The following morning, the palace was already humming with the restless energy of the first official day of the Jubilee. But in the West Wing, in the suite that had been claimed by the mint-blue-haired intruder, the atmosphere was frozen in a moment of pure, comedic confusion.
A sharp, rhythmic knock sounded at the heavy oak door. The Royal Head Butler, a man of such extreme poise that he had once served tea during a dragon raid without spilling a drop, stood there with a fresh tray of morning nectar.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I have brought your—"
The door swung open. The butler stopped. His jaw didn't just drop; it seemed to disconnect from his face. Instead of the familiar, crimson-eyed Empress he expected, he was staring at a man of towering height, with hair the color of fresh mint and eyes like deep-sea sapphires.
"You," the Prince grumbled, crossing his robust arms over his chest. "You're late with the tea."
"P-P-Prince Xaris?" the butler stammered, his tray rattling. "But... but you weren't due until this evening! And this room... the Empress... she was..."
"The guest," Xaris interrupted, his voice dropping into a princely growl. "Yes, I know. You gave my ancestral suite to a 'guest.' A young woman with a rather sharp tongue and even sharper daggers. Luckily, she had more sense than you did. She agreed to let me have my room back and went to stay with a friend."
The butler's eyes bugged out. "A... a good girl? She left the room to let you stay?"
"Yes," Xaris said, oblivious to the butler's internal heart attack. "She was surprisingly reasonable for someone who attacks people in their bathrobes. Now, stop gawking. The prince apparently said there's nothing we can do about the mix-up for now. Prepare my formal attire. I need to greet my father before the Council begins."
The butler, realizing that Riha had successfully pranked the most powerful Prince in the galaxy, could only nod weakly. "At once, Your Highness. At once."
A Father's Pride
Twenty minutes later, Xaris was dressed in a suit of midnight-blue velvet that matched his eyes, his mint-blue hair slicked back with royal precision. He strode into the Shadow Lord's private study, bypassing the guards who were too shocked to even ask for identification.
The Old Shadow Lord was standing by the window, looking out over the sprawling techno-metropolis. He didn't turn around when the door opened. "You're early, Xaris. I expected you to make a grander entrance from the sky."
"I like the balcony view better," Xaris said, stepping up beside him.
The Shadow Lord laughed, a deep, resonant sound. He turned and pulled his son into a brief, bone-crushing hug. "30 years, you brat. You look like you've been eating starlight and fighting black holes."
"Something like that," Xaris smiled. Then his face grew serious. "Father... the butler told me. You've officially crowned an Empress? A girl named Riha Roy?"
The Shadow Lord's eyes sparkled. "Ah, so you've heard of her. Yes. Riha. She isn't just an Empress, Xaris. She is the reason this planet is still standing. When I found her, she was a girl discarded by her own family, locked in a cage. But I saw the Void in her eyes."
For the next hour, the Shadow Lord told his son the story of Riha. He spoke of her 100% synchronization, her creation of the Shadow Rails, the invention of the EMW engines, and her absolute ruthlessness in purging the corrupt ministers. He spoke of her 20 years in the Void, emerging not as a human, but as a Sovereign.
"She is the daughter of my soul, Xaris," the old man said softly. "Just as you are the son of my blood. She has improved this empire more in five years than I did in a thousand."
Xaris listened, his royal-blue eyes darkening with a mixture of respect and... something else.
"Come," the Shadow Lord said, clapping him on the shoulder. "The Council is waiting. It's time you met her properly."
The Grand Hall Reveal
The Grand Hall was packed. Every minister, general, and foreign dignitary was in attendance. Riha sat upon the obsidian throne, her presence so terrifyingly cold that the air itself seemed to crystallize around her. Ignis, Nyx, and Nox stood behind her, their spirit-eyes scanning the crowd.
The trumpets sounded. "Presenting His Imperial Highness, Prince Xaris Vane!"
The doors swung open. Xaris walked in, his gait confident and powerful. He looked toward the throne, ready to see the legendary Empress his father had described.
His footsteps faltered for a micro-second.
There, sitting on the throne in her full Sovereign regalia—a crown of black diamonds resting on her dark hair—was the girl from the balcony. The girl in the bathrobe. The girl who had looked him in the eye and lied about being a "guest."
Riha didn't flinch. She leaned forward, a slow, predatory smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. The violet ring in her crimson eyes pulsed with a mischievous light.
Xaris felt a heat crawl up his neck that had nothing to do with solar energy. He was shocked, embarrassed, and strangely... impressed.
The Shadow Lord led Xaris to the foot of the throne. "Empress Riha, may I present my son, Xaris."
Riha stood up, her Void-Silk gown whispering against the stone. She descended the steps with a weightless grace and stopped directly in front of Xaris. She extended her hand, her fingers slender and pale.
"Welcome home, Prince Xaris," she said, her voice a low, melodic chime that carried to every corner of the room. "I trust your... 'guest' accommodations were to your liking?"
Xaris took her hand, his large palm engulfing hers. As he leaned down to kiss the back of her hand, he leaned in close to her ear, his voice a dangerous whisper that only she could hear.
"You really are a mischievous Empress, aren't you?"
Riha didn't pull away. She leaned in just as close, the scent of ozone and moon-lotus swirling between them. "I wanted to surprise you too, 'Brother.' It would have been boring if I just introduced myself over tea."
She pulled her hand back and turned to the head butler, who was standing nearby, looking like he wanted to vanish into the floor.
"Butler," Riha commanded, her voice regaining its Sovereign authority. "The Prince has returned earlier than expected. Prepare a new suite for him immediately—the Sunrise Suite in the East Wing. It has a much better view of the space-port than my chambers."
She looked back at Xaris, her eyes dancing. "I wouldn't want the Prince to feel like a guest in his own home."
Xaris couldn't help it; a short, sharp laugh escaped his throat. He bowed deeply, his royal-blue eyes locked onto hers. "I look forward to our next... 'meeting,' Your Majesty."
As the Council session began, the ministers whispered among themselves about the incredible chemistry between the two heirs. But behind the formal smiles, the game had officially begun. The Star-Walker had met the Sovereign, and neither of them intended to lose.