My Empire

Chapter 11: Lifeblood

                                          ~~~Queen Cat of Verdania~~~

My heart froze with every delayed exhale, and only released once they breathed in again, rattling, painfully slow, barely alive.

Lord Sylver of Arcefracti, my love, my doe doe, my lemon carboard. On the verge of death thanks to the demon.

I hadn't moved from their bedside in days. The servants kept trying to get me to eat and sleep, but I refused. As long as Sylvie was in this horrible coma, I would be by aers side.

Servants and doctors would come by every so often to check on them, but oftentimes I would find myself alone in the pitch of night with a single fading candle on the nightstand, watching every breath and breathing in time, even if it made my head spin from lack of oxygen.

The sun was slanted through the windows, casting a soft golden glow over my Doe Doe's pale face and highlighting the even paler bandages wrapping around their face and arms and chest and, well... everywhere. The demon really did a number on aer.

A nurse was tending to one of the bandages on their arm that had bled through. I watched her warily. She was giving Sylvie some sort of stink eye, and I was fully prepared to break my vigil to throw hands. Some punching would be very enjoyable.

Of course, the person I wanted to punch was well out of reach, being a superpowered teleporting dark magic sorcerer demon, but I'd take a pissy nurse as sacrifice for now.

I had let Tsuki send a letter back to Verdania about my absence, because I refused to leave Sylvie alone while they fought for aers life. As a concession, I told my advisors to make themselves useful and focus the army's attention on the tanks.

Demon was invulnerable to all mortal weapons? I'd like to see him survive a long range bomb missile shot from an actual invulnerable box.

A muttered word made me blink out of my thoughts of revenge. I narrowed my eyes at the nurse, standing by the bed looking down at Sylver. She hadn't noticed me looking at her yet. Idiot probably thought I was too grief-stricken to pay attention to my surroundings or something.

"What a powerful leader our empire has," she hissed, glaring at my poppy.

That was all I needed to launch out of my armchair, the nurse stumbling back in shock as my open hand hit her resoundly, the slap echoing in the empty room.

A pair of guards stepped in at the sound, faces hidden behind their helmets. I gestured sharply for them to grab her.

The nurse spluttered. "Your Majesty, what–"

"Speak about my love like that again and I won't just kick you out of the palace." My voice was as icy as the snow atop the highest peaks of the Pearlescent Dynasty. "I will find you, and I will kill you, and I will use your body for scientific research, and you will never get a proper burial."

She stared at me, fear mixing with hate in her eyes. "That's uncalled for, Your Majesty! I'm right, they're wea–"

I curled my hands into fists, and she cut herself off with a nervous gulp. I had spent my years of childhood learning metalsmithing and building weapons from the greatest blacksmith in Verdania. My slap was probably still stinging on her skin. I'm sure she didn't want to find out how strong a punch from me would be.

"Your face is uncalled for," I replied, crisp. "Take her away."

The guards nodded in unison with a clank of steel, wrapping a hand each around the nurses' upper arms and escorting her out.