Lysandra rushed towards her carriage wanting to be rid of the gaze of the D'Anser family.
"Milady, you're back so soon,'' her maid Daisy stated. The maid's green eyes softened as she could probably guess what had passed. Without waiting for a response the maid quickly opened the carriage door for her.
"We're going home,'' Lysandra stated. Daisy didn't question her, calling for the driver to return to the Atar estate.
Staring out of the window of her carriage as it made its way back to the estate Lysandra watched the passing people and the stores. They went about their day peacefully, or so it seemed. The Capital was lively and the only city she had ever known.
It was beautiful, trees provided shade to the sides of the paved roads. Shade was almost a requirement on warm days such as this. Shops for everything one could think of, from the finest lace to hand crafted pottery, tea, perfumes, books. Looking from the outside in, the Empire looked like a flourishing nation. Which it was in its own way, yet—A bump in the road shook Lysandra out of her thoughts as she looked over to Daisy.
"Is everything alright milady, you seemed upset when we left the D'Anser estate.'' Daisy asked, sounding concerned. The maid knew all too well how the other ladies treated Lysandra as a low ranked noble and an outsider. Daisy had been her maid since Lysandra was fourteen, and had served her ever since.
"It was fine, nothing new. Besides I didn't see a reason for staying any longer when all they can talk about is how handsome the crown prince looks. Oh and what an amazing couple Blanche and the crown prince will be.'' She rolled her eyes. Her status and the crown prince were Blanche's favourite subject and Lysandra would prefer the subject would stay on the prince.
"Can you imagine, Blanche D'Anser and the crown prince. The man only danced with her a few times, it's not like he took her out on a date." Lysandra turned to look back outside, watching the shops pass by gently. She couldn't help but wonder if everyone from noble birth thought the same way Blanche and her friends did, when it came to her birth.
"Then why don't you ask the crown prince for a dance at the next ball?" Daisy asked, seeming ignorant at the implications making such a request would have.
"What? Daisy, oh dear gods no. Definitely not, his highness isn't even my type." Lysandra stated to which Daisy lifted her eyebrows "Then what is your type? If I may ask?"
Lysandra blinked a few times "I'm not sure, I haven't really given it much thought." She looked back out of the window pondering Daisy's question. Sure, the crown prince was handsome and the man was known for his beauty. He took after his mother, the Empress.
Like many men of the Empire his hair was blond. He was tall and muscular as he had fought at the fronts of the wars to protect the Empire from other kingdoms. That all seemed of lesser importance in comparison to his best feature, his eyes. They were a deep amber colour in which many girls drowned from just meeting his gaze.
The rest of the journey home was uneventful as the subject pertaining to his highness was dropped quickly after their conversation. Upon arriving, Lysandra wasn't prepared for the whirlwind she was about to be in.
Once out of the carriage she made her way inside greeting the head butler first before he took her bag and other belongings that she had brought along in the carriage. At the top of the stairs quick and heavy footsteps could be heard.
The pattern was familiar to Lysandra as moments later her father appeared at the top of the stairs. His eyes were large like saucers and somehow he was out of breath just from the small stride from his study to the top of the stairs.
"Lysandra—" the man started, his usually warm deep brown eyes now filled with an emotion that was hard to identify. Lysandra had to blink twice seeing her father in such distress wasn't normal.
The man was always calm even in times of stress when items would run late or when problems arose with the exports. He always had his head up high, something had to be wrong.
"Father'' she rushed to the top of the stairs ''Is everything alright father?"
"Oh heavenly gods." There was still no indication on whether what he was about to say was something good or something bad.
"You—we all need to sit down for this. In all of my years—" He looked away holding his hand over his mouth as if something had pained him deeply.
"You better come to my study dearest." He beaconed his daughter to come upstairs, which would mean that he would want to talk to her in the study.
Lysandra hurried up the stairs. What if news about Ambra had arrived, was she alive? No, her father was stressed. What if her body had been found? No no no, she had to stay positive as she swiftly made her way to the study. After closing the doors behind her, she saw her father taking his seat behind his desk.
The study had been formed by generations of merchants. The walls were lined with books and small objects of interest that were brought back from all the ventures the family had undertaken. There was always the distinct smell of some spice along with the stuffy smell of the old books. It was pleasant, but looking at her father, the smell and nostalgia would not soothe them this time.
''Is it about Ambra? Is she alright father?" She stepped up to his desk, when he looked at the seat next to her she sat down. He was looking at her with great concern. It was starting to worry her, but he didn't say anything.
''Father?" she asked again. Her father looked up at her, his eyes still displaying an unfamiliar emotion.
"I—I'm sorry dearest, it's not about your sister." He didn't seem to want to give her any false hope.
"We haven't heard anything regarding your sister for months. I am still keeping my contacts, but so far there has been nothing." It was clear that her father was still searching. But it was slowly eating away at him.
"The emperor has sent us a message." His voice was calm, but dire in tone. Anything that had anything to do with the emperor was like walking a fine line. Even if he was the sole ruler of the empire, that didn't mean that everyone outright agreed with him.
"It—" The man took a deep breath as he seemed to steady himself for a moment.
"It's about—The emperor wants to—" Her father took another deep breath. It was very unlike him to be unable to articulate his words.
