"What shame you did earlier, my child" a deep voice filled the grand design of the office, despite the room being filled with luxury and plants, no one cannot escape the voice of the old patriarch of the Emery clan.
"I did defend the mansion against the assailants—"
"Assailants?! You call the elite knights assailants?! What kind of brain do you have Zeianna?!" he screamed at her face, and after that, he throw the book he was reading, luckily, she caught it before it hits the floor.
"Then what should I call them? Comrade? Father, they are attacking us for days, months, years after I got engaged on that damn crown prince! And yet you keep turning a blind eye because..."
"Because you believe that I will bring prosperity to this family once I became married to him—"
"It is the only way to preserve your mother's death!"
"But it costs a lot of threats around us!" she holler at what her father said. It is so frivolous to say that engaging her to a prince will preserve her mother's final wish to be married to the emperor— which never happened and ended up with duke Emery.
He mumbled something. He looked at her daughter with eyebrows furrowed.
"So, you chose to stain the Rufinos by saying that those knights are trying to kill you?" she nodded.
"You killed them, Zeianna. No matter if you defend yourself about that, you killed them, and it's still murder"
She laid down on the bed, no single tear falling down from her ruby eyes. She looked at the moon again and closed her eyes.
She always wonder what would her life be like if she wasn't engaged to Ylium. The prince who bought her pain, who bought her happiness but in a gruesome exchange that changed her life forever.
"My lady, a letter from duke Victorino came now" a hurrying maid said, holding an envelope that contains the letter of the duke from a neighbouring empire.
"Thank you. You may now go" she coldly said. The maid bowed down and got out.
She opened the envelope, the ink smells like roses, in which she frown.
'Dear lady Zeianna Yves Emery;
A letter that you gave me long ago makes me look forward for your gratitude of grace. In fact, I really feel something about Adelaide having an infidelity with someone. It makes me feel pessimistic when I caught her with the crown prince, exchanging smiles and amorousness with each other, something she used to do when we were engaged.
Being your ally will give benefits to both of us. We can exchange information regarding to our empire's economic status and information about our enemies.
I can't write too much in this letter anymore as I have to rush everything because of the empire improving its status. But I agree on your point to be my friend to be there for me.
From this day onward, I will look forward to your response. I will be your loyal ally until our fate will cease on our own will.
From the duke of Edwards clan;
Duke Victorino Ysis Edwards'
She smiled at his words. She got up, stretching her back and got down, yawning and sleep afterwards.
It was a gloomy evening. The sound of rain hitting the ground and thunder filled the entire empire. Zeianna woke up after a thunder hit the ground, near at the garden of the mansion.
A man step on her balcony. His figure being dark, while his back is facing the moonlight.
"My lady" he said. Her eyes looking at the figure. He opened the door and kissed her hand, she was shocked at what happened. The thunder that was hitting the garden was no one but him!
The lightning user of the Edwards family!
"Why are you here in a middle of the night!?" she exclaimed. She ring the bell, calling a maid for her to assist him in bath.
"Visiting you. It's been months but I can't endure the days where you were not in the house" he said. "not in your house? I am there whenever I have business meetings with you. Why are you saying something that is outside in business?" she hissed in a low voice.
"Are you out of your mind of something—"
"My lady!" Amelia said, she stopped at her tracks when she saw that Zeianna is too close to a man!
Her hand is covering her mouth. "enjoy your day with him my lady—"
"Draw him a bath. Right now"
"What?" she said, her back leaning on the wall as he got done with taking a bath.
"Yeah. I don't know what I have done just for her to cease our engagement" he added. His voice began to fade and cry.
She sighed. She doesn't know what to advice to him. She never feel love to the crown prince for her to suffer like that.
Well, in her first life, she did.
"Well..." she uttered. "I don't know what to advise you when it comes to love, but I wish for you and your heart to be healed from that tremendous event. I hope that everything will turn out fine despite that your engagement became tarnished"
His bath is now finished. He changed by a nightgown Zeianna could only provide.
He dream of something, all regarding to the past, a past where he met a woman named Zeianna who arrived to their empire for business meetings.
In difference, the current Zeianna wores dresses, that lies a bewitched personality inside her beautiful personality, beautiful face, and beautiful dress.
In his dream, or past, she wore a suit, cravat as a necktie, a white, silver top coat, that is connected with a chain to her cravat, white trousers and black boots.
He remembered what she said that day, it is the day where he fell in love with her. He knows that this is unfair to his fiancée but he can't prevent himself.
"Stop that, you're engaged already, you have to prevent yourself falling from someone for her heart to be at peace" she once said, swinging the sword at the dummy.
"Are you the Imperial guard captain of the Rufino empire?" he asked. She nodded and continue her training.
He walked away, only to feel his heart beating faster. He blushed and smiled until he reached his office.