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...41...
I NEVER AGREED TO IT, DID I?😎
The court meeting was held in the royal pavilion rather than the court room because there was too much people who had come from the different kingdoms. The court room might have been a bit too stuffy for them all. They were all settled in the royal pavilion, either talking or arguing about the matter at hand, the reason for their assemble.
When the emperor arrived, the royal pavilion went quiet, as quiet as a haunted graveyard. They all stood to their feet when he graced them with his presence. He walked in as elegantly as ever despite the fact that he had not bothered to to put on his royal robes or crown to the court proceedings. He rather chose to appear in his regular immaculate white shirt and white pants with the shirt missing the first three top buttons as always. He sat atop the throne and stared at all those who had dared to call such and those who had dared to be present in such a thing. His eyes settled on the empress dowager after only a few seconds of skimming through the crowd. A strange emotion flickered in his eyes for a fleeting moment and then it was gone as quickly as it came.
'Shall we begin the proceedings My Sovereign Liege?' she inquired of him, holding his gaze without qualms.
'No,' was the emperor's reply to her. 'I await someone. Everyone can sit till my guest is here,' he added.
'Yes My Crown,' she said to him. The empress dowager was the only one allowed to address him as such. It was a title that a mother should use to address her crowned royal child in the Linamine Empire. The only other person who was allowed to do such was a king who had abdicated the throne to his child, the prince. The look the emperor gave her at the mention of that title had her almost cold and frost bitten. She regretted addressing him as such.
Now, the court was on hold for nearly thirty minutes before the Emperor's guest arrived. The people present talked and chatted in minimal tones due to the Emperor's presence before the guest came. They all went mute the moment she did. It was a she, yes. It was none other than Lady Rose. Both her aides escorted her into the royal pavilion with her all dandied and looking beautiful. They led her to a spot by the Emperor's side, just about at the foot of his throne. She sat at a place prepared just for her. She looked at the emperor, both exchanging some sort of look before she took a seat.
'Let the court proceedings begin!' the emperor's aide, Cora announced loudly to all in the royal pavilion after the emperor had given her the signal to do so.
'My Sovereign Liege,' the empress dowager began the moment she got to her feet, addressing him with his normal title. 'A report has reached me concerning you. That rumour is the reason I am here, in this petition court, one that I gave full support.'
'What rumour is that empress dowager?' he questioned her.
'It is said that My Sovereign Liege has publicly denounced -especially in the previous court proceeding- the betrothal and engagement to Princess Hera-Mera Dracon of the Draco Kingdom. Is such true My Sovereign Liege?' she continued staring at him.
'Yes it is empress dowager.'
'Why have you done so My Sovereign Liege? Pray tell us why because denouncing a betrothal especially a royal one is no small matter and you know. There are procedures to break a royal engagement.'
'My word is the law,' was the only thing he said when they all looked at him expectantly for an answer.
'But My Sovereign Liege, it is not that-'
'I will have nothing to do with a woman such as that,' he explained.
'But My Sovereign Liege, your father and her father here, the king of the Draco Kingdom made such a binding pact. You can not-'
'Oh please!' he snapped angrily. 'I never agreed to it, did I? It is as you said a contract between two old men who can not dictate to me what I must do with my life.'
'My Sovereign Liege,' she began to counter him with an equally angry voice.
'I never agreed to any such bond between the both of us so let no one speak to me of such. I am fed up of this matter.'
'Your late father, Emperor Demian betrothed you to her! It was a royal command, one that you must obey!' she snapped back at him. There was a short intense staredown between the both of them.
'There is no more an Emperor Demian, empress dowager,' he began. 'My father is dead and gone. I am now the Emperor and now my word is the law in this empire!' he barked at her in a cold voice that left the assembly of people dead silent. 'I decline to do such, carry out an order that holds no water.'
'You can not do this! You will not dare to do this! You can not denounce your betrothal to a capable princess because of some slutty wench who you keep by your side! She must have laced you with something for you to be acting this way!' she said turning the whammy on the lady who was sitting at the emperor's feet, a distinguished spot.
'You speak of her in such a manner once more and I shall command them to have you struck across the mouth!' he snared.
'You would not dare to do so!'
'Utter one more dirty word against her and we shall see who makes empty threats empress dowager.' She bit back the retort at the tip of her mouth. He was not bluffing. He meant it, what he had said. She knew him very well. He would do so instantly without even batting an eyelid in her direction.
