"You summoned me at an early hour, father. What is the reason?"
Silence reigned within the grand chambers and between the two figures who were standing a large distance apart. But whereas Amaragi was regarding her father directly, the latter was still facing a large, curtained window in front of him.
The sun was barely even rising in the distance, the complete city outside still almost entirely covered in darkness apart from the few torches. And still, Amaragi had been abruptly called by a servant, relaying that her father had requested for her presence.
Requested… being subjective.
Having taken great care not to disturb Maren's peaceful sleep, she had silently, and only most reluctantly, complied. But now here she was. And in truth, both of them knew what this was about, for even though she had been sure that her father had long gotten wind of it, he had not approached her in any way before due to this.
"Your preferences in your selected choice are… unique." Amaragi's expression shifted ever so slightly, both unconcerned and unimpressed either way as she elegantly crossed her arms behind her back. He was not beating around the bush, it seemed, at least there was that.
"So?" her uncaring attitude easily reflected in her tone, and once again, silence stretched between them for a long moment.
Until a deep hum sounded from the Emperor.
"Bondages between two nations, through the form of an official marriage, have always been a weakness. With that, both nations willingly become dependable of one another in the hopes of gaining more advantages, simply because they are not strong enough themselves. That is why I had never concerned you with matters such as these." Amaragi remained motionless in her posture, regarding her father carefully.
Yes, he had never failed to explain this to her multiple times, especially when she slowly grew older. And despite anything she might hold against him, even if his reasoning was not the point, she was thankful that he was not trying to force her into a marriage of any kind. Albeit he enforced numerous other things upon her, and her siblings…
"However, so are any other kinds of bondages. It is merely a hindrance to your growing potential." only now did her father turn slightly to settle a single eye upon his daughter, regarding her sharply. And yet, she didn't falter in the slightest, far from that.
"It is not. Furthermore, it is solely my decision to make, and I did. Long before you ever realized." surprisingly, her father's expression didn't harden.
"... you think it benefits you in any way? Or perhaps it is simply because you do not know it any better, considering that this is your first time to indulge in such puny things." Amaragi lifted her head, her eyes narrowing as she looked her father dead in the eye. His tone was not filled with anger, or frustration… it was mocking her.
"Speak for yourself. You do not know… that with him at my side, I will grow far stronger than you could ever imagine. And whether you approve of it or not, it will not stop me." not humoring this any longer, Amaragi walked outside with strong steps, keeping her posture straight.
Thus, leaving her father to himself as the silence returned.
But unbeknownst to her, he actually chuckled to himself, the deep humming sounding across the large chamber. True enough, he did not speak against nor care enough in any way to stop her. After all, it did not involve another nation.
And besides, his dear daughter was trying so desperately to prove him wrong, dedicating herself this much to increase her strength and capabilities, only reinforced due to his mockery.
Why, perhaps he actually ought to thank this boy…
Internally, Amaragi was trying not to let her anger take hold, shrugging off everything her father had said. No matter what happened… she would not make the same mistakes in her life that he did, for she despised him.
Taking a deep breath, she collected herself as she returned to her shared chamber with Maren. Or at least, that was what she wanted to do until she suddenly stopped in her tracks as she crossed a window, noticing the odd amount of light shining through it from the outside.
It was still dark, so why…?
Her eyes widened slightly the moment she caught sight of the numerous people having gathered at the outside of the mansion, who were only- and barely- being held back by the Imperial escort delegation. And upon closer inspection, it immediately became clear that these were not just ordinary people. Those were armed guards, and they belonged to the city watch.
Glancing back at the door towards her chamber, she hesitated for a moment as she tried to think, but in the end, she stopped herself from waking Maren. And instead, she descended the stairs to walk outside, intent to see to the apparent but unknown issue herself. Without unnecessarily dragging Maren into it…
… another sigh escaped her as she stepped outside, before she recomposed herself.
Why did the world try to crush her happiness so much, even now…
Being closer to the situation, she could see that the atmosphere was apparently even more tense than she thought. Their security corps may be much better equipped and armed than the watchmen of the city, but they were heavily outnumbered. And right now, both factions were standing opposite of each other with their weapons drawn and partly raised, merely separated by inches.
"You and your Emperor will answer for this bloodshed on neutral ground!"
"Your pointless accusations are of no concern to me, and even less to our lord. Cross this line, and you will face dire consequences." neither the commander of the security corps, nor the watch captain of the guard was giving in, but the latter grew even more enraged.
"Accusations…? What kind of proof do I need other than the corpses of you Imperial swines who have slaughtered my men!? You may be used to your boundless arrogance in your frigid homeland, but here, you are merely guests of the high council. And you will be the ones to-"
"Enough!" both parties momentarily stopped in their heated conflict, and the Imperial commander immediately bowed to the crown princess when she approached.
"Your highness, I apologize for the inconvenience. It appears that there has been an accident in a nearby district, resulting in casualties among both of our ranks." once again, the watch captain raised his voice like before.
"Don't play dumb, I know that you have-"
"Captain, we may stay reasonable and collected as civilized beings. If you think that what you say is the truth, what do you think we would gain by starting a conflict amidst your esteemed city?" the watch captain turned silent for a moment, calming down only slightly at the calm but stern tone that the princess used.
"That I would like to know as well. We have evidence from reports of a few witnesses, stating that it was your soldiers who have brutally attacked my men." Amaragi's brows furrowed ever so slightly, trying to make sense of what he was saying.
"And who are these witnesses, pray tell?"
"Their identities will not be revealed to you, for their own safety. But we can rest assured that they are more than trustworthy, and the council is enraged at the crimes you have committed, whether or not you want to hide the truth!"
"Enough of this, captain. I am afraid that you are not allowing rational thought to influence your biased judgment, in which case further talk is futile. But know that, by seeking a conflict right now, you would make a grave mistake." a deadly silence reigned between the two opponents, the tension growing even stronger than before.
Even both the Imperials and the watchmen were already grasping their weapons, preparing themselves for a dire fight that might ensue at a moment's notice.
But alas, the tension was finally resolved the moment their captain signalled for his men to stand down, albeit he shot a dangerous glare at the crown princess.
"Don't think that this is over. News of this will spread, and you will suffer from it…" he sneered before he and his men turned to take their leave, preventing a full on fight.
But even so, as the Imperials relaxed slightly as well in hidden relief, Amaragi remained motionless in place for a moment.
And her form had not relaxed in the slightest.
When the first rays of sunlight shone inside the next morning, Maren slowly began to stir once they settled upon his closed eyelids. Shifting in his place upon the bed slightly, he stopped when he felt a gentle weight against his side. First and foremost, he realized that both him and Amaragi had actually fallen asleep while bent sideways, resulting in an uncomfortable ache that was now stinging slightly due to the unhealthy position.
However, due to his shifting, he regrettably caused her to wake up as well, her eyes slowly fluttering open.
And his eyes immediately filled with concern when he noticed the sheer amount of tiredness in her voice.
"Maren… can we stay like this for a little while longer…? Please…" a small yawn escaped her, and still, her eyes merely shut close again before she wordlessly cuddled further against his side, and only a moment after did she seemingly fall asleep again.
Not wanting to question her right now, he could only hold her more closely against his side, until he finally put the blankets over them both, earning a small shiver from her.
Did something happen…? His concern was only growing with each moment, and yet, he would not disturb her rest now, despite the uncomfortable urge within him. Thus, he merely laid down beside her again, holding her close.
He could always ask her later if something occurred…
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