“No.”
That was Emery’s immediate reply as she brushed his hand away with a firm resolve.
“I am no longer returning to that place. Even if you beg me to… Even if you kneel on both knees right in front of me and cry blood, I would never set foot in that place ever again.”
She turned away from him, walking away and telling herself not to listen to whatever he had to say. She did not want to be swayed or else, she might make a mistake that she would come to regret until her death. King Lawson, on the other hand, stood and still faced her.
“For what? To kill the person who ambushed the headquarters of your organization? Emery, you are in their territory and that woman you are af
After that night, Emery acted as if it never happened and she felt a bit relieved since the king no longer tried to bother her. Either way, since she needed an alternative course of action in order to be in the competition once more now that the first stage was coming to a close. Hence, she went to see the prime minister. “We are still deciding whether or not you will be automatically advanced to the second stage. There will be a meeting about that matter this afternoon so wait for a while. As of the moment, you should help the emperor,” the prime minister said before handing her a pile of documents that needed to be addressed. “What are these?” Emery asked. “Reports and appeals. Since you will all be leaving for a short trip, I might as well drown the emperor with work first. His audacity to even think of taking a break amidst the busy season just amazes me.” “A trip?” The prime minister waved his hand, not wanting to answer her question and dismissing her already since he still
Despite the underlying threat he was receiving from the emperor, the prime minister still wore a poker face as he approached them. With half an inch thick of documents in his hand, he did not hesitate to hit the emperor with it right on the top of his head.“You have the audacity to do such a lewd thing in the office when you are supposed to be working!” he yelled, forcing Emery to push the emperor away from her.She stood with her head low and her hands wrapped around her dress because it was on the verge of falling. Besides, she did not want to be scolded as well, especially that even the emperor was silenced and simply sat on his chair without daring to look back at the prime minister.“And you!”
After that short conversation, Emery felt like Castor was avoiding her. He simply spoke to her if he needed her help with something, but other than that, he paid her no attention. She thought that it probably had to do something with the mark on his neck and with the way he told her before that it does not look fine, she must have crossed a line without even noticing.Hence, when the two of them stood at the entrance of the Whitmore Mansion to wait and welcome the participants, she cleared her throat.“Sir Castor, I’m sorry for what I said a while ago,” she said.“It’s okay. It’s not really that much of a big deal.”With her mouth slightly pouting, Emery stared at the empty
On the day before the announcement of the successful candidates who would be competing for the second stage of the competition, it was still a puzzle to Emery as to how she got swept up and was now in a carriage heading out of the capital. She never got to ask the emperor about the details of this short trip since things had been quite busy so she had no idea where they were headed to.And worse, she hated the fact that inside the carriage were not only her and the emperor, but they were with King Lawson and Lady Emily. It would have been so much better if the other two were in a separate one, however, the other two carriages were simply decoys just in case some unprecedented attacks would occur.If there was one thing that would describe the atmosphere around them, it would be uncomfortable. Even if she wanted to get out and s
After five minutes upon leaving the villa, they slowed down and eventually stopped when they came upon a lake. However, it was no ordinary lake like Emery had seen before because this one was frozen solid yet majestic in sight.As she dismounted from the horse while holding on Castor’s hand, they slowly approached the lake.“H-How is this possible?” she asked, her breath turning into plumes of mist that lingered for a moment before dissipating in the chilly air.“Even I do not know,” Castor chuckled. “That’s why this is considered as one of the mysteries in the empire since even the scholars cannot fully explain how this lake remains frozen almost all throughout the year.”
The smile that was drawn on Emery’s lips immediately vanished upon seeing the grim look on the faces of the emperor and king. It was as if she was just caught doing something that she was not supposed to do. When Castor got down, she held his hand to dismount as well, pretending like she was not affected by the situation. Besides, defending herself might sound like she truly was guilty of something. And if there was one thing she badly wanted to happen, it would be getting devoured by either the earth or sky right at that moment.The tension around them was unbearable and it was something Emery did not dare face. She looked around with the hope that Lady Emily would be there to help her get out of the situation, but much to her disappointment, the lady was not in sight.She was about to say something, however, the emperor
Lady Emily did not bother following Emery and just went about her way, looking for something she could get for the emperor as well. Though she was not that lucky to find anything else besides wild rabbits. After wandering about for half an hour, she stumbled upon Emperor Claus who immediately had a white-tailed deer behind him.“Where is Lady Emery?” he asked. “I thought you were with her.”“She dashed off and told me not to follow her,” she replied with a small smile before shrugging her shoulders. “I guess she did not want to share the lynx she is about to take down.”“Lynx?”“Yes, Your Imperial Highness. Though I doubt she would be able to catch it
As the two continued to look for the end of the snow that fell off the mountain, the temperature seemed to be dropping in each hour that passed. It may not be that alarming yet but if they would still be stuck after the day ends, it would surely become a problem.“When’s your wedding with Queen Emily?” Emery suddenly asked out of nowhere.“What? Wedding? Where did you hear that from?” he asked with his brows almost meeting at the center of his forehead.“From her obviously. And stop acting like you do not know about it if you do not want to get stabbed.”“I do not know why you believe her words that easily, but haven’t I told you before? You are the only on