'Why are you acting this way My Sovereign Liege?' she asked him. He raised a brow at her.
'What do you mean? How on earth am I acting that is far from normal because that is what your face says to me?'
'You, you are acting thoroughly disoriented and confused. It is plain obvious.'
'You are saying that because I am sure you do not know what this woman has done, do you?' he asked.
'My Sovereign Liege it is-'
'Tell me empress dowager, what is her crime? I want to hear it from you.'
'My Sovereign Liege, I do not think she has offended you in a way that denouncing the betrothal will be punishment.'
'You know nothing empress dowager, yet you gave your support for this gathering?' he asked her with a scoff. 'What a joke!'
'My Sovereign Liege I will not-'
'This woman,' he said pointing at Hera-Mera,' does not have a heart. She has not what it takes to be an empress of Linamine. I would have had her disqualified from the empress choosing ceremony but decided against it to save the face of the Draco Kingdom. Yet,' he roared in anger, 'you all had the audacity, the effrontery, the bile and gall bladder to call a petition court against me? And even you gave your support for such rubbish without fact checking anything!' he accused the empress dowager.
'My Sovereign Liege!' the empress dowager called out.
'From thereof, she is hereby disqualified from the empress choosing ceremony without any questions asked!' he ordered.
'My Lord!' King Bleu Draco said going on one knee. 'Please have mercy!'
'Silence!' he bellowed. 'I will have none of that nonsense. Bring me a more respectable Draco,' he sneered. 'I do not want to set my eyes on a contrast like her.'
'My Lord, Please do not disregard your servant like this,' King Bleu Draco pleaded with him, still on his knees.
'Do mot fall at your feet for me King Bleu Draco. I do not appreciate you doing so. Rise to your feet in a stance that is befitting of your title.'
'I will not do so unless the emperor listens to my heartfelt pleas,' he said stubbornly.
'King Bleu Draco!' he thundered.
'First,' the third prince called out to him, intervening in a hurry. He turned in his direction.
'Little.'
'Please you should not do this,' he said coming afore him.
'But Little, don't you see? Do not you see the temerity that they display?! Do not you see the venturesomeness?! What on earth do they all take me for?! I am asking!' he snarled.
'First, be calm. Please?' he said to him. The emperor sighed softly, cursed under his breath and relaxed in his throne, yielding to his brother.
'Better?' he asked.
'Yes Lord Linamine, it is better. Now I implore you to please be amicable.'
'Little,' he said to him in a warning voice, 'you know that I am being amicable right now.'
'I didn't say otherwise First. Try and be calm. You are getting agitated once more,' he pointed out.
'I am trying,' he forced out through gritted teeth. 'And while we are being amicable, tell the king of the Draco Kingdom to rise to his feet. It deeply infuriates me to no end to see him on the ground like one of my servants,' he ground out angrily.
'I am one of your servants My Lord,' King Bleu Draco muttered.
'King Bleu!' the emperor bellowed rising to his feet and stomping towards the man. The Little prince was quick to block his path.
'First!'
'Is this some kind of mockery?! He refuses to obey my orders!' he thundered angrily.
'Stay put,' the Little Prince uttered to only his hearing. He stared at his brother who nodded at him.
'Little,' he said in a voice that made the word sound like a whine.
'Please, please allow me to handle this.'
'Fine!' But, he didn't turn away, standing there and watching as his brother turned away from him, facing the assembly of people.
'King Bleu Dracon of the Draco Kingdom,' he began. 'Please rise to your feet. If you do not do so, I shall take it as a display of insubordination towards the emperor.'
'But Your Grace,' he began.
'No buts King of Draco Kingdom. Rise to your feet them I shall listen to whatever you have to say.'
'Alright Your Grace,' he said and rose to his feet.
'Thank you,' the little prince said to him. He nodded at him. 'Now, what do you wish to say? Speak to your emperor, he listens.'
'My Lord,' he began after a small bow of respect to the emperor. 'Please I beseech thee, pardon my daughter. She is but a naïve little girl.'
'No one will sway my mind on that decision, even if my father were to rise from the dead and do so, I will not give in,' he emphasized.
'My Lord,' King Bleu Dracon of the Draco Kingdom said to him in a panicked pleading voice.
'My decision to eliminate the princess of the Draco Kingdom is final.'
'No it isn't!' the empress dowager butted in. 'She has not committed a crime worthy of such punishment. I the empress dowager of Linamine will not allow you to eliminate her!' she announced to all.
