Chapter 14: Sudden Offer

The priest arrived at the palace once again.

It is much easier than before since they use divine powers to connect a passageway so they can travel from the Temple to the Castle for only a few minutes.

"You should give me an office here," Kal requested.

Since he was summoned recently for how many times already, going back and forth is a hassle, even with the divine passageway.

He looked away and answered, "I'll think about it"

A few minutes later, the head guard was rushing to the Emperor's study room, where he and the chief priest were.

His butler, Stephen, went to hear out the problem. and when he returned inside the room, he immediately approached the two men, who were both surprised by the news. They all headed to the receiving area.

If a faraway state would like to visit the empire. They are supposed to send a messenger ahead before stepping foot on the territory. The response will be a sign of whether it is safe to go or if they would rather return.

Or they will be accused of trespassing or sending threats to the empire by marching around inside with large numbers of servants (who could be soldiers)

"Kill the messenger, cut off his right arm, and send it to them," the emperor uttered heartlessly. Everyone was surprised at the emperor's words. The chief priest, Kal who has a higher dictum, spoke to spare an innocent servant who is only doing his job.

"No! Let him go and let your Lord enter the palace," he counters.

Indeed, only the chief priest can do that, to utter bold contradiction to the emperor. The voice above the emperor. Hence, power, however, has its full limitations.

Evan gave him a cornered look. "If I knew that you'd put your nose into this, I shouldn't have summoned you," he stated.

"I'm glad that I was summoned rather," he countered with sarcasm.

He knew that Evan was threatened because he had an idea of what possible motive they had in arriving in their country.

Emperor Evan gives off a deep sigh. Two days had already passed and finally, they arrived.

More than a hundred foreigners, most of them servants, enter the palace.

They meet the emperor.

Europia is one of the unconquerable lands that the former emperor could not claim.

"We are here to offer diplomacy to the Silver Crest Empire," declared the spokesperson.

He picks up a huge scroll that was brought to him by another servant. "The emperor of the North offers a treaty," he continued.

"The increasing crisis is unstoppable and can no longer be hidden from everyone." and he continues his noble speech that is written on a piece of parchment.

Emperor Evan remains silent while watching him. This has happened a lot of times before so he already knew the outcome.

"The Northern Kingdom will lend its full assistance to the Silver Crest Empire in dealing with the inevitable crisis in exchange for an alliance that will be strongly supported by marriage.".

'Finally, Nailed it' he thought.

And the one in the veil is nothing but their very own princess.

Emperor William, not selecting a bride, is not letting him choose but letting the circumstances determine them.

"Tricky, old man," Emperor Evan uttered, wanting to dust off the lingering nuisance clinging close to him right now.

If he marries the daughter of an emperor, she will definitely become an empress. No one is speaking but this fact is so obvious. "I understand your willingness to help but aren't you just taking advantage of the situation to have a perfect gain?" he said bluntly, directly to the main point,

"Why would a nation that never liked us want to join forces with us? Now, I will tell you the difference between the royal custom from here and yours. Marrying me with your status will not make you the empress." he stated, discouraging the princess.

"I would like to remind you that if you are being married off to my country, then you're going to stay in this place, which means you need to follow whatever law we have here. As per our law, the empress is selected by me and the chief priest," he stated. "No such foreign law can be insisted upon by anyone.". He added.

Duke Oliver stands forward to agreeing to the offer that the other nation is proposing.

Seeing this heroic decision that the duke is inflicting, the emperor gets enraged.

He smirked and said, "Why not my subordinate instead of me? You can assist my country through them," he said.

It was the most stupid statement that came from the emperor.

The princess unveiled herself and showed off her dazzling beauty. Everyone is impressed with such foreign beauty but the emperor does not give her much attention. Instead, he lifted his right hand and introduced his official Duke Oliver Cannon to be her groom.

Duke Oliver was displeased for the very first time yet he held back to show a rather good behavior. "But your majesty, I am already betrothed," he said.

"Is she willing?" The emperor's unkind words.

Everyone was shocked by the offending statement.

"NO," he stooped his head, led to a bow of reverence and continued, "yet I am willing." Duke stated. "Nobility and the royal family marry not because of personal interest but for the sake of many," the duke explained.

"Right..." was Emperor Evan's reaction.

He sighed and pointed his thumb at the side. "There is a line of brides-to-be outside this room. They were personally selected by my half-sister."

"If you are that determined to marry me, then I suppose that I can make a request." the emperor stated.

"I was tested if I was fit to be on this throne. The officials are all tested to be here in this place by my side. So that won't spare you and the others. I would like you to amuse me if you are really worthy to be part of my harem, which means even though you came from a foreign country where you're status stated that you are an imperial princess that can be an empress if you are married to me." he stated. "No such foreign law can be insisted upon by anyone under the emperor.

"I can understand that, Your Majesty, but rather I remember that the selection is done not only by one but by two people. I have heard your words yet I noticed that the chief priest is present in the assembly right now, but have not heard his? We can request an oracle if it won't hurt, right?" the princess stated.

______________________________________________________

During those two days before the visitor's arrival,.

The question that is left unanswered every time takes its time to be dealt with.

"Why do you hate the idea of having a harem, Your Majesty," Kal asked since the Emperor never answered Stephen when he was the one asking the question.

"You're a man," he stated. "Or you." Kal was abrupt.

"Don't you dare think of petty reasons," he said.

"There is no possible way for you to win if you decline because you're being pushed to the very edge," he stated.

"Is that not partly your fault (he let the opportunity enter by allowing the servant go)?!" the emperor reminded him.

After a few minutes of silence, Emperor Evan started to speak.

"It doesn't mean that there are only three royalties in the central kingdom; the previous emperor has only 3 wives.

Kal nodded. "Of course I knew that," he stated.

"Is this about your mother?" The chief priest asked.

"no," He contradicted.

"Have you heard the blind men march? (Disclaimer: I just take the idea from history about the Emperor Basil of the Byzantine Empire, who blinded 15000 soldiers yet left one to guide the others back home.)" he asked.

The chief priest's eyes widen out of surprise as he realizes.

"The wives of my father sent me a gift to ambush me with thousands of soldiers—a common cliche in the succession of the throne. I was never spared from it even once.

Women are cunning so I became cunning as well. I sent it back properly with thanks." he said

With the use of my sacred weapon, I commanded the soldiers to plunge their eyes out except for one, leaving one eye. So he can lead his comrades back to their mastermind and, at the same time, find the main culprit. It was so horrifying that some of the concubines committed suicide out of fear, some went insane, and some of them got more excited about putting my head on the platter.

Did you see how the previous emperor turned his eyes away from my deeds? It's because he knew." He said.

"The first prince has a royal family to protect his well-being but I have none," he stated, telling him that he had no other choice. 

"I don't want to serve my wife's head on a platter or hang her corpse on the city walls or city gates. How would my children possibly feel?" he stated coldly.

"Now do you think that I can be considered a good father someday with this perspective?" he asked sarcastically.

Kal smirked and began to laugh.

He laughed off the tension.

'Of course, that sounds like you're being you, right?' he thought.

"Yes, I hope some decent lady can fix that head of yours," Kal stated.