Echoed Lullabies (Lunar Chronicles x Reader)

Chapter 45

To anyone who would have seen her, Levana was a vision of serenity in her ethereal red wedding gown and the sheer gold veil that fell to her wrists. She sat on the settee in her guest quarters, posture perfect, her hands folded in her lap.

Except they were not folded at all, but rather balled into angry fists.

Each one held a wedding band. One that she had worn for far too many years, that she had once believed would bring her love and happiness, but had only ever brought her pain.

The other was supposed to bring her, not the love of a blind, selfish husband, but the love of an entire planet. She should have been wearing it now.

Everything had been going so well. She had been moments away from walking down that aisle. Moments away.

She should have been married. She should have been reciting the vows that would make her empress.

When she found out who was responsible for this delay, she would torment their fragile mind until they were a drooling, pathetic idiot, terrified of the sight of their own hands.

A knock cut through the fantasy. Levana shifted her eyes toward the door.

"Enter."

One of her guards entered first, escorting Konn Torin, the young emperor's annoying, perpetually present adviser. She glared at him through her gold veil, though she knew he couldn't see it.

"Your Illustrious Majesty," he said, bowing deeply. The addition of a new adjective combined with the bow slightly lower than usual made the hair prickle on the back of her neck. "I must apologize most severely for the delay, and for the news I have to impart to you. We have been forced, I'm afraid, to postpone the marriage ceremony."

"I do beg your pardon."

He straightened, but kept his gaze respectfully on the floor.

"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Kaito, has been kidnapped. He was taken from his personal quarters and smuggled onto an untraceable spaceship."

Her fingers curled around the wedding bands. "By whom?"

"Linh Cinder, Your Majesty. The cyborg fugitive from the ball. Along with multiple accomplices, it would appear."

Linh Cinder.

Every time she heard the name she wanted to spit.

"I see," she said, finding it too wearisome to soften the hardness of her anger. "Am I to believe that you did not have any security measures in place for the attempt of such an assault?"

"Our security was compromised."

"Compromised."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

She rose to her feet. The gown swished like a breeze around her hips. The adviser didn't flinch, although he should have.

"You're telling me that this teenage girl has not only escaped from your prison and evaded capture by your highly trained military, but has now invaded your palace and the private quarters of the emperor himself, kidnapped him, and again gotten away with it?"

"Precisely correct, Your Majesty."

"And what are you doing now to retrieve my groom?"

"We have employed every police and military unit at our dispo—"

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH."

This time, he did flinch.

Levana steadied her breathing. "The Commonwealth has failed too many times with regards to Linh Cinder. Beginning now, I will employ my own resources and tactics in finding her. My guards will need to review all your security footage from the past forty-eight hours."