"The emperor has decided on who he would want to have your hand in marriage—" That was it, Lysandra's hand had been ordered away. Like a simple transaction.
Her hand in marriage? By the emperor himself? It was as if time stood still for a moment as she was scrambling to get her thoughts together. What did this mean, the emperor didn't just request anyone's hand in marriage. He normally didn't meddle in trivial things like this unless it had to do with- Oh god.
Her eyes widened looking at her father, the crown prince?! What if it was the crown prince?! Blanche and the rest of high society would make her life even more miserable than it already was. Not to mention the sheer jealousy of Blanche. She would have Lysandra's head on a stick by the end of the day the news would break out.
Finally breathing again she turned to her father.
''Is it- the crown prince?" she questioned unsure on who else it could be.
Her father quickly shook his head and held up his hands.
"Oh dear heavens that would have been—" It was clear from his tone of voice that the crown prince might have been a better choice.
"No—dearest, it's not the crown prince. It isn't him, it would have been wonderful if it had been him, no—" The man was mumbling, this was the first time that Lysandra had seen him as a mumbling mess. Something was off.
"The emperor must truly hate our family." Her father couldn't seem to collect himself. Almost as if he was overcome with emotions.
"Hate our family?" She repeated softly and confused.
What did her father mean by that? Hate their family? Her fathers enemies, perhaps? He didn't have many that she knew of. The only other families with bigger influences were— D'Ansers and oh god—the only one with a son was Leonel! That would mean Blanche would become her sister in law! Oh dear gods no, she would rather jump on her horse and leave the Empire than marry that scumbag Leonel.
"Don't— Don't tell me it's Leonel D'Anser" she sounded panicked at this point. The crown prince would come with more pressure but at least there was hope for a possible civil relationship, unlike Leonel who hated her guts. Although, he had always had an eye for Ambra even if it wasn't reciprocated.
Her father looked stunned for a moment, seeming to collect himself a bit.
"Leonel D'Anser?" He questioned seeming genuinely surprised by her suggestion of that family.
"What are all these speculations about? No dearest—it's much worse. The emperor has decided that a daughter of the Atar family is to be married to—" He seemed to take a final breath as he gathered the courage to speak the name.
"To the house of Sepreth—those barbaric war mongers from the North. The current duke has never been to the capital even. How could the emperor be so cruel? We never did anything but support him." The man was already lamenting the entire letter and decision. "I'm not losing one but two daughters." His expression was one that could only be described as grief.
She could feel a shiver coursing through her body. Her expression changed into one of pure dread.
''The house of S—S-Sepreth'' she stuttered as she tried to repeat the name her father had just said. This wouldn't be a wedding, this was an execution.
The current Duke of the North might have never visited the Empire but that didn't mean there were no cautionary tales about him. There were plenty of rumours and stories that had made it to the upper circles of high society.
Whenever the Empire was in danger the royal army would be put up to defend the borders. It would be the barbarians of the North that would go deep into battle and slaughter the enemies for even the thought of attacking the Empire.
Many years ago when the Empire was under attack by the East, who threatened the lands. The troops of the North had been sent. It was said that the duke and its army defeated the Eastern army so overwhelmingly that they hadn't even tried since. It was because of that battle that the Duke of the North was known as The Demon of the North, a warlord, as he would brutally kill and torture anyone who would dare to harm the Empire.
It was rumoured that he had no mercy and slaughtered not just men on the battlefields, but also innocent children and women.
"I can't- I CAN'T MARRY THAT DEMON! Father! Please there must be something we can do?" She panicked in fear of her own life.
"Maybe I can get on a ship and head to the— Khursh!? It's warm there, isn't it, like the Empire?" She was rambling. She didn't know anything about Khursh, it was a country located east of the Empire. She had heard from the sailors when she would visit the harbour with her father, sometimes hearing them say that the weather was hot and that the food was good.
"Lysandra—" Her father tried to calm her down. "I don't think we should be going against the Emperor's wishes. It was his command. Though he has given no reason in his letter, I'm sure that there must be something he had on his mind when he picked you for this." The man was trying to make Lysandra feel better.
"Surely—" He knew the stories too and he knew them well. There was nothing positive about Duke Sepreth, he never showed his face nor attended any meeting, ever.
"Surely it must be for the best of the Empire." Her father also didn't know how to properly respond to the situation.
"We can always make sure you have ways to defend yourself, maybe poison? Plus it is just an engagement for now dearest, what if the duke never makes good on the Emperor's offer? That could also still happen." It was clear the man was as distressed as Lysandra.
"The duke hasn't written us a letter yet, let's just hope he never does write, maybe he's too busy—killing people?"
"I—" Lysandra panicked, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think straight. Poison? The Duke of the North was too busy killing people?! Her future husband would be a cold blooded murderer. She could hear her heart beating into her ears "I— I can't do this." She pushed herself up, eyes watering as she ran out of the study, running past her own room and Ambra's up to the end of the hallway.
Running up the stairs towards the one place no one would ever come find her, the attic. The one place where no one would expect her to be. It was stuffy and filled with old relics of the former marquis and his travels. Her grandfather had always been one of the few people she trusted, even with his strange stories of far away places he had travelled to before the Empire closed its borders.