***
Latrice Evans
One day later...
We finally arrived at the Harbour of the Eros Kingdom, Eris. It was the only way anyone could enter or arrive at the Kingdom of Eros. Upon arriving at the harbour I was completely surprised. The Harbour, it was like... No, it was similar to the modern-day harbour from where I was originally from... Their ships and boats were similar models to Earth and there were houses built near the harbour. The house was a walking distance away from the harbour where the ships were. It felt like we were at the Athinios port in Greece for a vacation. The peaceful laughter of people with the sounds of waves was like music being sung in harmony. The familiar yet unfamiliar aroma of food wafts around that it is impossible to miss it.
"Woah." Rissa let out astounded.
"It's beautiful." she added surprised by what she had said herself.
"I know. It feels weird." I let out unknowingly forgetting where we were.
"Weird?" Count Pattel asked.
"Huh?" I asked flustered.
I had forgotten that they were here... And to them, this was exotic and extraordinary not weird.
"Oh my. I meant to say exotic and beautiful, but because I am so flustered. I didn't know what to say and said the first thing that came to sound." I let out.
"We are happy to hear that our kingdom flustered you. It might have made you think about your kingdom."
We all turned our heads and were met with the eyes of a cocky-looking man. His eyes were filled with an unsettling emotion. It was filled with pride and hatred but most of all... This unsettling emotion in his eyes said to us,
'You are just mere crumbs that will always be below us.'
"It's nice to meet you?" I spoke up as I felt the awkwardness that was lingering around us.
"Who are you?" he asked in a disgusted tone.
"And how dare you, a WOMAN speak for men?" he asked emphasizing the world woman.
He was angry and I... I was losing it. I wanted to slap him across the face but I could not because this was not the Aegis empire, and I could not do what I wanted.
"I am GRAND DUCHESS Latrice Evans, the WIFE of GRAND DUKE Orisis Evans." I answered after I had collected my reasoning thoughts.
I made sure to emphasize the words Grand Duchess and Grand Duke. He stared at me flustered and a bit angry, but he did not say much.
"I am the KING's Vassal." He introduced himself as he emphasized the word king's.
I stared at him before bursting into laughter. A vassal. A VASSAL had the audaciousness to disrespect me!
"CROWN PRINCESS, did you hear that?" I asked Rissa.
"A MERE LAP DOG had disrespected the delegation of the AEGIS EMPIRE?" I mocked him as I stared at him from the corner of my eyes as I emphasized the words mere lap dog and Aegis empire.
He flinched as I looked at him. He gazed at me scared, but also angry.
"How insolent of you!" he shouted angrily.
"This is the Future crown princess, Marissa Braun and this is Count Pattel and Marquess Chong." I introduced them as I ignored his childish behaviour.
He flinched as I looked at him. He gazed at me scared, but also angry.
"How insolent of you!" he shouted angrily.
"This is the Future crown princess, Marissa Braun and this is Count Pattel and Marquess Chong." I introduced them as I ignored his childish behaviour.
"I apologize for the inconvenience." Marquess spoke to the vassal.
"She is not used to the sea. You know how women tend to be." He added.
"I will insure that she apologizes to you." he added again.
The man's eyebrows quirked up excitedly as he nodded satisfied. It was like he was glad that a man had power.
"Duchess Evans, Apologize!" Marquess Chong exclaimed angrily.
His voice sounded like a roar which made me flinch... It made everyone flinch.
"No." I spoke up.
"Duchess, we both know that your husband does not care about you and that he is very upset with you! Even if I hit you today he would not care!" he shouted angrily.
"Apologize! Right now!" he warned me.
I flinched enough for people to notice me and I cried a bit as I walked towards the vassal and I did just what we had prepared.
"I apologize for my behaviour. I should not have intervened in men's work." I let out as I bowed slightly.
I glanced quickly at him and you could see how proud and satisfied he was.
"I will forgive you because you are a guest in the Kingdom of Eros." he let out satisfied.
What an insecure imbecile... He was falling into our trap.
"Let's go." he ordered and everyone followed.
We followed him and he took us to the palace in a carriage.
***
Three days earlier...
"Since they are a man-based kingdom that does not value women, we will do this." I spoke.
"We are going to pretend and the two of you." I added pointing at Count Pattel and Marquess Chong.
"You are going to be IN CHARGE." I told them as I emphasized the words in charge.
"So we are going to make them believe that Count Pattel and I are in charge so that they can lower their guard?" Marquess Chong verified.
"Exactly. That is why Marquess if I do something that offends them you must apologize and force me to apologize too." I tell him.
"And this." I let out, showing them a corked bottle filled with a clear liquid inside.
"What's that?" Count Pattel asked.
"It is the medicine that will take the bedridden King up." I answered.
"But rumours were that there wasn't a way to save the King and that he just had to wait for his death." Marquess Chong stated.
"Have you ever heard of the Taigraine Sunflowers?" I asked them.
"Everyone knows that the Taigraine Sunflowers are only a myth." Count Pattel let out.
"They are only considered a myth within the Aegis Empire," Rissa spoke.
"Has there ever been anyone or any herbal scholar from the Aegis empire who had gone out of the empire to find it?" She asked.
"No, we did not see the need as we knew that our land was the most fertile and if we could not find it in our empire, then why would it be somewhere else..." Marquess Chong spoke in a tone of realization.
"That's where your myth became an empire-known myth instead of a world-known myth." I tell them.
"The Taigraine Sunflower grows in the Kingdom of Eros." I added.
"But how do you know that?" Count Pattel asked curiously.
"I read the stories about the Taigraine Sunflower and in all the different versions of the story, I realized that the version from the Kingdom of Eros had additional information that none of the others had." I answered.
***
The Taigraine Sunflower... It is similar to the normal sunflower in that you cannot tell a difference. The normal sunflower had bright yellow petals with brown disk florets that were actually seeds that formed in the middle...Whereas the Taigraine sunflower was a slightly lighter yellow with black disk florets that had a poisonous-filled seed forming in the middle. Fifty-seven different types of poisons were developed from the Taigraine Sunflower. One of those poisons is, Paraplegia-ly. It is a poison that stops and affects the entire body by sending it into shock which causes all the limbs to become paralysed. The poison is also undetectable deeming whatever happens to the person affected as a natural cause.
Five years from now, the substitute KING would be poisoned with Paraplegia-ly and then he would give away the secret to get help. He does not get help and ends up dying from the dose he had been given. It's a pity he died like that because his death, was the end of the existence of the Kingdom of Eros.
"We are glad to have you here, Marquess Chong and Count Pattel. The two of you seem like very reasonable people. I can see this negotiation proceeding very well." The Vassal let out.
He did not acknowledge Mariss and me. The tone he used and the manner he said it made us all very aware that he thought we were issues.
"You know, Women in the Eros Kingdom are only allowed to work in the kitchen. After all, they are very weak and they do not and never understand the politics of the big world." he boasted.
I bit my tongue as I held back my thoughts.
For Rissa. This is for Rissa. And I will make him pay for what he said.
"And You see, DISRESPECTFUL women like this are beaten until they understand their place." He added as though he was giving the most precious news and advice in the world.
"I see." Marquess Chong responded.
"We usually give them one warning before we do anything to them." He added.
"Tsk...You Aegis Men are just too soft." He let out, sounding a bit disappointed.
"You might be right." Count Pattel spoke in a tone that said let's drop this for now.
The King's Vassal nodded and the ride to the palace was completely silent.