"Mother!" the empress dowager panicked. Her son may be emperor and their land may be stable, but that was only because they did not have one, but two Thraines. If they leave, then what? All those who have been secretly eyeing their borders would move. At first, they were all weary as the grand Empress dowager was getting old, but Lady Vion suddenly popped up and they relaxed again. Even though her existence only propped up King Ju, it was better than having no Thraine.
"Leaving? Leaving?" the emperor could not seem to understand.
"Discard of all these women and rule like a worthy emperor. Using women to secure your rule; are you not ashamed?" the empress dowager ordered.
"Grandmother, I will dispose of them, just don't leave okay?" the emperor immediately agreed. The concubines we immediately scared. One of them quickly got on her knees.
"Grandmother, we will be good. Please, there is no need to get rid of us. Grandmother, we have lived in the palace for so long, we will be laughing if we leave," the concubine begged.
"Grandmother, you are leaving," a cold voice spoke and they all turned to look at the empress. At a time like this, she was showing backbone?
The grand empress dowager raised a brow to this. "Grandmother, your leaving is letting enemies gain the courage to stand against us. Don't talk about you, Lady Vion is not leaving" the empress said and many froze in their seats.
"The empire depends on Thraines' protection is true. Lady Wickshire has kept protection in Juhntt. Surrender to Juhntt before I leave," the empress dowager said.
"Since you insist on leaving, you must name another Thraine. Yun'er was born with all the attributes of Vion. She is just as eligible," the empress said and they all sucked in a breath. Who did not know how happy the empress was when she birthed Yun'er? If it was a place without Thraines, one would have thought the birth of a girl this pale of skin and blonde in hair would be frowned upon in their race. It was a deformity, a problem of the blood when the child was formed to be this pale and without colour in skin and hair. But to the queen, this was the birth of a Thraine. She had the baby presented to the grand empress dowager to bless at the 100-day banquet and the grand empress dowager only touched her little feet and asked her name before having the baby returned to the mother, just like she had done to all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren born. Since then, she had not asked of the child. This bothered the empress so much, that she had times without number hinted to the grand empress dowager that Yun'er was so blond of hair, she was basically a Thraine, but the old woman never said a word in comment.
It did not help that Yun'er was raised by the empress to be a Thraine for so long that she always competed with Lady Vion. When Lady Vion was born with the same blonde hair, the grand empress dowager had also touched her feet the same as Yun'er. But when the little girl turned six, people oddly started to refer to her as a Thraine in the neighbouring country after that bloody feast she had attended in their country. After that, her prestige spread like fire and many started looking to the grand empress dowager to confirm this. The empress thought the old woman would ignore her just the same as she ignored her daughter, but she did not. She seemed to refer to the cold little girl as her equal. It only made her daughter's situation more laughable. She thought it would take time for her daughter to gain the title, after all, Lady Lusa was only known to be a Thraine when she had passed the prime age to marry.
"Surrender to Juhntt. While I am gone, look to little Ru for guidance," she said, ignoring the empress to her anger and they all glanced at Young Master Ru.
"Grandmother!" the emperor protested.
"The Thraine clan has never been one to care about your issues. I have only stayed in this land to handle things that concern me. I recognize that you are all my blood, which is why I have taken the time to give you my thoughts before I leave. But I have things to do and cannot stay and take care of you. Vion has never cared either, it is just not our way," the grand empress dowager said to the still hall.
"You have existed because of Thraine grace, so you should go to another Thraine to continue to exist with such grace. Look to little Ru because if he was not a man, he would be worthy to be titled Thraine," she said.
"Great grandmother," a soft voice said by the side and she looked to Yun'er.
"You are a smart girl Yun'er. That title you crave is not something that can be given by me," she said and got up from her seat. Young Master Ru came to her side and helped her step down from the platform.
"You are never coming back?" his blank face was betrayed by the slight pain in his voice.
"Be good, Ru'er and keep the promise you made me. When I leave, you can take it as my death and erect a funeral room for me," she said, patting the back of his hand twice before leaving; Her steps slow, but sure. No one could speak a word as they watched her retreating back.