Chapter 8 - 6: MY WOMAN

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...6...

MY WOMAN💟

The meeting began four days later as scheduled. As it did so, so also did her demons awaken, begun anew, her demons of escape. They chattered incessantly in her head, urging her to begin to plan her sixth escape plan as the meeting was perfect timing for her and a perfect distraction for her captor. En fait, everyone would be busy except her. Two other guests apart from Zoë had arrived two days apart from her. The first, King Thor Oswald of the iron clan as the emperor had introduced him to her hours later had arrived before dawn. It was barely daylight when he came. The second, colonial princess Fairy Rion of the rainbow colony had arrived two days after Zoë had come in a wonderful carriage just two hours before dusk. She had been out in the garden when she did. She had noticed that the lady was a pretty one. When she had returned from the garden, she had met Peter the emperor's butler showing the lady the way to her room. When Peter acknowledged her, the lady had greeted her alongside Peter and called out to her and introduced herself. She had instantly taken a liking to the friendly smiling lady and was happy to make her acquaintance. It was later that she discovered that they shared one thing in common. They both hated Princess Zoë Xing and thought that she was an obnoxious narrow minded psycho bitch. This had happened when Zoë had encountered them having afternoon tea the next day after Fairy's arrival in the flower garden. When Zoë had chanced upon them, she had prevented Fairy from curtsying to Zoë and the bitch had blown her top. She had seemed ready to beat her to a pulp but didn't and she wondered why. She had no idea that Zoë was operating with the emperor's warning in mind. Fairy had been properly amused by it all. Their slight friendship had grown stronger from then on. The two enjoyed each other's company.

Anyways, the meeting which usually lasted a week or more from her previous experiences inspired her to hatch her sixth escape plan. She worked tirelessly, mapping out every single thing, down to the finest details. She wanted nothing to go wrong. She was on the lookout for whom to impersonate. She could not impersonate Princess Zoë, could never try to be her, with her upturned nose and rotten lousy character. She thought long and hard on whom to impersonate and decided to go to the meeting with the emperor. It was the only way. It was there that she was bound to meet people, and note everyone with liberties, to get ideas on what to do. She knew that she would definitely find someone to impersonate, was especially confident about that.

'What do you want to do there?' the emperor had asked her when she had requested to follow him to the meeting in his study room, interrupting his chat with his brother, the third prince.

'It sounds like fun!' she had lied through her teeth. She was going there to scout, to look for someone she could easily impersonate, but he didn't need to know that.

'It is not fun,' the little prince said to her. She turned to him swiftly and only just narrowly controlled her impulse to glare at him. It took all she had to refrain from calling him a big poke nosing nuisance.

'It's really not fun mine,' the emperor had seconded. She nearly sighed hopelessly. What was with the two of them? That was her cup of tea! Was it not? She tried to force a smile and succeeded in doing so.

'I don't care,' she said with a pout. 'It is fun, at least to me,' she finished with a light snap.

'Matters regarding the seven Linamine clans are always discussed in the meeting. It is as boring as using the toilet,' the third prince said.

'Well, I still want to come along,' she said with a convincing smile.

'I doubt this particular meeting would interest you my lady,' the third prince pushed further. Oh how she glared so sharply at him. The emperor noted the gesture and tried not to laugh. The Lady had always been a curious person by nature.

'Let her be,' the emperor said to his brother with an amused smirk. 'She can tag along and see for herself,' he said to her.

'Thank you,' she said, flying into his arms and embracing him unexpectedly. His eyes widened in surprise. She had never done so willingly before. She was really beginning to change, adjusting to staying with him. She looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear. The little prince cleared his throat and she hurried out of his arms, realizing then what she had actually done to him in her excitement. A blush of embarrassment crept up her cheeks, reddening the more when he stared at her with a knowing look in his eyes.

Well, he took her with him on the fourth day of the meeting. He did so because the meeting agenda was not much on that day. There were seven royal leaders with their trusted aides present when they arrived the meeting with the little prince and his aide, Octavia. The grey eyed and grey haired woman was as unfeeling as a stone to her. She was really beautiful nonetheless with her deep red lips, contrasting with her creamy skin. She liked to wear silver clothes which accentuated her unusual hair colour for she was only twenty and four. Cora and Xiera were also with them.

The fourteen pairs of eyes in the room turned to them the moment they entered. She knew only five pairs out of them and recognized one. The five belonged to Zoë and her aide Jessica, Fairy and her aide Tracy and master Thor. The other pair belonged to Master Thor's aide whom she didn't know by name though she had met him on two or three occasions. They all stood to their feet and paid obeisance to the emperor and then the third prince. The emperor and the prince acknowledged them. The emperor held her hand in his and took her to a seat. She sat at the spot. Some of the standing persons stared quizzically at her. The emperor sat then. They all began to sit after the prince had taken his seat, after the emperor. The emperor gave a signal to Cora, the go ahead signal.

