The night was thick with tension in the Royal Castle.
The main hall, usually adorned for banquets and celebrations, was now the stage for a deadly confrontation.
Xenovia, with her proud posture and eyes gleaming with defiance, faced the Crown Prince's special squad. Find exclusive stories on empire
The soldiers, all clad in black armor with golden details, surrounded the girl like predators about to strike.
Their swords and spears emanated a magical aura, runes faintly glowing on their blades—weapons created to face high-level cultivators like her.
Xenovia, though exhausted, remained firm.
Her combat dress was in tatters, and cuts on her skin left crimson trails of blood running down, but her eyes showed no weakness. She twirled her longsword, the steel hissing through the air as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Why not surrender, Lady Xenovia?" one of the soldiers asked, his voice echoing through the hall. "This is just a training exercise to show your place. You should accept your position beside the Prince. There's no honor in resisting."
"Honor?" Xenovia spat the word as if it were poison. "Honor is defending what I believe in, not kneeling before a tyrant disguised as an heir." Her voice was strong, but there was a slight tremor—not from fear, but from exhaustion.
The squad advanced in unison, their weapons coming from all directions.
Xenovia leapt backward with supernatural speed, the sound of the blades slicing the air around her. She spun on the ground, her sword slashing the leg of one soldier, making him cry out in pain as he fell.
Before she could take a breath, a second soldier attacked from behind. She barely blocked the strike, her knees giving slightly under the impact. Their strength was overwhelming, but her gaze remained determined. Xenovia knew this was more than a physical fight—it was a political game. The Crown Prince wanted to test her, humiliate her, force her to submit.
"Is this what you call loyalty?" she shouted, her voice cutting through the silence as she moved away. "Blindly following the orders of someone who doesn't understand the value of those beside him?" She spun her sword in a wide arc, creating a gust of wind that pushed the soldiers back.
At the far end of the hall, sitting on a dark wooden throne, was the Crown Prince, watching everything with a cruel smile on his lips. His blonde hair was perfectly styled, and he wore an ornate armor with the royal crest. He rested his chin on one hand, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he watched Xenovia fight.
"Xenovia, darling," he finally spoke, his voice oozing false sweetness. "This is all unnecessary. You know this marriage is inevitable. Why not make things easier for you and your family? Isn't that what your father wants?"
His words were like a direct blow to Xenovia's heart. Albert, her father, had requested more time—just six months for Strax, her brother, to train and possibly stop the ceremony. But time was running out, and the Crown Prince was clearly tired of waiting.
The prince's eyes began to lose focus, panic overtaking his expression. He could feel Kryssia's power, the unquestionable authority she represented. The words she spoke were not empty threats but a declaration that anyone who dared to defy her judgment would feel the strength of the empire in their favor.
She looked at Xenovia for a moment, as if ensuring the woman was okay. Then, she returned her attention to the prince, whose eyes were now filled with pure despair. He was completely submissive to her strength, and he knew it.
Kryssia tilted her head slightly, as if reflecting on her words. "You know, don't you? Your position as prince does not give you absolute rights. What gives you power, in this moment, is the fact that the Empire needs stable leadership. Otherwise..." She tightened her grip again, and he let out a muffled scream, his hands now trying to pull her fingers off his neck, useless as any resistance.
"I'm not asking for permission from you, prince. I'm demanding that you remember what it really means to be part of the imperial line." Kryssia turned her head slightly, as if preparing to finish what she had started.
"If you touch her again," she continued, her voice low and dangerous, "there will be no empire left for you to rule."
The prince was desperate, his eyes now pleading for mercy. "Please... I... I didn't know she was so important. I... I just wanted..."
Kryssia interrupted with a sharp movement, tightening her grip a little more. "Don't make me laugh," she said, with a cold smile. "You're not even worthy of a fraction of what the Empire demands from its rulers. Xenovia, the daughter of Albert Vorah, is more powerful than all of you combined, prince. And if you were smart, you'd have backed off, never trying to meddle with something you don't understand."
She suddenly released him, throwing him backward, and he hit the floor with a thud. The prince was gasping for air, lying there, his dignity completely shattered before Kryssia's power.
The room was in complete silence. Xenovia watched, still recovering, but now with a gleam of gratitude in her eyes. Kryssia glanced at her, then at the frozen guards around the room, as though she truly didn't care about the consequences of what she had just done.
"I apologize, Lady Xenovia," Kryssia said softly, bowing slightly. "No woman should be treated like that. And I won't allow anyone, no man, to disrespect you."
The prince was now on his knees, trying to regain some composure, but fear and shame were still written all over his face. He knew Kryssia could easily end him, but the fact that she had held back still left him in a panic.
"Remember, prince," Kryssia said, turning to him one last time before walking away, "the next time you try something like this, it will be your last." She said, moving to leave, but before she was gone...
"Wait!" Xenovia called out to her. "Can we talk? After you fought with my brother... I haven't heard much about him," Xenovia spoke suddenly, and Kryssia's eyes seemed confused.
"Brother?" she questioned. "Oh, right... did he have a different name? I don't know... he probably didn't even mention it, since you beat him up." She said, placing a hand on her chin thoughtfully.
"Anyway, you faced off in Eldoria," she said, and Kryssia shuddered for a moment... remembering that magnificent fight!
"He's your brother?!" She exclaimed quickly, like a little girl with a crush. "Y-Yes..." Xenovia suddenly stopped... after all... what kind of reaction was that?
"Come on! We need to talk a lot!" Kryssia said, appearing beside Xenovia and grabbing her by the arms. "Hey, you can start healing now, I know you want to look weak in front of that loser, but we both know you're one of the strongest on the continent, stop hiding, it's ugly," she whispered, making Xenovia blush with embarrassment.