The small group stepped through the towering double doors and was immediately greeted by the majesty of the Erthland Empire's throne room.
The space was vast, dominated by white stone pillars and a thick red carpet that stretched from the entrance to the stepped throne at the end of the room. The light from dozens of crystal chandeliers made the entire room glow brilliantly.
Emperor Rodaz stepped inside with the authority of a ruler. Without wasting time, he gave a hand signal, and several head servants who had been waiting with bowed heads immediately approached him.
"Prepare a dinner banquet immediately!" Emperor Rodaz ordered, his baritone voice echoing through the throne room. "Furthermore, prepare two bedrooms for my sister and my two teenagers, and provide warm water for them to bathe!"
"Understood, Your Majesty..." the palace servants replied in unison. They bowed respectfully once more before dispersing with quick steps, obediently carrying out the Emperor's orders to prepare everything to the highest standard.
While Calian and Wolvin were busy looking around, admiring the historical carvings on the throne room ceiling, Elara stood silent.
There was something deeply unsettling in her heart. To her, this palace was too quiet. She found no sign of an Empress who should have greeted important guests, nor did she hear the laughter of small children who should have been her nephews.
"Rodaz?" Elara called out suddenly, her voice cutting through the silence of the throne room.
Hearing his sister's call, Rodaz, who was in the middle of removing his leather gloves, turned around. "Yes, Sister? What is it?"
"Where are your wife and children?" Elara asked, folding her arms across her chest. Her sharp eyes scanned every corner of the throne room, intensely curious about the existence of her brother's family. "From the moment our carriage entered the palace courtyard until we stood in this throne room, I haven't seen a single sign of them. Where are they?"
That simple question suddenly changed the atmosphere of the room. Emperor Rodaz froze. The movement of his hands stopped mid-air. He cast his gaze toward the throne, avoiding direct eye contact with his sister.
The unnatural silence lasted long enough to make Elara even more confused by her brother's behavior, as he suddenly fell silent and did not even dare to meet her gaze.
"Why are you just standing there like that?" Elara chided with a slightly urgent tone, snapping her brother out of his daze. "What exactly happened to them?"
"Actually..." Rodaz began to speak, but his tone sounded hesitant and restrained. The large man let out a heavy sigh. "Actually, I do not have a wife. Because..."
Suddenly, Emperor Rodaz stopped talking, leaving the sentence hanging in the air. He bit his lower lip for a moment. A much thicker and more haunting silence immediately filled the throne room for a brief instant. Calian and Wolvin, who had been busy looking around, stopped their activities and stared at their uncle with confused expressions.
"Because of what?" Elara pressed, taking a step forward. Her eyes sharpened, demanding absolute honesty. "Just speak clearly and do not be afraid of me! You are an emperor! Stop acting like a small child who was caught breaking a flower vase!"
Driven by his sister's pressure, Rodaz finally straightened his head. He looked back at his sister with a resigned yet defiant gaze.
"Because I am just like your son!" Rodaz continued with a fairly loud voice. "I do not like women! I have a spouse who is a man, and he is currently serving as my chief advisor in this palace!"
The echo of Rodaz's voice bounced off the marble walls.
Hearing her brother's honest answer, Elara was utterly shocked. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened slightly, speechless.
Not just Elara, Calian and Wolvin were equally surprised. The two teenagers looked at each other in disbelief. The three of them had never imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that an emperor leading a territory as large as the Erthland Empire actually had a male spouse.
Elara's next reaction happened so fast. Without warning, the beautiful yellow-haired woman moved forward with a speed that could not be followed by ordinary eyes.
In the blink of an eye, her right hand darted out and gripped Rodaz's throat tightly. With a surge of physical strength and extraordinary magic, Elara lifted her large and sturdy brother's body until the tips of his shoes were hovering a few inches off the floor.
All the elite palace guards lining the sides of the throne room were deeply shocked to see their emperor lifted like a ragdoll. Their hands instinctively gripped the hilts of their swords. However, not one of them dared to step forward or act. They knew very well the boundaries of not interfering in the internal affairs of the quarreling imperial family, especially when the opponent was the first princess who had previously held the right to inherit the throne before the current emperor.
