As we walked through the carpeted walkway of the audience hall, I could already see the emperor seated on a golden throne atop an elevated platform at the end of the hall. I noticed that the butler from yesterday was also present at today’s meeting.
“I greet His Majesty the Emperor.”
I followed Sir Knight and bowed my head, lifting both sides of the skirt of my gown, just like princesses do in movies, as we greeted the emperor.
‘This emperor is Ivari Angevin; he’s been an emperor for 3 years now. House Angevin rose to power when the three gods died in battle. Ivari became the ninth emperor from the line of Angevin at the young age of 25. Direct descendants of the Angevins have emerald eyes and blonde hair. He has also declined to have an empress or a concubine; until today, no one knows the emperor’s reason. I got all this information from the maids I was with earlier.’ I thought while still bowing in front of the emperor.
The emperor looked at me and said, “Goddess.”
“Your Majesty, I am Astrid Quinn.”
“I am pleased to have finally met you. At last, the guardians of Araceli are finally complete.”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I am not the person you are looking for.”
The emperor frowned, clearly displeased by what he heard.
“How so?”
“I’ll be honest with you, Your Majesty; I didn’t come from this place. I came to the palace hoping you’d be able to send me back to my own world.”
“I'm not sure I understand what you mean. If you didn’t come from this place, then what land are you from?”
“No, no, no, what I’m saying is that I am not from this world. I fell- I fell from a mirror.” I replied shyly.
Everyone was baffled; the hall was filled with silence.
Moments later, he called the butler and asked him to bring something out. The butler then pulled a crystal ball from a small chest placed on top of a table behind him. Approaching me, he said, “This sphere is called an orbuculum, an ancient relic blessed by the three gods; it is used to find and authenticate the three guardians of Araceli.”
“Yesterday, at midnight, a flash of light was seen passing through the sky of Araceli. Afterward, the orbuculum shone with a beaming light, indicating that the last guardian had finally arrived.” he added.
“Please put your right hand on top of the orbuculum.”
I followed his instructions and slowly placed my hand on top of the sphere. A few seconds passed, and a blinding light from the orb filled the hall. I felt dizzy; I could feel my forehead pulsating, and right after that, the star mark reappeared.
The emperor had a satisfied smirk on his face. I was too stunned to react or speak; I just stood there while the butler and Sir Knight bowed to me. The moment the orb shone, they already assumed who I was, and I knew that I would not be going home anytime soon.
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I was unsure how to feel, but mostly I felt agitated by the events that had just transpired. I got hyped up and informally asked the emperor, “Why do you need me in the first place? Why are you looking for these guardians.”
“Thousands of years ago, this country was cursed by the goddess of the underworld. It started ten years after this empire was built, the day that Urania entered ‘down under’ and never returned. Since then, every 100 years, the goddess who cursed this land sends her vassals to destroy Araceli. A portal from the underworld opens, and a large number of high-ranking demons disturb the peace of this country.”
“A curse?”
“Yes, up until today, no one knew the reason for this curse or how to permanently stop it. Even though we are plagued by this curse, this empire wins the battle every time because the three children of Urania- Selene, Helios, and Asteria- are maintaining and protecting the empire that their mother loved and built.” the emperor explained.
“But on the seventh time this curse appeared, they all died on the battlefield after closing the portal. For them to be able to protect this country continuously, the gods and goddesses choose the inheritors of their powers a year before the curse appears. In this way, the gods' powers will not be used for anything other than protecting this country.”
The emperor stood up and began walking toward me.
“As far as history and books say, every heir came from this country.” he added.
He stood in front of me and just stared at me.
“I am not sure how you came here or where you came from, but you have been chosen by Asteria, and we need you to win this war.”
“You already said that there are other gods; where are they? Are they not enough?” I argued.
“Each guardian will protect one of the three regions of this empire, so two gods will not suffice.” He turned around and walked straight back to his throne.
“Since you’re the heir of Asteria, you’ll need to fill the spot of the goddess and act as a guardian of the Csilla region.”
“Sir, I’m sorry to have raised your hopes, but I must decline this responsibility. I can’t fight these demons; I need to go ba-”
“But you have no choice.”
“I don’t think you understand, Your Majesty.”
“This meeting is done. Benedict, show them the way out.”
At this point, I was angry and unintentionally screamed at the emperor, “Hey! I’m not done talking! Do you think I’ll help just because you told me so?!”
The butler was shocked by the way I addressed the emperor. Sir Knight had his hand on his forehead. The emperor, on the other hand, had his head propped on his hand, just staring at me.
“You know what? You should go find my replacement immediately because I won’t help you.” I turned my back to the emperor and started to walk toward the door.
The emperor tilted his head and smirked at me. “Then you’ll not be able to go back to your world. You’ll be imprisoned for treason, with no food or water until your trial is over. Eventually, you’ll be beheaded in the plaza in front of the people you turned your back on.”
I was stunned and could not utter a word.
I tried to recompose myself, and once I calmed down, I looked back at the emperor and said, “Your Majesty, I just need to know if there’s a way or a chance that I can go back to my own world after all of this is done. I’ll help this country voluntarily; just give me assurance that I’ll be able to return to my own world.”
Silence filled the room, and the emperor was just staring down at me from the throne he was sitting on.
“I’ll find a way.” he said.
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After the meeting with Astrid, the emperor sat on his throne with his head still propped on his hand.
“Your majesty, do you really think there’s a way for her to return?” A man with long brown hair in a low ponytail emerged from the shadow and approached the emperor.
This man was the emperor’s advisor, Marquess Lonnel, the first-born son of House Renellonte. They’ve been loyal subjects of the imperial palace for almost 500 years; they’ve produced all the advisors that have served the emperor since the death of the three gods.
“I do not know. This is the first time something like this has happened. I’m not even sure how she got here.” he replied.
Lonnel responded with a sigh, shaking his head.
“It is also the first time the orbuculum shone like that. Regardless, we need her to win this war. She’ll not be able to go back anyway once the war has ended and all their powers have been withdrawn by the gods.”
To be continued.