The Requiem Of An Empress

Although her heart was hurting of the thought of going against the Empress" wishes, the maid debated that her master"s welfare must matter the most. Thus, she straightened her back and, with a sorrowful countenance, unravelled a terse tale.

"That, uhm-- I know that the three of you are cognizant of the truth that there are no spells capable of replicating immortality. Thus, the Empress" immortality isn"t as authentic as it would be. The counterfeit spell"s exclusive purpose is to heal any wounds and diseases she acquires after its activation, yet does not guarantee her unending existence after death. Actually, the enchantment cannot ensure that she"ll persevere a few more aethras. Nevertheless, we cannot dismiss the fact that it is the spell that enabled her to live up to this dier."

Tara desisted talking in the middle of her speech, attempting to suppress the trembling of her voice. As she supposed, whether or not their verity will be suspected, her succeeding words were quite difficult to impose on anyone.

"This is considered her second life. I will not burrow into Her Highness story any deeper than I"ve tattled. That is for her to tell. We are simply appreciative of another dier that she"s allowed to live. I hope that all of you can understand that she is not a recluse by choice. The Empress aspires to be a decent ruler to this Empire"s citizens. In spite of having this pure intention, her frail body constantly deters her from taking a step forward. That is why us twins took the affair into our hands and solicited for the Emperor"s cooperation, even if the Empress would oppose the idea. Admittedly, we are overprotective of Her Highness, but this much restriction is insufficient. Unless we can find an alternative for the faux immortality, she will continue to be dependent on it. We have to find a way to liberate her from this curse of a blessing."

Tara was listless the whole time she was speaking, almost heaving in the act of reciting a story in one breath. Après her revelation, she stabilized her respiration right away, not minding the reactions of her a.s.sociates.

Meanwhile, letting the interior of the carriage be devoured by silence was not a purposive arrangement of its pa.s.sengers, owing to their lack of an appropriate response. Mikhail, Sarakiel, and Zelel"s head went blank along with the emergence of a portion of the Empress" unsung memoir.

Only when the equipage came to a shrieking halt in front of a palace, that could barely pa.s.s as a royal"s residence, did the quietude vacate the s.p.a.ce.

"My Lords, we have arrived in the Soltis Palace. Allow me to lead the way.", Tara announced.

Having her priorities sorted out, she quickly alighted the ride, turning to her back once she"s on the ground.

"My Lords, time is of the essence." - She put more strength in her tone to instil the gravity of the situation to her unresponsive companions.

Fortunately, her utterance woke them from their reverie and the three men deplaned the carriage. Immediately upon their descent, they scrutinized the surroundings of the palace, frowning at its modesty. The discontent stemmed from their belief that the Empress deserves nothing less than what the Emperor has, being that they"re now aware of her circ.u.mstances.

These gentlemen have yet to grasp her character, so it would be presumptuous of them to label her with a preconceived notion. Withal, they judged that the Empress" reluctance in exposing herself to the public is not because of a self-willed impropriety, but to elude the pity of the people. That reality by itself convinced them that she did not deliberately covet to elicit the incert.i.tude among the populace as a result of her prolonged absence.

Tara began to walk towards the entryway, certain that the fellows will trail her. In a couple of seconds, she reached the entrance, instantly knocking on the door to signal their landing. The sound of hurried footsteps was heard crossing the wooden floor on the other side, ending when a maid opened their access to the mansion.

"Welcome to the Soltis Palace, My Lords. I am Sura Kishnar, one of the Empress" handmaidens." - Sura greeted the first-time visitors. Despite her celerity, the maid"s mien displayed no lapse in her composure.

Ahead of confronting their guests, the twins gave each other a look and nodded.

"Esteemed Lords, we are going to enumerate the rules that you ought to heed during your tarry in this palace. Rule one, what happens here should remain in the memories of solely those who are present, unless it is to be reported to His Majesty, the Emperor."

"Rule two, you are permitted to demand rejoinders to your queries from us, though we will be selective in which questions to answer. Last rule, the Empress" safety takes precedence over anything else in the event that a threat arises."

"Inculcate into your minds that breaking any of these rules is equivalent to violating Her Highness" privacy."

"We have high expectations that the Lords will respect these uncomplicated policies."

The maids bowed their heads, not as a show of respect but that they wouldn"t tolerate any opposition.

It was not laborious for the trio to obey the decrees, yet for some unknown ac.u.men, they seemed to be stifled. Be that as it may, they acquiesced understandingly, even if they were a little hesitant to agree at first. Tara and Sura peered at them, satisfied with their decision.

"Alright, let us make our way to the Empress" chambers.", the twins uttered concertedly as they went on to ambulate their path.

Candles, lining the central staircase railings, were the sole source of illumination inside the palace, forasmuch as the windows were covered with crimson-red black-out curtains. Eerie is the most fitting word to describe the ambience of the place. Thankfully, that very atmosphere freed Duke Helian from his respite, abling him to focus in organizing his thoughts without any disturbance.

