Lilith 15

Azarios- 21

Vivid apricot sunsets known for their exquisite charisma felt unbearable to the young General who laid on the green grass of Gaerin pastures after training the young recruits of the Azaron army. After living several years in the capital it became inevitable for Azarios to check border security once in a while and when it came down to the security of the nation, even the emperor himself could not intervene.

"Does master want to stay the season here? this commander has heard that the villages nearby would hold festivals soon so one might want to take a look..... it's not everyday that sire comes so far from the imperial palace and main city to this border town."

"Then you must go and have a look today along with the men before this Prince goes back......there is bloodlust in air and it feels as if a catastrophe is approaching, inform the soldiers that we will depart in two hours." Seros was the youngest son of Duke Selic and had befriended Azarios when he was in disguise as a servant in their house. Duke Selic had once informed his son to follow the young prince since he was destined to be nobler than anyone else, thus when Azarios gave an order as such Seros followed it without question.

But wasn't the destiny in restraint of the goddess?

Prince Azarios with his valor and intuition can reach Ambrose but the question still remained heavy in the air...would the arrival be before the storm or after it has disrupted the palace of Ambrose.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

"This Empress welcomes her highness Saintess and would like to express this one's gratitude that her majesty accepted our humble request so magnificently." Despite the words appearing gentle, in reality, they were a blatant show to the officials present in the banquet that even the Saintess dare not refuse when the monarchs of Ambrose called.

Every soul was aware that the empire of Gaerin was heavily dependent on the power of Saintess Helixis thus when Emperor Heun decided to extend an invitation of the imperial banquet to her, many supposed that it would result in a low-level noble attending from Grevian but for Helixs herself to come?....it was an impudent assumption.

Onyx eyes having some sort of inexplicable emotions when looking at the emperor froze and a blooming smile was offered to the Empress.

"Emperor Heun's intentions were sincere while the Empress's regards were pure thus this one could not refuse." Heun's heart thrummed too erratically to be considered normal. The woman he had thought would never step a foot inside his palace was right infront of him and so near to the throne. All he had to do was to get up from his position and climb down the stairs, pull her in his embrace and carry her all the way up and seat her on the Empress's position and announce her as his own.

Empress Feyore can vanish, all those scheming women that he did not even spare a glance could go to hell since all his heart desired was the one being standing in snow white looking up at him.

When Helixis gracefully went up the stairs to take her position beside the other foreign entities Heun felt hateful in his heart. Why was the distance between them so huge?

In the beginning of fall, when all the maple leaves have dried crimson and started floating in air after they detach from the tree branches and cool winds start blowing, at that time there is always a banquet held in Ambrose. It began two decades ago when Emperor Heun announced the day to be auspicious and blessed by the goddess.

In reality it was the day when the Emperor had spent his first night with the Saintess. Even though she refused to be his wife, still that day marked a new beginning, every year Emperor Heun used to secretly invite Helixis into the banquet yet when she did not care to arrive, he drank the most famous wines in the mortal realm till his throat burned and he could not remember a thing.

While Heun was immersed in his own thoughts, Helixis felt chills creeping down her spine, with trembling fingers the woman held the armsets with such force that it produced several small cracks into its surface. Two months have passed since she saw a vision.....two long months since the goddess refused to let her have a peak in the catastrophe of the future.

The first time it happened was when she was fifteen and sold into the slave market.

The second time when King Reineous made her his concubine

And now this

She was left with no choice but to come to her beloved.

The onset of such events indicated that the goddess did not wished for Helixis to know so that she cannot change the events in any case. While the saintess was thinking deeply concerned, troops of Dancers elegantly presented a fire dance with soft music. With each passing sound of the water-borne instrument, their movements flowed generously getting more lively and aggressive.

When the last note of the gong hit the water, Empress Feyore panicked scream crushed the movements of the dancers and Helixis froze with color draining her face.

"H-Heun" The whisper drowned in the voice of the officials that have lost their cool and general Bezus who was escorting Emperor Heun to his chamber.

"His majesty has been poisoned!"