As everything moved on around me and Ajax still standing in front of me and giving me a worrying look, then Hans appeared come around Cat as she was standing next to me. Then I see him clear his throat making everyone who was looking at me turn to focus on Hans. The man stood with his hand behind his back looking back at us with his dark brown eyes and gold frame glasses dressed like the rest of the nobles in the room with a black tail suit and white dress shirt with his straight posture showing a calm air about him I knew better, Hans is anything thing but calm.
"Excuse me, His Majesty is ready to meet your Grace. I shall show you the way pleas foll-"
"Just a minute Hans His Majesty was supposed to meet with my sister after the first dance has completed not now. Why have things changed?" Ajax said in a clipped tone as he cut Hans off then straighten and turned to pull me behind him to protect me from the view. Sol and Cat stood next to me ready to fight if any thing happens. As I hind behind Ajax large back making me unable to see anything. I sigh knowing that this is my fault cause of my little freak out, I have to stop this before it gets worse.
"Cat, Sol, big brother stop…please. We didn't come all this way to show rudeness to his Majesty. This is his territory after all. Now step aside we can't keep his Majesty waiting." I said as moved around Ajax large fame then stand in front of Hans and gave him an apologetic look.
"My apologies Sir Hans my family are over protective. Shall we." I say as I gesture my hand forward asking him to walk first. As I take my first step a hand grab the top of my arm I turn to see that it was Ajax with a shocked expression on his face looking back at me. I start feeling worried e not knowing why his showing that face then as I was about to say something he speaks.
"You…you called me big brother." He stated out.
I sigh as I relax in his hold then I look at Cat and gestures to her to get Ajax off me so I can go meet the damn man- I mean Emperor and find out what is happening cause at this point I can officially say things are f@#ked up but no even she is looking at me with an equally shocked face cause I called Ajax 'Big Brother'(my eyes are rolling at this point). Look it's not like I spoke a alien language when I called Ajax big brother why is everyone acting weird about it, but then I see her expression change slowly in to a small smile, I give her a 'really' look and Sol is even more useless stand there with a confused face.
"Is there a problem Duchess?" Hans ask as he calls from behind me and I turn to him and smile sweetly.
"No everything is good." I say at the same time Ajax says
"The Emperor can wait I need to talk to my sister."
"Excuse me Count?" He says in a irritating tone. Like the balls on this man, well I mean it is Ajax he has never cared about other opinions including the Emperor which beg the question why did he take the Emperor request on bringing me to the Capital?
"You heard what I said help, give me a minute with my sister" Ajax said as he takes a step up to Hans.
I closed my eyes in embarrassment knowing that Hans heard what Ajax said. I know that me and Ajax relationship as brother and sister is some what strained and that more on me than him. You know what let's get real it's shit that is set on fire. Landon hated us cause he saw us as people who could take his place as the next Count that's why he sided with father to beat us down. Funny how right he was about that part.
Then there is me and Ajax, you see, since the moment I came back in time and pack my shit and left that soul sucking dumpster fire of a place I called home I had planned to never look back on any of my family members and become invisible like they wanted me to be but I never expected that Ajax of all people with his aura of death and cold blue eyes to come up to me on the day of my departure and tell me he will be writing to me and I must answer and if I don't answer he will come for me.
At first I laughed it off like, really Ajax Dox second son of the greedy Count has come to care for someone other than himself and yet I still laughed I really did. I laughed when the first letter came and I didn't open it. Then I laughed when the 15th letter came and burnt it then after two weeks of silence he was standing in my door way with his signature all black wear, long black coat and top hat all wet breathing heavily.
Yes, my crazy f@#ked up brother came from the Capital and walked all over RavenCrest in the winter rain to find me. That's when I realised that maybe Ajax wasn't like Landon and Dad but he was just like me, he was stuck in a house that he also hated and was fighting every day trying to survive by himself.
I know mother did leave him with money under his name but that money was tied up with Count Dox house hold so he didn't have access to it unless the Count who is father allowed it. The only other person who was allowed they inheritance at an early age was Landon and that's cause he always did what father wanted and he loved him for that. Father loved Landon cause in his eyes Landon was fighting us to keep his place as the next Count and he was proud of that.
All my life I also blame him putting him in the same corner as them even though he never lay a finger on me but I hated him cause he never stopped it, but it never occurred to me that he can't do anything himself cause he was trapped like me in a vicious cycle of abuse but now as I see him my cold hearted big brother, shocked and dare I say also happy after I called him 'big brother' for the first time in our lives I get it, but now isn't time for this I can't be distracted on this event I must focus on what is happening in front of me right now and why does the Emperor look completely different from my past life. His hair is not the same dirty blonde as before and his eyes… those eyes they look like-
"His Majesty will not wait for what you what Count Ajax Dox. If his Majesty calls you must obey no questions asked, now what ever you want to discuss with the Duchess it will have to wait I have been given orders." He says in a clipped tone. Ajax glares at Hans giving him a look of ' I'm going to slit your throat and watch the blood pour out of you and smile in pleasure'. Damn! I need to stop this before Ajax does something that will get us all killed.
"Ajax-"
"LADYS AND GENTLEMEN PRESENTING THE DOWGER EMPRESS OF THE KINGDOM OF KRONOS deLUX AND HIS HIGHNESS THE SECOND PRINCE ACCOMPANIED BY THE HOLY SAINTESS OF OUR KINGDOM AND FUTURE EMPRESS ANNABELLE EVERGREEN."
I stiffen at the last words then the large doors open once again give a long eerie creek then stop after fully open. Then the people that were called out begin to walk down the red carpet as the whole room murmured at the site of the golden hair fair lady that walk next to the Dowger Empress.