Guards patrolled every corner of the midnight garden. It was extravagantly decorated with floating ruby lanterns and dancing fires. The dark red signified the glory of the Qira tradition.
Veiled Women dressed in the most exquisite attires flocked into the central castle. Upon entering, sweet melodic tunes fluttered the ears of the guests, welcomed by skilled musicians playing traditional Qira tunes and occasional drums.
For most women, this could be considered the most important day of their life. It was the one chance Worlds could change their position in the power hierarchy of the Seven Realms. A poor world could switch to a wealthy Utopia the moment a representating girl is picked by the Emperor. Which was why the girls had been preparing their whole lives for this very moment. Breeded to be perfect, flawlessly trained in the duties of a wife, poised in graceful manners. Beautiful and exotic beyond measures, not one of them were flawed in any way. The highest caliber of youthful women.
Najeer watched from above the ground floor cloaked by an invisibility barrier, observing each and every single woman entering. They had already began dancing in preparation for the ceremony, swaying their hips. The Engagement was traditionally a dance ceremony. Eligible women were to be picked based on their dancing capabilities and the Emperor's attraction to them. Considering the great numbers and how practically every girl was beautiful, these women would have to dance and smile better than they ever had in their whole lives if they wanted to get noticed.
Najeer could already remember some if not most of the faces of the potential brides. In the past he had been encouraged to do some background work into the women that could be allowed into his palace. Right now he could identify each by their parents titles and reputation in order to decide who would be more useful in his palace than the other. And of course some beautiful few for his own personal satisfaction.
Everything in the Royal Court was politics. Even his Harem. The wolves had done the most elimination. Now it was left to him to pick up from where they couldn't.
According to tradition a woman's beauty and dancing was supposed to be the main factors for selecting the women in the Emperor's harem. Meant to be open to all daughters from both the High and Low Court by an equality random invitation. But the pool of women here today was as a result of anything but equality. Behind the scenes there had been strings pulled by politicians and governors in the High court to ensure only their daughters made it to the palace today to participate in the engagement.
Assassinations, bribery and murders had been silently occuring in Courts to push their favourable candidate to him. Of course Emperor Najeer had caught on to the dark affairs, but he turned a blind eye. As such cases had been happening since the eras of many Emperors before him. It was expected and accepted as part of life in the Royal Court.
Even the candidate families knew what they were getting themselves into before accepting the invitation. To think how many women and families had to die before the final selection could turn out the way it was today.
At the end of the day the same Houses from the last Royal selection recycled itself here. Only daughters from the top of the high courts were present, no, not one lower-court female representative made it. Which meant the Houses of the High Court's would maintain their stance. Power hadn't shifted. After all the highest power belonged to the ones that had access to Najeers direct line of vision. From there one could gather effort to gain his attention.
A low scoff escaped his throat as he turned his attention from the crowd of women. Before the ceremony began, he had other things to prepare.
++---++
Roriana
Outside the grand castle was Roriana, a woman dressesd in a red silk garment similar to that of the royal servants and walking beside her was another man in servant uniform, Zanister. They blended in with the line of royal servers moving away with trays in the hands.
The disguised woman and man passed a burnt yellow garden, to which the woman looked at the beautiful plants in utter awe. The trees and bushes were like polished gold growing from branches. she had never seen anything like it.
Suddenly they arrived at a large castle and the servers rushed inside. Roriana and Zanister followed the same. Once they entered the interior they were hit with the sight of aisles upon aisles of busy red-uniformed workers, scrambling. Cooks in one corner were sprinkling sweet scenting spices into a large pot, while at another corner workers levitated crystal white dishes and dipped them into soapy water before floating sponges scrubbed ten plates at a time.
Rori's mouth parted from the overwhelming yet breathtaking scenery.
"Ilka! Ilka! Ilka!" A chubby looking man with large hands yelled as three workers immediately gathered around a large pot over an open fire. it was bigger than the size of the three workers height so they all had to stand on stool.
Roriana realized that she didn't understand the language spoken there. But she pretended to know what it meant by casually turning her head away like it didn't concern her.
"He said, stir, stir, stir." Zanister whispered to Rori.
Rori's eyes unconsciously shifted back to the three workers standing around the pot. They all had their hands holding a huge wooden spoon each putting effort to stir whatever was cooking in the pot.
"You understand them?"
"A bit. Come with me," Zanister said as his hand latched on to hers.
"A whole castle for a kitchen? Have you ever seen anything so impressive!" Rori whispered in excitement as Zanister lead her away, soaking in the scenery from the beautiful white walls which shimmered, unique tools, and equipment frankly she had never seen before.
Zanister scoffed, "I am guessing this is only one of the palace kitchen. There may be more in other locations."
Rori's eyes spun in bewilderment. How was that possible, for there to be more places magnificent like this.
Discreetly as the other servants were distracted, too busy to pay attention, the disguised two silently slipped away. They passed many open rooms filled with busy workers and the deeper into the strange castle they got the stranger things began to look. Thankfully, they discovered an dark empty chamber that appeared to be an abandoned store room.
