Chapter 1 - The Sacrificial Lamb

~one month ago~

~The Kingdom of the South~

The Kingdom of the South, one of the most powerful Kingdoms to ever exist, has always been graced with fields full of wheat, mines of gold, deep forests and merchant guilds to travel in and out of the country. Most of all, however, it has been graced with a people that don't shy away from showing their support to the King and Queen they so much adore.

Despite prospering from the countless resources the country has to offer, The Queen's infertility has brought The Kingdom of the South great distress. When she finally ended up with child, the whole Kingdom celebrated Her Highness' pregnancy for 7 days and 7 nights straight, with traditional dances and music, with carts full of the tastiest foods, and so much wine, there was barely any left to send over to the neighbouring Kingdoms in the usual trade.

The happiness lasted for a while, for the Queen loved the child in her belly, and the King loved his Queen. They were a happy family, a royal couple to be envied. For the whole 9 months of Her Highness' pregnancy, the castle squirmed with excitement, rooms for the future Heir have been prepared, trained attendants were brought, and people could hardly wait for the arrival of 'the Miracle', as the child was often referred to by everyone both inside and outside the castle's high walls. After all, the future Heir was truly a miracle, after Her Highness tragically lost so many children, unable to carry to term, or even go past the 12 week mark of the pregnancy.

Everyone had great expectations for the future Heir, the highest of them all being that it had to be born male. Of course, this was out of Her Highness' control, but she did her duty diligently and went to The Temple to pray day and night, for the Kingdom needed a future ruler, and with her poor health, another child would probably be an impossible feat to achieve.

The Kingdom was ecstatic when the bells of the Castle Tower began ringing, signalling the birth of the much-expected child, but quickly fell into mourning as the bell shortly started ringing again, eight times in a row, signalling The Queen's passing.

Merchants closed their shops, musicians hid their instruments, and children stopped playing on the streets for three whole months, as the country mourned the absence of their so beloved Queen. No one paid much attention to the little child she left behind, especially since the little baby would not be an Heir, as the customs of the Kingdom follow, for the worst thing possible happened.

The child the Queen bore was a girl.

"Aristia." the Queen said on her deathbed. "This shall be your name, my child, for you are born to be a ruler of people."

Her servants were pitying her. All those days and nights spent on her knees at the Temple were for naught, for she failed to give birth to an Heir for the King. And even worse, the Queen died moments later, unable to express the love she had for the baby.

The moment the King stepped into the bedchambers, seeing the body of his beloved dead wife, he fell into despair. His love for her was unmeasurable, and now this little... sleeping, small thing took everything away from him.

He only spared one look at the horrendous thing after finding out its gender, and once he saw her, the only thing he could mutter was "My Queen has died for nothing."

~

It didn't take long for Aristia to realise she is not a regular child. People would bow in her direction, they would only address her as 'Princess', not by her name, and she was not allowed to play with other children, like all the other children her age would. At only four years old, she already knew how to read, and she was fluent in 3 different languages of the Main Continent.

No matter her accomplishments, the only way she could describe her relationship with her father was indifference. She wasn't even sure she had a father in the first place, but the maids made sure to tell her all about how great the King was, and how busy he must've been to rule over their large Kingdom – way too busy to come see her, or to request her presence anywhere near him.

The first time she saw her father was when she was 5 years old, at the first banquet she was allowed to attend. That's when she met the soon-to-be-Queen as well. Of course, she was aware her father was about to remarry. She's heard the maids whispering in the hallways about how beautiful and young the new Queen was, and presumably about how fertile she was, and then shushing each other. Rumour has it that she was already with child.

Aristia found that rumour to be true when she bowed in front of her father and the soon-to-be-Queen, and by the time she raised her gaze, her father was preoccupied laughing along with her and putting his hands all over her belly, as if proud.

The first child the New Queen gave birth to was a girl. A beautiful girl with eyes as green as the Emeralds on her father's crown. Green was, fore and foremost, the colour of The Kingdom of the South, so they said the King instantly fell in love with the little girl. From the moment he laid his eyes on her, he ordered the butlers to summon the best dressmakers in the country to ensure that his beloved daughter was adorned with the most beautiful dresses.

Such a laughable comparison to Aristia, who only owned little garments, some of them custom made just because her personal maid – formerly her mother's – requested that the Crown Princess must own appropriate clothing for her status, and the King obliged due to his respect for the maid who took such good care of his late wife.

