Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90 - Light And Shadow>
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112 - The Morning Comes>
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118 - After The Storm
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132 -
Chapter 133
Chapter 134 - Epilogue 1.3
Chapter 135 - Epilogue 2.1: Traces Of Life
Chapter 136
Chapter 137 - Epilogue 2.3
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141 - Epilogue 4.1: Ever After>
Chapter 142 - Epilogue 4.2
Chapter 143 - Epilogue 4.3
Chapter 144 - Epilogue 5.1>
Chapter 145 - Epilogue 5.2
Chapter 146 - The Most Romantic Weekend>
Chapter 147 - Short Stories 1.2
Chapter 148 -
Chapter 149 -
Chapter 150 -
Chapter 151 -
Chapter 152 -
Chapter 153 -
Chapter 154 - Short Stories 3.1: Unexpected Things Happen>
Chapter 155 - Short Stories 3.2>
Chapter 156 -
Chapter 157 -
Chapter 158 -
Chapter 159 -
Chapter 160 -
Chapter 161 - Short Stories 5.1: The Man Behind The Mask>
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164 -
Chapter 165 -
Chapter 166
Chapter 167 - Short Stories 6.2
Chapter 168 - Short Stories 6.3
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189 (End)
Categories Genre: All, Completed, Fantasy Status: Completed ______
Total Chapters in book: 189
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 189 Page No. 188 Page No. 187 Page No. 186 Page No. 185 Page No. 184 Page No. 183 Page No. 182 Page No. 181 Page No. 180 Page No. 179 Chapter 181
Chapter 181:
They were expecting special guests today, so Bina made it a priority to dress well. When she was almost done, Samantha came in to let her and Lucretius know.
“Your highnesses, the Toruka family has arrived.”
“Thank you. We are ready to leave. Now, your highness…”
When Bina tried to stand up, Lucretius complained quietly.
“But I want to stay here a little longer with you.”
He was enjoying brushing her hair when Samantha came in. He placed the brush down on the table.
They were in Bina’s dressing room and the emperor was the one helping her preparation. The maids were used to this now. Brushing Bina’s hair was one of Lucretius’ favorite hobbies. He had been doing this since Bina was his first wife.
Even though the empress had told him it was not necessary, he refused to give up. Nowadays, Bina was more used to getting ready with her husband’s help than being with her maids.
Lucretius kissed Bina’s shiny hair. A beautiful scent tickled his nose.
“Hmm. My empress is so perfect that even her hair is flawless.”
The younger maids looked envious of Bina, but the experienced maids like Yulia didn’t even seem to notice Lucretius’ ridiculous comments anymore.
Bina grinned. “We are going to be late. We shouldn’t make them wait.”
“Alright.”
Lucretius gestured at Yulia, who moved quickly. Bina was already dressed, and the only thing left was to choose her jewelry. When the maids brought an array of her royal collection, Lucretius looked at them.
“Hmm. None of them are perfect for my empress, but… I guess it can’t be helped. What should we pick?”
Just then, a youthful voice said, “Excuse me, your highness.”
Bina and Lucretius looked at the young girl sitting nearby.
In her lacy green dress, they saw the first princess Beatrice, who just turned five. She had recently perfected the royal etiquette.
Elegantly and confidently, Beatrice continued, “May I choose her highness’ jewelry? If it will please you, sir.”
Her voice still sounded childish, but the way she spoke was similar to that of a stuffy old nobleman.
Bina and Lucretius had been disappointed at how fast Beatrice was growing. They had been hoping that she would remain a kid for a while longer, but Beatrice was insistent on keeping rigid manners even in front of her parents.
They would have preferred her to have a tantrum rather than to ask so properly.
Lucretius replied, “Of course. You can pick one, Beatrice.”
The child bowed deeply. “Thank you, your highness.”
When she tried standing up from the sofa, she failed.
“…”
She was too small, and her feet were dangling in the air. She tried to stretch her legs so she could descend properly, but it was impossible with her short legs. Beatrice puffed her cheeks in frustration but quickly realized that she was acting childishly. She always wanted to appear like a proper princess, but at the end of the day, she was still only five years old.
Bina and Lucretius noticed this and grinned secretly.
Thankfully, Yulia noticed Beatrice’s situation and helped her down. Beatrice walked towards the maid who was holding the tray of the jewelry. The maid was about to lower the tray so Beatrice could look when the emperor quickly walked towards his daughter and lifted her up.
Beatrice’s green eyes widened. “Your highness!”
She sounded sullen, but Lucretius ignored it. Beatrice wanted to be seen as an adult, but her father was ruining it by treating her like a child.
Her cheeks started to puff up again in annoyance when she saw the shiny pieces on the tray.
Lucretius asked, “Now, would you like to pick one?”
“Yes, your highness.”
Beatrice nodded and continued to stare at the pieces in awe. Bina smiled and asked, “Which piece do you think would suit mommy?”
The little girl frowned in contemplation. Lucretius lifted her up higher, so she could have a better look.
He commented, “I’m sure you will choose the best piece that will make your mother look more beautiful.”
