The sound of the curtains being pulled apart was the first thing she hears every day now. The brightness of the sun slipped past through window glass easily without the restraints of the crimson curtains. She has to squeeze her eyes shut for a second to get used with the blinding brightness. Sandhya, as usual, stood near her bedside ready to attend her as soon as she steps out from under her warm and cosy blanket. A small crib was placed not far from her. Her son was lying still and boringly staring at his surroundings while sucking his thumb.

She groans as she fell back on her pillow. She's starting to get bored now with the same routine for the past few weeks. A month now, she thinks. A month since she gave birth. Her body still feels so tired and weak. Is that normal? Meh, it's not like she's going to be doing anything for the next few years of her life anyways.

"My lady, please wake up. The sun is already high in the sky. It's not healthy for you to sleep in any longer", Sandhya shakes her shoulder to force her to wake up. This had never happened before she remembers her past life but Sandhya had begun to feel irritated by the third day since for the first two days Sandyha could reason with herself that her mistress was still feeling exhausted but when the third day arrives and the sun had definitely at its peak did only Sandhya had no choice but to be a little bit forceful.

She takes a look at the sun that was irritatingly staring down back at her. In her past life, looking at the sun outside, the time isn't even late. In fact, it's still too early for her. But with Sandhya keeping nudging her shoulders it was starting to get annoying.

After the usual routine of dressing up with all of her maids doing the job (her only job is just sitting in the tub), she sits at a small round table near the balcony. Sandhya began to serve her breakfast as she sits doing nothing. She doesn't even have to move a muscle resulting to all of her energies inside her body being bottled up inside her small bottle that could explode at any second. This type of routine is bad for her especially when she had just given birth only a month ago. Her health will weaken day after day. And she can't afford to be weak right now particularly because she has to avoid 'the destruction' of the world. Whatever that is...

So, she ends up looking beamingly at everyone in the room. She was hoping they will tell her to do something but, of course, they didn't. Her position in the hierarchy is equal to the crazy emperor himself and they, lowly servants and slaves to the higher-ups, can't afford to offend her. But she was still hoping that they will at least tell her something.

Without her knowing, the anticipation she was showing reminds her servants of a puppy that was ready to fetch a stick that was thrown to them. A maid couldn't help feeling guilty anymore cough to catch her mistress' attention so now the excited puppy was excitedly looking at her.

"Umm... My lady, don't you think the weather is fine today? How about you have a walk with the young prince in the garden? He has been inside for a month now. I'm sure the young prince will like some fresh air", the maid who said the suggestion was nudged hard at her ribs by her friend who was glaring at her. But it was too late. The thought had already registered in her head.

"Alright! Let's go have a walk outside then", Ophelia said standing up pumped to move her muscles after so long. Sandhya, however, pours a bucket of cold water over her excitement when she pushed her back down on the chair.

"No, my lady. You need to have your breakfast first. Only then you could have a walk outside while you have them I will prepare the young prince ", Sandhya makes sure Ophelia grip the fork and knife tightly in her hand before leaving to do what she promised her.

The weather was bright and sunny but there was still a gentle wind blowing in the air. Sandhya has to make sure that they both were warm and cosy before heading out. She has multiple occasion where she carries her son and slowly she began to notice some small things about him. At first, he was so small and delicate that she was afraid that she might slip him unnoticed. But after a month, she has noticed that her son has gained a little bit of weight now. That was good. It means that her little bun cake here is growing up real fast and before she knows it he will capture the hearts of all the maidens in the country. One of them being the sole destruction of the world.

In that one month, she spent her time playing around with her newborn. Even though they both spent their day staring into nothing or either at each other. There was nothing much to be done. Her son was one of those golden babies. He doesn't cry. Only shout a little bit or whimper to catch anyone's attention. He was an obedient and calm child which began to worry her.

Even in her arms, he was staying still letting her carry him. On her walk, she only brought along Sandhya and left the rest of her maids in her room letting them clean up whatever was necessary. She doesn't want to put too much attention to herself by walking with her large entourage so she left them behind. Her chamber was in the same building as the emperor's but she hadn't seen him since her son's birth. It was mostly curiosity and honestly speaking she doesn't want to know about his whereabouts.

