𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐝

Ch.2

Imperial Year 324, Present Day.

**********

"Bianca! Have you done yet?" A voice calls out to me. I looked in the direction of the voice and smiled. It's Emily, a palace maid worker just like me here in the West Palace and a friend of mine.

"Just a little bit!" I took the sheets and put them into a basket. It's been 9 months since I worked here in the Imperial Palace and I somehow already got used to it.

"Let's go!" She shouts again. "Or I'm not gonna wait for you!"

"Yes, I'm coming! Geez..." I wiped the sweat on my forehead, took the basket, and headed to where Emily was.

----------------

"Do you know there are more 'bodies' coming out of the main palace recently?" Emily asked while we both walked around the West Palace.

"Bodies..?" I somehow felt uneasy.

Emily looked around before she came closer and whispered to my ears. "It's the Emperor. He did it again..." She gave me a side look and I just nodded, understood what she meant. The Emperor's bloodlust again... I wonder what these people do to anger him. He took lives so easily too...

Not long after the war ended a year ago, The previous Emperor passed away so suddenly and every prince of the empire fought for the throne and it went badly. Only the sole survivor of the third prince survives while the others... die in his hand. No one could believe that the third prince was so heartless and cruel as to kill all of his 12 siblings...

But to the people of the Empire, this is normal. It only proves that he is stronger and deserves the throne than his siblings. Someone like me who is not originally from the Xerion Empire will never understand. People who are not from the Empire will say it's in their blood. That the red eyes bloodline craves blood...

"Your hair is so silky, Bianca!" Emily somehow changed the topic and pouted.

"Huh?" I lost track of our conversation. What's with my ponytail.. hair? Silky?

"Black hair is so rare that it's pretty... Unlike us, we have lots of colors like Rose gold and silver hair too." She adds while playing with her hair. Which is true. That's the most common one in this continent.

I only brush her off and both of us keep walking and passing the corridors. That actually got me thinking-

"You had it short during the war right?" That caught me off guard. I didn't expect her to ask that. About the war.

"Urm, yeah... During my time in the war, I had it short because it got in my way." I don't want to hide anything either. It's true after all. "I've cut it several times during the war but around three years ago I started to keep it," I remember how a friend of mine who fought alongside me nagged me to keep it. How nostalgic...

"You got it long now. You will keep it, right?" Emily still talking about my hair. I can only huff.

"It's such a shame if you cut it. Don't you know that a girl's hair is her crown?" She somehow tried to mimic a well-known scholar but got it wrong. I try to hold my laugh. She got the phrase wrong.

"Don't laugh!!!" Her face got red. "I know I'm not really good at the empire's language! I'm new too you know?!" Like me, Emily also came from a different kingdom and became a citizen of the empire just like many others after we got neutralized. So the empire's language is our second language.

But Emily is a different case. She was still a child when the war happened, so she didn't join the war and worked in a noble house instead. And later, to the Imperial Palace after getting a letter of recommendation.

"Yes, yes, it's fine. But it's 'A Woman's hair is her crown and glory.'" I explained.

"Go- Got it!!!" She looked away feeling embarrassed.


---------------------

The day is almost over. Emily and I finished our tasks but I only had a thing left before I could call it a day and I told Emily to leave first. She wanted to help me but I insisted her not to. She already had it rough because she cleaned the entire abandoned glass house in the garden of the West Palace today. And finally, we split up after I promised her it wouldn't be long. But truth be told, I don't have any additional tasks. I'm meeting someone. An old friend of mine from the past. But I rather no one knows that he and I know each other...

And I went towards a spot not many people know of. I waited under a big tree and watched the green land, then the huge palace walls, and the capital city right under them. The Imperial Palace is not only huge but high in the ground and from anywhere side of the palace, people could see the capital city from up here. The Imperial Palace is the tallest among all the buildings in this empire... except for one. The tower. But it's hidden in plain sight... no one could find it or see it except for mages...

"Bianca! You're here!" A knight with the familiar red hair calls out to me. I knew who he was right away even from afar. Finally, after ages, he showed up. "Commander Xayne." I slightly bow. Even if we know each other, his rank is still higher than mine.

"You're making me sad, Bianca. There's nobody here and we know each other close enough to call each other's names you know." He looks slightly hurt.

"Yes... Aaron." I sighed. He then smiles like he's winning. Aaron Xayne. The Commander of the Red Knight, the second son of Count Archibald Xayne, and the person who worked right under the Emperor. Also... The one that I fought alongside together during the war. We were close after several times meeting in the same battles.

"You look much more beautiful with your hair tied up. It's gone pretty long too..." He took a step and was about to touch my hair.
"Can I ask why I was granted the favor to meet you, Commander?" I tried to change the subject and figure out his intention. I was actually feeling slightly irritated by now.

"Oh, it's nothing actually. I just miss you." He gives a flowery smile. This attitude of his is the reason why I dislike him. I only sighed. He thinks the ladies are so fond of him that I-

"Here." He pulls out something. A little blue box. He then opens it. It was a little pink gem bracelet, It looked simple and beautiful...Why is he-.
"I had it with protection magic infused in it. In case..." He suddenly became silent and looked serious all of sudden. "Since you're a maid in the palace... In case the Emperor-" he stopped at his track, realizing what he just said. I also quickly understood what he meant. I see... He was just trying to protect me.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Aaron. But I don't need it. I'm not working at the Main Palace but the West, remember?" I said as I tried to change the tense atmosphere. I got really lucky to get assigned to the Forgotten Palace. I don't have to serve anyone but only do some cleaning of the empty palace.

"That's not it. A lot of things have happened. And might... happen again." He looked at me. He looked really worried. What was he talking about? Did he talk about the bodies from the main palace..?

"Please take it, Bianca. Just for precautions." I know he won't take no for an answer. Perhaps it was for the best. It would be a lie if I said I'm not afraid of what will happen while working at the palace...

"Alright, then." I give up. "But this is the only thing I would take from you. Please refrain from bringing me anything in the future." I took the bracelet and the little box.

He smiles. "Thank you, Bianca. For listening. I appreciate it." I only nodded at him and began putting the bracelet in the box again. And that made him scrunch his eyebrows.

"You should wear it! Let me wear it for you!" He quickly grabbed the little box again and before I could say anything he pulled out the bracelet and began putting it in my hand. That was so sudden that I felt slightly embarrassed. If anyone saw this they would misunderstand our relationship. "Done!" He finally finished.

"Then should we leave? It's getting late now..." I said as I looked at the sky. The sun almost disappears on the horizon. We could see the stars in the blue-midnight skies. "I think we should." He agrees. And finally, we decided to call it a day...