Volume I: Chapter 8: The Temple

"The appointment of the emperor's subordinates will take place this afternoon, sire," Stephen said.

He said, "There will be another ceremony after that, and all the priests and priestesses will come together to greet you as the new emperor. The chief priest is expected to be there at the appointing ceremonies and during the coronation.

The Temple itself was the most neutral area in the entire empire, or it was most likely not included of either the inside or the outside.

The Royal Coronation Ceremony is different from the Sacred Coronation Ceremony. The first one focuses on political affairs and monarchy norms while the other one is more on heavenly affirmation and compliance.

The entire space is decorated with gold embellishments and has a white and brown motif. When the trumpet finally sounds, a group of musicians, dancers, and choristers will magnificently worship in a song of the heavens.

The ceremony began.

There's an alabaster jar, then a long medieval sword in its gilded sheath, and an incense with a menthol scent. The center is surrounded by twelve pretty young maidens carrying bouquets of white flowers.

They removed Prince Evan's diadem crown, signifying his resignation as prince and acceptance of the emperor's role. The chief priest pours the anointing oil from the golden alabaster jar to the top of the young man's head.

At that moment, it's the young monarch's turn to finally accept his fate same as someone who previously accepted theirs years ago.

The chief high priest, Emperor Evans's one and only childhood friend, he goes by the name Kal.

Then, another order from the castle arrived during a hectic morning at the temple. As the chief priest looked at the documents, he said, "Again?" as he glanced over the parchment.

Kal remarked, "They are not serious, are they?" "If I knew that they'd be asking for another audience, we would have stayed there for a month until all the ceremony was done,"" he said.

He let out a long sigh. He got up and prepared to go out. He said, "I'll have breakfast."

'It seems that the imperial princess is unaware of her limitations. Indeed, she can do those imperial decrees but she is not limited to what Evan wants her to do. Emperor Evan is still the Emperor, that guy may not be impulsive and unpredictable. Even if Emperor Evan doesn't act rashly, he is nevertheless unpredictable. He just seems tame and timid but a wild beast is hovering over his being and it is waiting to devour you whole in the most fatal way. tsk. She must take precautions if she wants her position.' He thought.

He mumbled, "Harem?" as he considered Evan.

"Evan is cold as ice and hard as stone. He is firm in what he wants and even in what he doesn't like. He's a hard-headed punk that his father tortured just to manipulate and control. That's what made him a killing machine.' he thought.

He arrived at the pantry of the temple, "Will any woman win his heart?" he wondered.

He murmurs into a monologue, "I'll just check it on my own when I get there."

When he arrived,

In the Emperor's office, the Chief Priest personally held the document to be signed.

"I refuse to sign it," Evan said.

"What? But the brides are inside your castle now, isn't it too late to decline?" he asked, startling Kal with his response.

"The honorary lady overpassed my decision and led the process without my consent," he stated. "Is it permissible for her to do such things? The authority given to her to overpass me is when I became wayward in my ways. I have never and not even committed tyranny yet." He said.

"I won't sign it if she wants a ceremony make it void without her knowing," he utters.

"and keep it from her?" Kal inquired.

"Because I wanted to win her game, take control, and have my revenge." He said with a solemn expression.

Kal finally comprehends his old friend's game, "And what are you planning?"

'He got carried away by her sister's competent attitude again and he is now playing this childish power rivalry game.' the chief priest thought.

They have been like that whenever her sister visits him in his room. The little second prince ranted it again and again to his childhood friend.

A common law perspective on imperial and royal norms states that the heir to the throne shall be the son of an empress or the queen with a noble lineage. Royal concubines and mistresses with illegitimate offspring came next.

However, the empress seat is still empty and in this case, the brides selected differ in higher social status. Some of them came from a noble background and some did not, yet they have strong influential families that are still beneficial to the throne.

Thus, they cannot just take any woman with the highest standing and make her the empress. It was not for the honorary lady, the officials or even the people in the empire to decide but for the emperor and the high priest itself. The empress is crowned separately and specifically by the Emperor and the Temple which means it is beyond the honorary lady's control.

It is governed by Heaven, just as the Heavens decided to have Emperor Evan become emperor and his father. Not only did the heavens determine the law of the everlasting weapons and threaders, but they also decided the fate of the legendary eternal threaders which is held under the direction and prophecies of the high priests.

Even though it is beyond her reach she still has the power to choose the potential ladies that will enter the selection, that whomsoever the emperor chooses, he shall never have any loss because they are still potential empresses to be.

That's why Evan was pissed off when the imperial princess made such decisions all by herself. The empire's wallflower has already changed.

Princess Beatrice asked, "You're not curious what type of woman the emperor likes?" as she completed a chess move against Princess Shannon.

Princess Shannon remained silent.

She questioned the silent princess, saying, "Oh, don't tell me you're not curious?"

"I'm not," she said straightforwardly. "May I ask you? What makes you think of such things?" Princess Shannon asked.

"For us to know what kind of empress we will have," she answered.

"Checkmate," Princess Shannon said as she placed her queen in a perfect spot where Princess Beatrice was not able to run away.

"uhw" her reaction of displease.

"You are quite distracted," she said as she rested her chin on both of her hands clamped together.