The empire of Auvrovaria was the biggest and most powerful in the whole world. Known for its beauty and developed civilization, as well as its army of loyal knights led by none other than Emperor Arthur.

The latter was a strong, wise and courageous man, who, at the age of 20, after the death of his parents, ascended the throne. Since he had no siblings, he was the only heir.

Two years after his crowning, and at the age of 22, he went on an expedition to hunt down the greatest murderer that the universe has ever known, the Demon King Vuglonith.

This abominable being was the cause of several massacres of villages and kingdoms. He was also the main cause of the death of the late emperor and empress. Everyone lived in absolute terror because of him.

After his expedition which lasted two years, the emperor finally succeeded in defeating the king of demons and destroying him once and for all. Thus freeing his people and other kingdoms' people from this terror that lasted for centuries.

Once back at the palace, Arthur was warmly welcomed by his faithful servants who decided to organize a huge ball in his honor, where all the citizens of the country were invited, having a title of nobility or not.

The emperor was not a very big fan of balls. He was much busier with managing his empire and caring for the welfare of its citizens that he almost forgot how to have fun and a good time.

Plus, the thing that he hated the most about balls was the fact that nobility's daughters tried tirelessly to pounce on him and seduce him, hoping that he would choose one of them to become the future empress.

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After long preparation, the day of the ball finally arrived, and all the guests gathered in the main hall, awaiting the arrival of the emperor. Once the latter entered and made his speech, the festivities began.

The atmosphere was very friendly. Everyone had fun dancing to the soft music played by the orchestra, chatting with each other about how it felt great to be at peace after such long years of war and fear, and tasting the delicious dishes prepared by the royal chef.

The emperor remained seated on his throne, accompanied by his best friend since childhood, Duke Angus Lobelia.

said the tall, brown-haired and orange-eyed duke, smiling softly.

replied Arthur.

The two young man looked at each other while smiling happily.

asked the puzzled emperor.

answered the duke in a teasing manner.

Arthur burst out laughing.

he replied, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye.

he added.

the duke said dramatically.

he exclaimed, laughing loudly.

his friend said, smiling proudly.

After that, Arthur decided to go outside for some air in the immense garden of the palace. He sat down by the fountain and took a deep breath of fresh air.

he whispered to himself.

In the distance, he saw a young woman near the garden of red roses. She had her back turned to him, smelling the scent of roses and admiring their beauty.

He slowly approached her from behind. The only thing he could see about her was her long straight brown hair and the pale skin of her shoulders that were exposed by the pale pink dress she was wearing.

Unlike the other women at the ball, she wasn't wearing jewelry. It was obvious that she came from a modest or even poor family.

he asked her in a soft voice.

The young girl turned around abruptly, a little bit surprised. And then, their eyes met for the first time.

His emerald green orbs were lost in her chocolate brown ones, and at that moment, Arthur felt his heart skip a beat.

she replied, blushing slightly.

The two young people stood there for a few minutes, looking at each other without saying anything. Arthur decided to break the uncomfortable silence.

he asked.

she replied, her cheeks reddening.

he thought, chuckling lightly.

she retorted, all flushed.

he replied, smiling affectionately.

The girl smiled back warmly at him, which made him go as red as she was.

he asked.

she answered shyly.

he said, smiling.

The girl's eyes widened in shock, making the emperor burst out laughing loudly.

she exclaimed in shock, bowing hastily.

He continued to laugh very hard until he had tears in his eyes. Then, he walked over to her and lifted her chin, looking her in the eyes.

he said in a soft and warm voice, stroking her cheek.

Their hearts were beating so fast. They had never felt this way before. But they knew very well what that feeling was.

It was love at first sight.

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A few months later, the emperor announced his engagement to Isadora and scheduled the wedding ceremony for the next two months, in the spring. In the meantime, the young girl moved to live in the palace.

She came from a very modest family. Her parents were killed in an attack prepared by Vuglonith's army, three years ago. The only family she had left was her cousin, Count Rufus Slater.

The latter was a cruel and materialistic person. He never cared about his cousin. Not even after the death of her parents. He didn't even go to their funeral.

