After the celebration Valyha found herself wondering in the gardens as the voice said. She had distracted her maidens by sending them on an errand.
She couldn't go far anyways, thanks to the protective barrier that restricted her movements
Like a solid cage restraining her anytime she crossed a certain threshold. It appeared the Emperor could expand and restrict the barrier as he saw fit.
The barrier had prevented her from leaving the borders of her castle before, now it had changed its restriction within the environments of the function.
Valyha paused. She heard something.
"What is a queen doing wondering all by herself, without the protection of her maidens?" A deep voice said from behind.
She turned around. Where she was met with two striking ruby crystal-like eyes that glowed in the darkness of the night.
Except it was very different for the one who kidnapped her here.
"Are you the one who sent me the message?" She stepped forward narrowing her eyes. Her fingers moved to her face but a pair of glasses failed to appear.
Curses! Bad habits!
She forgot her normal ones on the table inside.
She dropped her hands as she moved closer, narrowing her eyes. She managed to capture the blurry image of a man taller than her but not as tall as the Emperor.
She could barely see a face. More like a yellow like smudge along with two red fuzzy dots.
"What if I am?" The man said with a smirk as he stepped forward with a hand placed on his chest. "Pleasure to meet you, queen Valyha."
"Oh. You know my name."
"How can I not," the man smirked. "You are notorious. Rumors spread fast."
"I am, aren't i?" Valyha said feeling a sense of pride. Well, more than usual. "May I ask who you are?"
The man grinned. This was the question he had been waiting for.
"Rafel from the house of Deniro and Afilia," he said seductively.
"Oh, nice to meet you Rafel," Valyha gave him a soft smile.
Valyha's smile widened as she nodded her head.
"I must warn you. Queen Salvyiti has reported your case, and news of your actions have reached the Emperor. You may be facing severe punishment soon," Rafel revealed and then cleared his throat. With those two big eyes looking at him, he didn't know what to do. Hard to belive she was the ame obnoxious person holding a mirror to her face for hours earlier.
Valyha noticed this man's eyes soften.
Laughter broke out in her head as she had just discovered a way to escape from this place.
And it had just walked with its own legs to her
"Really, but what did I do wrong?" Valyha blinked with a clueless expression.
Rafel looked into those big eyes staring up at him. It held so much softness and naivety that it made Rafel question how someone like her could have such a lewd body.
"Are you really asking that?" Raphel scoffed. "You did jus publicly humiliate her in front of everyone."
Valyha froze, yeah she did do that. What's the big deal. if she didn't want to be humiliated she should have moved her face. Of course she'd go crying to her king. Uurgh. "umm, I did that, but I regret it now,' she lied in a sober tone.
"It's too late now. The Emperor is fixed on punishing you."
"How do you know all this?" Valyha asked trying to check how useful this man really was.
"I am the king of the North. As a member of the royal court I am entitled to audience with the Emperor, well, every once in a while." Rafel Introduced himself. Confused why he was still talking to this woman.
He couldn't help himself. When he caught Valyha sneaking out, curiosity got the best of him.
Royal Court? "What's that?"
"Do you really know nothing about the structure of Naq'ils governing body?" Rafel chuckled yet Irritated by her naivety. But then again she is human.
Valyha nodded. "No." And you're going to tell me.
Rafel sighed. "Come, let's go somewhere darker. We can't let someone see the both of us here alone. It would be too scandalous for either of us to recover from."
Valyha nodded as she clasped her hands together in front of her thighs as she walked.
Even if the demon tried anything she would simply kill him. Urgency often brought out the worst in her. Perhaps that was what she needed.
To be triggered into violence.
Rafel led her to a lake that looked perfect for pushing.
But it glittered underneath the moonlight.
"So pretty!" Her eyes twinkled.
Rafel observed. she was was intrigued by the simplest things.
He then led the both of them to sit on a stone carved as an extravagant bench.
As they sat, Valyha admired the scenery. "It's almost as pretty as me" she pointed to herself with a smile.
"Tell me, how did you get to meet the Emperor?" Rafel asked. "You are human, we don't usually get humans around here?"
Valyha faked a gasp. "how did you know?"
"His Majesty is not particularly keen on hiding it. We can all smell you."
Valyha froze as she frowned. "I don't stink."
"That's not what I meant. We Qiras are sensitive to the auras of strangers. The Emperor's especially."
"You're not wrong." Valyha looked down. "I am human."
"What kind , Elf, shifter, mage?" Rafel asked genuinely.
"For now I'm just human."
"You have no magic ability, whatsoever?" He asked again.
"Not currently I'm afraid," Valyha frowned a bit.
Rafel felt sad as he wondered how a weak creature could have survived this long in the harsh world of Naqil.
"Well if a low Qira could become queen. I don't see why a human can't as well," Rafel supported. "I wonder then. How did a human find herself engaged to the Great Emperor?"
