Wicked Reign

The Royal Invitation

"I said rubies, not amethyst! When will you get it right? I want this wedding to be the royal wedding of the century! Is it that hard to understand?"
The booming voice of Emperor Corean Shuia Eckrett reached beyond the double doors of the throne room, making it available for all servants around to hear.
Tori, who was about to be announced her presence, sighed with her palm on her forehead.
Sighing, she looked at the chamberlain. "Just open the door."
Bowing to her, the chamberlain opened the doors of the throne for her. Tori had to draw a deep breath as she was welcomed by a sight that she thought she would only see in movies from her life as Talia.
An aching throb pierced her skull as she navigated into the glittering maze that the once regal throne room had become.
Rolls of shiny, shimmering silks littered the area that was supposed to lead her toward the podium where the throne was situated. On the floor where boxes of different sizes were haphazardly placed all around while pieces of jewelry spilled all over them.
On each side of the throne room were mannequins adorned with white and red dresses. Some were heavy-looking while others were flimsy, a direct contrast to the former. All of these dresses were heavily decorated with ornaments that Tori normally sees on her shelves.
As she walked closer, careful that she won't be stepping anything, she witnessed another scene fit for a parody.
Below the podium were dozens of designers from all aspects—dresses, venues, cakes, flowers, foods, and so on.
The throb in her head doubled as she crossed her arms, raised her brows, and cleared her throat.
"Tori! Why are you here?" Cory stood from his throne with his golden crown nowhere in sight. He urged the designers to leave with a quick warning glance before turning to her with a sweet smile on his face.
He opened his arms to engulf her in a hug which Tori did not dodge away from. Patting his back, she said. "You don't look like a dignified emperor at all."
"Oh, please. Looking dignified will be your job as my queen. I will be a lazy one as long as I have you by my side." He leaned down to whisper into her left ear. "You can have the empire as my wedding gift to you."
Tapping his chest playfully, she looked around for any eavesdropping people. "They will hear you! You are really a walking blasphemous emperor." Realizing that her fiancee was a lost cause, she shifted her attention to the group of people who were all ashen and fidgety. "What did you do to them?"
Cory pulled her from the wreckage he created as he guided her to the room at the back of his throne.
The sound of the clicking of the door immediately changes Cory's countenance. Gone was his easygoing aura, replaced by a killing intent for someone he was yet to meet.
Tori on the other hand could only raise her brows. With crossed arms, she strode towards the dashing emperor she loved. Combing his chocolate hair with her fingers. "You sound so calm in the greenhouse but your bloodthirsty gaze for a second did not fool me, my king."
Cory sighed, arms linked around her waist as he let her lean on him. "I just sit on that bloody throne and now there's a problematic kingdom that is getting ready to devour the empire."
"And do you really think I will let them lay a hand on something I worked hard to obtain?"
Pinching her chin, he winked at her. "Did you really have to work hard to obtain this?" He pointed at himself.
"Stop it. We have to be serious in dealing with the Kingdom of Altera. They are already on the move, observing us as we speak." Tori let go of Cory as she walked towards the stone table where a big map of the world was carved with miniature flagships and warcraft chess pieces.
Tori eyed the Kingdom of Altera with cold pair of ruby-red eyes. "The world will be the stage. Blood and fire will dance across the world but nothing will take anything from us." She turned to Cory and shattered the flagship of the Kingdom of Altera. "This is war."

"THE DUCHY OF THE ROZENREFF HOUSEHOLD is now being led by Duchess Victoria Rozenreff. Yes. That's her, your not-so-little crush, Your Majesty."
"Can you imagine if I marry her? We can solve the problems about funding and support." Ryzen snapped his fingers as if discovered something great with a big grin on his face, eyes glistening just remembering her ruby-red eyes.
"I am sorry to break your virgin heart, Your Majesty, but Duchess Victoria Rozenreff became the Duchess because she butchered her father and sister and a whole lot of nobles along with the former emperor and the supposed crown prince," said Shito. "Sounds familiar, Your Majesty?"
The sparkle in Ryzen's eyes did not dim.
Shito said in an exasperated tone. "Two dragons can't exist in our monarchy. That woman is dangerous. To overturn the royal family, no, the entire empire, is something not anyone could pull off and live to tell tale."
Ryzen shrugged off Shito's words. "How about the new emperor? How is he?"
Shito's eyes dimmed after the mention of the Eckrett Empire's new leader. "I did not get anything useful aside from him being a lovestruck fool to his lover."
Ryzen, who was standing on the balcony with his back on Shito while he was gazing at the bustling capital city's square, looked behind him. A goblet of fruit wine was in his right hand. "A lover?"
"Yes. That's weird too because when I asked, everyone would eye me as if I am a wild baboon." Shito dropped the formality after remembering such a scene while investigating.
"Start your investigation with the emperor's future queen. We can begin with her," said Ryzen in a playful tone paired with his emotionless amethyst eyes.

"WHAT? AN INVITATION?" Tori could not believe what she was hearing as she was being immersed in a massage to ease her fatigue while preparing for the royal wedding.
Tori nodded at the servants, dismissing them as she put on a robe.
"Yes, Your Grace." Lily was also sporting a frown like Tori as she flipped the parchment with the sigil of the Kingdom of Altera.
"He got the nerve to invite me, but he dares ignore the emperor by saying he is suffering an illness, letting his snake-like aide evaluate my fiance? How dare he?"
Tori's freshly painted red nails scratched the silky plush pillow on her lap as she leaned on her chair. "This royal wedding is already taking a toll on me and now that damn golden king decides to mess with me now?"
Rowan, who was flipping the catalog for the wedding protection plan, looked up to Tori. "Do you want me to eliminate them naturally? They are in our yard yet they dare to run around like spoiled brats. Teaching them a lesson or two will never be enough."
Tori immediately waved her hand from Rowan's straightforward approach to things. For her, he was better suited to be a knight than lead a duchy as grand as the Castaña Dukedom.
"You speak like a thug, Rowan."
"Well, I am from Pivet Alley." He closed the catalog and mimicked Tori's posture while sitting. "So, will you accept the invitation?"
"Why should I?" Tori looked at Lily. "Burn it. Cory will flip if he knows about this invitation."
Lily was about to leave with the invitation when an idea hit Tori.
"Send a reply in a form of my wedding invitation. Let them see who will become their enemies should they mess with my fiance."
"On it, Your Majesty."
When Lily left, Tori asked Rowan. "Did the Ming Country's king answer? What about Alice's imperial father?"
"Alice and Yei Lin are both on their way to their respective countries as we speak. They will explain it in detail, I believe."
"What about the movement of the Centro? The trades?"
"Chieftain Keiran will come back to report about the situation."
"Good." Tori's tensed muscles relaxed a little. "We can't be complacent right now. We are up against a man who has won after a decade-worth of blood feud after acting like a fool. He is smarter than our past enemies."
"You have us, Your Grace." Lily, who just went back, said in a voice filled with determination. "I have already sent a maidservant to their lodging place. I heard the king's right-hand man has started his investigation."
Tori groaned. "Ugh. They remind me of roaches—persistent and willful. They have the natural talent to bring out the killer in me."
Lily continued. "And I think your walk near the docks aroused the king's interest."
"Oooh... Did I, now? Tell me, how aroused is he?" A malicious smile appeared on her red lips.