The Return of the Beloved FIrst Empress of Eorka

Her Return

"I want to make our marriage contractual. Now."

The Empress of Eorka slammed her hands down on the desk in the emperor's study to emphasize how deadly serious she was.

The emperor had been engrossed in a stack of documents and was startled by his first wife's sudden actions. Though his eyes betrayed his underlying feelings of confusion, he managed to force a smile. "May I ask why, honey? Do we not love each other?"

She barked out a forced laugh. "Love? You wouldn't know the meaning of the word even if it hit you in the face. I know all about your affairs."

His smile dropped and he put on a sad face. He got up and tried to hug her. "I am so terribly sorry, my love. Those affairs meant nothing; they were mere distractions. My heart belongs only to you. You are the one I truly want. I promise It won't happen again!"

"Save it," she snapped as she pushed him away and held her hand up for him to shut up. "Do not insult my intelligence, Elias. Your words ring hollow when your actions speak louder. Unfortunately, you'll find I am not interested in letting you manipulate me any longer."

The emperor became desperate. "But, Karina, I cannot bear the thought of losing you. I do love you, despite my mistakes. Please, give me a second chance to make it up to you!"

He sounds so sincere... But it's not true. He's just trying to pull my heartstrings and manipulate me. I need to stay strong, she told herself. Just think about how terribly he treated Callisto after you died in your past life. He's a terrible scumbag.

She was angry at her husband for how he mistreated their son, but she composed herself for a moment before answering firmly. "Love is not born out of betrayal and deceit, Elias. And trust is like a delicate flower; once it is ripped apart and broken, it can never be repaired again. It is time for us to acknowledge the reality of our situation. I do not wish to continue to suffer in a loveless marriage."

Once he realized his manipulation was failing, the emperor's mask fell off and his true self showed. He became haughty, crossing his arms and putting on a condescending smirk. "Well, dear, it doesn't matter what you want, does it? What makes you think you can force me to do anything? I am the emperor."

"Oh, I know exactly who you are," she stated calmly as she took his cup of wine from his desk and took a sip. "But you seem to have forgotten who I am. I am the only child of House Sinclair. We have a strong legacy of producing the empire's strongest wizards, and we also hold the largest army in the empire. Right now, they are loyal to you, but it would be quite a shame if that changed, wouldn't it?"

He grit his teeth. "Are you threatening me right now, my wife?"

She let out another dry laugh. "No, of course not, That's a promise. If you don't agree to the terms of my contract, I will ensure you lose your throne. So make your decision wisely."

He paled before reluctantly nodding. "All right, you win. What are your terms?"

She smiled triumphantly before she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and slid it over to him. "Here are the terms of our contract."

The contract stated the following:

The empress will raise their son alone for the most part with little interference from the emperorThey will sleep in separate palaces but their son will reside in hers until he's old enough to maintain his own palaceThey will not have more children to prevent any future issues of inheritance of the throne, but will remain married to keep Callisto as the legitimate heirThe Empress will be her own person and have her own authority, and the Emperor will not try to undermine her in any way. The same is true vice versa.Their son will be the Crown Prince and will have the throne passed down to him soon after his 20th birthday