Series Like The Empress Novels & Stories

My face burned. I looked away quickly. Shame wrapped itself around me like a heavy blanket. I was small. Weak. Vulnerable. What would he think of me now? What would Bryan do if he knew the truth? I wished I could run out of the room. I did not belong there. But Tasha stepped forward and broke the silence. She coughed. "There's something I have to say before we sign anything." Everyone turned to her. "I am not the CEO of Denim Group," she stated emphatically. "The real CEO is right here next to me."

Being Dharakand’s princess had trained her to read the deceit lurking behind familiar faces, and to suspect the motives wrapped in an emperor’s summons. “Greetings, Your Majesty,” she said, curtseying. He gave the smallest nod—acknowledgment without warmth, the kind of gesture that said her respect was expected, not earned. Typical of a man who thought his crown made him the measure of all things. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his tone smooth—pleasant on the surface. But she could see the calculation beneath it. The question unsettled her. Why does he care about her health? Kings don’t ask out of kindness—they ask to see where the cracks are.

Her hair swung down her back like a banner, catching on the back of her belt before she flicked it free. She didn’t loom over anyone. She didn’t need to. When she stopped moving, the room adjusted around her. “Humans?” she asked flicking her gaze to her eyes and ears. “Seems to be this way” one mumbled. "Their resources look new. Invested in" Morgan exhaled through her nose. “I hate when they get organised. It ruins my week.” She studied the corridor markings, bright eyes scanning angles and choke points. Her expression shifted subtly — humour receding, something colder sliding into place.

“For how long?” No one answered. Another councilor cleared his throat. “There is… another option.” Aldric stopped pacing. “Say it.” “A failed awakening,” the man said quietly. “Too much power. Too young. She didn’t survive.” The words sat there, ugly and heavy. Caspian stood. “You’re talking about murdering his daughter.” “I’m talking about preserving an empire,” the councilor replied. “Against one girl.” Aldric didn’t look at either of them. He moved to the window instead. Looked out at the city. At everything he ruled.

"I have found that thing. The one who was kind to me when I had no kindness, the one who saved my life when all seemed lost… she will be my Empress." A heavy quiet fell in the room. Lord Valerius’s eyebrows went up a little, a hint of surprise in his usually calm face. General Thorne stayed still, his trained mind probably already figuring out the political effects, how people might react. "Your Majesty?" Lord Valerius finally asked, his tone careful. "An Empress? Forgive me, Sire, but who is this… person? We thought you were rescued by a regular person, someone living alone in the woods."

Cold water ran over her fingers as soap foam clung to her skin. She could hardly believe how her life had turned out. A woman who once stood at the top had become a live-in wife, all to repay a debt of kindness. Now, her hands were soaked in grease and detergent, the sharp scent refusing to fade; the contrast was almost cruel, from power and influence to silence and servitude. Yet her expression remained calm, as if she had long accepted this fate, burying every trace of pride deep within her heart, because today was special. Today marked the third anniversary of her relationship with Alexander, and in five days, their agreement would end.

"Do not threaten me, Natalie. I have spilled too much blood to get to this throne. I am the boss now. You do not control me." I lowered my head, intending to forcefully kiss her to reassert my dominance, to make her submit to the monster she had helped create. But before our lips could touch, the entire hall was suddenly flooded with a blinding, white light. Bright headlights cut through the glass double doors, illuminating the room like a stage as the roar of a high-powered engine echoed from the driveway outside. "Am I interrupting something?" A deep, smooth voice drifted from the shadows near the corridor. Natalie and I both froze. I slowly let go of her wrists and stood up, my heart drop

What they didn't know was that I had handed the seal to Harry with my own hands. The empress, Bella Barrett, had always felt guilty about not giving Harry the position of empress consort. She kept nitpicking and dropping hints that I should pass the royal seal to someone more deserving. If this had happened in the past, I definitely would have fought her on it. "How can there be an empress consort without a royal seal? You're deliberately trying to humiliate me!" But now, knowing that I was finally leaving this miserable place and going back to where I belonged, I felt a profound sense of relief.

Angela replied this time, "No, except for Master Agathus by his majesty and, of course, Emilia who sometimes comes to visit since she's like a mother to the Emperor." That was news to Alexis. "Emilia is like a mother to the Emperor?" She asked curiously. "That's right." Added the third maid who had hair so light it was probably white instead of platinum blonde, "she raised him since he was a child." Alexis frowned at that. That meant Emilia had the most knowledge of the Emperor, but another question pestered her. "What about his mother?" She realised she shouldn't have asked when the dwarfs got all silent and looked anxiously at each other. She sighed and spoke again, "don't answer that."

But I had a feeling that Dante wasn't the type of person who would knock. When I opened the door, I realized that my prediction was right. Annie beamed at me. And she brought food. She was officially my favourite person in this book. We ate and chatted. Annie knew gossip related to the royal families. She would lower her voice whenever she talked about them. It was strange to hear the royal scandals from a young girl, but I needed information. "Basically, the empress wants her son to be the next emperor?" I probed. "Yes, but the fifth prince is young and his achievements barely match Prince Dante." She said to me, "However, Prince Dante is too cruel."