Eight years ago before Venemiah, the current Emperor was enthroned, Marchioness Elsbeth was ousted from her title. She was made to abdicate her title forcefully with no uncertain cause.
During that period, the former Emperor Bertram extruded six nobles from their Noble position with not a single word from him. The rumors roamed with different notions. But only after did Elsbeth knew that she was acclaimed as the traitor to her nation.
Elsbeth succumbed with a heavy punishment, a punishment she thought she doesn't deserve.
"What wrong have I committed, Your Greatest High?" she asked with her voice that shrieked with pleading.
Emperor Bertram looked at her, therefore he had seen within her apertures were the faults she knew not that she did that made the Emperor speak a frivolous response.
"Someday you will figure why I ousted you. Elsbeth, my beautiful marchioness, you are safe this way."
Bertram's eyes locked with hers, it was crammed with a desperate amount of commiseration and forlorn that he harbor for her.
"Elsbeth, go your way, be the happiest woman there will ever be in Thuhelda. Find repose without being a noble, it only will trouble your soft, aching heart."
Bertram went away whilst he left Elsbeth begging with her tears. No one could have ever knew why she was ousted, no one could have ever knew what had happened.
The six noblemen were hailed the greatest apostates of Thuhelda, though with all these, three lived the way Bertram posed them to do. They laid low with not one thought of disobedience, though the other half along with Elsbeth sought for vengeance.
It was not long when Elsbeth's comrades died thereafter.
Selestia scoffed as she gazed toward her, "It was eight years ago that this platoon was founded, it was when six noblemen were reposed of their Noble positions, is it not? And it just happened to be that you are one of them, Marchioness Elsbeth..."
Selestia snickered.
"Whatever pertinent persuasion you give, I will nevertheless listen to you. You will not be able to feed me your catch, empress..."
Selestia crossed her arms together. "I knew what happened before. I knew why you were ordered to abdicate your position. Would you not like to know?"
After her words, Elsbeth's eyes glowed with the fire of desire. A desire to know burned within her heart, but her mind was fighting against that flow. She knew that if she learned the truth, she might lose her will to fight for what she currently stand for, it would only make her effort for the past eight years worthless.
"I tell you, speak again and I will mercilessly behead you that you may have no air to breathe and no words to speak." she threatened.
Selestia smiled, indeed Elsbeth intrigued her the most among every individual she have met.
Selestia was led to a dark room with men that stood on every corners of the aforementioned space. In the midst of it, there stood a man with wealth embedded on fabrics of his clothing, his back was faced toward them.
"Greetings, lord Lux. I bring forth to you the new Empress of Thuhelda. She came asking for what she should have not been needing, she wanted to face you, or perhaps face her death." Elsbeth spoke.
The man turned around, the men locked the door and Lux stepped forward toward Selestia and Grandel. Grandel trembled.
'What if this was the last of my breath and the last of my moments? Will I die without properly confessing what my heart beats?' he thought as fear gave a mighty wave to drown him with nervousness.
Selestia noticed his shivering, subtly, she gave a pat on his shoulder, "Whatever moved toward the state of your mind, speak not of it. None of us is dying in this wretched chamber."
Her forehead pleated, her eyes illuminated with stringence.
"My, I knew not we have such a fine catch... " the man called Lux snickered. "A fierce and feisty Empress arose from another throne. "
His eyes bore on hers, closer and closer did he peered on her as if the crevices of his sights were there to scrutinize her.
"Did you not like the Imperial Palace to have come here to present yourself to me? What is not possessed by the Emperor that I do? Or are you just courting death, oh, damsel in distress?"
Selestia took a step back, ensuring that she held the distance between them and then she spoke.
"Indeed, I did not prefer this nation. It is the first day since I was hailed as the Empress, but I felt not sovereign. I felt like I'd be nothing but a slave to the Emperor who he will release his desires with."
"Did you not marry him so that he'll bear children with you?" Lux asked, though rearward those questions were, the motive was to dissect her. There's more on his mind than what he bore on his countenance, Selestia knew so, Lux was the same mystery as the Emperor. Though somehow, Selestia felt that he was an open mystery.
Sooner or later, if she became successful in gaining his compassion, there's the certainty that he will no longer be a mystery to decrypt.
"I did not come here to be married to him, I came here to save my nation. I admire not an ounce of him, I admire my willingness to save my land. I came to use him, and I came to ask you to help me through it. I'm well certain that I could assist you in aspiring for the vengeance you long sought for."
Lux nodded, his lips curled to a smirk as his eyes lit with interest seduced by the allure of her words. There was no need to suspect her, he assumed.
"Are you imposing that we join hands, Empress?"
Selestia subtly lowered her head and smiled. "Simply, yes. What would you like to say about it, then?"
A snicker crossed Lux's face. "I do not oppose your offer, though with all due respect, empress, how will you prove to us that you are worthy of our trust? We are not entitled to trust you just because you are the empress, you are aware of that, are you?"
"My, you have a different tongue from the other Thuheldians. I'm well certain you stepped foot outside this place, mind telling me which route you took?" She snickered.
Lux kept himself composed, he knew well that this woman in front of him was only trying to provoke him. Selestia sighed.
"I am an Empress, allow me to give you the best proof to show you that I am worth the trust of you and the hundreds of your people." she confided confidently.