'Silence!'
'No!'
'You woman!' the emperor roared at her with furious eyes.
'First,' the little prince said to the emperor placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
'Such unmitigated effrontery! I leave my manor for a few days and a half baked lady turns it higgledy-piggledy, disobeying my every orders on account of what? A filmsy betrothal that I have not even acknowledged! She whips everyone in sight, even my woman, acting all high and mighty as the empress to be. Then if she is really made empress, she will stab me in my sleep and rule Linamine!' he thundered with all the anger in his heart, unbidden.
'First! Do not speak in a pectoral way!' the little prince reprimanded.
'Then how shall I speak? They have sought my anger and they should have it when I unleash it.'
'Then unleash it, like the beast that you are!' the empress dowager snapped back at him.
'Empress Dowager!' The little prince thundered at her this time. 'Keep quiet and let me speak.'
'Maximilian!'
'Do not Maximilian me!' he said to her. 'And mind your words! Speak like the status you represent!'
'Had a taste of my anger?' the emperor asked him jocosely. 'That is what I faced.'
'Let me alone First,' the little prince said to him. He turned to the assembly of people. 'Everyone! This petition court is uncalled for. Princess Hera-Mera has offended the emperor. Everything that has followed had been a punishment out of anger. The emperor has a woman, the beauty beside him, one that he allows no one but him to touch. The princess nearly whipped her to her death with a poisoned whip out of spite and jealousy. She should have been here, afore the emperor asking for forgiveness. Yet, all of you stood by her to petition the emperor who had been lenient with her. You all had better do what is right before you suffer for it at the hands of the emperor,' he warned.
'Please,' King Bleu Dracon of the Draco Kingdom pleaded. 'I apologize on behalf of my daughter My Lord. It is my fault. I did not train her properly. My daughter is young, naive and hot-headed. She has no idea what she is doing, not an iota. I apologize for any damage that she must have caused. I approved the petition only because I wanted to confirm wether you had indeed broken of the engagement and denounced the betrothal.' There was a small pause after that. 'Please My Lord, forgive our misdeeds.'
'First,' the little prince said. 'Please listen to him. The emperor said nothing, going to his throne and taking a seat.
'Nothing shall change my decision,' he said, unmoved.
'Beast,' Lady Rose called from his feet. He turned to her. 'Let it go will you? Her father apologized on her behalf. Besides, I am copacetic. Please just let her be for it makes no difference,' she pleaded with him.
'Mine,' he began to protest.
'I am fine and I insist.' He gave up after seeing the determined look in her eyes.
'Alright, fine,' he told her. The smile she gave him then told him that it was all worth it. 'Let her remain,' he finally said. 'But, she is no longer bound to me. The empress competition shall be fair and square from here onwards. I am understood right?'
'Yes My Lord,' King Bleu Dracon of the Draco Kingdom said.
'She is not even remorseful,' the emperor noted about Hera-Mera whose father pushed her gently to her knees then.
'Thank the emperor.'
'I Princess Hera-Mera of the Draco Kingdom thank the emperor for pardoning me on-'
'Save it!' the emperor cut her off bluntly. 'It is not sincere. Besides, it isn't me you should be thanking but the lady by my side.' The disdain on Hera-Mera's face was unhidden as she turned to Lady Rose.
'I Princess Hera-Mera of the-'
'Do not worry about the thanks. I am just happy that everything went well,' Lady Rose said, cutting her off.
'This petition court or whatever is dismissed. And anyone who dares to insult the princess with the court's verdict will answer to me,' he announced himself as he stood to his feet. King Bleu smiled stylishly. It must be that the emperor was only temporarily punishing his daughter for he had protected her dignity just now with the words he uttered. Perhaps when his anger was gone, he would seek to honour their betrothal once more. The emperor descended his throne and lifted the lady at his feet into his arms much to her surprise and strode out of the royal pavilion. The empress dowager stared at the leaving imperial retinue, gritting her teeth in frustration.
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@OmaPhinaPhire🔥
...........
Hi there lovelies! There's just two more chapters to go and the first quarter of this book which is Volume one will come to an end. I appreciate you all for making it this far in my nonsensical balderdash. Also, I do not know when I shall begin the Volume two. But be rest assured that the book will come to you as this is a finished hand written manuscript. Thanks so much once again and have a nice time!
@OmaPhinaPhire🔥