"A spell imitating immortality? There were already several individuals and groups who strove to acquire immortality. Nevertheless, their pursuit ended up for nought, and they either lost their lives in the process or winded up with mutilated bodies. My knowledge is limited regarding this subject. We might need His Majesty"s abetment.", his speculations were piling up, drawing him to bite the nail of his thumb out of frustration.

"Ouch!" - Unantic.i.p.atedly, Sarakiel whimpered when he b.u.mped on the muscular back of Mikhail.

It appears that their stroll has finished, seeing that their guides were at a full stop afore a pa.s.sageway, right at the end of the corridor.

"Your Highness, we have brought the subordinates of the Emperor with us."

"Please excuse our intrusion."

Sura gently pushed the door to reveal the aperture, making sure to minimize the screeching of wood skidding on wood. The rest of the party followed the maid"s route into the room.

The Empress" quarters was dark, save for the small area brightened by a ball of light, placed on top of the nightstand. Dazzlingly so, the luminescence gave the feeling that Her Highness was bestowed with an aureole by the holy deities.

Granted that Mikhail had a previous encounter with the Empress, his visage still resembled the one of his comrades". Upon beholding the sight of the dreaming Empress, they felt as if a lump was blocking their throats, combined with the air in their lungs diminishing by the millisecond. They were utterly awestricken of her ineffable allure that they became the most speechless they have ever been in their entire lives.

The paleness of her porcelain skin conveyed the impression that she"ll evanesce together with the radiance of the Siero when the nine Coitus conquer the sky. Witnessing her at peace alleviated their unease. The sensation was immensely comparable to devouring a nearly fatal dose of hallucinogens. However, the longer they linger in relishing the moment, the further that the seed of anxiety in their conscience develops.

She was embracing a serenity that is beyond the disquieting extent.

"Why is the Empress not breathing?"- Sarakiel unintentionally blurted out the nagging fear at the back of his head.

"Do not fret, Lord Helian. As long as that orb is shining, Her Highness is still alive. Nonetheless, that sphere"s l.u.s.tre is being misted by time, so does its size. Currently, it"s reduced to a tenth of its original volume.", Tara articulated a comprehensive reply to refrain from extinguishing the aspirations of the Duke to fully heal her master.

Now that they"ve started talking apropos the problem, Sarakiel wanted to probe the maids of the information he needed to ponder on prior to engaging in action.

"I see, so it"s a soul sphere. Did you conjure it with the help of an artefact?"

"No, your grace. It is not a soul sphere, but a device that monitors the life force of the individual bounded to it. And yes, it was conjured with an artefact native to the Karche Kingdom, Her Highness" fatherland.", this time, Sura supplied the reply for his inquiry.

"Well, that would make sense since a human soul can survive in nature without a physical body for a maximum of a mensith. Monitoring the Empress" life force is adequate in this situation. Were there any notable incidents on the dier that Her Highness succ.u.mbed to this condition?"

"Aside from the occasional visit of Countess Lauviah Lukan, there were none."

"What was Lady Lukan"s business with Her Highness?", Sarakiel wondered about the rationale behind Lauviah"s behaviour. As far as he knew, the Countess always openly demonstrated abhorrence towards the uninvolved Empress.

"Countess Lukan took it upon herself to regularly deliver the doc.u.ments that the Empress is required to work on. That dier was one as such. Worry not, for Her Highness never met the n.o.ble lady in person."

"I see." - It was clear that Duke Helian was skeptical of the real motive behind Lauviah"s deportment.

Mikhail noticed that his comrade was bothered by the news because he had a similar premonition. They were all familiar with the n.o.ble lady"s inclination to use underhanded methods, so it was not surprising for them to have doubts.

"Why did the Emperor approve of this arrangement? Is he not perturbed of what that delirious woman can do to the Empress? There is no way that His Majesty isn"t receptive of the Countess" impetus. Why did he even let Lauviah run around freely? At any rate, I"ll hinder her as best as I could." - Percival"s suspicions grew as he ruminated on the arguments. Withal, it"s not like the issue with respect to the Countess could be solved then and there.

"Sarakiel, concern yourself only with the welfare of Her Highness and leave the rest of the matters to me and Zelel."

In the intervening time, Mikhail importuned the completion of their main objective to his subordinate.

Duke Helian readily accepted the obligation with a pertinacious will. He then faced the twins, to ask for permission, one more time.

"Can I have physical contact with the Empress? A mere glance won"t be enough for me to diagnose."

"Your request is gladly received, My Lord."

"Please do so."

Of course, the maids replied favourably for the reason that there will be no harm in consenting. Sarakiel gave them a relieved nod as he treaded the short distance to the bedstead.

Once he"s an inch apart from the edge of the mattress, he folded the silken quilt, that was blanketing the Empress, down to her soles. Subsequently, he laid his hand over her right palm, hoping to study the mana movement in her system. Upon touching her skin, consternation registered in his countenance.

"What? What is this? Why is her blood that of a toddler?" - Sarakiel suffocatingly cried out, perturbed of his discovery.