Terrified, the Royal physician knelt down at what Empress Miliani said...
" Forgive me, Your Majesty, Empress. The remedy is being prepared, Your Highness. " The apprentice gave the golden goblet filled with liquid. And the royal physician showed the Empress the contents and explained the herbal liquid.
" This is what I know will calm him down, but I cannot cure his Majesty of being Delirious, Your Majesty. I apologize. I am only a physician. " Empress Miliani's hearing perked up, and she stood up and walked toward the Royal physician, slapping him hard. Casimir immediately approached to calm his mother.
" Mother, There are too many eyes here and your dig- "
" FOOL!!! What good are you as a royal physician if you can't even treat the Emperor?!! " Empress Miliani shouted angrily, disregarding her dignity.
" Moth- "
" SHUT UP!! " She shouted loudly and her voice echoed to the chamber. Casimir, who was surprised by this and the high councilor, and she looked at the Royal physician angrily, pointing at him with a trembling hand.
" When I tell you to treat the emperor, you will... No words, no explanation, because if you can't cure the emperor, I'll cut off your hands and tongue.. " After saying those harsh words, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, adjusted her posture, and returned to her dignified and elegant demeanor. She sat near the window.
" Pathetic worm. " She said. " Look at you. Crawl on your marble floor. Beg the stones for mercy. But from me? You will never find it.. " Seraphina's words to him seemed like poison in Castillion's mind. And Castillion slammed his head against the cold floor.
" Do you think you'll last? " She asked while looking into Castillion's eyes.
" Look at yourself, Castillion, you're like a plague struggling to walk, you're rotting. " He stood up and turned his back on Castillion, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
" You are now weak and your throne and crown, which you have guarded for a long time, are now defenseless. . . Do you think they will remain with you if your subordinates see that you are weak?? " Tho hee words were sharp and poisonous, sadness could be seen in her eyes, but Castillion didn't see that. To him, it was as if her gaze was a blade ready to kill.
" They will betray you. . . They will kill and torture you just like you did to me and my children. . . No one will love you anymore because you are worthless. . . They only show loyalty because you have power. " She said and looked at Castillion.
" T-his isn't y-ou, S-seraphina... you l-love me, Right. you can't speak to me with harsh words. Y-you are d-dead. " Upon hearing the word "dead," a smile formed on Seraphina's lips, and as she smiled, tears fell from her eyes.
" You're right, I'm dead, but why am I standing before you? Yes, I loved you, but that was before you sent my eldest son to war to die there. " Castillion fell silent at what he heard, and slowly lowered his head, seeing his reflection in the shiny marble stained with blood.
" When you found out that my son had perished in the war, you quickly replaced him and handed his position to the son of that woman you constantly flaunting in front of me, the one you genuinely loved. . . Have you forgotten my appeals before sending my son to war? But you gave me slaps and threats. " Castillion bit his lip and tears fell onto the shiny marble floor, and his blood and tears mixed together, and it was as if his memories had returned to the past.
( Flashback of the past )
Seraphina ran weeping to the door to block and prevent him from leaving her chamber, At his feet knelt Seraphina, trembling, her Black blue hair loose, her face streaked with tears.
" I-i beg you, n-ot my son. " She begged, clutching at his robe. " Do not send him-he is but a boy! Our son is too young for the battlefield! "
His lips curled into a sneer. " Pathetic. Don't you have any shame, SERAPHINA?!! You are an Empress. " Castillion said this in a loud voice.
She pressed her forehead to the floor. " not as emperor, then as a father-spare him! " As she said, she straightened herself and looked at Castillion.
In an instant, Castillion's hand lashed out, striking her cheek with brutal force. The sound echoed in the chamber, and Seraphina fell to the marble, clutching her face.
" You, you dare to lecture me, EMPRESS!!! " he thundered, his eyes burning with contempt. " you know what I'm doing! " He hissed.
" Yes, yes Castillion, sniff - sniff I-i know what you're doing... what you're doing is worse than an animal!!! Because you've been planning to kill my c-hild for a long time!!! " She shouted back. Castillion seized her arm and yanked her upright. She cried out as his fingers dug into her flesh, leaving bruises. He shook her like a rag doll, spittle flying from his lips.
He hurled her back to the floor, where she gasped for air. Still, she crawled toward him, desperation stronger than pain. Her vision is blurring from the pain she has endured.
" Your Majesty, Castillion, why are you doing this to me, why, why?! " Her eyes began to well up with tears as she held Castillion's hand, her questions filled with sadness and anger.
Enraged, he drove his boot into her ribs. The blow knocked the breath from her lungs, and she crumpled with a strangled cry. He loomed above her, his voice a growl.
" Why, Miliani's child, my son. It is more deserving than our child Seraphina, you are weak. " seizing her hair and wrenching her head back. " She is more of a woman to me than you ever were! " Seraphina choked on her sobs, pain shooting through her body as he flung her down again.
