The silence in the abandoned palace in the western part of the Imperial City was broken quite unexpectedly.
Princess Castrea had just taken her medicine and was getting ready for bed. Jilia, her wife, was busy with their little son, who was being a bit naughty and refusing to obey the adults. At that moment, the family idyll was interrupted by a strange noise.
Since this place was usually very quiet and strangers were almost never seen here because people simply did not come to this part of the Imperial City, Jilia immediately became alert. The woman with chestnut hair and a sharp, hawk-like gaze immediately grabbed the sword she always kept nearby.
— What's going on...?
But she didn't even have time to react or go out and check what had happened. In the blink of an eye, an avalanche of armed warriors burst into the palace. Jilia saw them from the window. The warriors broke down the gates and stormed into the palace, and it was obvious that they had not come here with good intentions. Their faces were hidden behind masks, and it was quite difficult to determine which faction they belonged to.
— Mother, what's going on? — Orion asked anxiously, pressing himself against Princess Castrea's side.
In turn, the woman with silver hair and a pale face clutched the blanket tightly. She looked desperately at her wife.
— Jilia, this... this... — she muttered.
— Things are bad, — Jilia clenched her teeth, — someone obviously sent them here.
— But who... Who could it be? — the princess asked in a trembling voice.
— Who do you think it is? — The woman's eyes flashed fiercely: — There is only one person in this place who could give the order to send an army to attack someone.
The princess gasped when her spouse voiced this theory.
"Aiden... It can't be him, can it?"
The emperor's sister couldn't believe that her brother could have sent people to attack them. How was that possible? For the past few years, the eldest princess had lived quietly, never bothering the emperor with her existence, continuing to live in this remote palace. So why would he suddenly want her dead?
But now was not the time to think about that.
— Hurry! They'll be here any minute!
In this small, dilapidated palace, the princess's bedroom was located in the farthest corner, at the back of the palace. In other words, the princess and her family had only a few minutes before the soldiers arrived.
— Follow me quickly! — said Jilia decisively.
The eldest princess struggled to get out of bed — every cell in her body protested, weakened by illness — but Jilia immediately offered her shoulder. In such a tense situation, her face was firm and focused.
— Follow me. I will protect you.
The princess looked at her wife's determined face, swallowed, and nodded.
With an effort of will, she gathered her last remaining strength and whispered to her little son, who was clinging to her in fear:
— We must flee, my dear.
The eldest princess grabbed her son's hand — little Prince Orion, still just a child who barely understood what was happening. Standing next to her was Jilia, who immediately helped the princess to her feet and supported her as they prepared to leave.
— Quick, follow me! — Jilia said firmly, leading her family away from there. They moved silently through the corridors of the palace, where the guards had not yet arrived. Obviously, before coming here, they would also check every room for people, and that would give them precious minutes.
The floor creaked and vibrated under their feet from the running of numerous soldiers. But even in such a situation, Jilia tried to remain calm. No matter what, she had to remain steadfast and do everything possible to protect her loved ones.
Fortunately, even in this small palace, as in most buildings in the Imperial City, there was an emergency exit that could be used to safely leave the palace in case of unforeseen circumstances. This exit was very close to the princess's room, so if they hurried, they could escape from here.
— Castrea, are you all right? — At one point, Jilia turned to her wife with concern, noticing that she had slowed down.
The eldest princess was holding her son's hand, who was desperately clinging to her, but every step was painful — her chest was torn by coughing, and her heart was aching from exhaustion.
— Yes... — she replied weakly, — Don't worry about me, let's hurry...
However, the princess did not have time to finish her sentence before disaster struck.
Suddenly, enemies appeared before them. It happened faster than they had expected.
The princess's face turned pale, and Jilia stepped forward resolutely. Without hesitation, she raised her sword.
— Hurry and leave. I'll do my best to hold them off!
Jilia kept her eyes on the advancing enemies and shielded the princess and their son with her body. Drawing her sword, she parried the first blow and continued to fight bravely for some time.
— But...!
The princess cried out in despair as she watched her wife fight desperately. Although Jilia was an outstanding knight who had once won the imperial tournament, she was not omnipotent and clearly could not handle so many enemies on her own.
Metal clanged and sparks flew from the blows. Jilia fought with all her might, shielding the princess and the child, her face contorted with anger and despair.
— I said, go away! — she shouted, parrying another blow.
The princess froze for a moment — the situation was desperate. Of course, she did not want to leave her wife to fight them alone, and if she could, she would have stayed with her without hesitation. However...
At the same time, her son's cries seemed to bring her to her senses. The child, completely defenceless, cried and clung to her skirt. The princess could not leave him alone. Therefore, as difficult as it was for her to make this decision, she turned around and headed away, because first and foremost, she had to protect their child.
— Orion, let's hurry up and go. You have to be braver than me, okay?
Castrea tried her best to comfort her crying son.
Gathering her last ounce of strength, Castrea began to walk as fast as she could, holding her son by the hand. They continued to move deeper into the palace while Jilia, fighting the soldiers alone, gained precious time for them.
