A Reason
Grandel awoke and his eyes first laid on a familiar shade. An auburn hair.
His head was lifted and there was Selestia who was looking at him. Immediately, he sprung up and grabbed a fabric to wipe his face and deliberately, fix his hair.
"You seemed to be awake now," Selestia spoke with a sheepish tone on the tip of her voice.
"I beg your pardon, my princess— I meant, my Empress. I may have dozed whilst I wait for you."
Selestia leaned her back on the stile of the chair, her hands crossed with each other and an austere look crossed her face. Her apertures waited for his tongue to come up with words, and for him to speak, but there was this gauche demeanor that existed on Grandel's countenance.
Selestia sighed as she figured he would not discern what her eyes were trying to proclaim. "I wished you got straight to the matter, Grandel. Haste, tell me what caused my father to hide the betrayal from me?"
Grandel falsified a cough whilst he view to aid his voice that sheltered overwhelming nervousness.
"Right away, Your Excellency." he bowed.
His voice shook, and his mind contradicted as his explanation dribbled between their ears. There was a thought that existed and arose from his mouthed words. The offspring of his mouth contradicted the bells that rang in his head. How would Selestia even react if she knew that she was sold for a hefty amount by her own father, worst of yet, Grandel's father was also an alliance to such a scheme. Certainly, she would be enraged. But there was no point in backing out, the words had already left his tongue and there was nothing he could ever hope for.
To his surprise, Selestia nodded subtly, her head lowered and she closed her eyes. She inhaled whilst she vied to keep herself composed.
Selestia's eyes looked in a sideward direction, her gazes discerned the Thuheldians who cautiously eyed her for her extravagant clothing. The tiny sounds of their whispering voices scarcely reached her ears but she could guarantee that it was about her.
'Oh, how I hate the eyes of publicity.' she thought, her eyes sharply averted back toward Grandel, she looked at him blankly, though her eyes were intimidating even if they carried nothing but the emptiness of the air.
'Perhaps I caught them off guard for being dressed extravagantly. Is Thuheldians not used to seeing noblemen? Or are the commoners uncomfortable with fabrics such as those I wear? Nonetheless, I made the best decision to keep myself composed. In Celeste, the commoners, even the nobles did not bother if I lash out but Thuhelda is a different nation. Thuhelda seemed to be a different universe, way different than Celeste. If I were to freely act as myself I doubt I'll keep the crown longer.'
Grandel tilted his confusion as perplexity dug deep in his mind, his voice intoned thereafter whilst Selestia's thoughts caught her in a daze.
"My Empress?" he softly called toward her.
Instantly, Selestia responded to his call. She rubbed her forehead gently as though she was troubled.
"Did I cause the heaviness of your heart, my Empress? Then, should I have not told you?"
Selestia looked at him and shook her head, voicing 'no' as her response through her actions.
"You should tell me, I will deal with this matter alone. One reason why I have come here was not my interest in hearing you alone, I wanted to discuss with you the future state you will be in as you live in Thuhelda."
Grandel's eyes lit brightly, it widened and his ears rose inclined to listen to her upcoming words.
"Grandel, I could not let you be part of the Empress Minister of the Imperial Court. I vie to not let anyone suspect us."
"Then what circles your mind, my Empress?"
Selestia leaned her body forward, her elbows standing to comfort the weight of her abdomen, her fingers crossed with each other as she looked at Grandel.
"I want you to invest your remaining wealth in Thuhelda. Indeed, you may not be a Noble of Thuhelda, but I trust that you can become a great merchant of this land."
Grandel was troubled then. 'What could she be thinking currently? What would she want me to do now? What benefit would it give her if I become a merchant?'
"A merchant?" he asked.
Selestia snickered, "You will not just be any merchant, Grandel."
Her eyes puckered with the glow of sinister and mischief on her apertures. "You will gain the heart of your every wight that purchases your product. On the other hand, consider this a chance to widen Celeste's market. Would it not be better if the production of Celeste reach this nation?"
Grandel nodded in agreement.
"What if the Emperor—"
Selestia cut him off from speaking. "I will convince the Emperor."
"But the Emperor scarcely even trusts anyone from our nation. Though long since I was reminded that the reason he did not meet me in his courthouse was that he simply does not want to interact with the people of our nation."
Selestia snickered, "Or perhaps he simply does not find any excitement seeing you."
Grandel's eyes widened in amusement, Selestia's sarcastic voice dribbled from one ear to another, and sinister resided in the glimpse of her eyes.
"I simply want you to be the Intel outside the Palace. Find solace outside the reach of the Imperial court, be the statue that I will lean on to."
Grandel was in awe. How could he find someone willing to betray their ruler?
"Where in all sides of Thuhelda will I find solace? I'm certain that even after what the Emperor did to his nation with his cold blood, they would still kneel at his feet. Why would they not? The early days of his reign caused them to worship him, he might even be their god. How do you suppose would someone betray him? I surmised he excluded most of his dirt from the knowledge of his people that he may keep brainwashing them. Though some were unfortunate that they were found."
Selestia sighed, her face approaching his closer.
