"Your Majesty, please do something!"
"As Elder, you should be responsible for this too, Queen Maelona!"
The two elders spoke with hurried and worried faces.
The news of the official engagement had spread like wildfire throughout the Empires. Their voices trembled slightly at what this announcement could mean for their empireâs future.
Kaelen sighed inwardly as he glanced between Maelona and Aria, both of whom played their parts exactly as his father had ordered.
Their expressions were perfect masks of calm, but Kaelen could sense the tension coiling beneath their skin. He wasnât sure how long he was supposed to continue this charade. Every word he held back felt like a storm pressing behind his lips, and it was exhausting. His father had warned him earlier:
Stay silent, let the elders speak, and let their worry dig its own grave.
Maelona crossed her legs and tilted her head slightly, her silver hair brushing against her shoulder. "I am being responsible as well," she said slowly, "However, this time, itâs her life at stake, and I will not force it upon her."
Her eyes shifted toward the Emperor. "And if you, Emperor, have any objections, then perhaps we should talk privately, just you and me. Am I right?" Her tone hardened, her voice dripping with quiet warning.
Kaelenâs throat tightened. He swallowed hard, forcing his voice to sound steady. "I am not forcing anyone..." he said.
The eldersâ lips twitched in frustration. It was clear they had no way to push further through Maelona.
Desperation flickered in their eyes as they turned toward the princess.
"Come on, Princess, you understand the situation," one elder pleaded, "Itâs the man you love, isnât it? Why are you making it so difficult?" He hesitated for a moment, his wrinkled hands tightening around the edge of his robe before he added softly, "If you have... anything against us, anything unspoken, you may say it now."
Aria lifted her gaze at last. Her eyes glimmered faintly... She studied them for a long moment before speaking, her voice calm yet strangely distant.
"Hmm... No, I donât think I have anything against you," she said, "Iâve closed my past Chapter already. I donât wish to reopen it. I donât want to be entangled again."
The elders frowned, exchanging uneasy glances. "Then why?" one of them whispered under his breath.
Before Aria could answer, a loud voice erupted from outside.
"What? The Aurora Empire decided to engage the Saintess to Aether?"
The words thundered through the hall. Outside, the air filled with gasps and murmurs as clusters of elders began to talk among themselves, their faces pale and horrified.
Inside, the two elders froze. Their lips twitched nervously as they looked at each other, the reality sinking in.
"I had a feeling they wouldnât sit back quietly and let their Archpriest be taken by another empire," one muttered grimly.
"Yeah," the other replied, voice low and tight. "But this was too quick. If theyâve already decided, then time is slipping through our fingers."
Their gazes fell back on Aria. Her expression hadnât changed much.
"Arrh... Just what do we need to do to make you agree to it?" one elder asked.
Aria blinked slowly, tilting her head with a thoughtful expression for the first time.
Everyoneâs eyes widened. That small gesture... her considering was enough to spark silent hope. Maybe, they thought, both women fighting for the same man had touched her pride, stirring something within her heart.
Her lips parted slightly as she took a quiet breath. "I think I cannotâ"
"Whatâs going on here?"
A voice cut through the tension.
Everyone turned as another figure stepped through the door without permission. The guards at the entrance froze instantly, lowering their heads in silent acknowledgement. Only one person in the entire empire could enter without an invitation.
Liora.
The moment she entered, the roomâs atmosphere shifted. Her dark crimson gown trailed behind her. Her eyes swept across everyone.
The elders straightened. Ariaâs hands clenched slightly against her dress, and even Maelona leaned back, her expression unreadable.
Kaelen exhaled slowly.
With a haughty expression, she walked toward the group. "Whatâs this? Whatâs going on here without me?" she asked with a frown as she sat down beside them, crossing one leg over the other.
Her head tilted sharply, a silent command for someone to start explaining.
"Since Elder Liora is here, this will be easier then," one of the elders said, visibly relieved. He nodded quickly and began recounting everything that had transpiredâhow the engagement news had spread, the chaos it caused, and what they were hoping to achieve for the sake of the empireâs stability.
Their words carried the same undercurrent: they needed that man in this land, at any cost.
Liora hummed thoughtfully, resting her chin on one hand as her eyes slid toward Kaelen. "And what has the Emperor decided about this?" she asked, her tone deceptively calm.
Kaelen shook his head slightly. "I tried my best to persuade her," he said quietly. "But she didnât agree, so I stopped forcing it."
Lioraâs eyes narrowed. She leaned back, folding her arms as she turned to Aria. "Whatâs your problem then?" she asked sharply, her voice carrying the edge of irritation.
Ariaâs lips twitched. "My problem?" she repeated, her voice rising faintly. "Of course, my problem is mine and mine alone. I donât need anyone to answer it for me."
Liora frowned, her gaze hardening. "Are you frustrated that you lost your rightful throne? Is that why youâre trying to make things difficult for my son?"
Ariaâs eyes darkened, "Iâm not that kind of woman.... That was my failure, and Iâve accepted that."
"Then why are you hesitating so much?" Liora leaned closer.