Deep down, the princess believed that her wife would surely survive and return to her. When all this was over, she would definitely come back and catch up with them. With this hope, Castrea continued to walk forward without looking back.
However... At some point, the princess suddenly heard a familiar cry behind her.
At that moment, the sounds of battle ceased. The princess's heart seemed to stop beating.
— Jilia... No!!!
Although she knew she shouldn't, the princess couldn't help herself and rushed back. At that moment, her actions were not controlled by her mind.
When she reached the spot, she saw Jilia lying on the floor. At that moment, the princess completely lost her composure.
— Jilia!
The princess couldn't believe what was happening. Her eyes filled with tears. Despite her weakness, she rushed to her wife and struggled to kneel down beside her.
Her hands trembled, but she touched her face, stained with her own and someone else's blood.
— Ca... stre... a... — the woman whispered through clenched teeth, and blood began to seep through her armour, staining it bright red.
The princess, leaning over her fallen wife, began to sob. Then, despite her weakness, Jilia reached out and touched her face.
— You... you won't die...! — the elder princess whispered desperately, but her voice trembled treacherously.
Jilia looked at her with her fading eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her lips, almost invisible.
— I will be with you... always, — she said barely audibly, and her hand squeezed Castrea's hand weakly.
Castrea wanted to reply, but at that moment, the grip with which Jilia was holding her hand weakened. The princess's tear-filled eyes widened; she couldn't believe what was happening.
— No! No! — she continued to scream.
Bending over her wife's body, the princess continued to scream and cry, but there was no time to grieve. For almost at the same moment, she felt the painfully familiar bitter taste of metal in her own mouth. The princess felt the blow of the sword pass through her body. She staggered.
The princess fell, still holding her wife's hand.
— Mother! — cried the prince, pressing himself against her cold body.
The princess fell to the floor, her body frozen in a motionless pose. Her hand continued to hold her son, but her strength was about to leave her completely. There was still an invisible shadow of regret in her eyes: in the end, fate had not given her the opportunity to live even such a modest family life. Born into a royal family, Castrea Revena Ashelot had never sought money or power. So why... Why did everything turn out this way? In the end, she couldn't even protect her son.
"Why... Why did you do this to me, brother?"
Before oblivion finally engulfed her, tears still clouded the princess's eyes.
— Mum! — Orion's childish voice continued to ring out as he desperately tried to call out to his mother, who could no longer hear him.
Princess Castrea closed her eyes forever, clutching the hands of her wife and son, who clung to her with a frightened cry.
— Mum! Mum!
Meanwhile, the soldiers mercilessly grabbed the boy and dragged him away.
Orion's heart was pounding wildly as the whole world around him fell apart in an instant. Everything that happened next was a blur, because he didn't even understand what was going on. A few hours later, when the moon was high above the Imperial City, the boy was brought to the Empress's palace hall.
The candlelight danced on the golden decorations and massive curtains. The Empress was already there, waiting. Her gaze pierced the little prince through and through.
The Empress sat on her throne, her gaze cold, but a satisfied smile played on her lips.
— So this is the child? Hurry up and come here.
Although the boy was overcome with fear and did not want to do so, the guard standing behind him pushed him insistently, and Orion had no choice but to take a few steps forward.
Finally, when he was in front of the empress, she reached out and touched his face. A satisfied expression appeared on her face. No, it was a face full of happiness. Looking at his silver hair and golden eyes, which were now trembling with fear, the empress was in seventh heaven.
This child was...
— Perfect, — whispered the empress aloud, finishing her thought as she looked at the little prince's pale face.
This boy was nothing like her worthless daughter, who remained a nobody even after the empress had put so much effort into her. But this child seemed perfect even at first glance. He was the ideal heir to the imperial family.
"It seems that the hypocritical chancellor was not lying after all."
When Julia first heard this thought from the emperor's right-hand man, she found it dubious at first. She couldn't understand why this man had suddenly decided to make such an offer to her.
"Chancellor, I thought you were the emperor's man. Why are you helping me now?"
And on that day, Chancellor Ardelio replied as follows:
"Your Majesty, you are mistaken. I am not the emperor's man. First and foremost, I am a subject of this empire and am prepared to do anything for its welfare."
That was how the conversation ended. And now, looking at this child, whose existence she had previously been unaware of, the empress could not believe her eyes.
"It seems that heaven really favours me. Fate has given me a chance to correct the mistakes of the past!"
— Wonderful, — said the woman with a subtle smile, looking at Orion, — now you are my new son. I will make you the most powerful man in this empire. And no force will be able to stop us anymore.
"..."
The boy shuddered. Although the empress's touch seemed gentle, it actually felt like the touch of a cold snake.
The little prince, surrounded by strangers, was confused and frightened. He couldn't understand what was happening. After all, the bloody scenes of his parents' murder were still before his eyes, contrasting sharply with the calm surroundings in which he now found himself.
— Why don't you call me your mother right now?
The empress asked him in a gentle but commanding tone.
The child looked at her in complete confusion, for he felt that from that moment on, his life would change dramatically. And these changes were not at all what he wanted.
— You are not my mother, — the prince finally said quietly.