The Emperor's Concubine

Prologue

A world of monarchs and magical creations, stands a small influential kingdom; the Avris Kingdom, ruled by King Weslium and Queen Leveanne.

Ruling with an abundance of wealth and fertile lands, the king and queen were soon gifted with what could only be praised as a blessing from the gods—twins. After years of trying to conceive, King Weslium and Queen Leveanne welcomed their children into the world.
Their first-born son, Micheal Avri, and a daughter, Celestia Avri.

With the arrival of their newborns, the rulers couldn't help but worry over their future and well-being. From their anxiousness, the king and queen made an unprecedented decision—government officials could not interfere in affairs regarding their family.

However, what seemed like a considerate gesture to protect their children from the formalities of high society, was merely a ploy to enforce their secret beliefs.

The twins were inseparable as they grew. They played and learned to crawl and walk alongside each other. The twins felt nothing but happiness when they were with one another—until they reached the age of four.

The day of their fourth birthday, they were forced apart. Prince Micheal began lessons to become the successor, while Princess Celestia was left alone in isolation. Fabricating rumors that their daughter was born frail and had fallen deathly ill, the king and queen lied in order to hide her from the public.

Since conceiving twins was rare, the public believed the tragic news as it was proven that one twin would always have a weaker constitution. In truth, the siblings were the first twins throughout the continent to both be born with pristine health.
Desperate to hide their princess, the king and queen went as far as executing the doctors and nurses who helped the delivery—ensuring their secret would never leave the castle walls.

With the kingdom mourning and praying for the princess' recovery, her parents ensured that she'd be unable to contact or experience life outside the castle walls. Granted only one servant and two teachers, the princess was never allowed to interact with anyone other than those chosen by her parents. Under their command, Princess Celestia was taught etiquette and given special lessons.

Feeling something was amiss with the lessons being taught, the young princess grew a strong curiosity of life beyond the castle walls. Confiding to her kindhearted maid, the princess begged to read literature from different kingdoms. The maid who knew the truth behind the princess' isolation, obliged to her desperate pleas—after hearing the horrific details of what the princess was being taught.
Upon reading books and journals from far away lands, Princess Celestia was revealed to the truth—realizing just how twisted her parents truly were.

At the same time, Prince Micheal was being raised to become a king but broken into submission to learn twisted lessons—taught personally by the king and queen.
Involuntarily made to commit unspeakable acts from a young age, the prince was ordered to kill rabbits and other small animals, until forced to execute peasant children the rulers had kidnapped—children the same age or younger than him.

A year of lessons and isolation from each other passed by, until the siblings were finally able to meet again on their birthday.

However, one look at Prince Micheal's face, the princess understood—the boy in front of her was not her brother, but a doll. He had become a lifeless puppet with an empty look in his eyes, and a heart that lacked any hint of warmth or kindness.
The king and queen broke his spirit—becoming their perfect son.

Even if the princess tried to speak to him—wanting to know what he experienced—he rarely spoke. Almost as if she was a stranger to him, he kept a cold distance and only responded when the rulers gave him permission.

The king and queen only smiled as they admired the two, but the princess could only feel a fear so intense, she could barely comprehend it at such a young age.

Witnessing such horror, the princess engulfed herself in her studies; learning histories, astronomy, and indulging in an abundance of novels to comfort her isolation. She became an intelligent and studious child all before the age of seven.

Rarely meeting her parents—except occasionally for birthdays—she found solace in her books. From reading different tales the princess was able to strengthen her empathy, and taught her to keep a positive outlook on life. Though it was a lonely life, she was able to live comfortably—until her eighth birthday.