Roriana
Young beautiful women dressed in black silk dresses with beautiful floral embroidery, bowed before Roriana who looked cluelessly at the sight of the army of servants surrounding her seat. Their attire was far too elegant to be even considered a uniform. Every single one of this women were adorned with bangles and trinkets of gold on the their foreheads. Their hair was tied and gelled into a neat bun holding excellent elegance.
Roriana's lips parted. There had to be something different about the air of high Qiras.
It was almost as if she was stuck in a dream. One moment she was struggling to meet the Emperor, the next she's sitted in a castle filled with servants all bowing down to her. This one castle was bigger than even the highest towers in her hometown in Evre 8.
"Your highness, we are your ladies-in-waiting. Your maidens, you could say. My name is Ivert, I am your head maiden," Ivert explained. A woman who appeared to be the primest of them all answered. Her hair was strawberry blonde, curly with light hazel eyes that went lovingly with her deep tan skin. She stood in front of the other maidens. Her uniform was set apart from the rest as well. She wore dark blue while they all wore black.
After the Emperor had chosen Roriana, she was lead into a flying carriage that took her higher up into the clouds if that was even possible. But instead of going above the clouds, it felt as if they had travelled to another place entirely. As she found her carriage descending into a land of lush blue scenery of plants, animals and lavish castles. The castles here were a bit more homely not as extravagant as the golden sky palaces.
Yet again she had jumped portals. It was strange moving through portals without a Gate. It seemed the Royal families discovered a way to create portals of their own that could not be seen my normal people. For security reasons she could understand why.
Then they brought her to this castle.
After coming here, she had been served more food and Essence than she would ever eat in a week back home.
Such luxury was bizarre to her.
"Um... can someone explain why I am here, please?" Rori asked.
"Of course your highness. You have been chosen to become the Great Emperor's betrothed," Ivert answered, while Roriana's confused expression grew. "As the bride of the Great Emperor, you must stay close to his quarters in case he summons you."
Rori nearly choked on her own saliva, beating her chest with a cough.
Three girls who had been standing like statues rushed over with a glass of water, eager for her to drink. Worry all over their faces.
"I am alright, don't worry," she pushed the glasses away. "What do you mean. I am the Great Emperor's betrothed?" There must be a mistake.
"You attended the Selection and caught the eyes of In'er, congratulations. Out of ten thousand women, he chose you to become his wife. And out of three thousand and two, he made you a named wife."
"Lucky!" a maiden from the background said in jealousy, earning a glare from another maiden.
"Named wife?" Rori breathed out still in disbelief. She was the Great Emperor's future wife? She had to be dreaming, because nothing makes sense. This was not what she planned.
"Among all the Great Emperor's wives, you and four others will bear In'er's last name. Which means you and they, shall share more power than any other women in his Harem," Ivert explained.
"Aww lucky!" the same maiden from before sighed out again.
"Anabella will you behave!" Ivert turned her back shouting at a short-haired maiden. The maiden immediately shrinks back.
Ivert focused back to her queen with a smile. "Do you have any more questions? I am your Head maiden, you may ask me for anything."
"May I please meet with the Great Emperor?" Rori asked boldly as she remembered what she came to do in the first place. At the back of her head, questions about Zanister's whereabouts flooded her head but she tried to suppress it a little.
She couldn't let herself get distracted now.
"I am afraid you can not meet In'er on your own free will. The Emperor summons you, not the other way around."
"Then how do I get him to summon me?"
"I know you are yearning for your betrothed but you must be patient. I believe the Fayere feast is coming around. All five of you are expected to dress beautiful for the Emperor as he welcomes you into his household. After, gifts would be sent to you in appreciation!" Ivert winked as her hands cupped her face. "The Fayere feast is every Queen's opportunity to seduce the Emperor and capture his attention. If you're lucky you'll get the first dance."
"Like she'll get the first dance. The Emperor has already saved that spot for Queen Evre. Queen Aijah and Salvyiti are renowned for their beauties. Our queen would be lucky to even get one dance."
"Anabella this is the last time!" Ivert yelled tightening her fists.
"What? it's true. Her background investigation, revealed that she's a nobody from a nobody realm. Her name has no worth, neither does she have a pure bloodline."
Rori gasped, sweat forming in her palm. "So you know, that I did not belong there."
Rori began to panic as she finally understood what the female guard had meant
"Yes. Everyone knows. Strangely In'er has chosen not to dispose of you. That means he must desire you around."
