Before they walked the other way, I took Eulalia and Leonita’s arms in mine, guiding them toward my sisters. I became overwhelmed with joy as we hurried to them. I figured the rest of the day’s schedule would be hectic, and now was the only time to talk to them about everything that had happened already. We could reflect on how we would handle and process it. Both of them glanced at me for a few moments, then turned to follow their administrators in the opposite directions. Despite my quick action, they hurried down the hallway before I could reach them. They practically ignored me. Glancing in my vicinity without even making eye contact or acknowledging my presence. The four gorgeous handmaidens following close behind me glared at me with intenseness I could not understand.

 

Were they upset with me? Had I done something which would cause them to despise me? How could that even be? I have barely done anything?’ It’s not like I acted as I would from our homeworld. ‘I have been playing things how Dasha would, well, mostly? Why didn’t Dasha or Aasha speak to me?’ This was important, and I couldn’t just let them walk away. But before I could say a word. From behind came a firm grip on my arm, twisting me around. To my surprise, I was confronted by Prince Barrios and his brother, Prince Bardas. ‘Where the hell had they come from?’ His sudden appearance almost frightened me. He held me steady by his side as other Byzantia officials followed my sisters, their administrators, and their handmaidens. They appeared to be the envoys who had occupied the Prince in the throne room earlier. I couldn’t be sure, as I didn’t catch a proper look then. What I recognized is they shared a similar look of discontent with me.

 

“Let go of…,” I tried saying, but he stopped as he twisted my arm behind my back.

 

The way he maneuvered my arm made it look as if I had moved to his side. A few gasps filled the hallway further away from a group of servants approaching us. The way Bardos held me close to him furthered disbanding from the servants, and they expressed even more animosity toward me. This was a seriously unpleasant situation. He embraced me until we were alone. Then commanded my handmaidens to leave.

 

“You can’t order them to leave!” I protested sharply.

 

“Wait for her in her bed chambers, do you understand?” Prince Barrios said in an authoritative tone.

 

“No, they are staying right here!” I said with force.

 

“Darling, you put your servants in a compromising position,” Prince Bardas said, approaching them.

 

“We must protect the Queen! Unhand her at once!” Diethard said in a firm tone.

 

Barrios focused his attention on the two men who had been accompanying me. Bardas merely brought me in front of me, wrapping his hands around my waist. He pressed me close to his body. At that moment, I realized the two princes were not wearing their shining armor from earlier. Instead, they dressed in skintight gold and brown suede tunics with dark brown leather pants. The men wore light brown leather thigh-high boots, which caught me off guard. ‘Are they wearing women’s footwear?’

 

“Is this your doing?” Barrios said as he turned to me.

 

“What… What are you talking about?” I countered, “Look, you can’t just order me around!”

 

“My Queen, leave this to us. Prince Barrios, it is our duty to protect the Queen. We cannot simply allow you to proceed in this manner. I ask that Prince Bardas release the Queen at once!” Diethard ordered in a firm voice.

 

Bardas forced his body against my back. First, I felt shivers up my back and down my thighs as his groin touched my bottom. Then, his grip on my hips becomes more intense.

 

“Let me go!” I scoffed as he pulled my bottom into his hips. The bulge in his pants grew, and I felt how large his penis was.

 

“I will release you when you send your servants away!” Prince Bardas whispered in my ear.

 

His lips were inches from my neck, and a shudder lashed through my body. Diethard and Gottwald stepped forward as my handmaidens moved behind them. Their hands held the hilts of their swords as they stood ready to draw at a moment’s notice. Barrios stood between Diethard and Gottwald. His back was to me, and I could not discern his intentions. He simply stood with his hands at his side with no visible weapons on his person. The tension grew as the men stood in silence. As his penis bulged, his leather pants threatened to burst, threatening to spill over onto my bottom. My body craved the feeling of his body against mine. The palpable tension between us increased as he stroked his thumbs. Finally, my eyes met with Gottwald’s, and I could feel an emotion building inside him.

 

“You will release Queen Aria. We will not ask again!” Gottwald ordered in a solemn tone.

 

“So, you have tasted the immense power that awaits you. It seems our future Queen has already begun selecting her subjects. I can sense the power bellowing within the two of you. I can also sense your displeasure. Do you believe you, Queen, have prepared the two of you with the power you have at present to defy me? Let alone two of us?” Barrios asked as he took a step forward.

 

“We will fight you if our Queens deem it necessary. You have laid your hands on Queen Aria without her permission. You know the law, Prince Barrios. It would be prudent for you to abide by those laws,” Gottwald explained firmly.

 

“We have business with your Queen Aria. This is a royal matter. Your laws do not concern us!” Prince Bardas said as he met Gottwald’s gaze.

 

“That is not until later, my Lord. Queen Aria does not know our ways yet. She has not had time to adjust. We were filling her in on our customs the best we could. But, please, let our Queen go,” Eulalia said in an unsure voice.

 

“Do not speak to us, handmaiden. We will handle this the way we see fit!” Prince Bardas snared.

 

“Queen Aria is a Royal… You are nobles… There is a difference. The rules of Sidra are explicit on this. Princes or not. You are not Royals; thus, you cannot handle our Queen this way. I implore you once again. Release our Queen, now!” Diethard demanded.

 

A boisterous, bellowing laughter filled the hallway. It came from Barrios.

 

“You believe we are mere nobles? I, Prince Barrios Aleckzander Revennaut, Heir to the Kingdom of Byzantia. The Elder brother of three and Duke Bardas Aleckzander Revennaut are merely nobles? The tenacity of such a bold claim. Soldiers of Sidra, we are Royals. Not of another world, but of this world,” Prince Barrios said firmly.

 

“That is impossible. There hasn’t been a Royal of our world since the first Trinity graced our world. And to claim to be so…” Gottwald shouted, a deep rumbling growl cut him off.

 

His expression mirrored chaotic confusion. The air pressure in the hallway changed suddenly, and I gasped. I wanted to fall to my knees and crawl to safety. Instead, the hallway became an unbreathable space. I struggled to take even one breath as pressure built all around me. Gottwald and Diethard fell to their knees, grasping at their throats. Leonita and Eulalia clasped to the floor as if some mysterious force coerced them into the ground. They clutched their necks as if that force sapped the air out of their lungs.

 

“S-stop it… S-stop… Leave them alone!” I said, struggling to articulate the words.

 

My body pressed into Bardas’ body to the point his penis separated the cheeks of my butt. The unseen force smashed us together, but he seemed completely unaffected. Diethard and Gottwald clasped to the floor. The men appeared to pass out from the pressure against their bodies. Only Leonita held her hand out to me against the frightening force.

 

“P-please…” Leonita said as she struggled to speak.

 

“Send them away, and no harm will come to them…,” Barrios said nonchalantly.

 

I looked at them, seeing the terror in their eyes. Suddenly, a harsh reality set in. The feeling I shared with them was terrifying. There was no fantasy world or simulation for me. We weren’t playing a game. This was the real world, whether it was the world I was familiar with. The innocent fact that they were with me put their lives at risk. I brought Diethard and Gottwald with me. I did something to them, and they acted on that. Whatever I had done to them empowered them to stand against Prince Barrios and Prince Bardas. They discerned this and wanted to show us they had power. It was a reality I now had to face with the same realization I would in my world.