For 350 years, the country of Goldivia was under the influence of the West Empire, Kan. It was formerly known as Sil, a piece of land that belonged to a royal family who was ruined after the Kan Empire invaded.
An oracle from the High Priest was once delivered to the Royal Family that governed Sil to warn them of the future harm. And with that, the king was also informed that it will take another century for Sil to be reclaimed as its own independent country. The fate of the Royal Family would fall in ruin when the Kan Empire invades.
As the inevitable fate unraveled itself, the king had no choice but to surrender his reign to the Kan Empire. Knowing full well that his family will live as a slave or die as a royal, he chose the fate of his children to be war fugitives where their names and their status were forever concealed.
"You, my children, will have the mark of the ruined royal bloodline for as long as my blood is alive… people will forget, but it is your duty as my children to know your origin. You are my pride and joy, so live amongst the commoner and my people will find you."
Soon after, as the castle burned and the scream of those suffering echoed inside the premises that were once known to be a peaceful Castle, the King's seven children were brought out to safety.
After the ruin of the Royal Family of Sil, the oracle of the high priest then announced that soon a new house of power will take the throne. But like the first prediction, it will take a century to manifest.
As the Kan Empire started losing interest in the Sil kingdom, it was soon neglected. The people who were conquered, living as Kan second class citizen, suffered from the leadership of the Emperor. He displayed no empathy towards the sick and dying as he was always conscious and anxious of the oracle that a new house will rise in power. He did not want to feed the same people that will betray him, leaving the country to fend for themselves. But, what the Emperor failed to realize was that leaving the country to fend for food will only strengthen their independence. While suffering from health conditions in a poor health environment, their desire to rebel ignited red flames within them.
While the ignorant Emperor worked on internal matters in the Empire, the people of Sil had started their rebellion against Kan.
As generations after generations have passed, it became unknown what happened to the children that were brought out of the Castle. Some have suspected that they have died after leaving the castle since a commoner's life is far different from a noble's lifestyle. Some speculated that maybe they were thrown in slavery instead to fend for themselves since the Kan Empire did not provided any aid for those they conquered. The mark of their bloodline was well concealed that the people have really forgotten about what it looked like. There were books and documents written about the mark, but due to the safety of his children, the King decided to burn all documents that can lead to their recognition.
The mark that was said to be a royal symbol has ultimately become just a legend and soon after, just like what the oracle suggested, a new power emerged to sit on the throne.
The power house claimed their independence from the Kan empire, celebrating it by writing history of their victorious fight and renaming the territory as Goldivia. The Sil kingdom's history became buried with all of its misfortunes. A new nation was born under a new ruler -- House of De Morgues.
It was a surprise to many that House of De Morgues was who the oracle referred to as the new house in power since the family was known to be the loyal servants of the Royal Family. Some people have speculated that they took advantage of the first oracle of Kan's invasion that after being recognized as the King's most loyal servants, they have decided to save themselves by aiding the enemy in the king's downfall. All servants from different nobility, including the house of De Morgues, watched the King be beheaded in front of them, the lowest act what an invader could do to dishonor and discredit the king's title.
Since claiming the throne, the House of De Morgues, have started expanding their territory. Their advances started to get unnoticed by the West. But, the West realized too late that the East has gained strong influence over them, leaving Goldiva untouched.
Soon enough with high anticipation, the West and East became equal in power and influence over their neighboring countries. The House of De Morgues became a symbol of bravery and great leadership— a war hero. Their family's sin was soon forgotten as people rejoiced of the real freedom they have acquired. The new house in power had gained an army of high intellectual combat skilled soldiers that were unbeatable even against the strongest of Kan's soldiers.
As soon as Goldivia declared their territory as an Empire, the first Emperor received another oracle from the High Priest, "if the two most powerful households will not unite, a civil war will break, the power that you once acquired will be taken by the house of the enemy."
The first Emperor of Goldivia, Namsun, quickly determined who the High Priest was referring to-- the second most powerful household of the entire empire was House of Arquilie, their influence alone can go against Goldvia if they so wanted to. They have interpreted "unite" to be a form of a political marriage and they have proceeded with a contract agreement between the two noble houses.
***
There was silence in the atmosphere as Calester mentioned the word of marriage. Emerald, who was listening to Calester's outrageous request, could only shake her head in disbelief. It seemed to be too real for it to be just a dream. But, the whole situation just does not make sense.
"You are at the right age to marry, Rad. The Empress seat has been waiting for you ever since you became eighteen. Don't you think it's time for you to accept the Empress' seat?"
Emerald breathed in and sighed hopelessly while looking at the familiar stranger that was in front of her. The relationship between her and Calester was neither good nor bad. They were childhood friends who became estranged because of family circumstances.
After many years, this was considered their first official reunion as they faced each other as both adults in their 20's.
"You should know the reason why I'm waiting for--"
Before Emerald could finish her sentence, the Prince had already began speaking his mind once again, fully ignoring Emerald's personal opinion.
"Waiting is futile. We don't know when Calisto will come back."
Emerald clenched her fist as she could not find any words to challenge his claim. She stood silently as she observed the expression of the person she once knew from the past, biting her lips in desperation to find the right words to say.
"Your Father said, he will be back in two years…"
Calester, who has been looking at the empty space this entire time, finally shifted his gaze to look at the woman he has always avoided.
"Two years have passed, Rad… We don't know what happened to him."
Her heart sank once again from the thoughts of Calisto not coming back. But, she did not want to believe it was the case.She is still hoping that his return will be a joyous event for the Empire to celebrate.
"We can't wait for his return if the Emperor dies suddenly. Please decide because I am running out of time."