Aria clenched her teeth, refusing to look away. The tension between the two women thickened like smoke. The others fell completely silent, not daring to interfere as the air seemed to tremble between them.
"Because youâre being forced again, is that it?"
Aria flinched slightly, her annoyed eyes shifting away from Liora.
Liora nodded slowly. "Well, that makes sense," she muttered under her breath. "She already suffered because of one forced marriage, and nowâeven though this is the man she lovesâbeing pushed into it again must be harder." Her tone softened.
Everyone froze, exchanging stunned glances. The sudden change in Lioraâs demeanour was baffling. The woman who usually made enemies with a single sentence was now speaking with understanding.
What happened to her?
Had her sonâs rise to the throne changed her heart?
No one could tell.
Lioraâs gaze lingered on Aria, quiet and unreadable, before she finally said, in the most casual tone imaginable,
"Well then... I will marry him."
"Huh?"
The room fell dead silent. Every head turned toward her in disbelief, eyes wide, jaws slightly parted.
Even Kaelen blinked, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
Liora simply smiled, saying again, "I will marry him!"
Everyone was utterly taken aback... especially the elders, who stood frozen for several seconds, completely flabbergasted.
Their voices overlapped in disbelief as they stammered,
"W-What are you saying?"
"Isnât that... wrong?"
Liora shrugged casually, her lips curling into a faint, teasing smile. "Well, I mean, I am kind of interested in him. You may have already heard the rumours... I presume?"
The elders blinked, subconsciously nodding.
Of course, they had heard. The rumours about Lioraâs flirtatious advances toward Ariaâs lover had spread far and wide. But they had dismissed them as exaggerations... until now.
None of them expected her to be
this
blunt about it.
Liora continued smoothly, her tone carrying a touch of amusement. "So I donât mind getting married to him. Actually, that would be better, donât you think? I meanâwouldnât that make him the father to the Emperor? Which, in turn, gives him a position of authority, a voice in the court. It would make him far more responsible than... a random tribe princess, donât you think?"
Her words lingered in the air, and her eyes slid sideways toward Aria, whose face was burning red with fury. The faint flare under her nose betrayed how close she was to losing her composure.
The elders exchanged knowing glances. The more they thought about it, the more sense it made.
If Aether married her, his bond with the throne would strengthen beyond measure. He would be tied directly to the Emperor himself. And if Liora was the one beside him, his loyalty would be secured without resistance.
Elders even smirked. The idea was unexpectedly brilliant. Why hadnât they thought of it before?
Instead of pleading with a young girl who refused to listen, they could align with someone who actually
had
influence.
Just as they were about to nod in agreement, "What is this ridiculous nonsense?"
Aria stood up so abruptly that her chair scraped harshly against the marble floor.
"Are you insane? Do you actually think he would agree to something like this?"
"He will," Liora replied with a slow, sultry grin. Her tongue flicked across her lips as her tone turned sly.
"Iâll make sure of it."
Her grin deepened, wicked and confident. The elders, for once, found themselves grinning as wellâsome even chuckled quietly. This was the first time they had ever felt grateful for Lioraâs arrogance.
For once, she was on
their
side.
One elder clasped his hands together. "Very well, then. We shall make an official announcement to our people first. Elder Liora will handle the matter with Aether personally, correct?"
Liora raised her thumb proudly. "Donât worry. Just make it grand."
"Of course, of course," the elder said, his tone almost gleeful. "This decision comes from the entire empire, after all. We canât afford to let it slip away."
They nodded with satisfied smirks and began to move toward the exit.
"W-Wait!" Aria snapped, her voice shaking with disbelief and outrage. "Youâre just accepting her and leaving? What about me?"
Both elders stopped at the door and exchanged one last glance before smirking. "You?" one of them said, turning slightly. "Didnât you reject our plan? That was your choice, as you said. We donât compel anyone."
The other elder gestured toward Liora, who was smiling triumphantly, eyes gleaming with victory. "So, we turned to a better option."
Aria stood frozen, her eyes wide and trembling as she stared at the smirking elders and the grinning Liora.
Her hands balled into tight fists, "I will talk to Aether and stop this nonsense," she said through clenched teeth. "He will never agree to this."
The elders turned their sharp gazes toward Maelona, their tone suddenly cold and threatening.
"Queen Maelona, what we are doing is for the good of our empire," one of them said. "If your daughter decides to interfere and stop this arrangement... we will have no choice but to label her as a traitor."
Maelona frowned, her eyes narrowing as she stared back at them. Slowly, she turned her gaze toward Aria. "You rejected their proposal once, and now youâre trying to oppose them again," she said in a firm voice.
"You know what the consequences will be, right?"
Aria bit her lip so hard that a drop of blood formed. She gritted her teeth, then sat back down, "But theyâre wrong," she spat. "Theyâre doing something unforgivable!"
One of the elders scoffed. "Wrong? No. We merely found a better option for our future. Thatâs how the world works, Princess."
Aria let out a bitter snort. "You and your silly ass power-hungry games..."
"Princess Aria," an elder barked, his voice sharp. "Mind your words."
Aria smirked, "You asshole~"