"What did you just say, Rodaz?!" Elara shouted with exploding anger, her face hardening as she suppressed the shock of her brother's actions. "Why do you have a male spouse? Aren't you the emperor who occupies the highest throne? What will happen to our family's lineage if you act like this?! Who will succeed this empire?!"
Despite his throat being squeezed and his body hovering, Emperor Rodaz did not struggle. He looked into his sister's blue eyes intensely, not flinching for a second under the pressure of the lethal aura and anger radiating from his sister. His emotions, which he had suppressed for years, finally exploded as well.
"Did I not tell you and Father back then?!" Rodaz shouted, his voice sounding hoarse due to the grip on his neck, but no less high and booming than his sister's. "From the beginning, I never wanted to be emperor because I knew I didn't like women! I cannot provide an heir! You should have been the one sitting on that throne and becoming the emperor leading this place!"
"I thought you were joking back then!" Elara shot back with her voice raised.
"I wasn't joking!" Rodaz barked again.
Rodaz's hand gripped Elara's wrist, not to pull it away, but to emphasize his words.
"But what happened then?!" Rodaz continued, venting all his frustration. "You left me! You went to the Yornvast Empire, got married there, and left me here alone to bear the responsibility of a leader! Becoming emperor was not my wish! It was the punishment you left for me!"
Hearing the string of answers and the outburst of old wounds from her brother, Elara's grip slowly loosened. Her anger-filled gaze turned into one of deep regret. She realized that Rodaz was right. The throne had been forced upon her brother because of her departure to the Yornvast Empire.
Elara lowered her brother's body slowly until his shoes were back on the floor and released her grip.
Then, the woman massaged the bridge of her forehead, feeling her head suddenly throb with a headache because of the actions of the two men closest to her in life.
My son married a man and now, my biological brother also turns out to like and even marry a man. Elara thought in frustration. What exactly is in the minds of my brother and my son, that they both chose to marry a man instead of a woman? Is there some strange curse in our family's blood?
After standing in silence for a few seconds, the beautiful yellow-haired woman finally let out a very long sigh, trying to cast the remnants of shock, anger, and frustration into the air.
She corrected her posture, then looked at her brother who was tidying his collar.
"Call your spouse to come here right now!" Elara requested, her voice now softening slightly, though traces of firmness remained. "I want to see with my own eyes who is your spouse!"
Hearing his sister's calmer request, Emperor Rodaz cleared his throat to normalize his voice. He turned to one of the guards standing not far from the throne.
"You heard her order. Call the imperial advisor to this throne room immediately!" Emperor Rodaz commanded.
With agility and not daring to ask, the soldier saluted, then turned and immediately ran out of the throne room to call the advisor.
Silence once again took over the room. Calian rested his arm around Wolvin's shoulder, leading the Night Wolf teenager back a few steps to give space for his mother and uncle, who were still enveloped in awkwardness.
A few moments later, the sound of footsteps echoed from the side corridor. The wing door of the throne room opened. The soldier who had been sent out re-entered, followed by someone behind him.
A man stepped in calmly. He had a sturdy and proportional build, like a trained knight. His hair was deep blue, neatly combed, contrasting with his clean skin. His features were still very handsome and dignified, dressed in the official attire of a high-ranking royal advisor.
The blue-haired man bowed his head slightly as he walked in, his eyes focused on the parchment in his hand. However, as soon as he raised his face to see who the guests at the palace were, his footsteps came to a complete halt.
Upon seeing the face of the man who walked in and was indirectly introduced as her brother's spouse, Elara's eyes widened. Her face turned pale, and a look of shock far more massive than before hit her. Her heart thundered violently.
On the other hand, the blue-haired man was just as shocked. The parchment in his hand slipped and fell, scattering across the marble floor. The man's eyes stared vacantly at Elara. He was extremely shocked when he realized and recognized who the yellow-haired woman in front of him truly was, the first princess of the Erthland Empire who had left the capital over a decade ago and was supposed to be in the Yornvast Empire.