Just then, Emma, Aidan's wife, burst into the room, her cheeks flushed from the morning air. Behind her, a nanny trailed quietly, cradling a sleeping toddler in her arms.
"Goodness, it's quieter than a funeral in here!" Emma exclaimed, "I've only been gone for two weeks, and it seems all the fun has been drained from the city."
Aidan's face, etched with frustration moments before, broke into a wide, genuine smile.
He rose from his seat and crossed the room in long strides, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Emma, you're back," he murmured, burying his face in her hair. "I've missed you."
The Duke and Lady Elizabeth both smiled, a genuine warmth finally returning to their eyes.
"And you must be Daphne!" Emma said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
She took a step forward, her smile brightening even more. "Aidan hasn't stopped talking about you. Goodness, he didn't even do your beauty justice."
Daphne's shoulders, which had been tense for hours, finally relaxed. A genuine laugh escaped her lips, a sound that felt foreign and wonderful after the somber events of the night.
Just then, Finn stepped up behind Emma and playfully ruffled her perfectly styled hair. "Leave her alone, Emma," he teased.
"Heyy!" Emma swatted at his hand, a playful scowl on her face. "You're going to ruin my hairdo, you brat! Is that any way to greet your favorite sister-in-law after she's been away for two whole weeks?"
"Favorite?" Finn shot back, his eyes dancing with mischief. "You mean only."
The playful banter between the two of them was a constant source of amusement for the family.
Aidan turned to the nanny and gently took his son from her arms. He held the little boy close, his gaze softening as he looked at the sleeping face of his son, Ben.
"Seems the little troublemaker is asleep," Finn commented with a grin, gesturing to his nephew.
"It's nice to finally meet you, sister". Daphne said, hugging Emma.
"Welcome home, my dear," Lady Elizabeth said, her voice softening.
"Tell us, how was your journey?"
"How are your parents?"
Emma smiled warmly, her hand resting in Aidan's. "My parents are doing wonderfully, thank you. And my younger brother, James, just took a bride! It was a small affair, but a joyous one. I regret you all couldn't be there."
"Congratulations!" Lady Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Please pass on our regards and best wishes to the happy couple."
The Duke, Daphne and Finn added their own congratulations, a brief moment of familial happiness filling the room.
But Emma, sensing the tension that still lingered beneath the surface, placed her free hand on the table, her expression turning serious.
"On my way here," she began, "I heard the most outlandish rumors. They said some very wild things about what happened at the ball yesterday. What really happened?"
Aidan's smile faded. He then gave Ben to the nanny to take him to his room.
Facing Emma, he gave her a concise summary of the night's events: the Emperor's command, Daphne's unveiling, her performance, the declaration, and the Emperor's final, shocking proposal.
As he spoke, the joy that Emma had brought into the room slowly drained away.
"We will not allow it," Lady Elizabeth stated firmly, her usual gentle demeanor replaced by a steely resolve. "She is not going to the imperial harem."
"We will fight this," the Duke added, "We will find a way to make Emperor see reason."
Lady Elizabeth leaned forward, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "It is not just about him, my dears. I heard whispers in the capital that no consort has given birth in years, with the exception of Consort Katherine. And even then, her child is a girl. Mind you, there are six consorts in the harem. The rumor is that the Empress is pulling the strings, ensuring no one bears the Emperor a prince, so that her own son will be the undisputed heir."
Emma and Aidan gasped in unison, their faces paling at the sheer depravity of the act. Finn looked at his mother with wide, horrified eyes.
The silence that followed was heavy with shock. The Duke was the only one who seemed unsurprised. And Daphne simply sipped her tea, her expression serene.
No one else knew, but Daphne remembered.
The Empress had confessed to it herself in a moment of triumph, before she died.
After Daphne had failed to give the Emperor a child, the Empress had gloated about how easy it was to ensure no one would give birth to a prince.
It was the darkest secret of the Imperial Palace. Daphne had lived there five years.
Now, with the Empress' dagger-like stares and the Emperor's open desire, Daphne knew the game was repeating itself. She was not a prize to be won; she was a target to be eliminated.
The silence was thick with dread after Lady Elizabeth's revelation. Aidan was the first to speak.
"We have to find a way to stop this," he said. "We can't just let her become a pawn in their schemes."
Finn nodded in agreement. "We have to do something. We can't let her go to that place."
But the Duke simply shook his head. "It's the Emperor's word. No one can go against it without facing his wrath. A direct refusal is an act of treason."
He looked at Daphne, his fear for her overriding all other emotions. "We are already treading on thin ice."
The room fell silent once more, the weight of their impossible situation pressing down on them.
Emma looked from one person to another, her cheerful demeanor finally gone, replaced by a desperate anxiety.
Just then, Finn's eyes, which had been fixed on the side table piled high with gifts, suddenly lit up.
"Wait a moment," he said, his voice gaining a sudden, electrifying energy. He looked up at them, his eyes wide. "I have an idea."