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)
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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 7
Chapter 7:
Lucretius Le Cransia.
The heir to the Cransia Empire.
The one and only son of the emperor who was now dead in his own bed.
The one who helped me this morning.
It was him.
“You are smart. Too smart for your own good.” The man, I mean, the prince, said to me disappointedly. He looked like he was thinking. I felt terrified.
I was so stupid! Why did I let him know that I realized who he was?
He turned around.
Lucretius said to me sharply, “You!”
“I will do anything you tell me to! I don’t know who you are! Just run away!”
I then ran towards the reception area. It felt like it took me a thousand years to get to the door. I kept expecting the prince to grab me from behind, but it didn’t happen.
He would have escaped by now through that secret pathway. He would have a solid alibi. I knew he contemplated killing me just then, but I escaped in time.
I ran as fast as I could. When I saw the maids and the guards, I fell to the ground and screamed.
“Ahhhhh! The emperor…! The emperor has been murdered!”
I wanted to live!
***
The emperor was murdered. It happened in the well-guarded castle. In his own bedroom no less.
The one and only witness were, of course, me. The fifteenth and the newest concubine. On her wedding night.
I cried and cried until I almost fainted.
At first, I was just acting, but as I cried, the reality hit me and I cried for real.
The next day, with swollen eyes, I was dragged to a large reception room. In that room were many people including him.
He looked different than last night. His blond hair was brushed back neatly. Instead of the black outfit, he was wearing luxurious purple clothes decorated with jewels. His face wasn’t covered with a mask anymore.
Instead of a simple dagger, he had a bejeweled sword hanging on his belt.
However, there was one thing that remained the same.
His cold green eyes.
It was definitely him.
The man who killed his own father last night.
The one and only heir to this empire.
My accomplice.
Lucretius Le Cransia.
His green eyes were directed at me. I felt uncomfortable, so I bowed my head politely.
“Your Highness.”
Suddenly, the empress, who was sitting next to the prince, criticized me angrily.
“You must have bad eyesight.”
I realized my mistake and bowed to her deeply. The proper etiquette dictated that I greet the empress first as she had the highest rank in the room. I was so tired I made an easy mistake.
I almost lost my voice from crying and screaming last night. I used that to my advantage as I apologized.
“I apologize, your highness. I… I…”
A beauty with long grey hair listened to me carefully with a smile. She was the only woman in the room other than me, and she’s the Empress. Strangely, she was wearing a piece of intricate jewelry over her eyes.
“Sa Bina, right? Sa Bina went through such a shocking and horrible event last night. She must be still very confused.”
Whoever it was, she was clearly very powerful. The Empress seemed to accept this woman’s words.
However, she had to have the last word.
Empress Katleyanira said to her, “Priestess, you are too kind.”
Priestess.
Daughter of the god. The only person in this world who could hear the god’s voice. I was told there was only one place where a priest or a priestess existed in this world. This meant this woman was the last priestess of this world.
She was the most revered person in all countries. Even I knew that, and I only have been living in this world for a year.
I nodded towards her in thanks. I wasn’t sure if she could see me, but she smiled at me in return.
As soon as I finished greeting everyone properly, the discussion started.
“The reason we asked you to come here is because of the horrible incident last night.” A white-haired old man said to me. Who was he?
Someone who could speak freely in front of the prince and the Empress. He was clearly a high-ranking figure. I remained quiet.
The empress interrupted as she said in a shrill voice, “We must find the murderer and whoever hired him!”
The prince agreed with a kind smile, “Of course. Our priority will be to avenge the former emperor.”
I kept my head bowed and listened. If the prince really wanted vengeance, all he had to do was kill himself. Of course, I didn’t say this out loud.
The Empress asked irritably, “Former emperor?”
The prince didn’t waver at all. I didn’t see his face, but I could imagine what kind of expression he would have on his face.
“He is deceased, god bless his soul, so wouldn’t it make sense to call him the former emperor?”
“But…!”
The white-haired man said to the Empress, “Empress dowager, please remain calm.”
The empress complained loudly, “Chancellor! How could you call me the dowager? The emperor’s body hasn’t even cooled yet!” This was clearly a very important topic for her.
She was wrong. His body was dead cold.
The chancellor ignored her and continued, “He passed away, so it is proper to call him the former emperor. You are, from now on, to be revered as the dowager empress. The prince is now the new emperor. This is the law. Don’t you agree, your highness?”
The chancellor kneeled in front of the prince. The others followed, except for the empress and the priestess. The new emperor. I wanted to live, so I kneeled as well.
The room became silent.
The prince announced in a sad voice, “I am not worthy, but I will do my best to continue the former emperor’s legacy.”
By the chancellor’s order, everyone said together, “Long live the emperor!”
“Stand.”
The coronation didn’t take place yet, but he was now the new emperor of Cransia.
Lucretius Le Cransia.
The chancellor stood up and walked towards the empress, I mean, the dowager empress. He politely but firmly asked her.
“Then dowager empress, please hand the official seal to the new emperor.”
The dowager empress paled. She made her last attempt to stall.
“But the coronation hasn’t taken place yet, so we must wait till…”
“Your Highness, the law states when the emperor passes away, the empress needs to hold the seal.”
The dowager empress brightened. “So…!”
“But if the heir to the throne is over the age of 18, he immediately becomes the new emperor even before the coronation. This means you need to hand him the seal immediately. His Highness is 27 years old. We are all lucky this empire has a legitimate, healthy, and fully-grown heir ready to take over right away.”
The Empress, I mean, the dowager Empress reddened. She couldn’t hide her anger. Dowager Empress Katleyanira held on to the black box, which must have held the seal, and growled in defiance.
“Legitimate? After the birth of the prince, the formal empress committed adultery and ended up giving birth to another child that was not of royal blood! This man is that woman’s son! The emperor always suspected Lucretius may not be his son!”
The room became silent. I remembered the dead emperor’s face. Obese, wrinkly, and blotchy. Even considering that he was much older, he couldn’t compare to Lucretius’s beautiful face. Anyone who didn’t know both of them would be surprised to find out that they were related at all.
The dowager empress’s accusation sounded real.
‘Could it be…’
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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