AD 641...

A young woman stood at the balcony of her enormous chamber, with her bow and arrow fixed, aiming at the deer in the forest.

Her sharp eyes were fully focused on her prey while her soft delicate fingers coiled around the arrow with valour.

A smirk slowly adorned her soft pink lips when she hit target square and clean. Her big green eyes dilated with victory as she signalled the guards to go for the game with a tilt of her hand.

Princess Cora-Jane was the only child and heiress to the throne of the second most greatest empire in the history of the world, the Roman Empire.

She was only twenty three years old. She had long dirty blonde hair that cascaded down to her waist. She was tan skinned unlike most of the natives who were white skinned. She had thin eyebrows, long eyelashes, beautiful dimples on each cheek. She was tall, slender and curvaceous.

The Princess was lovely in every possible way. She was also kind, compassionate but very delicate. One thing she hated about herself. She had heard of many brave princesses who had grown up to become great queens in the past even her grandmother but she was a soft princess.

Many a times, she had found herself thinking that she had disappointed her father but everytime, her father would scold her for thinking that way.

The Roman Empire was wide, stretching to all the four directions but only at a safe distance away from the Islamic Empire. The Islamic Empire had practically taken a good portion of the earth.

Emperor Augustus was the current ruler of the Roman Empire. He was a great, talented, wise, kind, loving, caring and considerate emperor who knew how to stay composed and keep everybody under his control. It was simply peaceful in the Roman Empire.

Currently, Princess Cora-Jane was walking to the garden with her servants and guards at a safe distance behind her.

"You can wait here, I will be fine." Her velvety voice filled the hall. They all bowed with respect and drew back while the princess walked to her usual spot on the bench beneath the olive tree, receiving some fresh air.

"Hey", she smiled when she heard Henry's voice, the Chief Advisor of the Empire.

He was tall, lanky, dark brown haired, hazel eyed and had nice red soft lips.

Most of the servants and guards knew about the relationship between the princess and the chief advisor but the couple always claimed that they were only best friends.

After all, Cora's father will never approve of their relationship. Sometimes, it infuriated her that her father made her feel like a little girl who needed to be told what to do.

"How have you been?" Henry asked, sitting beside her and tucking strands of hair behind her ear.

He leaned in and trailed kisses on her cheek bone.

"Mhm, you smell divine today." He commented.

"I have been doing great. What about you?" She managed to ask, blushing a bit.

"I've been coping with the current situations at hand. Being an advisor sucks." He complained grumpily.

Cora smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm proud of you, Henry. You are sensible, patient and good looking. I love you." She said softly.

Henry grinned. He loved it when she said words like these because he knew that she meant every word.

"I love you too, Jane." He said. They both leaned in and shared a passionate kiss. They had been secret lovers for two years.

Everytime Henry suggested that their parents should know about them, Cora would say that it would be better if they waited.

Princess Cora-Jane never knew why she didn't feel right about telling her parents of her relationship with Henry. It always felt as if Henry was not the right man for her. He didn't feel right at all.

She felt like it would be a waste of time if she ever got married to Henry but because he had been a very good friend, she didn't want to break his heart.

Much to her dismay, Henry was power-minded.

"One day, when we get married and I become king, I will change the laws of the empire." That was his favorite promise.

Somehow, everytime Cora heard that, she felt disgusted and annoyed. She felt the gap between them widening.

It seemed as if Henry loved her because of the throne. Sometimes, she would find herself wishing that someone would come and raid the empire so that she would not have to take up the responsibility of of being empress just to check Henry's reaction to the situation.

Once she was alone, Princess Cora-Jane stared up at the sky as she thought about her life.

She had everything alright but what was life when you still felt incomplete?