A guide to redemption

Prologue: The Empress, the villain

In every child's eyes, the Emperor should be a strong figure. His shoulders should be broad, able to carry the heaviest armor, and their backs should be straight and tall, their figure domineering to show off their dominance and confidence. 

The Emperor should be a presence that'll allow their people to sigh in relief just at the sight of them, to feel comforted to know that such a man is backing them up in times of trial and suffering. 

Granted, it's unrealistic to expect so much from just a single person which is why, along with the Emperor, he should have trustworthy men. A council of diligent and hardworking people handpicked by the crown himself, ready to fight for the Kingdom's well-being in mind. They should be loyal and trustworthy, only aligning themselves with the man they swore oaths to, never to serve anyone who seeks harm and destruction in the land they grew up in.

With such a perfect line-up, the Kingdom remains in a time of peace, continuing to prosper as years pass by.

"Eh~ That's boring..." A young girl pouted as she stared up at the kid, a young boy, telling her his vision of the Kingdom's officials. The other boys listening to him seemed to be in a state of awe but the other girls seemed to be expressing an opposite reaction. 

"What do you mean it's boring? It's perfect!" The young boy, the storyteller, pouted back as he argued his point of view. "The Emperor and his loyal men, what more could be missing?" He huffed, crossing his arms and looking at the other boys for backup.

In response, the other boys nodded in agreement causing the girls to further sigh in disappointment and shake their heads.

"The Empress, duh!" Another girl spoke up with puffed cheeks and tightened first. At the declaration, all eyes seemed to turn toward her, causing her to shy back down at all the attention.

"The Empress?" A boy asked out loud.

"Yeah, the Empress!" A different girl spoke up happily, her hands raised up in excitement causing everyone's attention to turn on her. Rather than turning meek, she seemed to shine even brighter at the gazes and began explaining. "It's only natural for such a strong Emperor to have an equally as strong Empress by his side! She'll give him support and love and many other things! She'll be the coolest!"

"But the Emperor's council can do that just fine!" The first boy argued once more, his tone soft despite the protest in his words. He gets competitive when it comes to proving a point but that doesn't excuse him to yell at girls, or at least that's what his mom told him. "Why would the strong Emperor need an Empress? He's strong for a reason!"

"Not everyone can be strong all the time...!" The meek girl who had shied away earlier spoke up once more, her eyes ablaze with more confidence this time. She flinched when eyes turned back to her but she continued to stand tall and gazed back. "That's why...that's why the Emperor should have the Empress to lean on...Sure, he has the council but there's still some things they can't do for the Emperor compared to the support an Empress can give." She finished off with a huff, her cheeks pink at all the words she spoke.

"Awh! Saku-chan spoke so much this time around!" One of the girls cheered as she wrapped an arm around the girl named 'Saku-chan'. The girl in question flushed even further at the cooes as she buried her hands deep into her hands.

The boy couldn't help but lean back and ponder over the words he was told. He had a hand placed on his chin with his feet patting on the ground. At his silence, everyone couldn't help but gaze over him curiously as he thought hard on the matter.

Eventually, he hit his fist on an open palm as he finished thinking things through. "You're right! The Emperor should naturally have an Empress, one as righteous and strong as he is! So whenever the Emperor needs some time to relax, she can take over and give him some support." He nodded his head at his own words.