She remembers that he has quite a number of concubines that he has captured from the cities that he has conquered. He has thousands of them waiting at his beck and call but she has never heard him visiting them at all. He has ordered for them to stay inside the garden where the harem was and if any of them were to disobey him, death will be waiting for them. Is he perhaps bend to that direction? Should she tell the girls that they aren't actually the enemies of one another but instead it was the knights that surround the emperor that they should be worried about?

She pities the girls so much even though her situation right now was not much of a difference from them and forever will be thankful that she still has her whole body in one piece. She really needs to start to be cautious around the famous emperor who knows what will happen to them if she ever crosses his line. Just the thought of it send shivers down her spine.

"Look, Peter, isn't this flower beautiful?"

She was pondering on what to name her child on the second day after his birth when Sandhya told her that the emperor had already named him Peter Arriaga Chewstewartca Kolgrim. At first, she was quite disappointed that she wasn't able to name him but he did spare her the trouble.

Peter only look at the flower plainly. His face didn't show any reactions or what so ever to her. She thought maybe the new things might awaken his lack of emotion. It seems she thought wrong. She even tries tickling him but that too didn't seem to work. But maybe it was the flowers that don't seem much of an interest to him.

"Look, sweetie, isn't the weather beautiful today? The sky is so blue!"

"Look! There's a squirrel up at that tree. Isn't it adorable? But nothing as adorable as you, sweetie"

"Look! A small lake!"

The whole time she was pointing to other objects he will give the object a look before going back busily sucking his pacifier. She felt like an idiot with his lack of interest. Somehow it felt like she was trying to catch the attention of a jerk boyfriend.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Now she feels more like an idiot. She doesn't even need to turn around to know who the sarcastic and icy words are from. She has to greet him though so she has to put her annoyance at him at the back of her mind when she turned around she was caught by surprise. The emperor was already good looking and with his cloak flying behind around him. His dominating aura has tripled. Especially with those abs and muscles.

Oh god, she could feel her drool at the corner of her mouth!

No. No. Get a grip. He's a tyrant, remember? The war maniac emperor. The most feared person by all.

"Your Imperial Majesty", she curtsied. "What luck to see you." A bad one, that is. "How are you doing recently?"

How dare he glare at her when it was him who insulted slash greeted her first!

"None of your concern. How is he?"

Rude much.

Peter stare back at his father with a blank look. "He still hasn't cried. He only whimpers when he seeks milk or a change of diaper. But other than that nothing." Ophelia had no idea why does a man who massacres women and children will be concerning himself about the child he was forced to have. Nonetheless, she still loves her head being attached to her body so she answered him anyway.

The emperor glare at the baby. Peter only look at him while his pacifier moving as he sucks it. They were as if conversing with one another by only having a staring contest. Out of nowhere, the emperor took away the blue pacifier. The action seemed to shock Peter. He really hadn't thought that he will attack him by stealing his pacifier. Everyone present was looking at their emperor with their jaw a gap.

"What are you doing, Your Imperial Majesty? Give it back. He'll cry."

Is he bullying a month-year-old? He is, right?

"That's the intention."

She will like to argue more with him but she too was wondering whether Peter will shed his first tear. It was a suspenseful moment. Every one glued their eyes on the baby in her arms. Peter was having a complicated moment. First, he furrows his brows and when they thought he will cry instead he kept flaying his small hands around for his pacifier back. His movement was sudden and desperate. She was getting more worried that Peter will get hurt with all of the struggles.

She was about to demand him to give Peter's pacifier back but the emperor easily took Peter in his arm and cradles him instead. He looks disappointedly at the child who was still flying his arm. "You really are one stubborn baby." In the end, he gives the pacifier back to the baby who was still glaring at him.

She was disappointed too that he hadn't cried but now she was filled with fear. Her baby is in the hand of that cruel and heartless emperor. Peter showed no resistance at all other than his furrowed eyebrow and a strong grasp on his pacifier. She thought he won't be comfortable with anyone carrying him other than her and Sandhya but he showed nothing to the fact a stranger was carrying him. Yes, she called him a stranger. Why? Cause the emperor was only around on the first day who knows whether Peter still remembers him.