What does a baby even need so many clothes for? Aristia wondered. She could do well with only a few dresses, despite her large closet looking as empty as an abandoned town reeking of disease, so she couldn't fathom what use a baby had for a whole wardrobe.

Once the maid died when Aristia was 13 years old, right after her coming-of-age ceremony, it was like tragedy struck one after another. Losing her only ally in the castle, the princess started to be treated less-than, to the point where even the maids were rude to her face. Since she didn't have her father's favour, there was simply nothing she could do. Sure, she could threaten them, or even hit them if she felt angry enough, but such reactions only brought further discontent from her father, who kept comparing her to her little perfect half-sister.

That girl was only 8 but was treated so much more differently than Aristia ever was. It even made the princess wonder what she did to deserve such little attention, for she's never known love, to be able to ask herself about it in the first place. Not from her father, anyway. Her maid loved her, she told Aristia as much before she passed away. But now that Aristia was alone, she didn't think things could get any worse.

But when life throws hardships your way, they always come in pairs. The Queen was with child again, and this time, a healthy baby boy was born, sending the Kingdom into a joyful mood. While everyone was more than ecstatic to welcome the Heir to the Throne to the world, this only meant the worst to Aristia, as she's been stripped of her status as Crown Princess. She doubted she would become Queen of the Kingdom anyway, as the Kingdom was patriarchal, but still, her status allowed her to at least keep her head high, as her maid taught her. But now, she had nothing.

Once the boy was born, the world stopped spinning for Aristia. She was no longer allowed to take classes and learn how to rule a Kingdom, as it simply made no sense for her to know such things. She was a girl, merely the elder half-sister of the Heir, and effort and resources would be better spent otherwise.

She felt like she had no purpose. Everything she's worked towards for the past 15 years was gradually being taken away from her, erased, just as one's footprints in the sand under the merciless sea water. For the first time in her life, she requested an audience with His Majesty, her father, and was surprised to not only have her request accepted, but instead of being asked to come to the Throne Room, as audiences usually took place there, she's been invited in the King and Queen's bedchambers.

She's never been allowed in this part of the castle before, and she let her eyes wander to the beautifully sculpted wooden walls and expensive marble floors. She realised for the first time how little luxuries she had in her own chambers. It was as if this side of the castle and the side she resided in were different places altogether, not part of the same building.

She was escorted by two knights and her presence was announced to His Majesty, who quickly let her in.

"Father, I'm glad to see you are in good health." Aristia bowed respectfully.

"My daughter." The King spoke, as if he'd just noticed her presence in the room. "You may rise."

The princess straightened her back and stared at her father. He looked older than the last time she saw him. Was it two years ago? Three?

"I heard there's something you'd like to tell me." His mouth smiled, but his eyes didn't.

"Yes, about my classes... Father, I think-"

He raised his hand in the air, signalling her to stop talking, and she bit back her words.

"Was it just that?" He sighed.

Just that, he said, but it was the whole world to Aristia. She's always found solace in her books, and the historical characters she's read about were her only friends.

"I would really appreciate it if I could-"

"Enough."

"But Father-" She tried once more, and he angrily stood up.

"Such insolence! Do you think everything in this world belongs to you? Do you think you're that important to bust into my private rooms and make demands?"

"No! I never-"

"It seems you simply can't learn your lesson. I should teach you how to properly behave in front of your Father!" He stood up angrily and approached the girl, now a trembling mess in front of the King.

Too bad there was not even an ounce of sympathy in his eyes. They were cold and ruthless, and they held a heaviness in them, almost as heavy as the palm he used to hit Aristia's cheek, sending the girl to the floor.

It took her a few seconds to collect herself, to figure out what happened to her and why she was lying on the floor in His Majesty's room. When she came back to her senses, the King had his back turned on her, inspecting something in his drawers.

Aristia placed both her hands on the floor and pushed herself up, when her father turned to face her once again, holding a weapon of some sort in his hands.

A whip, she figured quick enough as her father approached her and pushed her back down, forcing her face to the floor.

Then, with no warning, he whipped her ten times.

~

The girl's back was sore and painful to the touch. When the water made contact with the battered skin, she winced in pain. Bringing her knees closer and holding onto them with her frail arms, she let her face fall on them and started sobbing.

It hurt badly, and she didn't know what warranted the beating. It was the first time in her life someone raised their hand at her, let alone beat her so mercilessly.

She could only hope it would be the last time.

~

It wasn't.

