"Now," Emperor Aldric commanded quietly, his deep, rumbling voice settling heavily over the room. "Let us come back to the topic at hand. Please, take your seat, Princess Seris."
Seventeen year old Seris nodded, sitting stiffly in one of the high-backed velvet chairs opposite the Emperor's massive obsidian desk. Her pale hands were clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles were stark white with anxiety.
Flashback One Hour Ago The Private Corridor
Before Lyra and the rest of the family had arrived for the meeting, Emperor Aldric and Zion stood entirely alone in a quiet, shadowy corridor.
"We cannot accept this proposal, Zion," Aldric had said grimly, staring out the glass window at the violent rain. "The Jeal Kingdom is entirely destabilized. Duke Malus commands half of their military. If you marry her, the Kaelen Empire instantly, legally absorbs a bloody civil war."
Zion had crossed his arms, his expression completely dark. "I agree, Father. Lyra is exactly two months pregnant with the twins. Her fragile mana core just barely stabilized after the Cathedral attack. I absolutely refuse to drag a foreign war into our home and put my wife and unborn children in danger. We have to decline."
Aldric had nodded, the weight of the crown in his eyes. "Then it is decided. We will break the news to her gently, but firmly."
Emperor Aldric looked directly at Seris, his icy eyes completely unreadable.
"Princess Seris," Aldric began, his tone heavy with absolute, sovereign finality. "We deeply respect the sacred promise made by the late Empress Elara. We recognize the profound tragedy of your plight. However, after careful consideration regarding the current safety and stability of the Kaelen Imperial Family... we must formally decline. We disagree with this marriage. We cannot help you in this manner."
The color completely, instantly drained from Seris's face.
The very last thread of hope she had been clinging to violently snapped. Without a single second of hesitation, Seris stood up from her plush chair, stepped into the dead center of the room, and fell directly to her knees.
"Please!" Seris begged, bowing her head so low her forehead nearly touched the Emperor's boots. "Please approve this marriage! I know what I am asking is an incredible, dangerous burden! I know you do not love me, Prince Zion! I do not expect love from anyone in this room! I don't care what happens to my own heart or my own pride I just want to protect the innocent people of my country from Duke Malus! I beg you!"
True pride is not the stubborn refusal to bow; it is knowing exactly when to drop to your knees in the dirt to save the people standing behind you.
Zion gritted his teeth, looking sharply away. It physically, viscerally hurt to see a proud Crown Princess reduced to begging on the cold floor, but he couldn't risk Lyra's safety. His family had to come first.
Rustle.
Suddenly, Lyra stood up from the velvet sofa.
She walked quietly past Zion, stepping directly in front of the kneeling Princess of Jeal.
"Stand up, Seris," Lyra said. Her voice was incredibly soft, yet it carried an undeniable, absolute authority that shocked every single person in the room. "Raise your head. The Crown Princess of a kingdom does not grovel on the floor for anyone."
Seris slowly raised her head, looking up at Lyra with wide, tear-filled eyes. She stood up, her hands trembling violently.
"Before we make a final decision, I have a question for you," Lyra said, looking directly into Seris's eyes. "If Duke Malus takes the throne, you permanently lose your crown. But why does that matter to you? Are you begging for this marriage because you want your luxurious palace back? Or are you begging because of what Malus will do to the commoners starving in your streets?"
Seris didn't even blink. "Duke Malus is a brutal tyrant who bleeds the lower sectors dry. If he takes the throne, he will immediately raise the military taxes, and the common people will starve to fund his private, corrupted armies. I do not care about the palace. I care about the families who rely entirely on the Crown to survive. They are my people. I am their shield, and right now, their shield is completely broken."
Lyra stared into Seris's fierce, desperate eyes for a long, silent moment. Lyra knew exactly what it felt like to be completely helpless under the crushing boot of a tyrant. She had lived that exact nightmare in the South.
A gentle, breathtaking, overwhelmingly warm smile bloomed across Lyra's face.
She turned her head, looking directly at Emperor Aldric and Zion. "I agree with this marriage."
The entire room completely, utterly froze.
Emperor Aldric's jaw literally dropped. Seris gasped, violently bringing her hands to her mouth.
