"Let me guess, Delila," I stood up from my chair and walked over to the girl, bending a knee to speak with her at eye level, face to face. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
"Everyone else gets to walk while you're trapped in your chair. It's not fair, is it?" My right hand moved, gently resting on the girl's cheek, locking her face in place to keep her from avoiding my gaze in her flustered state. "They just don't know the worth of the treasure they possess. Those fools, walking around like it's nothing."
"But jealousy is easy, you see. Do you feel it?" Her head drew closer as our foreheads touched, the warmth of the moment enveloping us. "Something more..."
Our eyes closed, surrendering to the tranquility of the moment. She stopped trembling, her mind shifting from chaos to a dead calm as my voice soothed her worries. "...Tell me, Delila."
Her ears perked up at the sound of her name, standing tall as if afraid to miss a single word. "Do you wish you could fly?"
My words caused her eyes to widen, as if she were seeing the world for the first time. "Be hungry, Delila. Don't let that hunger go to waste." My words brought a smile to her face, but even amidst my current condition, I couldn't continue lying to this girl. It simply didn't sit right with me.
What need do the strong have to feel like this?
"Smack!" My hand struck her face with a sudden force, but I was certain my words would wound far deeper than any physical blow. I steeled myself, knowing that denying her this truth would be inhuman.
I snapped my head to the side, pinning the old man in his place with my gaze. It was the first time I had directed such intensity at the Emperor since the start of our conversation. My expression conveyed not a request, nor even a demand, but an order: Stay put.
"Dreams don't change the fact that you're weak." My words struck the little girl to her core, the weight of my statement pressing down on her as she reeled from the situation. The pain from the slap was overshadowed by the shock of what had just transpired.
In an instant, her greatest idol—an embodiment of everything she had ever dreamed of—had lifted her up with hope, only to shatter that very hope, leaving her out in the cold.
It was cruel.
It broke the girl, far beyond what words could convey.
"Stop being weak, Delila." The Emperor's voice emerged low, barely containing his anger.
"Don't get me wrong, Delila. It's not your current weakness that disappoints me so much; it's the weakness of your will."
I leaned in closer, ensuring she wouldn't flee from the lesson I was so graciously imparting. "It disgusts me."
I offered her the greatest gift I could bestow, oblivious to the pain it would cause.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get stronger, you brat." I envied her luck; she was given so much, even this—a lesson I had to painfully learn on my own.
'She's the luckiest girl alive.'
"Why don't I show you something?"
"FIANA! GET IN HERE!" My voice bellowed, resonating through the Palace, past the walls, past the doors. Not a minute had passed before my secretary dropped everything she was doing, bursting through the doors of the Royal Library with haste.
"Delila?!" Fiana was clearly shocked to see her younger sister in this conversation, but there would be plenty of time to catch up later. Right now, I needed her to fulfill my wild requests.
"Stop worrying, Fiana, and come over here." I gestured for her to approach, and she complied. Leaning in, I whispered my command into her ear, ensuring the others couldn't overhear.
"...and I want it done in the next half hour." I finished my instructions and gestured for her to leave and get started on my latest request.
"THUD!" The doors of the Royal Library slammed shut behind her as she rushed out, clearly anxious about the impending deadline. However, I trusted in her competence more than she did herself—she'd get it done.
What followed was the most uncomfortable twenty minutes in this Palace's history, filled with the Emperor's gaze mixed with fury, curiosity, and worry, while the young girl kept her head down, staring into space. Finally, Fiana outdid herself, ushering in three other girls into the Royal Library.
Though all were around Delila's age and appeared human, the similarities ended there.
One girl had black hair, her clothes tattered and resembling those of a beggar.
Another sported blonde hair, adorned in jewels, appearing like she had just stepped out of a jeweler's showcase.
The last had brown hair, dressed in ordinary civilian attire—neither tattered nor embellished.
All three grew confused, having just been uprooted from their various "homes" by the Royal Guards. They huddled together, frightened and disoriented, looking to each other for support as they were deposited into this room without explanation.
Amidst their shock, they noticed the other occupants—an old man, dressed in luxurious fabric, whom even the noble girl failed to recognize as the Emperor, and a girl in equally extravagant clothing sitting in a wheelchair.
Then, there was me—looming right next to them, causing them to break their huddle.
"Don't be scared, young ones. You're just here to prove a point." My voice, calm and soothing, resonated with authority, but I knew my imposing figure did little to ease their fears. The moment they spotted me, all three girls began to shout in panic.
'To be fair, I do present an intimidating first impression.'