That night in her father's chambers became an almost monthly occurrence – sometimes more often, if he was feeling especially stressed, other times rarer, like the days when the Crown Prince would accomplish a milestone, such as when he said his first word, or when he learned how to walk.

His Highness would ask for her, and she could only oblige, as he was the King, and not going to him when he requested your presence was considered treason. While lying in bed late at night, she would tremble with anxiety, wondering when her father will take his fury on her again; when she'll get summoned and have her back whipped until it bleeds; how many times he would flog her.

The only solace she found, the only thing that managed to keep her mind away from the horrors of her father's cruelty, was the Royal Library, where she was thankfully granted access to after some pleadings and a few good beatings. Since no one would need her most times, as she was barely treated like a Princess anymore, only having a few attendants, she was able to spend most of her time in the confines of the large bookshelves, hidden away from the world, where she read and read and read about fallen Empires, medicine, geography, politics; everything she could get her hands on.

Despite losing her right to study under a scholar, her mind was sharper than ever, capable of memorising every paragraph she read, making so many connections, her previous teachers would've been proud of her.

Being knowledgeable helped her feel somewhat better. Safer. By the time her brother would grow up and get the Crown, she would hopefully be educated enough to get a position in his Council and become a well-respected member of the Court. Hopefully, there would be a place for her.

That was her life's ambition.

~

It all came crashing down when Aristia was 18. She hasn't been summoned by the King in a little while, so that most of her scars were now white lines on her skin.

Still, the anxiety in her stomach never went away, in anticipation of when the King would finally have enough on his plate and ask her to his rooms once more, to beat her black and blue and pierce her skin with the unforgiving leather whip.

Would she bleed this time?

She never knew. It rarely got bad enough for her to require proper after care. To give her father some credit, he sent the Royal Doctor a few times to her chambers to treat her wounds and make sure they wouldn't get infected. Of course, not for her well-being; she was just property in his eyes, but he needed to make sure word wouldn't get out about his leisure time activities. As far as everyone else was concerned, The King requested her presence to get updates on her life, and they'd gotten closer. No one besides the Royal Doctor knew about the abuse he would put her through, and she was smarter than to let anyone know.

She hesitantly stepped into his chambers after the guards announced her presence, and to her surprise, the King was not alone this time around. In the room, the Heir was playing with some sort of toys on the floor right in front of his father, and he was smiling brightly. Aristia didn't know much about her half-brother. He must've been about 5 by now, and he apparently liked dolls made of corn husk.

"Good evening, Your Majesty, His Royal Highness" She bowed to the two.

"Aristia, my daughter, you're here!" He stood up and came towards her, taking her into his embrace. It was the first time he's ever hugged her.

She didn't know how to feel about it, but her guard was still up, and her hands formed fists, nails digging in her palm. She didn't know what to expect, and being unprepared was something she absolutely loathed, especially considering that she's always been unprepared for every event happening in her life.

This time, too, she was unprepared.

"Take a seat, daughter." The King commanded, and she obliged. She tried not to look at the floor where the Heir was playing, because she only envisioned herself, sprawled on there half-naked, lacerations on her back, weeping quietly.

She didn't want to think about it. Considering the Heir was in the room, maybe she wouldn't get beaten tonight.

A few moments later, servants carrying trays of sweets and kettle sets entered the room, arranging everything beautifully in front of them.

Does he plan to poison me? Aristia thought and took a reluctant bite of the slice of chocolate cake given to her. She hated doing everything so hesitantly, but she was scared of her father. She hated it.

"As you might be aware, there are some tensions between us and The Empire of the Sun. My daughter, you know what a valuable asset you are to our Kingdom." He started, and Aristia didn't want him to continue.

So, that's what he thought, after all. She was just an asset. An object her father owned.

She could guess where this was going.

"Yes, Father." She replied, a little fake smile plastered on her lips.

"For once, you could be useful and do your duty as our Princess. The Emperor of the Sun sent us a marriage proposal to unify our lands and prevent war. This is such a great opportunity for us!"

Aristia stood silent.

While her father tried to paint her a picture-perfect setting, she knew what this truly meant. She was to be sent to the Empire as a sacrificial lamb, as a fake Empress with no actual power or status. It was crystal clear to anyone who read a history book that the Empire of the Sun and the Kingdom of the South have never gotten along; they've always been at each other's throats for more territory or more goods, the main point argued between the two being the Emerald Mine in-between the two lands.