'This meeting has begun!' Cora announced on his behalf. An aide began to present some materials to his master who began talking to the emperor.

'There are no introductions?' she asked the emperor, puzzled, distracting him. He turned all his attention on her. She stared back at him, waiting for an answer.

'We all know each other,' Zoë suddenly imputed. 'There is no need for such,' she continued, obviously irritated at the disturbance. She glared at the lady with icy eyes.

'But I do not,' she snapped at Zoë. 'Besides, I wasn't referring to you!' she retorted.

'That Miss, is your own cup of tea,' Zoë followed with so much spite in her voice.

'Princess Zoë Xing!' the emperor thundered. 'I am sitting right here. I believe no such impudence should be displayed while I am,' he said, his voice authoritative and his face, angry.

'I apologize for my behavior My Sovereign Liege,' she said quickly getting to her feet, gritting her teeth in anger at his undeserved intervention. She was not sorry at all, spiteful, just receding for a while because of him.

'It serves you right,' the lady mouthed at Princess Zoë, pleased with the turn of events.

'Sit down,' he said to Zoë. She did so with a heavy heart.

'Shall we have the introductions My Lord?' Cora asked him. He nodded at her with a nonchalant look. Zoë frowned at his words as did some others. 'That my lady is-'

'This is uncalled for,' Zoë murmured under her breath.

'I agree with Princess Zoë Xing My Sovereign Liege,' a young man said getting to his feet. 'This is unnecessary. You are disrupting the meeting to please a woman, one who still owes us an introduction,' he pointed out.

'Her place is not even in this meeting hall to begin with,' Zoë added, more confident in her opposition because someone else had boarded her ship.

'Yes,' the emperor began. 'I am doing this to please a woman. But mind you, it is not just any woman that I am doing this for. It is mine, my woman,' he retorted. His voice was hard as steel, parlous and fraught with danger. This declaration infuriated Zoë greatly. But, she couldn't trade banter with the emperor. She dared not do so. Such impudence would not be looked upon lightly. 'Sit down The Liege Philip,' he said to the standing man. The Liege Philip took his seat without another word.

'Shall I go on my lord?' Cora asked him when he was much more calm. He nodded at her.

'Yes, go on,' he said. She bowed slightly to him I'm obeisance before she continued.

'This is King Bleu Dracon of the Draco kingdom, ranked first in this council,' she said indicating one of the slightly older men at the table. She gestured towards the person opposite him.

'That is King Thor Oswald of the Iron kingdom, ranked second.' She realized then that they were seated according to rank. Her hand shifted as she gestured towards the person sitted after King Bleu. It was Zoë. 'That is Princess-'

'Skip her,' her lady said. 'Please go on to the people that matter,' she instructed Cora. There was a raw gasp from Zoë and a slight giggle from Fairy which was quickly muffled with her hands. Oh what an insult!

'Yes my lady,' Cora answered her. That hurt Zoë and she nearly blew up to the ceiling with the anger coming off her in smoky waves. 'That is King Leo Shield of the War kingdom, ranked fourth,' she said indicating the man opposite Zoë. He was very young. He seemed about thirty years. He had hair the colour of sand. 'His wife Queen Lilli Shield stands behind him as an aide.' She glanced at the green eyed beauty just like her, impressed. Her green hair was thick and long, hanging halfway down her back in loose waves.

'Are you serious?' she said. 'That's pretty wonderful,' she said glancing at the emperor who nodded, 'to have your Queen escort you. I like that.' She turned to the emperor again. 'We have the same eyes don't we?' she asked gesturing with her hands towards her eyes and then towards Queen Lilli's eyes before turning to him to hear his answer.

'No mine,' he said to her. 'Yours are yours and hers are hers,' he stated in a matter of fact way without even a glance at the Queen.

'Oh you are no fun,' she groused. She kept quiet then. Cora took it as a sign to go on.

'That is Queen Serena Waters of the Aqua territory ranked fifth,' she gestured towards the beauty sitting close to Zoë. She had very long blond hair. She was wearing a white gown. It was of the same design with her aide who was standing behind her. She wondered how they all fought in that bulky gown.

'Then what of the King if she's here?' she blurted out quizzically.

'The Aquarians do not have kings, only queens,' Queen Serena explained. 'The emperor is the only man who is allowed to rule over us. I have a husband if that is what you might be thinking and he is very much well. But, a man cannot rule over us Aquarians,' she said extensively.

'Oh I get,' she said. 'Do go on Cora; forgive me for having too much questions and interrupting you too much,' she apologized.

'It is alright my lady.'

