Hesmia was being prepared to welcome the new era under the new emperor. Remington was overwhelmed by the idea of sitting on the throne which he always dreamt of.
In his youth, he challenged Emperor Narendra, stating that he could defeat the emperor in any form of combat skills. The reason for his overconfidence was a prediction from an astrologer whom he met while training in the Elville Mountains. The astrologer said that Remington had a kingly aura and that he could definitely rule a widely-spread nation. Emperor Narendra was shocked at his loyal friend's sudden change.
However, the emperor managed to defeat Remington in every battle. Filled with shame and rage, Remington vanished into the evening breeze without a sign. Everyone thought that he might have either changed his identity or been committed to an asylum. Merikh Remington, who was meant to be a forgotten memory, had unexpectedly returned to Hesmia with the most dramatic entrance. Nevertheless, the astrologer was right.
"A new sun has risen. A new day has begun. Narendra's era is over now. I am the mighty emperor of Hesmia. You all should obey me and follow my rules. If anyone dares to disobey, behead them right away. Those who support me will be rewarded." Remington uttered.
He immediately appointed new officers and ministers, who were all his men. They were either Lisdonians or Hesmians who had past issues with emperor Narendra. The majority of the newly-appointed royal council members were revenge seekers. Lady Nimue was appointed as the head of the palace household. It meant that she was the unofficial empress and her job was to control the concubines and their children.
Nimue was not that impressed with that title, as it was similar to the status she held before. She wanted more, but Remington was not ready to share the power with a 'mere' woman. He had already forgotten that Nimue had played a significant role in the invasion process. If it was not for her, who was a powerful insider, a well-secured empire like Hesmia would never be easily invaded. What she lacked was military power. But she owned a particularly large spy system.
"Remington, you promised to name my daughter as the crown princess. When are you going to announce it?"
"Just wait, lady. It only began. Give me some time. I should decide if lady Nimie is the best choice. And, you're free to address me as 'your majesty'." Remington said cunningly.
As he was a person who completely focused on invading Hesmia and never thought of marrying or having children, Remington did not have any heirs. But he did not want to hand the throne back to a 'Hesmian' 'girl'.
Lady Nimie- Nimue's daughter was the eldest of the concubines' children. In Hesmia, the titles 'prince' or 'princess' were only given to the children of the empress. Concubines' children were called either 'lady' or 'master'.
Nimie tried to create a good bond with her father, but every time she got closer, she would only get hurt. To Narendra, she was just another child of a concubine. Nimie was one year younger than Danyel. He always treated her very well and even promised to give her the princess title when he reach the throne. Nimie used to be a sweet girl with a kind heart, but with time and experience, she had somehow become a rude, merciless person.
Hesmian officers and ministers were divided into two parts. Those who surrendered and agreed to accept Remington as the emperor got to save fifty percent of their wealth and were offered low-paying jobs. Those who refused to betray were either beheaded or imprisoned. The aristocrats who seemed to be useful were imprisoned because Remington thought that it would be more beneficial to keep them and persuade them to obey him rather than beheading them.
Much to everyone's wonder, the Bertillons surrendered. Amell was assigned as a laborer and his father had to become a junior officer in the defense department. Whenever they surpassed the prison, the imprisoned aristocrats yelled and called them "traitors". But Bertillons had a plan. Amell was secretly gathering soldiers to leave Hesmia and look for Danyel. He thought that protecting the crown prince was the utmost priority and the only solution to save the nation.
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Yasvie was completely horrified. Her hands were tightly tied with ropes. She was kept in a cottage that was surrounded by many Lisdonian soldiers. Though she did not have to face any sexual harassment, she was slapped several times. She cried so hard that her face became red and her eyes itched.
Yasvie was captured by Remington's men in the forest. Although she pointed the dagger towards them, the soldiers easily dragged it from her and even gave her a small cut. When they took her to the palace and kept discussing whether to kill her or take advantage of her, Nimue accidentally visited them.
Nimue always kept her eye on Yasvie. She had known about her relationship with Danyel from the beginning. She thought to keep Yasvie alive and use her as bait to catch Danyel.
"This is the last time I'm asking you, little girl. Where is Danyel?" Nimue stomped her foot.
"I don't know, my lady. I… I am not lying. I really don't know." Yasvie spoke while crying.
"Should I use the hard way then? Should I burn your face or cut your fingers?"
"No, my lady. Please spare me! I only know that his royal highness was in Lisdonia with the princess."
Nimue slapped Yasvie. How dare she still call him 'his royal highness' when he was no longer the crown prince??
"Fine then. If you don't want to get killed, help us find the crown prince." Nimue uttered. Yasvie's tears dried up. Betray her beloved?
"What are you going to do to him?" She asked while shivering in terror.
"How dare you ask questions?!" Nimue slapped her again.
Yasvie understood that Danyel would never get out alive if he stepped a foot in Hesmia. No matter how hard it was to endure the tortures, she could not betray him.