"It's going to be alright, just please..." I lowered my voice, allowing my aura to exude tranquility and peace, wrapping them in a sense of safety. Gradually, their screams quieted as they realized I meant them no harm. My voice continued to soothe them under the scrutinizing gazes of both Delila and the Emperor.
"Clap!" I clapped my hands to capture everyone's attention, ensuring all eyes were firmly on me.
"Let's begin with this one." I nodded toward the girl with black hair. "Today's your lucky day, kid. I'll be changing your life for the better..."
"From now on, you're no longer a street beggar. Tell me, do you want to become a smart and wealthy merchant or a strong and capable knight?"
I leaned in closer after a moment of silence, growing impatient. "Pick one, kid. Last chance."
"A knight! I pick a knight!" she shouted, her voice carrying the weight of desperation.
"A knight it is!" I proclaimed, excitement bubbling within me, reminiscent of a game show host presenting prizes to eager contestants.
Next, I turned to the commoner. "How about you, kid? What do you want? A position of high status? Want to become a strong adventurer? Or perhaps you wish to become a noble? Nothing's off the table—just speak it."
After a brief moment of contemplation, she chose the first option. "I want to be a noble!"
"Look at you! We've got a future aristocrat here—good job, girl, achieving your dreams so early in life!" I grasped her hands in my own, shaking them in congratulations before moving on to the final 'winner.'
"And then there's you..." My smile widened as I approached the last little lamb. "You're already clearly wealthy, probably the child of a noble family. Let's see, let's see..." I continued to deliberate until finally, I had a suitable plan. "Ah! Yes, how about this..."
"You have family problems, don't you?" I asked, although I expected she would, given the specifics Fiana had gathered to curate this little game.
Before she could nod in response, I declared, "Here's the deal: You need to find the love of your life in the next half-year. If you succeed, I'll give you double your family's worth, but if you fail, I'll take half of it away. Good luck, kid!"
Having fulfilled my objectives, I waved them away. "Shoo! Get out of here. Tell the nice lady with the purple hair what just happened and let her handle the rest. Have fun!" I figuratively kicked the still-confused girls out of the room, leaving just the three of us to continue our lesson.
"Do you get it, Delila? I just changed the lives of those three girls as easily as that." My words prompted her to turn her gaze toward me, even though her heart was broken. "Do you know why I can do that, Delila?"
The girl replied lifeless.
"Because you're strong."
"You're Goddamn right."
"I can feel pity for them and change their lives. I could have killed them, and not even your old grandpa over there would utter a peep."
Silence followed my statement, hanging heavily in the air.
"DON'T YOU GET IT?!" For the first time in a long while, true rage coursed through me, shattering the serenity of my calm demeanor under the weight of the emotions I was trying to convey.
"Those girls, who are happily walking out of here with their lives changed by just a few words of mine—don't you understand that's exactly what should make them mad?!"
The young girl's eyes widened as she began to grasp my message even before the Emperor could. Despite all his experience and skill, he simply couldn't fathom the depth of this heart-to-heart exchange between us.
"I control their fate, not them. Not their will—me! Don't you get it even now, Delila?"
Unfortunately, it seemed the Emperor had finally grasped my point when it hit him squarely in the face.
Simultaneously, he recognized the danger it posed to a still-developing young mind. Without uttering a word, he pushed Delila's wheelchair out of the room, closing the door behind her, only realizing the consequence of his actions in that fleeting moment.
"You know you only proved my point by wheeling her out of here against her will..." The only response the Emperor could muster was a brief grinding of his teeth before he took a deep breath, letting the tension wash out of him, fully aware of the irrelevance of his answer.
"So that's how you view the world?" the Emperor spoke, his voice aged, as if he had lived a decade in a single sentence.
"Yes."
"You could have lied, you know." He furrowed his brow.
"What's the point? I'm sure even after all this—no, especially after all this—you're not stupid enough to go to war with me, are you?"
The Emperor's silence was telling.
"Now, if you would excuse me, I have to get back to training. I would appreciate it if you updated Fiana on everything we discussed in my place, and share some of her burden. She deserves it, don't you think? In turn, I'm sure she'd be more than happy to share some 'secrets' about how to 'deal' with me. Have fun!"
"THUD!" And with that, the Royal Library grew lonesome, filled with just one Emperor, left to his thoughts. Finally, he could do what he had been desperately trying to prevent.
A deep smile now hung squarely on his face.
After all, despite all the antics and conversations, the boy ultimately chose to do good rather than harm, fulfilling the wishes of the young girls. He understood that his decision on how to 'interact' with Delila would surely provoke the Emperor's temper. Thus, he made a silent appeasement, striving to be fair while remaining true to himself.
And thus, the Emperor had made his decision.