'Ask as much questions as you want mine,' the emperor chipped in. She turned to him. He had turned his chair in such a way that it will make it very comfortable for him to stare at her, watch her easily.

'This is Colonial princess Fairy Rion-'

'Oh I know Fairy so well,' she said to Cora. 'She's my friend and we have such a good rapport,' she said smiling at Fairy who returned the smile much to Zoë's dislike.

'More like partners in crime,' Zoë mumbled under her breath, inaudibly.

'Then, we have The Liege Philip King of the Verking realm ranked seventh,' she introduced gesturing to the man seated at the end of the triangular table. He was directly opposite her. The little prince was to her left and the emperor to her right. By the hierarchy of sitting arrangement, she was at the head of the table and she wondered why the emperor had placed her there. She realized that was the reason everyone had looked at her like some strange specimen when she had first sat down. She stared at the man. What made his title different? He stared back at her, more out of curiosity than any other thing. She noticed that his eyes were an unusual color. They were a deep blue; the forget-me-not-type, streaked generously with silver and gold.

'Your eyes,' she stated, 'they are beguiling.' The compliment left the young ruler blushing. The sight was hilarious, a grown man of about twenty seven blushing, and she was quite amused.

'Thank you,' he said to her. 'It is a trade mark of the Verking.'

'It is a very beautiful one,' she commented. Her comment made him blush twice more. She was thoroughly tempted to laugh.

'Thank you once again,' he said.

'That is all, right?' she asked Cora, despite it being so obvious.

'Is there anything else mine?' the emperor asked her. She shook her head in answer.

'If there is, I will ask you later,' she whispered to him, leaning towards him to do so. He seemed amused at her stance but he nodded his head at her statement.

'Shall the meeting continue then My Lord?' Cora asked the emperor. He nodded. 'Let the meeting continue,' she announced.

'What shall we address the emperor's guest as?' The Liege Philip suddenly asked the emperor.

'You do not need to address her as anything else but My Lady, like any other noble lady,' he said to the man who nodded and sat.

The meeting began properly then. They discussed a many things and after a while she indeed began to feel so bored, as bored as the third prince had described. They discussed varying things that didn't relate to her or interest her. They talked on about intertrade to intratrade and the advantages and the disadvantages. There was the slight dispute between the traders to monetary aspect and project funding. She began to doze at some point but tried hard not to sleep. She didn't know when she fell asleep, her head swaying softly. The emperor whose amused gaze had since been on her caught her swaying head with his quick reflexes. She didn't rouse, but her lashes fluttered softly for only a brief moment. All eyes focused on the emperor and the sleeping lady. King Thor found his voice after a brief pause and continued with what he had been saying as his eyes followed the emperor. When he stood and scooped her gently into his arms, their gazes intensified. And when he sat, cradling her in his lap, the hall went critically silent at his action.

'The bridge shall serve well,' the emperor suddenly said in reference to what King Thor had been saying. 'But, to convince Quarie island to allow us to do so would not be as easy as you think. They rely on the Kutrav River to stay safe from invaders. But all in all, I believe that it is a good idea,' the emperor concluded. King Thor found his voice then.

'I shall send an alliance envoy to Quarie with a good convoy the day after I return to the Iron kingdom,' he promised. The emperor nodded, satisfied with his suggestion.

'Do as you have said and send me a detailed report. If they agree to an alliance, we shall first build our rapport before shall propose such,' he said to him. King Thor nodded and sat down. 'If there is nothing else that specially needs my attention, I shall leave you all to continue then,' he said to them. No one brought anything forth so he stood and headed out of the meeting hall with the sleeping lady in his arms.

'The meeting shall continue in the emperor's absence,' Cora announced before she joined Xiera and the others in leaving the meeting hall.

'He walked out of the meeting because of her,' Zoë murmured.

'Princess Zoë,' the Little Prince cautioned in a warning tone, 'focus on the meeting and not on matters that do not concern you.' she said nothing in response, as if she dared. 'Please resume the meeting,' he said.

'Let the meeting proceed!' Octavia announced then, having assumed Cora's place.

While the meeting went on, the emperor took the sleeping lady to his own bedroom. He lowered her gently and tucked her into the round bed tenderly. He stared at her, her tempting lips in particular. He could not resist the charming seduction of the succulent mould of flesh. He bent and planted a soft feather light kiss on them. Her eyes opened slowly. She stared at him through sleep hazy eyes. He doubted that she was completely conscious or even conscious at all.

'Don't leave me Cassiopeia,' he murmured in a pleading voice, caressing her face lovingly, saying her name out loud for the first time in a long time. She said nothing to him, closing her eyes and going back into her slumber. Later, she would surmise that touching encounter a dream.

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...OmaPhinaPhire🔥