" Our child, " he hissed, " will stand beside me, strong and proud. Not like yours-weak, soft, tainted with your cowardice!! " He thundered
Her tears stopped then. She lifted her head slowly, and slowly raise herself. Her face bruised and bloodied, her eyes no longer pleading but burning with cold fire.
" Isn't this enough? Castillion, why are you doing this? Why are you doing this to us in this manner?! " Seraphina questioned him angrily.
Castillion grabbed Seraphina's hand, tightened his grip, and slapped her hard, causing her to the cold floor again. Seraphina held her reddening cheek, dripping blood from her lips. She stared at Castillion, and he choked her again and pointed at her.
" Seraphina, don't raise your voice at me. . . I am the emperor, and I will choose who I want!! " Castillion shouted angrily at Seraphina...
Seraphina just looked at Castillion in the eye and forced herself to stand still choking her. And touched Castillion's cheek with her white, soft hand, which was stained with blood. Castillion felt the cold in her hand.
" Emperor, yes, Your Majesty, you are the emperor, but I am the Empress, and my child should inherit your throne, not the woman you got pregnant and chose her child. I'll let you have your filthy nature, but my child is the eldest and has the right. " Her hands shot up, prying his fingers from her neck with sudden force. She pushed them away, her breath ragged but her will unyielding. Her voice grew colder, sharper.
she turned from him, her movements sharp, deliberate. She crossed the chamber and lowered herself onto the velvet sofa with regal poise, though her cheek still bore the mark of his hand. She sat as though it were a throne of her own, her eyes never leaving his.
The dead flower on the black and white marble table, twirling the stem with her finger and spoke.
" Your love is too cheap, Your Majesty... If so, choose that bastard. And my son will inherit the throne of Seredane, my Kingdom. . . From today on, I will no longer allow you to see me. I will consider you dead to me, Castillion." Castillion's nostrils flared, rage trembling in his jaw.
" Do what you want, take my child to war, but I'll make sure my child never sets foot in your empire again. " that followed was colder than steel, charged with the weight of her defiance.
And the next thing she did was break the stem of the Dead Flower in two and look at Castillion with hatred.
( End of the flashback )
" Do you recall the terrible atrocities you did to me and my child? " Castillion looked at Seraphina with reddening eyes, and big tear drop fell from his eyes.
" F-forgive m-me " He said then, trembling, and using His knees, He walked to get closer to Seraphina, and when He got close, he hugged her and burst into tears.
" F-forgive m-me - F-orgive m-me - Seraphina - " The words spilled in loops, over and over, like a prayer stuck on repeat. His voice thinned into a high, broken wail.
Her gaze fell upon him like winter frost, merciless and still. She lowered herself just enough to meet his eyes, her tone quiet but laced with venom. " Do you think it is that simple?! Do you believe that I will forgive you despite your tears, begging, and kneeling? NO. " her words a hiss against his ear.
" Do you think they won't betray you like you betrayed me? Do you think you still have power in your hands? " Castillion turned his head toward her.
" Mmmmmm, look at you, you're crippled now, can't stand on your own anymore, you're rotting. And I can assure you that even if you're alive, they'll take your throne, especially your child from that woman. I'm sure they have a plan now. " She said, a smile forming on her lips.
" S-seraphina, what you are saying is not true. I-i am the Emperor, and no one will do to me what y- " She kissed him on the cheek to stop him from speaking and look into her eyes again.
" That is why I am advising that you should always be mindful of your surroundings. You have no idea that the Ministers of Court and nobles you protect are already talking about you. . . Be careful " After she said that, she put her index finger to her lips and tapped it twice. And pinched Castillion cheek.
She stood up and looked at the sunlight streaming thru the window, walked toward the window, and closed the curtain. The light that had illuminated the room now cast shadows of the two of them.
" You killed me and my son. . .. now my only living child-my poor child, " Seraphina's voice shook, heavy with grief yet edged with venom. She took a step closer, her words pressing like a blade. " Are you going to kill her too? No. . . " her tone dropped into a growl, trembling with fury, " Do you plan to kill her too?? "
He said nothing.
The silence pierced her, and her body began to tremble violently. Her pale form darkened, shadows emerging from her skin as if her soul had cracked. The air around her grew heavy and suffocating as her silhouette dissolved into a dark, rolling, and shimmering smoke that seemed alive. Her eyes, once cold and gray-black, blazed with a fiery red light, piercing the darkness like burning embers.
Castillion staggered back, his breath catching in his throat. " No... no, Seraphina- " His hands trembled as he reached toward her, only to pull away, as though even the air around her burned. Fear carved deep lines across his face, yet beneath it, guilt gnawed at him, raw and unrelenting.
She didn't say anything, and her dark shadow floated and flew around his chamber, and her soul entered his body and pierced his heart several times.
" NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! " Castillion roared, the sound shaking the very walls. His voice was so loud, so raw, that it carried through every corner of the palace. His body convulsed violently as if torn apart from within.
