Chapter 8

Lily slept peacefully, completely content about how the day had gone. Naomi finally fitted in the palace and was bonding with her new family. The head maid was sure blessed to be working for such an amazing girl, and the Empire would love her after her debut.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

"Head maid, we have an issue. It's about the Princess!" Lily jolted out of bed. The Princess? Did an assassin try to harm her? Was she poisoned? Horrible things flooded in her head as she raced into Naomi's room. Lily gasped at the scene in front of her. Naomi was throwing up onto the floor while the maids tried to hold Naomi's thrashing limbs.

"Call the palace doctor immediately. Inform the Imperial family, including the Empire's mother," Lily tried to sound calm, but the anxiety and fear were eating away at her. Two maids nodded at Lily's demands and left the room while the rest tried calming the Princess. Lily felt hopeless as she laid a wet, cold washcloth on Naomi's forehead. Time felt like it was going on forever, just waiting for the two maids to fulfill their duties.

After what felt like forever, the doors busted open with the Doctor.

"What are her symptoms?" the Doctor asked.

"She is feverish and vomiting," Lily blurted out. The Doctor nodded and started treating Naomi.

Lily was rushed out of the room by the nurses and forced to stay outside. She paced back and forth, waiting for the family to arrive. It was not long before Lily could hear footsteps in the hallways.

"Lily! Where is Naomi?" Irene cried out. Lily could only point towards Naomi's door; she couldn't trust her voice to answer the desperate Empress. The princes followed right after their mother, showing the same exact expression as their mother. They surrounded Lily, asking questions about their sisters' condition, but Lily could not answer them.

"Please bow for the Empire's mother, former Empress Xenia," a knight announced. Quickly everyone bowed as a woman with smooth and ageless skin, white hair, and bright golden eyes glided into the hallway. It was Xenia.

"This is not a time for bowing! My grandchild is ill, and we need all hands on deck," Xenia commanded. The servants ran out of the hallway to escape her wrath, and once again, the hallway was empty.

"Where is my fool of a son? He should be here," Xenia growled. She raised her son better than this, and yet he acts like a bastard. No one answered the former Empress. It was evident where the Emperor was, choosing to work instead of spending time with family.

"Greeting your highnesses, I am Doctor Chula," the Doctor said. She was swarmed by the head maid and the Imperial family, asking questions about Naomi's condition. Doctor Chula raised her hand for silence and gave them answers.

"It seems that she had a night terror so bad that it made her ill. I was able to stop the vomiting and her moving, but the fever still hasn't come down yet," Doctor Chula informed. The group was silent as they were trying to process the information.

"Was the Princess ever abused?" Doctor Chula pressed on. The group shook their head no and waited for Chula to continue.

"I am sorry, but there are signs at she was. It could explain why the Princess reacted so severely to having a night terror," Chula winced.

The hallway was filled the murderous anger, but it was still silent. Chula decided it was best to go tend to her patient as the family digested the information.

Xenia was the first to move towards a different part of the palace, and the others followed. They wanted answers to their questions, one way or another.

They reached a door with Ecknerd pacing about. Ecknerd turned to see the Imperial family with murder written on their faces.

"We need to see the Emperor now," Jan growled. Ecknerd paled but shook his head.

"The Emperor instructed me to not let anyone in," but the answer did not sit well for the group. Ecknerd caved in and let them in.

"How dare you not tell that Naomi was abused!" Irene screamed. The Emperor looked up from the papers on his desk and looked at them with a confused look.

"Irene, I may not fully accept her, but she had a medical evaluation. The doctors cleared her except for being underweight and dehydrated," the Emperor informed.

"Father, so you are telling me you did not know?" Hugo asked. The youngest had to make sure this was true after all.

"Know about what?"

"Chula said that Naomi was abused," Xenia explained. The room went quiet, but the amount of magical power was out of control.

"That bitch, how dare she lie to me," the Emperor growled.

His family looked to him for answers, and now it was time to explain.

"Naomi's mother was not kind when I first met her. She was filled with greed and anger. When I found out about Naomi, I arrested her mother and questioned her about raising our daughter. But she lied through her fucking teeth," he gritted out.

'Gods help Marie,' the Emperor thought. It was going to be a blood bath.

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So what do y'all think about the new characters?