The news spread like wildfire across the entire empire that the crown prince had taken a liking to, and doted on, the third princess of the neighboring empire, and I was chased away from my position as the crown princess.

“Always remember, Milady, you will be the next empress of this empire,” was what everyone told me since I was a kid. I lived my life studying to become a proper and suitable lady for the empire who would stand beside the emperor someday.

As I was walking inside the palace, everyone turned their heads with their malicious eyes boldly staring at me before murmuring something to the person beside them. Instead of worrying about the murmurs coming from their filthy mouths, I walked in the middle of the hallway with my head held high.

Everyone was wearing their most expensive dresses, coats, shoes, and jewelry. The whole place was grandiose from the marble gold floor up to the diamond-encrusted ceiling where chandeliers made from expensive stones hung elegantly.

I should have been in the east right now, together with one of my brothers, but the emperor and empress wanted me to have an audience with them. I did not know what the matter was, but the only thing that was obvious was that they feel comfortable with me around.

“She is really straight faced.”

“She looks arrogant.”

“I heard the prince refused the tea she brewed herself.”

“Shh. Keep your voices down, ladies. She is just meters away from us.”

I sighed. I could hear the people very well.

I stopped in front of the door with two palace guards guarding the entrance. They were wearing gold armor and a gold-lined cape with the empire’s crest on the back.

My Lady-in-Waiting, Pristine Gerald, who had been standing behind me stepped forward and looked directly at one of the palace guards.

“Lady Maxineirah Shinoe Alde Levyne Zachrono is here to have an audience with His Majesty,” she said before she moved back to her place behind me with her head bowed.

The guard nodded at his co-guard. They pushed the gigantic doors together causing a deep, reverberating sound to echo throughout the entire palace. The moment the speaker saw me behind the doors, he announced my arrival to the room.

“Maxineirah Shinoe Alde Levyne Zachrono of Grand Ducal House of Zachrono is now entering!”

I walked into the middle of the throne room. The soft, red carpet beneath my feet was a heavenly feeling as if I was walking on cloud nine.

I stopped when I was near the stairs of the throne and clasped my dress with my fingers. My ten ladies-in-waiting behind me did the same and bowed in front of the majesties as soon as I bowed.

“We greet the greatest Fire of the empire, His Majesty, the emperor and the greatest Water of the empire, Her Majesty, the empress. May the Gods bless you with great and long health,” my ladies-in-waiting and I chanted in unison.

“Lift your head, Lady Maxineirah,” the emperor said happily.

I glanced to the side at brother Maxilliary.

He was keeping an eye on us as part of his profession, advisor of the empire. He was looking at me coldly with bored eyes. I immediately looked away when our eyes met for a second and focused my attention to the Majesties.

“Oh my, my. I thought we already told you not to be formal with us, Lady Maxineirah,” the empress said as she chuckled.

“I do not dare do that to Your Majesties,” I said with a straight face. I could see disappointment on their faces as I spoke bluntly, which was proved by their sighs.

“I am happy to see Your Majesties in a healthy state. This humble person respects your presence,” I greeted after a long silence in the throne room.

“How is your stay in the palace, Ija?” Her Majesty asked formally.

“My stay is very comfortable, thanks to Your Majesties’ sincerest concerns.”

“We are glad to hear that. We are sorry you could not be with your brother in Prague because we called for you to be here,” the emperor said sincerely.

“I do not find anything wrong with not being with my brother. The truth is, I just want to tag along with him. I believe that calling for me right now is more important than my personal reasons.”

Come to think of it. Looks like I already know why they called me.

“Our Maxineirah, are you alright?” Her Majesty asked with a troubled expression on her face, and I could not help but be touched by the warmth I only feel when I am with them.

Just a week ago, the crown prince found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

And it was not me.

It was Princess Charminia Apastria Vanessa Adelaide Strangford, the third princess of Strangford Kingdom. The empire’s prisoner.

The woman with yellow hair and jeweled green eyes.

Jeweled eyes were known to be a part of royal families.

“…Thank you, Your Majesty but I am quite alright. You need not worry. I understand His Highness for choosing the princess. I understand that he fell for her kindness and beauty. His Highness loves her dearly.”

…The same as I loved him…

My fate was to have an unrequited love with the prince. I already gave up the position to be the crown princess because he obviously did not want me. He already found the girl he was meant to be with, the one who made his stone heart soft.

I may have already given up, but the feelings I had for him, were still here. The effect was strong. Painful. It made me weak.

He also did not want to have a queen or concubines, and clearly refused to be married to anyone other than the princess. They were still not married but he clearly announced that he would not take anyone other than her.

Even me. If I would not be the empress, then I should be the queen at the least. The role of the queen was to aid the empress in her work, but the crown prince deeply stated his refusal. He just wanted me to be the empress’ solia, which was the empress’ right-hand woman from a noble family.

“As I expected of our candidate,” Her Majesty said in a joyous tone and glanced at His Majesty.

In their eyes, I was not hurt. I was stoic, stiff, and arrogant. That was what I showed them, but deep inside, I could not breathe properly when talking about the crown prince and princess.

I love him. It might not be noticeable to everyone, but I did everything just to be loved by him. I even limited myself so that no one would think that I was chasing him. That would only lead him to be annoyed with me.

I did not know why, but just seeing me irritated the hell out of him. I could sense that his anger could burst out any moment.

I could not seem to find the reason why, but he tried avoiding me. Somehow, we always seemed to cross paths.

Seeing as how we were living in the same palace, under the same big roof, I could see why we couldn’t avoid each other. And that meant enduring the pain this caused me.

The prince’s anger towards me was hurting me even before the princess came to be a prisoner of the empire. What was some more pain if the princess he loved was here?

I got a permit to go home to our estate, so the next day, I grabbed my breakfast and left before dawn.

I rested well in the carriage. We were caught by darkness before we could even get in the Zachrono’s estate.

The place was undoubtedly bright even after the sun completely set. Was it a full moon? The breeze was cool and quiet, maybe because it was summer.

I was about to go upstairs when I stopped midway.

Brother Millian…