" Child, I shall cut the chase. " The Emperor spoke, staring into her soul while pouring wine into the emerald cup. "Loyalty is the most volatile thing in this world. It was something that your ancestors practiced with perfection. Yet you, the child of the Flazears go against me when I opened my arms for you. "
" I could have had you executed the moment you stepped inside the capital. " He stopped pouring the wine. As if to calm himself down, he closed his eyes. His fingers traced the rim of the cup.
" I can you publically humiliated right now. I can do a lot of things. Make an example out of you and set it for everyone to see. But, the point of this meeting is not to test the extent of my power. " The Emperor said, remembering Vanessa's father. Reminiscing how his dear friend trusted him with his daughter and made him promise to take care of her as he sat on his deathbed.
" You have come back to the capital, knowing you will have to face me. So I hope you have prepared your excuses as well. " He spoke in an unnaturally calm voice.
A shiver went down her spine as he looked into her eyes, she was not expecting him to be soo intimidating. But, she must collect herself and deliver the best performance right now.
" Dishonouring you was never my intention, Your Maj- "
" Quit the small talk. " The Emperor as he gulped down the cup full of wine.
' Is this how you want to play old man? ' Vanessa thought. She knew everything that went down between the Late Duke and the Emperor.
The Duke and Emperor saw each other frequently while growing up, grew a brotherly bond as they studied in the academy, were each other's only company as they fought an excruciating war, and supported each other through the bloody war of succession of the Royal Throne.
The Royal Family wouldn't think twice before executing anyone. But, the Emperor has a soft spot for his friend, his brother, and his most trustable subject- The Duke Flazear.
" During the continental war, The Moon Kingdom was a formidable force because the Kingdom had an abundance of mages. Destroying our army on the battlefield and using mages to infiltrate the Kingdom. Using stealth to kill important officials and then using magic to transform into them, accessing highly sensitive information, and wasting our arms away. " She said with a straight face.
" It took us a very long time to figure out what they were doing. Had it not been for my mother, we might have never known. The Sun Kingdom might have lost the war and become barren by now. "
Vanessa's mother was an unsung war hero. Her input was critical in the victory of The Sun Kingdom. But, this was a rather unknown fact as she was never officially rewarded for that.
" Do you dare to dishonor your Kingdom in front of your Emperor? " The Emperor's monotonous tone showed his silent rage, threatening her to not test his patience any further.
" Your Majesty, have you never wondered how my mother made such accurate suggestions ? " She confidentally asked.
" She was a citizen of the Serenity Kingdom, she was familiar with the art of magic and the work of mages. " The Emperor answered, seeing this might be going.
' Great '
" I am nervous to confess this to you, Your Majesty. " She spoke, not looking the Emperor in the eye. Navy Blue eyes once again, looking at the symmetrical crafted pattern on the marble floor. Fidgeting with the hem of her skirt as she put on the nervous girl act.
" My... My mother... She was a mage herself. "
Being a mage or even being knowledgeable about magic in the Sun Kingdom had grave consequences. Everything related to mages is heavily demonised.
And here she is, confessing that her mother is a mage. What is she planning to do ?
" Get to the point child. " The Emperor asked, asking her to skip the useless details.
" To put it simply, when my father died I felt extremely depressed and lonely. I was technically an orphan. My father used to tell me about my mother's homeland. About how Serenity was a Kingdom where peace and magic co-existed. " She continued " I never knew what my mother was like. So in hopes of finding warmth, I went to the Serenity Kingdom. But, soon I discovered that my mother was a mage and a scholar. "
The expression on the Emperor's face slowly became more and more obvious.
" She regularly taught and practised magic regularly. So much so that she had her own academy. "