All eyes were on the emperor as he looked down on the sorry state of Emery. With his expression still stern and showed no sympathy at all, he stood from his seat and ran his gaze to the guests. “Earlier, I received a report from the western border and it seemed like the barbarians continued to siege villages after villages. If this continues, it won’t be long before they could become a real threat to the empire. Hence, as punishment, I am sending Emery Trigon to the western borders. Whether she lives or dies afterwards, it is up to her skills,” he announced. It received a rather negative reaction from the audience, most especially to his grandmother, Lady Cressida. Seeing that the emperor still planned to let Emery live, she just could not stand there and do nothing. 

Trigger Warning: Self-harmEveryone was startled with the sudden visit of the emperor since they were not expecting him to come himself. Emery balled her fists and clenched her teeth to control herself. She was afraid that if she loses control, she might just draw out her sword and attack him. Her breathing became a bit shallow and rushed, but still, she stood from her seat and tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. Leaving the assembly house, they all lined up and greeted the emperor upon his entrance in the village. Along with him were half of his knights including Castor and Evander—all of them clad in their full battle armor. As much as they were relieved to see Emery still alive, there was an aura around her that seemed different.  When the empero

She earned another compliment from him before he urged the other girls to play some music just for her. Emery obliged and took the floor right across from him. She stood in a relaxed posture first, her feet shoulder-width apart and her knees slightly bent. As the music began, she started swaying her hips from left to right, and then, circling them in a smooth and fluid motion. As she made a slow turn, her hands traced patterns in the air and went along with the beat and rhythm of the music. With every movement she made, the leader of the barbarians licked his lower lips. The perverted look on his face and the bulge between his pants clearly showed that he had already stripped Emery off of her clothes in his mind. When the dance slowly reached its peak with the music getting more and more intense and Emery’s movements going faster yet controlled and still graceful, the door of the room g

The next two minutes after the physician said those words came a deafening silence. He received a blank stare from the emperor and a confused look from the spectators outside. “Do you think you are making sense right now?” Emperor Claus managed to break that ice of quietness. He even pointed at Emery’s stomach. “You are telling me that there is an eight-month old baby in that stomach of hers, which is clearly as flat as a board?” The physician nodded, his gaze focused on the unconscious state of Emery.  “I never expected to witness with my own two eyes this rare case of pregnancy, but this had happened before,” he replied. “What do you mean?”&

Even after that explanation, the emperor could tell that Emery did not believe a single word he said and was looking at him as if he had lost his mind. He heaved a heavy sigh, giving up on trying to convince her about it. He simply grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. “I will return to the capital today and have everything ready so you can come back as soon as possible.” He tightened his embrace as if he never wanted to let her go again. “I will be gone for some time so please, take care of yourself.” Emery wanted to tell him for the nth time that she had no plans in returning to the palace, but doing so would only lead them into nothing but another the same argument. Letting him do whatever he wanted to do and say, she just stood there with the strong belief that his wor