The Kingdom has always claimed that emeralds are their signature stone, so it was only natural that the land the Mine was on belonged to them, but the Empire has argued otherwise, and there have been tensions for the past hundred years, with wars sometimes breaking out at the borders.

An alliance through marriage would mean that no war would break out for a little while, and that's what Aristia's father was most likely hoping for. More time.

Historically speaking, the Empire of the Sun was in the right, and the mine belonged to them after they conquered the previous Kingdom standing at the borders of the Kingdom of the South, but for the past hundred years, The Kingdom was the sole extractor and seller of the emeralds. Losing the mine would mean a great financial loss to the Kingdom, and every year the King was able to stall the Empire for officially claiming the mine was a win.

Aristia couldn't understand why the Empire would propose something like that, though, as she felt they were at a disadvantage. There were possibly other political factors at play she was unaware of. She needed to do some more reading.

"The marriage will take place in a month. You will be sent to the Empire with your close attendants."

Of course, she was being discarded. Aristia almost wanted to laugh. Her father prepared all these cakes to sweet-talk her into agreeing without a fight. He always hated her, and she's never known why, and now he was getting rid of her, sending her to a place where she would be loathed by everyone.

Was this why he's always been so cruel to her? To prepare her for this uncertain future of being Empress of a foreign land that would most likely never accept her as a rightful ruler?

She just wanted to laugh.

~

~The Empire of the Sun~

"A marriage, huh?" The Emperor laughed for a few seconds, then his face became stern.

"Well, you are the most sought-after bachelor." Seungmin, one of his counsellors, replied in a joking manner.

"So, you want to tie me up to that wench? Do you really think that's the best way to avoid conflict?" Bang Chan challenged, but his two counsellors stood proud in front of him, sure of themselves.

"It would be best. You know the morale of our soldiers is on the ground." Jisung replied.

"And why shouldn't we just attack the Kingdom? It's bound to happen, anyway, especially as they keep pushing our buttons."

"With all due respect, Your Highness, we've been at war with other nations for the past 10 years." Seungmin chimed in.

"If we could at least postpone it while we identify all our losses and regroup, we can surely fight the Kingdom of the South and get the emerald mine back. Think about it, Your Highness, it's the best solution to buy us time." His other advisor, Jisung, insisted.

The Emperor hummed. "Jisung, how much time do we need to buy?"

"We discussed this with the Royal Knights as well. As you are aware, the South has the most powerful army in the Main Continent, so a war could be fatal to us at this point. However, Minho said that three years of preparations- no, even two years should be more than enough."

"Besides," Seungmin intervened, "providing you don't bed the Princess, your marriage can be annulled in under two years for unfulfilling her tasks."

"Even if you bed her, we can annul it if we prove she committed treason." Han added.

"Right. It's as simple as asking her to serve you a cup of tea at dinner and the maids will add poison to your cup, then we'll frame her." Seungmin shrugged.

"If we think about it, she doesn't even have to become Empress. She's a bit young for you anyway. She could get married to Prince Felix and-"

"No." Chan cut Jisung off with a shake of his head. "We won't... just... no."

"They are closer in age." Seungmin pointed out. "Although, be it between us, I heard through the grapevine that the people are really wishing for their dear Emperor to get married and have an Heir sooner rather than later. But Prince Felix' marriage would also make them happy."

"If it were anyone else, it would've been a great plan... There's one thing for me to get a political marriage, but when it comes to Felix... you both know how kind-hearted and naïve that child is. He'd get attached to her. Let him meet and fall in love with someone we don't plan on getting rid of."

"Then... will you marry her yourself?"

"I'm not thrilled about welcoming a spy into my abode. They say the King adores his daughter. If she finds anything about us, she will most likely divulge it. It's dangerous to us."

"Keeping her in the dark will be easy enough, Your Highness." Jisung chuckled. "It's not like she'd have any allies here. Everyone in our Empire despises the Kingdom of the South. She won't find a friend in anyone in the Capital."

Bang Chan tapped his fingers a few times against his throne, deep in thought. The plan was good. They'd have a strong enough alliance and temporarily give up on the mine while their armies are recovering, and they'd get rid of the Princess in just two years, and hopefully settle the centuries old debate regarding the Emerald Mine as soon as his Empire is prepared to fight again.

"Mhm. Fine. Seungmin, please write a letter to the King of the South and ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Good work, you two."

~

(A/N) Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new story.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Love,

Storm