" Y-your Majesty! " Everyone in the room trembled with fear, their entire bodies growing cold. Castillion's eyes widened in madness as he suddenly sat upright with aggressive force, grabbed Empress Miliani Yaria, and held her arm tightly as if she were his last anchor. His grip became brutal, and there was a sound of something breaking as his hand slapped her face.
Empress Miliani was greatly surprised because Her Majesty slapped her. " Y-your M-majesty " With a trembling voice, she called out to him, but it gave him an evil look, pointed at hee, and gave each look to those present in his chamber.
" Get out of here, you useless peo- " He shouted loudly, but before he could finish, they heard something break and looked to where the sound came from, where they saw the young Princess standing and looking at her father.
She picked up a red rose from the floor and walked toward his father, gave it to him, hugged him, and looked at him.
" Getting upset, Father, is not helpful for your situation. . .You need to strengthen and heal. " After saying those words, she looked at the royal physician.
" Are you really a royal physician? How can you neglect His Majesty's condition?? Do you want to die? " She said that sharply.
" You couldn't even do your duty right, and you appeared afraid of what you witnessed... You are completely useless. " She looked at her father, wiped his sweat, and gave him water.
" Father, are you calm now? " She asked.
Castillion nodded and Myrrh smiled at him.
She shifted her gaze to his feet and spoke.
" Finish your job and get out of our sight. " And she turned, but she did not look at those standing. " Please excuse yourselves for now. I apologize, but my father is not pleased with your presence. I'm sorry if I didn't greet you. . . I sincerely ask your forgiveness. " After speaking, she lowered herself gracefully into a polite curtsey, her every gesture a blend of courtesy and quiet firmness.
The high councilor glanced at the Empress and the Crown Prince, nodded to them and the Emperor, and then walked away silently. Meanwhile, the Empress was thinking differently.
The Empress's lips drew a thin line, and her palms curled into fists and trembled quietly. Anger raged like fire inside her chest, but she hid it with perfect silence and a porcelain-like smile. She rose gracefully from her emperor's bed and straightened her posture.
The Crown Prince, standing tall beside his mother, clenched his fists behind him, his jaw tight as he restrained himself from speaking. Both mother and son swallowed their anger, as they were closely watched by the emperor, and neither of them dared to show their overflowing rage in his presence.
But they could do nothing but curtsy to the emperor, and Empress Miliani spoke while bowing. " As you command, Your Majesty, we shall depart. May you get w- "
" Is what you're saying truly from your heart, Empress? " Empress Miliani looked up, surprised at the question, straightened herself, and blinking her eyes many times.
While the emperor's attention was on the Empress, the remaining people there were blind and deaf to what they heard and saw, and continued with what they were doing. But Princess Myrrh stirred. With deliberate slowness, she lifted her head, just enough so that neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince would notice. Her eyes locked with the Empress's, and in that stolen moment, a sharp, mocking sneer curved across her lips.
It was only brief, long enough for the Empress to see and feel the insult that sparked her pride. Myrrh bowed again, faking humility, but the damage was already done. The Empress's temper erupted, and her self-control was destroyed. In a fit of rage, she rushed towards Myrrh and slapped her hard enough for her to fall, her voice rising and venomous.
" HOW DARE YOU?! "
" EMPRESS, why did you slap my child?! " Castillion shouted loudly, and everyone present was shocked by what happened. The Royal Butler and the Royal Physician rushed forward, eyes wide with alarm as they beheld their princess. trembling, clutched her reddened cheek, her gaze lowered, her expression one of shock and fear. However, Empress Miliani ignored this and even pointed her finger at her.
" You have the audacity to insult me?! Remember this, you wretched thing! Without you, the Emperor would not be in this state! " Their eyes widened at what Empress Miliani said, and they saw Myrrh look at the Empress with tears in her eyes, but she lowered her gaze and wept.
" ENOU- / Moth- " Emperor and the Crown Prince's voices clashed at once, desperate to stop her.
" SHUT UP!! " Miliani's shriek still rang in the air, daring to silence not only her son but even the Emperor himself.
" You are indeed Seraphina's child! " She spat. " Just like her arrogant and useless. . . You're also a useless child, Princess Myrrh Celestia, but don't worry- " her lips curled into a cruel sneer, " -soon you'll be traded for gold in another kingdom. At least then you'll have some value. " Her words were like a dagger piercing through. Butler Porter raised his head with a disbelieving look, and the royal physician and his apprentice also avoided looking.
Myrrh froze. Her tears fell heavier, her hands trembling as she clutched her gown.
" ENOUGH!! " His roar echoed through the walls of his chamber. He wanted to slap her, but he couldn't stand on his own. He clenched his fist and raised his hand, pointing his finger at her. The Empress retreated, her pride battling her fear, but Castillion pressed on, his anger relentless.
" How dare you insult my child so viciously?! Are you going to insult her in front of me even more? MILIANI! " His voice grew louder to lower, more dangerous with each word. " Miliani, you seem to be losing yourself. You've completely forgotten who I am. . . Who put you in that position? Without me, you'd be a useless whore. "
To be continued.....