The palace gates opened to the thunder of hooves. Gold-draped carriages rolled across the cobblestones, their banners bright against the morning sky. The insignia of Aravelle—silver wings over a rising sun—fluttered proudly in the breeze.
The Crown Prince had arrived.
Priscilla stood at the top of the palace steps, her crimson gown trailing like spilled blood behind her. Her presence was enough to silence the gathered court. Her eyes, sharp as steel, narrowed slightly as the first carriage came to a halt.
The Crown Prince stepped out. Tall, handsome, black hair, immaculate, the weight of his royal blood in every measured step. His smile was the kind that charmed nations, but his gaze—when it met Priscilla's—was far too shrewd to be mistaken for warmth.
He bowed low. "Empress Priscilla of Calmaria. The jewel of Calmaria. I am honored."
"Prince Leon, am glad you could arrive safely" she stretched forth her left hand to be kissed by the Prince as he unfailingly did so with his lips lingering a little longer then normal.
"And who is this that came along with you, your sister?" A young also blond hair girl stepped out of the carriage, with golden eyes and intimidating crimson dress. "Your Majesty, I am Princess Loretta sister to the crown Prince and daughter of Eldora" she bowed like a trained maiden.
"I see, well your both welcome, come, relax eat and rest for tonight tomorrow we shall discuss more"
----
That night, in the private chamber, the Empress dismissed her attendants as usual. Lucas stood before her, his voice low.
"I don't like the way he looks at you"
Priscilla looked up from her wine, her expression already sharp. "and let me guess your jealous of something you don't even have."
"But why invite him here at all?" His voice almost broke on the edge of something he couldn't name. "Is my blade not enough? My loyalty not enough?"
She rose, slow and deliberate, closing the space between them. Her hand cupped his face with the gentleness of a lie. "Your made to serve me, so don't mistake that, and about the Prince, he's just here for business and to discuss about his kingdom, and am the Empress so won't I have the interest of my people and Empire"
"But I don't like him, I'll kill him if he touched you I swear" his words sounded more of a reassurance to himself rather than to her.
"Lucas your no longer a child anymore, I don't want to remind you of how I made you who you are now so please enough about this. Am tired am going to rest, leave my chambers when your done pouting"
He watched her get into the King size bed, holding onto the blanket like she was trying to cover a void that can never be filled. He watched her like he usually did, carrying the Empire at her little shoulders but still not showing the sign of pain, unlike him he envyed her, envyed her pride, her heart, her perseverance.
----
The following day the throne room was already buzzing with the noises from both the nobles and the counts, as Priscilla sit on the throne commanding respect without asking for it. The Prince walked in along with his sister Princess Loretta, they both look elegant.
"Your Majesty, thank you for accepting our sudden visitation" Prince Leon said with a lingering smile on his face.
"So tell me, why exactly are you here, don't tell me your father decided to ship you all to the capital for tea and biscuits?" The count couldn't help but laught at her word but her sharp glare immediately shut them all even from breathing.
"I propose marriage"
The silence in the throne room was absolute. Even the banners above seemed to hang heavier, as if the very stones of the palace had been stunned into stillness.
Lucas's hand went instinctively to his sword, his jaw tightening, though he did not move forward. His dark eyes flicked to Priscilla, waiting—burning—for her reaction.
Priscilla leaned back against her throne, her fingers tapping once, twice against the armrest. Her face betrayed nothing, but her eyes—cold, calculating—gleamed like shards of obsidian.
"Marriage?" she repeated softly, as though savoring the word. Her lips curved faintly. "And tell me, Prince Leon, to whom do you intend this grand offer?"
"To the great warrior Lucas Darcy and my sister Princess Loretta, Your Majesty. He is known to have been born from our side of the empire from the kingdom of Ivor"
Gasps rippled through the nobles. Some whispered eagerly, others exchanged worried looks. A marriage between the great Knight and a Noble could only make Calmaria stronger.
Lucas's grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles whitened.
Priscilla tilted her head slightly, her gaze sliding over Leon as if he were a finely-crafted weapon she was weighing for flaws. " Lucas?" she echoed. "Or shackled, Prince Leon? Haven't you heared about the rumors of how he loyal he is to me?."
