Pride didn’t exist for Jovine when it came to love.

No matter how pitiful or miserable she seemed, she could only think of one thing.

Getting Richard back.

After the night of the coronation, Jovine was determined to endure. Despite hearing the news of the lovely Emilia Syrene residing in the Palace at the command of the Emperor or hearing about his enchantment with the beauty from the far, humble Eastern borders of the Empire, Jovine endured.

Even when she heard about the way her husband spent his days and nights with the woman, constantly asking for her presence and to hear her sing for him again, she was patient.

Like a fool, Jovine was in denial. Convincing herself the Emperor’s captivation with the wretched woman would be short-lived, Jovine told herself it wasn’t too late to win him over again.

So, Jovine devoted herself to her work. She was an exemplary Empress who drove herself to the brink of exhaustion to serve as a loyal servant to the Empire and her husband. On the rare days when she was able to see Richard to discuss Imperial affairs, she smiled and obeyed, pathetically desperate to gain his approval.

She never brought up the question of the other woman or displayed her distress over his unfaithfulness to her. Instead, she smiled and loved him, hiding the extent of her suffering behind words of affection.

But, Richard remained as neglectful as ever.

He never showed a speck of interest in his own wife. Instead, he rushed through his obligatory meetings with her and brushed off her attempts to bridge their splintered relationship.

When she sweetly greeted him with a smile, he looked down at her with an expressionless, impassive face. When she asked for just a fraction of his time, he disregarded her and left her behind.

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In this injustice, she should have raged. But, she couldn’t.

Because, no matter how much it hurt to love him, she couldn’t stop.

Instead, she became the fool Empress who was thrown aside.

And, in the midst of all this humiliation, Jovine found herself ending most days huddled on the floor of her closet — the only space she allowed herself to grieve.

She cried herself to sleep, locked in the darkness where she was finally away from the eyes of the world that was bound to look down on the pathetic, pitiful Empress Jovine who was unwanted. And, when morning came, she crawled back out and started the day over again, practicing her smiles for her husband over and over again in front of a mirror until her cheeks ached.

Jovine became a fractured version of herself. She was on the precipice of truly losing her mind, and day by day, she grew to hate who she became and couldn’t stop the idiotic thoughts that blamed her own self for her husband’s betrayal.

And, the worst of it all was the way Emilia Syrene basked in her misery.

As a woman born of humble origin in the darker slums of the Empire, Emilia was stunned by the ridiculous amounts of luxury she was gifted by the Emperor. Given her own room near the Emperor’s chambers and granted her own maids to escort her, she lived in a comfort she had never known before. And, one taste of the life of luxury and power had her wanting more.

Emilia Syrene, the new woman of the Emperor, became the limelight of High Society. With her brilliant voice and the Emperor’s devotion held firmly in her grasp, the nobility of Theolos glorified the common woman. They fawned over her exotic beauty and flattered her swelling ego. And with the support of the Eastern Faction, who remained opposed against Empress Jovine, Emilia Syrene became a formidable threat.

And, Emilia knew this. She knew how much power she held in this moment.

So, she reveled in the Empress’s demise and began to look down upon the discarded Jovine.

On days when their paths would cross, Emilia would pass her in insolence, refusing to acknowledge the presence of her Empress and running to the Emperor instead. As Jovine was sent away by her husband, she would hear the resounding echoes of their laughter bouncing off the walls and puncturing her fragile heart.

It felt as if they were laughing at her. At how despicable she was becoming.

And, despite the deceptive malice Jovine could clearly see in the dark heart of Emilia, the world saw her as the new light of the Empire who would soon replace the Empress’s stead.

The fateful day came sooner than anyone expected.

Because, on a bright Spring day that clashed against the darkness Jovine existed in, Emperor Richard de Tristaine proclaimed Emilia Syrene as his Royal Concubine.