Rori began panicking. An execution was very likely.
"Relax, your highness." Ivert gave her a sweet smile. "You are a very lucky woman. The moment the Emperor looked at you, he knew who you were. He knew you were not noble, but he chose you nonetheless. You had successfully caught his eye, therefore you belong here and no one can take away your title other than the Emperor himself."
"Me?" Rori furrowes her eyebrows in confusion. "I am a nobody, like she said."
"The day the king decided to give you his name, is the day that changed. You are quite popular already," Ivert spoke. Everybody in the palace was talking about the mysterious green eyed woman, without a background, who got chosen by the distant Emperor to become his betrothed. Her story was hot topic. "If there's anything that motivated you to take such a risk coming here. You might want to speak now."
Roriana's fist tightened as she lowered her gaze. "My world suffers from a food scarcity. We barely see bread to eat in a week and Essence nearly unavailable. My grandmother died and, and," a sob caught Roriana's throat making it difficult for her speak. Memory of her grandfather flashed before her eyes. All she had left were her younger brothers back at home she couldn't afford to lose them as well. Never.
"So that is why you broke into the central palace." Ivert tapped her chin with her fingers.
Roriana nodded yes.
"Even if you had successfully met the Emperor some other way. There was no guarantee that he would turn to fixing your world just because you came. But you would have a certain time period waiting for you in a prison for breaking into the Moonlight Palace illegally."
"Can you not beg of him on my behalf."
"I am afraid that can't be possible. Unless you want my head on a stake. Access to the Emperor isn't as easy as you may have thought. Even if word about your world reached his Majesty's table. It could take years before he actually got around to fixing your world."
Roriana gave a terrified look. She did not have years.
"What did you expect? The Emperor doesn't only belong to your world, your Highness He receives letters and complaints such as yours nearly every day at his secretary desk. The Empire is four Realms big with millions of worlds per realm. Problems are bound to exist somewhere in every nation no matter how great. He can't simply help every single world at the same time, soldiers and resources have their limits. That's why His Majesty appointed each world their own leader, why didn't you simply go to them?"
"They are part of the problem. Our leaders are corrupt and hoard all the food to themselves. They spend lavishly and burn fields and crops amidst their power struggles. Businesses close down from the violent clashes. We have to suffer for all their actions. Nothing grows on our lands anymore because of the poisons." Tears fall from her eyes as she could still see the barren lands.
"Corrupt leaders, war and barren farmlands. Well that isn't beyond the Emperor's fixing." Ivert answered as she went deep in thought. "But I'm afraid, the most difficult part is getting your voice into his ears. Nearly every girl in the Harem has come to fight for their world's place in one way or the other. Emperors rarely desire to interfere in the social and economic affairs of worlds who already have their own leaders. They mainly focus on the protection of the entire Empire at large and maintain stability within."
Roriana's eyes narrowed.
"But with the right person and the proper convincing. He may raise his seal and interfere were needs to be." Ivert stated. "As long as his attention has been drawn to a problem, it is considered solved. As a bride you have an advantage." That was why many girls desperately wanted to become part of the Harem. It gave impatient people who could not wait for the Emperor to get to them, an opportunity to push their needs and desire faster. The past Great Emperors had moved to the desires of their women. Sharing the bed of highest authority in the Empire had it's benefits. It lead certain worlds to rise to power unnaturally as they received favour and benefits from the Emperor that others wouldn't ordinarily receive.
Rori's wet eyes widened. Was there truly hope?
"Like I said. The hardest part is getting your voice into the Emperor's ears. He is clouded by meetings daily, and usually works in the central palace for long hours. It can be said to be impossible to meet him unappointed. You can never catch him outside accidentally as well. "
All light disappeared from Roriana's eyes.
"However, the Fayere feast is an excellent opportunity to draw his attention. If he calls you for a dance, then for a brief five minutes, you have his ears."
"But —"
"Five queens will be prepared wanting the same thing but only three will be chosen. If you miss that opportunity, you may never get a chance like that again until the Crowning."
Fear struck Roriana. That was her only opportunity.
"But, the first dance is probably already reserved for queen Evere. Which leaves only two slots on the table," Anabella added
Ivert shot Anabella a look and the short brunette quietly slipped to the background once again.
Ivert sighed as she turned her focus back to the queen. "Don't mind that one. That one is... different."
"Who is queen Evere?" Was all Roriana cou
ld ask seeing as this woman's name was similar to the name of her homeland. Evere 8.
"Your biggest competition."