But again, he hadn't shown any reaction to anything anyways. She needs to be glad that he still has some feelings in him even though it was mostly anger and frustration.

"I may not agree with your way of making him cry but this was the first time he had shown that kind of reaction. And the way you're holding is wrong you need to support his head more", she showed him the way to hold her baby properly when she remembers that he doesn't like to be touch by anyone but it was already too late. She was already touching his arm.

He does know that I'm doing this for the good of my child, right? He does know that she's just being a caring mother, right? She wasn't seducing him or anything, okay?

She stepped back from him fearing his glare might actually kill her where she stood. "Yeah, that's about right", she mumbled.

When she noticed that the emperor was staying quiet, she has no choice to look up at him. She was shocked when she saw him looking at her child. He was gently brushing his hair to the side and caressed his nose. He did such gentle thing with such empty eyes as if he was recalling his past or something. What was he thinking about? Why were his eyes look like that?

The moment ended with him pinching Peter's nose together. Poor Peter was taken by another surprised and flayed his ting arms around. This guy really doesn't give up.

"What are you doing, Your Imperial Majesty? Stop that already!" she gives his hand that was pinching her child's nose a slap. To make it easier for him to breath, Ophelia pulls out his pacifier. She makes sure that his precious pacifier was within his reach so that he wouldn't misunderstand her kind intention.

"He makes such an ugly face", he commented. She was sure right there and then that this emperor wasn't right in the head at all.

Because of the two times that he had to betrayed Peter's trust now the poor baby won't even turn to look at him. The immediate turn of his head seemed to amuse the emperor so much since he began to laugh. "Are you perhaps mad at me? A baby mad?"

"Seriously, you need to stop doing that. Peter will cry when he felt like it. Now come here, Peter. Come to mommy", she reached out to grab him. "You must be feeling hungry right now, right? Poor my little boy. Let's find a place to sit, okay?"

"My lady, there's a resting place by the lake. It's not far from here" Sandhya step forward when she notices that her mistress needed her assistance.

"Alright, Your Imperial Majesty, I guess this is where we should go separate ways", Ophelia didn't even bother to look at the man but instead she looks down at Peter all the while coercing him.

"What are you talking about? I'm coming along". His words jerked Ophelia to raise her head to look at him. Even though the occasional wind kept blowing she could still feel the sweats on her back.

"Umm... How about your work?" You have to be kidding me.

"I can always do them later."

"But-

"Your Imperial Majesty!" a guard stopped and bowed at the emperor. Thank god for a saviour. She was in tears thanking whoever this man was. "The King of Rager send someone to meet you immediately."

The emperor sigh and for a second there she saw him looking reluctant but it completely fades and the sadistic tyrant emperor was back, "I'll be there in a minute."

He swiftly turns towards her. She somehow reflectively stood straighter. He gently touches her child's cheeks who was still turning away from him. He smiled slightly at the quick response. "He has grown much heavier than the last time I saw him a month ago. I never thought he will change so much after only a month. He has grown so much..... But he is still ugly."

And there's the emperor that she missed.

"I will like to tell you that my son is the most cutest baby in all existence. How dare you say that his ugly." She thought he will glare at her at least for challenging his authority. Whatever he might punish her she still needs to defend her son's honour.

But all the response that he gave to her was a small tug at the corner of his lips. Even though his action was only slightly and could be missed with a blink of an eye but it still managed to be seen by her who stood on a step away. He turns back away from her to attend his duties leaving her speechless. Peter need to nudge her gently to awake her from her daze.

What was that?

That man can actually smile? Did the sun rises at the west today? Can pigs fly now?

The amount of time that the emperor smile could be counted by only one hand and how many people have seen him smile still alive today? None. Yes, most of the time he smiles it was always the devil smile or the 'it will be amusing to watch you die' smile. She will light up multiple candles for those who were at the end of his 'smiles'. May they rest in peace...... and not haunt her for revenge.....