But once he heard the news of her engagement to the emperor, he decided to redeem himself by approaching her and showing her his good sides. All of this, to be able to win the favor of the emperor. And Isadora, being a very kind and naive person, didn't have any feelings of resentment towards him. Rather than that, she believed that by giving him a second chance, he would change for the better.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the case.

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On the wedding day, all the noble and royal families from other countries were invited to the ceremony. It was a very festive and joyful spring day. The flowers were blooming everywhere in the palace, giving off their heavenly sweet scent.

In the main hall, the new empress was dressed in a beautiful white, lacy long wedding dress with long silky sleeves. Her hair was styled in a beautiful bun with a pretty diamond tiara on top.

As for the emperor, he wore a formal royal outfit which consisted of a while blouse, a long jacket of the same color with silver buttons and golden details, black pants and a pair of black boots.

The two lovers stood while facing each other in front of the guests and Duke Lobelia, who took charge of being their officiant.

anounced the duke with a big smile on his lips.

Arthur took his lover's hands in his and looked her in the eyes.

said Athur, looking at his wife with passion, which made her blush.

said the girl, a big smile on her lips.

declared the duke, smiling happily.

The two lovebirds kissed passionately as the guests warmly applauded them.

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A few months later, Isadora got pregnant. The emperor was so overjoyed when he heard the news that he ordered his servitors to distribute gold to the citizens.

Unfortunately, the happiness gradually turned into tragedy.

The empress fell seriously ill and no doctor could determine the cause of her illness. She began to weaken more and more over the months.

Arthur couldn't stand idly by, watching his wife perish. He did everything he could to try to help her. He even called the greatest mages of the continent.

But in vain.

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One rainy winter day, Arthur was in his office, taking care of the paperwork that had accumulated over the past few months.

Suddenly, Angus opened the door roughly and entered hastily into the room.

he shouted.

asked the surprised man.

Arthur stood up immediately and exited the office to run towards his beloved's bedroom.

When he got there, he heard her screaming from the other side of the door. He entered the bedroom and found her surrounded by doctors and nurses.

At that moment, he heard the cry of a baby.

one of the nurses announced to the sweating empress.

The nurse wrapped the little baby in a clean cotton cloth and walked over to Arthur, holding the little girl in her arms and gave her to him.

The emperor carried his daughter in his arms for the first time with a soft and affectionate smile on his face.

She had the same white skin and chocolate brown eyes as her mother, and pretty black hair, like his. He couldn't stop looking at her angelic little face.

He walked over to his wife that was lying on the bed, completely tired, and looked affectionately at her.

he said, smiling with tears in his eyes.

He handed her the baby so that she can caress its head.

she huffed, smiling tiredly.

he replied, smiling.

Isadora looked at her husband and baby for a long time, her eyes getting heavier each passing second.

she whispered before passing out.

Arthur's face contracted in shock.

he shouted to the nurse who was next to him.

He stood there, in the center of the room, hugging his crying daughter tightly, watching the doctors and nurses running around, trying to save his empress. Without results.

One of them approached him slowly.

The emperor remained silent, watching the doctor put a white sheet over his beloved's face.

said the doctor with sorrow.

Arthur felt the world around him crumble to pieces. The body of his beloved, lifeless, in front of him. His chest felt empty, as if his heart was ripped out of it.

While carrying his crying daughter in his arms, he left the room silently.

He walked down the long hall slowly, not knowing where to go exactly. The servants all had expressions of pure shock and sadness. Some were crying hard while others were comforting them.

As he kept walking ahead, he found himself at the castle gates. The rain was pouring hard outside as if the sky was mourning the empress's death. Arthur covered his daughter with his cloak and walked out into the garden.

He approached the field of red roses. And there, he fell to his knees in tears, hugging his baby tightly in his arms.

Angus run over to him and stood right behind him.

he called out, a pained expression on his face.

The emperor pulled his daughter closer to his chest and sobbed painfully.

The little princess stopped crying and looked at her father with her little sparkling eyes.

he said, hugging her once more.