, giving her hand to Artemus. “You have quite the impressive resume.”

Chuckling, Artemus kissed her hand. “I’m delighted that you think so.”

Orelia drew her hand away, using it instead to cup his face. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, turning around to walk over to where she sat before. “I do have a question, Artemus.”

“Yes?”

“Who is this?” Orelia asked, holding up the application for the man with many rings.

“Ah, that is Baron Zakaria Vespa. He is a bachelor in Kareveth, but not a very popular one at that.”

“Interesting, thank you Artemus. By the way, I noticed something strange about the applications from Kareveth.”

Artemus visibly swallowed, blinking a few times before responding. “Yes, what was it about the applications that was strange?”

“Kareveth has always been a close ally of Vorenia, and they have sent many female consorts to past emperors. Yet they only are going to send two men, including you, to the trials for entry into my harem. Isn’t that strange?”

Artemus nodded his head briskly, clearing his throat. “Yes, that is indeed strange. Karevethen officials may just be hesitant since an all-men harem has never been done before.”

“That is true.” Orelia sighed, setting down the Baron’s application once again. “So, why did you come to see me?”

Artemus motioned for both of them to sit, Orelia nodding in response. “Well, my lovely Empress, I came by to discuss The Trials.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything until the day of. That wouldn’t be very fair to anyone else now, would it?”

“Empress, you misunderstand me. I want you to be as safe as possible. These trials are going to be easy to infiltrate considering the presence of all of the empires and kingdoms. I don’t trust those Traoronians, nor do I trust the Fraujarns.” Artemus dug through the pile of applications, finding the Fraujarn applications. “I especially don’t trust this one.”

Artemus held up Ragnar’s application, the portrait’s green eyes once again finding her’s. “Look at his face. Ragnar Vitkevich, son of Augustine Vitkevich and Sixth Prince of Fraujar. Quite notable, no? When I look at his face, I don’t see a pampered prince. What I see is a battle-hardened bastard who is ready to kill when given the word. His eyes do not have a gleam to them. They are dark. Empress, I am warning you, he may be very dangerous.”

“I understand your concern, Artemus, but you underestimate me. I am the empress of the largest empire on the continent. Of course, that would make me a target, but I can fight for myself. If Ragnar wants to pull a dagger on me in our wedding bed, I can defend myself. Besides, I always have my guards nearby. I am by no means weak.”

“Of course, just don’t forget to be on your guard during The Trials. I don’t want any harm to come to you, my Empress.”

Orelia nodded, recognizing his consideration. “Thank you for worrying about me, Artemus, but don’t worry too much.”

“Yes, Empress. Now, I should take my leave. Thank you for speaking with me and setting my mind at ease.”

When Artemus finished his statement, he bowed and left her alone. Orelia’s smile immediately left her face once the door closed. Something about him was kind of off putting to her. The way he spoke about Ragnar and warned her about keeping her guard up made her kind of suspicious of him. Did he know something that she didn’t?