PAST

Honeyed strands struck on the wet face looked at the skies in an hopeless prayer. Warm tears trailing down the porcelain cheek burned the skin and sang a tale of pain and agony. Her dreams were crushed and destiny was ruled by others.

"Elder brother, have mercy! Father is being persecuted and tortured while this one is here, if the cost is this ones' life then I shall give it. Elder brother please!"

Clutching onto the royal blue cloak embroidered with gold leaves that signified his status of the highest general of Eastern deserts, Sir Casagon looked away from the sobbing Lilith that was on her knees before him, begging to leave for Gaerin and submit herself to the royal castle so that Prince Vzeus could be left to live but the General was more aware than the others, there was no way that Prince Vzeus could live, even if Lilith accepts to marry Crown Prince Alexander of Ambrose still her family would be slaughtered.

Becoming the crown princess of an enemy nation shall make her worthy to hold some power then how will King Kyzm have the heart to let Lilith's supporters live, not only Prince Vzeus but also Princess Lyra and others in the clan of her maternal family would not be spared.

Who knows in the world what were the dirty schemes the imperial family of Gaerin has planned.

"This one will never allow you to go. Has the pain muddled your head that you have forgotten all my teachings? King Kyzm after your marriage will most likely murder you to death! The mountains and deep valleys to the Ambrose have taken thousands of lives and it will be no astonishment for this general if you become a sacrifice."

Sir Casagon burned in anguish, currently the emperor of Eastern deserts, Zexzerus was in a life and death situation, it had been two years and the conditions of the monarch has detoriated further, at one side the court officials were eyeing the emperor seat like hungry wolves while at another end his disciple and adopted sister along with Prince Vzeus was suffering such a catastrophe.

The moment he will leave the state....civil war, their country will plunge in the hands of those who wished to acquire it wrongly and then only bloodshed and war shall prevail. He could not take his army at this point but......he could play stake on his life.

Lilith falling to such circumstances will make his life worthless, what kind of brother he will be if he could not defend his sister in such dire conditions and leave her to die in a lion's den.

"This one shall kneel here till elder brother does not permits me to go, even if the cost is my life I can not let my loved ones suffer....." the whispering voice was broken and melancholic. Lilith knew even if living her life from now onwards will be worse than hell.

Crown Prince Alexander might know who she is one day, he might humiliate her or kill her but the only thing that would matter is at the cost of her life she could save those that she held close to her heart.

This was the only purpose of her life.

Sir Casagon had more more words to utter as he looked at Lilith who sobbed clutching his clothes in hopes that it might come of as a nightmare.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ambrose royalty was controlled as a puppet in the hands of General Azarios and General lady Lilith. Several days have passed yet the Prime Minister Zhan's body did not seemed to recover, imperial physicians came and went out of the hall in utmost disappointment only to later inform Emperor Alexander that his minister had acquired an incurable disease.

After the improper exchange of words at the Prime Minister mansion, Lady Cecelia and General lady Lilith seemed to harbor displeasure towards one another thus the idea of rebelling with the Prime Minister seemed to be more like poisonous words said by the General Lady than having some concrete truth yet the King was not satisfied and still had some suspicions.

King Alexander felt helpless when Prime Minister Zhan's wife Madam Murem begged Empress Seycea on the behalf of her almost dying husband that he wished to withdraw from the court and give up his position. She brought his will and according to the imperial spies placed in Prime Minister's mansion the atmosphere of the place was tensed and none of the sons of mansion seemed interested in occupying power but they looked pitiful and grieving about their father.

The only person to not be affected by the catastrophe was the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister, Lady Cecelia who had to be at the end locked in her room for reflecting at her actions.

Emperor Alexander searched skies and below the ground for any secret forces that the prime minister would be possessing yet he came out empty handed. The last straw of suspicion broke when this morning Lady Cecelia came into the court shamelessly and got on her knees infront of him begging to be given to General Azarios with the help of an imperial decree.

How foolish!

This was the woman that made him exhaust his resources while searching for Prime Minister for any rebellion, the person that ran to general Azarios innumerable times and gave up her virtue and honor to chase after him despite rejection.

This woman schemed against the General Lady and also made her father fell into despair but most of all she made a fool out of him. Emperor Alexander watched Lady Cecelia with such wrathful eyes that a servant had to call for Madam Murem, her mother for handling her daughter properly yet what followed was an angry Madam Murem who dismissed her daughter and exiled her to the outer borders at the temple for reflecting.

What Lilith had laid down as a path was walked by the Prime Minister Zhan yet this was only a step towards the bloody revenge.