Hurriedly, they entered and shut the door so they wouldn't be seen.
"Quick put this on, Rori" Zanister breathed out as soon as he heard a click from the door. He then tossed a white dress to the dark haired woman.
Rori's eyes widened as she caught the velvety white fabric. "When did you?"
"Don't ask questions. Just put it on," Zanister whispered as he stared out of a small key hole. He noticed a green-skinned servant rushing to get new plates from another store, as a three-eyed servant dragged a jirok-bull by the horns into a kitchen but the bull protested against the pull.
The three-eyed servant lifted a chopping knife above his head and stabbed it into the bull's skull.
Zanister hurriedly took his eyes away as a shiver ran through his bones. Then a loud deep animalistic voice cried out loud.
"What was that?" Rori asked as she pulled up a strap of the newly acquired dress. She had stolen the opportunity to change into the dress Zanister had given to her while he was looking away.
"Nothing," Zanister lied as he stretched his back."There are lots of ... strange creatures here."
"It is the Great Emperor's palace, what do you expect?" Rori blurted defensively as she pulled some strings causing the dress to tighten at her waist. She sucked in air. "He rules four out of the seven realms. That's over half the universe. It would have been five if he had captured Earth."
Rori froze as she received no response from the brown haired man. Her eyebrows wrinkled in worry as the man stared at her with hunger in his eyes.
"Why, does it look bad on me?" Rori asked.
"N-no. Far from it." Zanister's lips parted as he gazed at Rori fully dressed in a white gown that swept the floor dramatically, white pearls dropped from the waist in an elegant manner. The dress was too tight for her already slim figure, but somehow it made her look all the more breathtaking.
Rori's lemon green eyes balanced with the white color of the gown, and her short raven black fringe hair framed her face lovingly. Her fair cheeks had that pink tinge that gave an innocent allure.
"Wow," Zane breathed with a smirk. "I stole the right dress."
"You stole it, how?" Rori questioned shooting up her eyebrows.
"Like I said. Don't ask questions," he replied.
Rori lifted up the dress and looked down at her old brown huvle boots. It looked so out of place paired with such a gorgeous dress.
"Thankfully the dress is long enough to hide these... things," she muttered. "Why did you steal the dress, if I may ask?"
"Yes you may ask. And I stole it because it seemed like the only way we are going to enter the central castle."
Rori furrowed her eyebrows.
"Did you not see those high class ladies wearing flashy dresses in the gardens walking into the Inner Palace. Worlds, I have never seen so many gorgeous women gathered in one place. Something is going on tonight and this is the only way for you to blend in."
Rori caught the subtle switch from we to you.
"What about you?" Rori bit her bottom lips as she nodded. She did notice. Zanister was not overreacting, the girls she saw today were beyond beautiful. Like shiny polished goddesses. Most were dressed in colorful two pieces native attires that revealed their frightengly slim waist, while some others wore an oversized long sleeved silk garment that showed no skin. Only a few wore a one piece dress like hers. But all the dresses shared a similar trait. That was the traditional embroided essence matched with native pearls and gold jewelry.
She couldn't help but feel self-conscious.
"I'll find my way around the inner Palace, trust me."
"How?" Roriana noticed he has said around, not, into.
"I am an illusionist. Non of those pretty women would notice when a very handsome flower vase, starts moving" Zanister joked
"What?"
"What I'm trying to say is, I can blend into the background, you can't. So you have to look like them, rich, highclass and stuck-up."
Rori rolls her eyes. "Except I don't even have makeup on, they'll notice."
"Too bad because this the only option we have. I can only escort you to the gates of the inner palace, the rest is up to you."
"I-i can't go in alone!" Rori yelled in a whisper.
"Just because I can become invisible, doesn't mean I will make it into the inner palace, much less enter the central castle. The Royal guards would spot me in a heartbeat"
"I-i can't face the Emperor on my own—"
"Rori, calm down," Zanister placed his hands on her shivering shoulders. "We travelled all the way from our small worlds for this Yeliya and Rizaqq sacrificed everything to get us here. Evere-8, depends on us, we can not back down now. Ilee Ixi and everyone will starve to death if you don't tell the Emperor what's happening in the low worlds. This is our last hope."
Rori's eyes darkened as her heart sank. Could she really do it, face the Great Emperor?
What would he do to her for daring to break into his palace? Would he kill her, torture her?
No. No matter what happened to her, he needed to know how his people were suffering. Ever-8, her small world was under ruin.
She simply nodded. "We still need to talk about this. But I'm willing to give it my all to meet the Emperor."
"Good." Zanister cloaked himself with invisibility and waited for the path to be cleared, before opening the door.
The moment the two walked out of the abandoned storeroom, the sound of shattered glass tore through their ears.
They both froze.
"Hello?" A strange voice called.
Rori's eyes shot open as she stared into the pitch black eyes of a lizard-looking creature in a female servant uniform.