I Am Not Your Property

Prologue

Golden chandelier, red sofa beds, fancy vases and paintings. A room filled with beautiful women only for his Majesty, the emperor.

On the king-sized bed of this chamber, there is his imperial Majesty laying on with his naked concubines around him.

“Y-Your majesty... I want you.” Said one of the ladies, blushing as she went on the emperor's top, exposing her naked, voloptous body.

The king smirked while he played with her breasts. Although he is smiling, he isn't expressing any satisfaction. He was spreading those gazes as if he is looking on toys that doesn't make him hype up.

The sweet voyage of the concubines and the emperor unto the pleasure was interrupted by the guard knight looking out for this chamber's gigantic door from the outside when three knocks occured.

“We apologize for the interruption of your rest, your majesty. Death be bestowed upon me as a punishment for this contemptuousness, but behold the name of her Majesty, the beloved empress, I am to summon you unto the mother of empire's chamber.” It was a round, loud voice coming from the outside.

The emperor winced as he pushed the lady on his top. He stood up from the bed and fixed his robe. As the harem called for him, he only responded a very cold, nerve wracking gazes silencing the women as he walked out of this chamber.

The gigantic door is opened by the knights guarding the chamber. Upon it, the emperor only wearing his black robe flashed before the old man standing and nodding off on him.

“This better be an emergency.” He coldly uttered.

The old man, whom appeared to be the royal physician bowed with all due respect. “Your majesty, the empress's condition is getting so much worst. Please do bid farewell to her as I can no longer do any better regarding her illness.” The physician clenched its sweating palms as he winced, accepting the awaiting death for him for being a failure in saving her Majesty, the beloved empress.

The emperor spoke none. He only took his step toward the hallway, until he arrived at the opened chamber of her Majesty. There were maids lining up, looking for their empire's mother, none other than empress Esmeralda.

She was laying, bedridden. Her skin is all pale and dry despite everybody's best to keep her well. The weakening empress opened her eyes, only to see the cold gazes of her beloved husband, emperor Eustass.

She tried to move and sat on her bed from laying. The maids were about to assist her but she signaled them to stay away. “There is something important I have to talk to his Majesty. Therefore I wish for everybody excluding the Emperor and his right hand, Miliyad to leave this room.” Said the Empress. Although with her sore throat from this unknown disease, and despite her weakling body, the races of grace and elegance remained as if she is the living ornament of them.

The servants obediently did as she said. Upon closing the door, a ringing silence filled the room, embracing that ambiance of sadness and loneliness between his and her majesties.

“What do you wish to talk about?” His cold gazes soften as he looked at his sicking, beloved wife.

“First thing, your majesty...” Empress Esmeralda moved closer to his Majesty as she reached for his hand. Her voice is faded. “I despise you for bringing concubines beyond my aid just because I can no bear a heir.” Her voice was gentle, yet the trace of pain cannot be unveiled even with her grace.

“Please forgive me for being selfish... I cannot accept the loss you will put in to me.” He thinks of a foolish for himself for saying it on the deathbed of his beloved one. He looked down as he cannot bear to stare at her wife while he is incapable doing anything to ease her agony.

Her majesty does not wish to see her beloved husband suffer from the loss. She wishes to rant and nag, she wanted to say so bad that her husband could do better than this... He could just wait on her death and focus on her sole self with her remaining days. But she understood. The empress put on a very soft, warm, and gentle smile on her face despite the pain within her body. She reached for the face of the emperor as she carries it. “Chin up, my dear. I understand you divided your heart rather than it getting torned up by me gone. Do not worry, I never hated you.” She uttered that with a smile. Those words were like hands pulling the tears out of his Majesty's eyes as guild burst inside him.

Keeping her smiles, she wiped the bursting tears of his Majesty with her trembling and weakening hands. “There's only one thing I wish upon my death...” she uttered as she looked at Miliyad, standing beside his Majesty while holding on his tears.

“Miliyad shall be the honest witness for this wish of mine to be granted.” She added.

“I... I will carry my loyalty with to Majesty even beyond death!” He spilled on an oath as he saluted. His lips trembled as he tried his very hard to hold on his bursting tears.

Emperor Eustass reached for her other hand and gave it a very gentle kiss as he sniffed on his tears. “I will grant you anything, my love. Whatever it is. Even the world! Just name what you want.”

Esmeralda smiled as she clenched the hand of her beloved one. “Please, put one of my nieces as a candidate for the throne of  the next Empress. And if she ever fail to attain my seat, then make her your concubine...”

The request silence them. “That is... My only very last wish.” She added as she took a deep breath. She could not cry more or it will be added on the burden her weak heart carries, causing her a faster death.

“I...” His majesty wishes to disagree, but as he looked at her teary eyes, he couldn't say a word that may cause her discomfort. “W-What is her name?” He asked instead.

“Marga... Princess Marga.” She uttered as she let go of the hand and laid down on her bed again.

“I will do as you wish.”

“I also wish that after my death, this chamber should remain untouched. No one shall clean, unless once my niece arrives and clean this room on her own, sole aid.” She said as she looked at the roof of this room.

“W-What else do you want?” he asked again.

“Open your heart for another love, my dear. This...” She stopped saying as her heart gave a very strong beat as if it is about to explode. It was an unbearable pain that she couldn't even prevent from wincing. That one single heartbeat hurts so much that it reached on her abdominal and head. “T-This... This is M-My limit. Thank you for coming for me, Eustass... I... I love you to the moon and back. But I am letting you go thus, even in another life, I will desire for your happiness. Please, may this death be n-not a burden t-to your feelings... and your ambition.” She could barely breath as she uttered those words under her last exhales.

She slowly closed her eyes as tears dropped from her eyes.

Eustass burst into tears as he hummed on his cries. “H-How can you desire for my happiness as you, my one and only just died on my watch? I...” He sniffed as he is unable to continue his speech from too much crying.