The palace quarters were quiet after the announcement of the Emperor's death. The walls were filled with cries and wails in honour of everyone's beloved Emperor.
Li Wei stepped out of the room in shock, the whole place felt blurred. His sight became uneven and the background noise slowed to a muffle.
He could feel his heart beating slowly inside his chest, and his very pulse pushing through his veins. Everything felt amplified by the shock, he could hear even the faintest whisper.
At the speed everything was going for him, he felt lost in time and space. Every moment that went by was slow and distant, like a forgotten memory.
'How could this have happened? They were all healthy yesterday! So how? What were the guards doing when all this happened?'
He turned back to the room door, hoping someone would open it and scream his name, calling him back to the room to tell him it was all a prank.
He stood there in distress, hoping someone would announce the end of the prank before things got too real for him. 'I can't be the next Emperor! I just can't!'
His mind took a step back and rewound to the last words of the Emperor.
'I want you, being the next Emperor to find out the culprits who orchestrated this attempt and make sure justice is brought to them as it needs be!'
It all felt like a dream to Li Wei, he couldn't believe any of it was real. But the reality of it all gnawed at him, and his throat tightened.
He walked out of the palace, glancing at the commotion the news had brought to the entire kingdom.
The maidens, servants, guards and citizens were all weeping in front of the palace. It would take an entire year to recover from a loss like this.
Li Wei felt the pain of the people around him and raised his head towards the clouds, 'If that was the Emperor's last wish, then I will do well to make sure I fulfill it and get rid of every one last culprit alive and breathing!'
He bent low and placed his hands on the soil of the earth to solidify his promise, with the earth being witness to it. 'I will fulfill it.'
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The rest of the day was as painful as everyone made it seem. Li Wei didn't feel obligated to cry for people who didn't care about his well-being, but he couldn't help but feel sad for their passing. After all, they were related to him by blood in all ways than one.
He stood at the balcony window of his room, sitting on the frame of the window when he noticed a group of people walking in from the royal gates.
'That red hair..!' he rushed out of his room immediately, heading down to the base of the palace.
'What is she doing here at this time? I thought she was meant to be back in six months time?' he moved briskly, avoiding anyone who stood in his way to avoid a commotion.
He reached the base of the palace and headed towards the royal gate where she was.
He stopped at the entrance of the palace, panting hard from the excessive sprinting from his quarters down to the entrance of the palace.
'It can't be….. It is actually her!' he glanced at her from the distance. Her gracious hair moving as the wind blew.
Her eyes stood like red embers of fate, and her lips were coloured like the red rose of cupid. Her red hair like a mixture of strawberries and blood, accentuated her facial curves making her look like an otherworldly goddess from a distant universe.
Even while she rode on the horse, her curves drew the attention of the people around her. It was her: Emerald.
He rushed out of the palace walls without a thought and arrived at her side within the next minute.
"Emerald..!!" He called out, panting slightly from the workout. His heart throbbed inside his chest from the stress and he could feel his pulse from the haze of it.
He noticed she was already met with the Empress, standing before her horse.
'What is she doing here though… wasn't she supposed to be completing the task the Emperor sent her on?'
Her presence surprised him but made his cold heart warm, after all she was his only best friend in the midst of thorns.
He calmed down and composed himself, wiping off the pebbles of sweat that formed on his temples with a white cloth before approaching Emerald and her royal highness: The Empress.
"What have we here?.." he chuckled slightly, composing himself in front of the Empress.
Emerald noticed him and smiled briefly. "I expected you to be the first to rush here but it seems someone else beat you to it." She glanced at the Empress slightly before averting her gaze.
"I do not understand what you're talking about but do tell me, what brings you around these parts? Weren't you supposed to be in the Northern side of Petco?"
"Good question, as smart as always. I was on my way there when I heard about the news of the Emperor's death and came here as soon as I could!."
Her response made him think, but he brushed off the thought before it could fully form.
'But that was only announced this morning… to be able to get here this fast, you have to be within the borders of the Verlaris Empire but that would mean that Emerald never left.'
'No no no, she probably used someone's Cultivation skill to get here on time. There's no way she would disobey the Emperor and defile him… I hope'
He moved closer to her and gave her a heartwarming hug to ease his inner pain, one he hid and didn't let anyone know of.
"It's good to have you back Emerald! So much has happened while you were gone and now we've lost the Emperor. I don't know what to do…" he held her tightly, almost as if she was going to disappear if he didn't.
The Empress remained unusually quiet throughout their conversation or maybe it was just her still mourning her husband's unfortunate death.