"Valyha shrugged. I am not sure myself, when our worlds were still at war, I was captured and brought here. I woke up in a room and the next thing I know, I am here. I was forced by him to attend that engagement as you call it."
Rafel's eyes grew. "You are not here on your own accord?"
"No. I want to return home but your-the Emperor won't let me."
Rafel furrowed his eyebrows. That is odd. "The Emperor is not known to be the type to force women." It was usually the other way around
Valyha rests her face on her palms as she pretended to sob. "I don't even know where I am."
Rafel shifted his body feeling uncomfortable. He stretched a hand to comfort as he didn't like the sound of her tears but he stopped himself from interfering. She was still the Emperor's woman.
He only silently looked into the lake.
"People see my cousin as a saint just because he was born the In'er. But I'm the only one who knows how wicked and cruel he really is. There are such things that are unfair like a man reigning supreme just because he of his birth, and a woman forced to marry a man she does not love." Rafel said and Valyha could sense the sadness in his tone.
A grin spread on her face. The cousin to the Emperor he said? A king he said?
My how delightful.
Wait a minute, something is strange here. "I am curious about something."
"What I it?"
How do I kill your cousin, "ever since I came here why is it I have felt any prejudice against me for being human… it's a bit strange."
"Why would you think that? Oh, is it because we eat your kind?" he seemed genuinely confused.
"yes."
He laughed a little. " silly woman. If anything, I think the lower Qiras are worse. At least some Earthmen have powers, impressively too."
Low Qira? It was not the first time hearing that word, she just never took it seriously. Until now.
"Why… QIra is Qira correct?"
"You clearly know nothing about Qira. QIra is not Qira, and will never be. With humans it's different because our race are cannibals, we eat other people, heck even ourselves sometimes, though its illegal, throughout history, hunting foreigners is just something we do. And humans are extremely delicious and holds the most nutrients so ends leads to means. That's all, we see you as the foreigners that are the most delicious… and, because of the war, very hostile."
"And low Qiras as somehow seen as less, than humans?" Valyha didn't know how to feel having the people she hated the most not have the same emotions towards her own.
"Much less." He laughed again, "much, much less," Rafel stood up abruptly. "We shall meet again, queen Valyha."
But as he turned to walk away he paused. "I will walk you to you maidens. It is not safe for a creature like you to be outside on your own. Especially one with your title."
Valyha blinked at him. But she stood up and followed besides him.
The walk back was silent.
"Again I have to advice you to prepare. For what you did today, he surely has something planned for you. Take heed. The Emperor can be cruel with his punishments."
Rafel looked Valyha in the eyes genuinely concerned.
"Nonsense. Nothing he does can ever hurt me. I am an impenetrable fortress," unknowingly letting out her inner narcissistic self.
Rafel breathed out with a small smile. Brushing it of as childish gimmick. Afterall she could not be anything more than two hundred, merely a small youth. How could someone with such an innocent face have a body that sinful. It was unfair.
As they approached the entrance of the ball, eight woman stood looking around in disarray. Until Hiriah caught Valyha walking from the dark.
"Oh your highness! Your highness, your highness! Where have you been?" Hiriah asked as she ran to her queen, breathing out in relief.
The other seven girls ran surrounding Valyha with worry.
"You had us so scared." If something had happened to the bride, the Emperor could have had their heads cut off.
"Where have you been?"
"Yes your highness we were searching everywhere for you,"
The girls all asked in worry. More for her than themselves.
Valyha was surprised by their worry. But she placed her hands on her hips sticking up her nose. "As if anything could ever happen to me. Do not waste your - breath worrying about me."
Hiriah grunted discreetly.
"Besides I was with him," Valyha pointed to her side.
"With who?" The girls questioned as they gazed at the empty space besides their lady.
"He!—he was right there," Valyha said as she pointed while turning her head back.
"Your highness, is there anything we should be particularly worried about?" Hiriah said in worry. She was referring to Valyha's mental conditions.
"I am perfectly sane!" Valyha blurted as she crossed her arms with a frown like a spoilt brat.
"Anyways we bring good news!" Hiriah started. "You were given a rank in the Harem!"
Valyha shoulders began rising. "Of course did you expect all this to not meet up with expectations."
"The bad news is you are at the bottom. Your Highness, you are officially the fifth Main bride of the Emperor. That's still very good. No hope of you becoming Empress, but the fifth queen is still a glorious position!"
Valyha's smile dropped. "Least liked of course." She was the enemy it was expected though. It didn't matter because she'g escape before the wedding anyways. But it did hurt her pride to be anything less than number one. But then again meh. She'll kill them all.
"The other bad news is, you are scheduled for trial in the palace court on the charges of domestic abuse," Hiriah muttered darkly.
"Had I abused someone already?" Valyha placed a finger on her chin trying to recall. "I out do myself sometimes."
"Yes. But the good news is despite the charges you still were given a title. A very powerful one at that. We all thought you were going to be demoted to concubine but it seems the Emperor had mercy you," Hiriah smiled.
"Oh." Valyha Said.