"Have you been listening to what those people behind are saying?"Grandel awoke and his eyes first laid on a familiar shade. An auburn hair.
His head was lifted and there was Selestia who was looking at him. Immediately, he sprung up and grabbed a fabric to wipe his face and deliberately, fix his hair.
"You seemed to be awake now," Selestia spoke with a sheepish tone on the tip of her voice.
"I beg your pardon, my princess— I meant, my Empress. I may have dozed whilst I wait for you."
Selestia leaned her back on the stile of the chair, her hands crossed with each other and an austere look crossed her face. Her apertures waited for his tongue to come up with words, and for him to speak, but there was this gauche demeanor that existed on Grandel's countenance.
Selestia sighed as she figured he would not discern what her eyes were trying to proclaim. "I wished you got straight to the matter, Grandel. Haste, tell me what caused my father to hide the betrayal from me?"
Grandel falsified a cough whilst he vie to aid his voice that sheltered overwhelming nervousness.
"Right away, Your Excellency." he bowed.
His voice shook, and his mind contradicted as his explanation dribbled between their ears. There was a thought that existed and arose from his mouthed words. The offspring of his mouth contradicted the bells that rang in his head. How would Selestia even react if she knew that she was sold for a hefty amount by her own father? Worst of yet, Grandel's father was also an alliance to such a scheme. Certainly, she would be enraged. But there was no point in backing out, the words had already left his tongue and there was nothing he could ever hope for.
To his surprise, Selestia nodded subtly, her head lowered and she closed her eyes. She inhaled whilst she vied to keep herself composed.
Selestia's eyes looked in a sideward direction, her gazes discerned the Thuheldians who cautiously eyed her for her extravagant clothing. The tiny sounds of their whispering voices scarcely reached her ears but she could guarantee that it was about her.
'Oh, how I hate the eyes of publicity.' she thought, her eyes sharply averted back toward Grandel, she looked at him blankly, though her eyes were intimidating even if they carried nothing but the emptiness of the air.
'Perhaps I caught them off guard for being dressed extravagantly. Are Thuheldians not used to seeing noblemen? Or are the commoners uncomfortable with fabrics such as those I wear? Nonetheless, I made the best decision to keep myself composed. In Celeste, the commoners, even the nobles did not bother if I lash out but Thuhelda is a different nation. Thuhelda seemed to be a different universe, way different than Celeste. If I were to freely act as myself I doubt I'll keep the crown longer.'
Grandel tilted his confusion as perplexity dug deep in his mind, his voice intoned thereafter whilst Selestia's thoughts caught her in a daze.
"My Empress?" he softly called toward her.
Instantly, Selestia responded to his call. She rubbed her forehead gently as though she was troubled.
"Did I cause the heaviness of your heart, my Empress? Then, should I have not told you?"
Selestia looked at him and shook her head, voicing 'no' as her response through her actions.
"You should tell me, I will deal with this matter alone. One reason why I have come here was not my interest in hearing you alone, I wanted to discuss with you the future state you will be in as you live in Thuhelda."
Grandel's eyes lit brightly, it widened and his ears rose inclined to listen to her upcoming words.
"Grandel, I could not let you be part of the Empress Minister of the Imperial Court. I vie to not let anyone suspect us."
"Then what circles your mind, my Empress?"
Selestia leaned her body forward, her elbows standing to comfort the weight of her abdomen, her fingers crossed with each other as she looked at Grandel.
"I want you to invest your remaining wealth in Thuhelda. Indeed, you may not be a Noble of Thuhelda, but I trust that you can become a great merchant of this land."
Grandel was troubled then. 'What could she be thinking currently? What would she want me to do now? What benefit would it give her if I become a merchant?'
"A merchant?" he asked.
Selestia snickered, "You will not just be any merchant, Grandel."
Her eyes puckered with the glow of sinister and mischief on her apertures. "You will gain the heart of your every wight that purchases your product. On the other hand, consider this a chance to widen Celeste's market. Would it not be better if the production of Celeste reach this nation?"
Grandel nodded in agreement.
"What if the Emperor—"
Selestia cut him off from speaking. "I will convince the Emperor."
"But the Emperor scarcely even trusts anyone from our nation. Though long since I was reminded that the reason he did not meet me in his courthouse was that he simply does not want to interact with the people of our nation."
Selestia snickered, "Or perhaps he simply does not find any excitement seeing you."
Grandel's eyes widened in amusement, Selestia's sarcastic voice dribbled from one ear to another, and sinister resided in the glimpse of her eyes.
"I simply want you to be the Intel outside the Palace. Find solace outside the reach of the Imperial court, be the statue that I will lean on to."
Grandel was in awe. How could he find someone willing to betray their ruler?
"Where in all sides of Thuhelda will I find solace? I'm certain that even after what the Emperor did to his nation with his cold blood, they would still kneel at his feet. Why would they not? The early days of his reign caused them to worship him, he might even be their god. How do you suppose would someone betray him? I surmised he excluded most of his dirt from the knowledge of his people that he may keep brainwashing them. Though some were unfortunate that they were found."
Selestia sighed, her face approaching his closer.
"Have you been listening to what those people behind are saying?"