Beatrice smiled gently and replied, “But her highness is already the most beautiful woman in the world even without any jewelry.”
“That’s right! You are so smart, Beatrice. You are just like your mother, smart and beautiful.”
The maids laughed gently, and Lucretius nodded in satisfaction. Bina blushed.
Lucretius continued, “Yes, that’s right. Beatrice’s mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. It’s true.”
Bina wanted to disappear in embarrassment.
‘S, stop!’
However, she couldn’t say anything at this point. The maids and the servants were watching, so she couldn’t scold her husband, the emperor. She also didn’t want to make her daughter feel bad.
After studying each piece carefully, Beatrice finally pointed at one.
“I think that will suit her highness the best.”
It was an ear cuff that was the shape of a wing.
“…”
“…”
Both Bina and Lucretius became speechless.
After a few seconds, Lucretius smiled widely and kissed Beatrice’s cheek.
“My princess indeed has a very good taste.”
Beatrice smiled proudly. Lucretius handed his daughter to Yulia and gestured for the maid. She then brought him the ear cuff. He put it on Bina himself.
It was a gift Lucretius gave before their first ball. It shined beautifully on her ear.
The emperor smiled in satisfaction and helped Bina to stand up.
The empress mentioned with a small laugh, “It’s amazing that Beatrice chose this particular piece.”
“I was surprised too. It just proves that this piece suits you very well.”
Lucretius carried Beatrice again. The child looked at her mother and exclaimed, “You are so beautiful!”
Lucretius added, “Beatrice has such good eyes!”
Like father like daughter.
Finally, the family arrived in the garden. It was much later than expected so Bina became worried.
“Oh no, we made our guests wait too long.”
***
It was a nice warm spring morning, so the royal family decided to greet the guests in the garden. The bright red-haired woman first noticed their arrival and stood up to bow.
“Greetings to your highnesses the emperor, the empress, and the princess.”
Bina smiled brightly. “Please stand up, Liliana. You need to rest…”
Liliana smiled prettily and stood up with help from her husband. As Bina suspected, Liliana’s belly had become large. Bina took Liliana’s hand and escorted her to the table.
“So your due date is in about two months? How’s your appetite?”
Instead of Liliana, another girl answered from behind. It was Roselia, now a fourteen-year-old girl.
“Hello, your highness. Her nausea has been worse than when she was pregnant with Cullen. Thankfully, she could eat a little better since about a month ago.”
Bina nodded. “I’m glad to hear, Roselia. I can see that Liliana gained a bit of weight since I last saw her two months ago. I was so worried at the time since she was getting thinner while her belly was getting so big.”
The three women continued to chat cheerfully while they sat down on the chair. Bina looked down at the small child, now four years old, who was grabbing onto Liliana’s dress. Cullen bowed awkwardly.
“Your highness, hello.”
He was an adorable boy with his mother’s red hair. Also, like Liliana, he was very shy.
“Hello, Cullen. You have grown so much since I’ve last seen you.”
Another youthful voice greeted from nearby.
“Long time no see, your highness!”
Bina’s smile got even wider as she saw another red-haired young girl.
“Hello there, Margaret.”
Bina reached out to pat her head gently. Kids grew up so fast. Bina remembered Katleyanira being pregnant with Margaret. It seemed like it was only yesterday, but Margaret was already so big.
The third princess of the former emperor.
Margaret was the youngest of all the former emperor’s children. The three daughters of Katleyanira had higher ranks than any of their stepsisters because when Katleyanira was executed, Lucretius adopted them to keep them safe.
Another reason he did this was that they were useful spares for him. If he and Bina couldn’t have a child of their own, they had to think of who their next heir could be.
Lucretius felt that Liliana could be a safe choice. She was emotionally weak and very soft-hearted, and she always felt like she owed the emperor and the empress for what her mother had done. On top of that, her husband’s family, Toruka, was significantly weakened after Katleyanira’s execution.
If Lucretius didn’t adopt Liliana, then any of his other stepsisters would have had a claim to the throne if and while he was childless. For this reason, he felt that it was best to have Liliana as the first princess in line to the throne after him.
Not to mention, Roselia was engaged to the prince of Genoa, Izid, and it was important for her to keep her royal status.
Bina knew this; Liliana and Clodys understood this situation very well. This was why they maintained a very low profile.
The public often referred to Marquis Toruka as the ‘royal dog,’ but Clodys didn’t mind it at all. In fact, when he heard some people whispering about him, Clodys approached them so he could announce loudly.
“A royal dog? What an amazing compliment! I am flattered that you think my loyalty to the royal family runs deep.”
Those people would become pale and run away. Clodys, of course, didn’t tell the emperor or the empress about this, but it was only a matter of time before the royal spies let the emperor knew.
When Lucretius heard about this, he laughed. “Hahaha. I guess I got a pretty good dog, then.”
If Clodys heard this, he would have laughed too.
Bina couldn’t help but found this dynamic between them as bizarre sight.
Total Chapters in book: 189
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 290059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1450(@200wpm)___ 1160(@250wpm)___ 967(@300wpm)
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