"Wait, what?!" Zion blurted out, his chaotic Three Aditya mana practically short circuiting in absolute, mind numbing shock. "Lyra, what are you saying?! We already decided this in the hall why are you agreeing to this?!"
Lyra slowly turned her head and looked directly at Zion.
The warm, angelic smile completely vanished. It was instantly replaced by a terrifying, deadpan, absolute Wife Death Glare. Her deep blue eyes essentially screamed: Argue with me right now, Zion, and see exactly what happens to you.
A cold sweat broke out immediately on the back of Zion's neck. He was an eighteen-year-old god of war. He had the raw magical power to casually level a mountain. He was the absolute terror of the Kaelen Empire.
But he also really, really liked eating a warm dinner. And if he disagreed with her right now, he knew with absolute, terrifying certainty that he would be sleeping in the freezing snow of the courtyard tonight without a single blanket.
"I mean... yes!" Zion panicked, instantly straightening his posture and nodding violently. "I completely agree! It is a fantastic, brilliant idea! Whatever my beautiful wife says is absolute, undeniable law!"
Arthur, standing rigidly by the door, slapped a hand violently over his mouth to muffle his hysterical, wheezing laughter.
Lyra smiled sweetly, completely satisfied with his immediate, pathetic submission. She turned back to the stunned Princess of Jeal. "But, I have three strict, non-negotiable conditions for this arrangement."
"Anything!" Seris said instantly, stepping forward. "Whatever your conditions are, Princess Lyra, I agree to them unconditionally!"
"First," Lyra held up a delicate finger, looking directly at Zion with a stern gaze. "Zion. You will not treat her as a political hostage or a mere diplomatic tool. If she becomes your wife, you will treat her with absolute respect, and you will love us both equally. No favoritism. Understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Zion saluted flawlessly, entirely terrified of crossing her.
"Second," Lyra turned to Emperor Aldric. "When the time comes for Seris to legally reclaim her throne in the Jeal Kingdom, her children will be recognized as the absolute, undisputed heirs to Jeal. Furthermore, within the borders of the Kaelen Empire, she will possess the exact same equal rights and unyielding authority as I do as Zion's wife."
Emperor Aldric rubbed his scarred beard, his icy eyes gleaming with a strange, unprecedented mixture of shock and massive, overwhelming pride. His daughter-in-law wasn't just kind; she was a completely brilliant, ruthless diplomat.
"And third," Lyra stepped forward, gently taking both of Seris's trembling hands in hers. "We will entirely share our rights. You will stay safely here and be formally recognized as the Second Crown Princess of the Kaelen Empire. And in return, I will be recognized as the Second Queen of the Jeal Kingdom, since you are their rightful First Queen."
The greatest, most unbreakable alliances are not forged by kings signing treaties in blood, but by queens quietly interlocking their hands to build a shared future.
Seris stared in absolute awe at the girl holding her hands.
The dark rumors in the Jeal Kingdom said the Kaelen Prince married an arrogant, cruel, manipulative Southern witch who controlled the Empire with absolute malice, Seris thought, her mind racing. But the rumors are completely, entirely wrong. She is an absolute angel. She isn't just saving my life; she is meticulously protecting my dignity, my future children, and my kingdom's pride.
Tears of pure, overwhelming gratitude spilled freely down Seris's cheeks.
"Thank you..." Seris sobbed quietly, desperately squeezing Lyra's warm hands. "Could I... could I call you Little Sis?"
"Of course you can!" Lyra beamed happily, her eyes shining. "Then I will call you Big Sister Seris!"
Seris looked at Lyra's incredibly cute, bright face. Any lingering tension or deep-seated fear Seris had about sharing a husband entirely evaporated into the air. It was physically, universally impossible to say no to Lyra.
Ahem.
Emperor Aldric cleared his throat loudly, drawing the room's chaotic attention back to the massive obsidian desk. He looked at the two princesses happily holding hands, and then looked at his utterly, completely defeated son.
Aldric let out a low, rumbling chuckle that echoed warmly through the study.
"Well," Emperor Aldric smiled, casually leaning back in his throne. "If Lyra does not have any problem with it, then I certainly do not have a problem with it. I formally agree to the marriage.