Leon chuckled, unbothered. "his obsession about you is more famous than the kingdoms in Calmaria Empress, but even a strong and handsome man like him deserve a little reward and that's why my sister Princess Loretta untouched by any man and wanted my all both old and young, poor and rich with her wisdom and his strength Calmaria will be the greatest Empire in the world "
Her laughter was sharp, cutting through the air like steel drawn from its sheath. "well a dog like him isn't valued for someone like your sisters, you can have any other man worth of her not lost soul."
Her words dropped heavy over the room, and the nobles shivered.
From where she stood, Princess Loretta bowed her head hiding the storm in his eyes. He must belong to her… she must have him not… belong to another.
Loretta, finally spoke, her golden eyes glittering. "Your Majesty, my brother's words are sincere. We are only after the future of our great nation, and isn't it hight time a man like him get a noble position and you and I know it can only be acquired through a noble marriage."
Priscilla's gaze lingered on Loretta a beat too long. Sharp, thoughtful. Then she rose from her throne in a single graceful motion, the crimson silk of her gown cascading like fresh blood onto the marble floor.
"Enough," she said, voice like a blade against stone. "A peasant like him is only trained to serve not for marriage, and if you and the other kingdoms in Calmaria have the thought of Lucas in mind tell me there won't be war in my Empire, I will consider your proposal and let you know what I think tomorrow."
The nobles fell to their knees instantly. Leon, however, only bowed his head slightly, that same infuriating smile curling his lips.
"As you wish, Empress. I await your answer—tomorrow."
With that, he turned, escorting Loretta from the throne room, leaving behind a silence so tense it quivered.
Priscilla sank back onto her throne, her expression unreadable.
But Lucas—watching from the shadows, fury and fear gnawing at him—felt his heart clench as if crushed in her merciless hand.
"Let me guess your going to let me go after all this years, get married to a woman I don't even know and want to know" Lucas finally spoke trying to hide the anger and pain in his voice.
"Get out of my sight, all of you!!"
The nobles instantly rushed out, as everyone knows the Empress is in no good mood to spare any heads including Lucas, as she was left all along in the throne room to her thoughts.
---
That night, the moonlight spilled pale silver across the palace corridors. Lucas moved like a shadow, his boots silent on marble. The guards knew better than to stop him when he approached the Empress's private chambers.
He entered without knocking.
Priscilla was seated by the window, her gown of midnight silk pooling around her like spilled ink, a goblet of wine in her hand. She didn't even turn when he stepped inside.
"You should be resting," Lucas said, voice rough.
"Rest?" She gave a quiet, humorless laugh. "While the future of Calmaria demands my answer?" She finally turned to face him, her expression as cold and flawless as carved marble.
He clenched his fists. "Tell me you rejected them."
Her gaze pierced him like a blade. "I did not."
His breath hitched. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," she said flatly, setting her goblet down, "I have agreed to their proposal. Tomorrow, it shall be announced."
The words struck harder than any sword. Lucas stepped closer, searching her face for some crack, some flicker of weakness. There was none.
"You would hand me over," he said slowly, "after everything… after all I've bled for you?"
Her eyes narrowed, but her tone remained cruelly calm. "You bled because it was your duty. Because I made you what you are. Do not mistake gratitude for love, Lucas be happy am being nice this once."
"You call this nice, after everything, after giving you my heart, body and soul, after shedding my blood for you and you call getting me married to someone else nice" his jaw clenched, pain burning behind his ear. "But if means staying by your side and being useful, I will do it"
"Then consider this another chain," she replied, standing, towering over him in her merciless grace. "A marriage to a princess. A title among nobles. Is that not a reward for your loyalty?"
His voice cracked despite himself. "A reward? Or exile from your heart?"
Her lips curved in the faintest smile, cruel and mocking. "What heart?"
Silence fell heavy between them, broken only by the sound of his breathing—ragged, furious, wounded.
At last, Priscilla turned away, dismissing him with a flick of her hand. "Leave me, Lucas. Tomorrow you will stand beside Princess Loretta, and you will smile. That is an order."
He did not move for a long time. Then, with the weight of a man being executed, he bowed his head "No woman can ever take your place In my heart, even if you toss me around and treat me like an object, I will still always love you, but don't expect me to live to see the next day married to someone else"… then with that he left her chambers.
Priscilla remained by the window, the moonlight glinting in her eyes—cold, unyielding, and unreadable.