"Please kill me, my lady. I will not betray his royal highness." She said confidently.
Just then, Nimue totally lost her temper. She wanted to beat that no-good water maid to her death. But Nimie, who was staring from behind, suddenly spoke up.
"Mother, my maid said this girl has a mother who is sick and a younger sister. How about torturing them instead of her?"
Nimue started to laugh wildly while Yasvie screamed,
"NO!!!"
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Danyel and Gianna left the healing house even though Gianna was not fully recovered. Kvahiya provided some useful information to Gianna which included a map of Lisdonia.
"Sire, are you sure about this? I won't be able to fight with this state. We need some help. I'm sure they're waiting for you to come and get killed. Shouldn't we wait?" Gianna asked attentively.
"Wait for what? Some angels to come and rescue us? What will happen to Yasvie? She is probably waiting for us to save her. How would she feel if she knew that I'm hiding like a coward? If you don't want to help me, please leave. I'm going for Yasvie even if it kills me." Danyel was angry.
Gianna desperately wanted to save Yasvie too, but she knew that it was impossible for the two of them to sneak into Hesmia and get Yasvie. Both of them had cuts and wounds, lacked energy, and had not slept well in a few days.
After walking continuously for an hour without any flaw, Danyel suddenly saw a group of four men who looked like Lisdonians coming their way. Danyel quickly hid behind a tree with Gianna, but unfortunately, one of them had spotted them. He shouted in Lisdonian, pointing a finger in the direction he saw a figure.
"He said that he saw someone move," Gianna whispered to Danyel.
The duo heard the footsteps of those men who were slowly approaching them. Danyel grabbed Gianna's hand and moved to another tree. He was thinking of a solution and accidentally saw a tree hollow. The entrance to the hollow was rather small and was located near the ground, so it would be hard for anyone to see it if not observed cautiously.
"Gianna, look. There's a hollow. I think it'd be enough for both of us." Danyel whispered.
Gianna realized that it would be very hard for them to get into it, but had no other choice. Killing the men was the last option because Danyel suspected that there might be other men behind the group.
Gianna went into the hollow first with great difficulty. Danyel followed, doubting whether the men saw him. Inside the hollow, it was very dark and had limited space. But the duo could see each other. As they stood facing each other, Gianna could feel the warmth in Danyel's heavy breaths. The situation was so awkward that they avoided eye contact. Gianna's chest was touching Danyel's, so did their legs. The hollow was narrower at the top, so their faces were located too close, sparing a tiny little gap between them.
The men came near the tree. From their conversations, Gianna understood that they were a set of Lisdonian villagers who came looking for the Hesmian prince to get rewards. They wondered how the moving figure vanished. Luckily, they were not good at observing that they did not notice the hollow entrance. But they were unknowingly standing near it.
Danyel and Gianna were carefully listening to their voices and moves. But suddenly, Danyel realized that his hands were wrapped around Gianna's hip. He tried to take them back instantly, but the limited space blocked him. Instead of taking his hands back, Danyel caused a huge mess between them.
Attempting to unwrap Gianna's hip, Danyel ended up getting her closer to him. Their chests rubbed against each other and Danyel's movements pressed Gianna's wound hard, that it started to hurt in a sudden. She unknowingly opened her mouth to scream. If she screamed, the villagers would find them effortlessly. Danyel realized it. But he could not move his hands to close her mouth. He had only one option left. Considering the current circumstances, Danyel chose to do it.
Right at the moment which Gianna started letting out a noise, Danyel bent his neck and placed his lips on Gianna's lips. The villagers argued whether they heard a weird but short noise. They had no clue about the two people inside the hollow who were sharing an awkward moment.
Gianna was confused about what was happening. She searched for her hands to push him but they were stuck. Any other movement would lead the villagers to find them, so she gradually stopped resisting.
She felt the softness of Danyel's lips as well as his awesome fragrance which she had never experienced before. She had heard about kisses from her mother but never dreamt of having one. But she liked it, especially with a handsome young prince. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment which she was being embraced by a man for the first time. She had forgotten that she was planning to stay a maiden forever. Her feelings had woken up from a deep sleep.
As for Danyel, he did not release her even when she stopped screaming. He kept pressing his lips against hers as if he was waiting for a moment to kiss her. But the truth was, Danyel forgot who he was with when their lips touched. His old memories filled his head that he felt like he was kissing Yasvie. He deepened the kiss, thinking it was Yasvie, but suddenly remembered that it was Gianna.
Danyel immediately pushed Gianna away, and her head almost hit the trunk. But they had to stay close to each other because of the limited space. Danyel felt ashamed and guilty. How could he kiss another girl when his lover might be fighting between life and death?
He even feared that Gianna might see him as a pervert. He had no idea that Gianna loved it and secretly wanted more. After a few moments, the duo confirmed that the villagers had left the area.
It was time for them to leave the hollow, as well as the memory of their not-meant-to-happen kiss alone.