“Please welcome the esteemed 4th Emperor Frederick the First and his three lovely daughters: Lenya, Caria, and Azura,” the announcer said as we entered the Grand Hall. 

The court nobles gasped as my sisters and I walked down the velvet staircase, our dresses something of a fairytale. Lenya, the oldest, was wearing a high-collared sage green dress that was covered in embroidered gold flowers and had her hair tied up into a complicated hairstyle, light brown tendrils perfectly framing her face. She looked regal and poised, an appearance that matched her personality exactly. 

On the other hand, Caria was dressed in a flowy light yellow dress that made her coral hair pop, only accentuated by bluebells woven through her hair and her blue eyeshadow. She was the image of a fairy princess, forever free-spirited and confident. 

Even I had to admit, I looked pretty. My dress was the sunrise, a dawn upon a new day. I was the embodiment of hope, though it was false. Combined, we were beautiful, a sight impossible to ignore. 

The 6th Emperor sat at the end of the Grand Hall on a diamond-encrusted throne of luxury, gleaming swords surrounding his head like a halo. His throne was meant to intimidate the onlooker, not lure them into a false sense of security. As for the emperor himself, he was ancient, older than time itself, yet he was surrounded by scantily-clad nephilim women catering to his every need. There was no way I was going to end up like them. Behind him perched a magnificent white dragon chained to his throne, stuck in draconic form by an enchanted harness, forever suffering. 

“My darling Anacreon,” my father said to the 6th Emperor, “how wonderful it is to see you again. What ever do you have planned for this evening before the galeidis are held? I assure you both me and my daughters are greatly looking forward to it.”

The 6th Emperor glanced down at my father, a look of disdain painted across his face. That is, until he saw us. He looked each of us up and down, his beady gold eyes sending shivers down my spine. 

“I’m glad to see you have brought the goods, Frederick. I was just thinking how nice it would be for your daughters and I to get…acquainted,” the 6th Emperor said. 

“Now, dearest Anacreon, you must only pick one. I cannot afford to lose all three of my treasured daughters at once!”

“Oh Frederick, how you tease me with such bait,” Anacreon replied. “Maids, please escort these honored guests to their rooms. Frederick, do stay. We need to discuss Peloria.”

As I was escorted out, I made eye contact with the dragon behind his majesty. There was no light in the dragon’s cosmic purple eyes, only suffering, a feeling I knew all too well. 

We walked through the lavish corridors, our heels clicking against the marble floors with every step. Unlike my father’s sterile palace, the 6th Emperor’s palace radiated power in a different way. My father relied on cold fear to assert power, while his majesty used money and luxury to show his superiority. The walls were covered in massive paintings of the 6th emperor’s many children, enough to comfortably fill a 500-foot long hallway, yet another reminder of what would await me if the 6th emperor was to choose me as his concubine. I was not ready for kids, nor would I be for a while. 

The maids led us to the 4th Emperor’s suite, a mini-mansion in its own right. My sisters walked inside, only to find racks on racks of dresses and accessories all dolled up in ribbon, with a single slip of paper peeking out of the nearest rack. I plucked it out of the rack and read it. 

Hello beautiful ladies,

I hope you enjoy your stay at my humble abode knowing that only one of you will have the esteemed opportunity to stay here for the next century. All it takes is one small gesture, and you could have all of the luxury you could ever want. Now, don’t fight over me all at once. To keep this fair, whoever impresses me the most at my pre-galeidi birthday party will get to take me home. I had a small gift sent over but no need to thank me as it cost practically nothing. I have to remain humble or else my ego will grow to be as big as your father’s.

Sincerely,

His Majesty Anacreon Alistari Olinhan IV

So, tonight’s pre-galeidi event would be a party for a man who doesn’t know the date of his own birthday? No, this was just another opportunity for the 6th emperor to do what he’s best at, flaunting his wealth. Nevertheless, I sorted through the racks of overpriced clothing and picked out a lemon-yellow party dress, the least skimpy dress I could find. I couldn’t fight in skimpy, but it’s not like his majesty would even care. Neither would my sisters, because they clearly outshined me, and they knew it. We changed in silence, too afraid to speak. No matter what happened, our lives would be changed forever.

By the time my sisters and I had changed, it was time for his majesty’s birthday party. We walked over yet again to the Great Hall, where we could hear the music blasting from the other side of the walls. Deep breaths. 

When we entered the “Party Plaza” as it’d been dubbed by the banner above our heads, a young nephilim stumbled by us and placed flutes of some teal bubbling liquid into our hands. Caria immediately chugged it down and plunged into the noisy crowd without much of a second thought. 

“Our dear sister, always the impatient one. Doesn’t she know that the 6th emperor wants someone who is regal and elegant like I am?” Lenya said.

However, a few moments later, his majesty’s son swayed out of the crowd and Lenya grabbed his wrist, pulling her into the mosh pit. Suddenly, I was alone. I looked up. The dragon was staring at me again, their purple eyes looking like they were searching for something. The dragon looked just as trapped as I was feeling, a person stuck in their rawest form eternally. Yet before I could make it over to the dragon, I was pulled into the crowd just like my sisters, only this time I recognized the arm. It belonged to the 6th emperor.

“Now darling, your sisters already showed me what they can do, but can you beat them?” he implored, making my skin crawl.

"No," I whispered, terrified of what he might do to me.

He set down his drink on a nearby side table and reached out to stroke my cheek, his ancient fingers trailing down my jawline. Get away from me, I thought, unable to tear away, I never wanted this. I couldn’t deal with this, or maybe I could. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted one of the Emperor’s many sons stumbling towards us running from his brother. This might be my chance, if only I could get the son to hit the 6th Emperor. His majesty continued to attempt to seduce me. He traced his decrepit fingers over my lips again and again, taunting me to make the first move.

“Why so scared, darling? I’m not going to hurt you,” the 6th Emperor said.

I let out a soft whimper and his composure snapped, his face instantly angry. 

“I’m tired of waiting darling. You had your chance, but you forfeited it,” he sneered.

He grabbed both my hands and pinned them to the wall behind me, binding them with his magic. I wish I could say I tried to resist him, but my father told me never to resist the 6th Emperor. The binds were too tight and quickly cut off my blood circulation, my fingers growing number with every passing second. Within minutes, I could no longer feel them. Terror coursed through me, and my body temperature dropped. He’s harmless. I told myself again and again, but I couldn’t get myself to believe that. If my plan didn’t work… I didn’t know what I would do. Would I break and attack him, or would I just let it happen? I couldn’t think about it. However, since the 6th emperor pinned me against the wall, he now was in the stumbling son’s line of fire. Only if he stumbled over here soon enough. His Majesty leaned over and nibbled my ear, and I retreated further inside my mind. I had no choice. This is what my father wanted. 

Suddenly, the idiot son stumbled into him and knocked him away, just like I predicted. This was my chance. I reached for the binds tying my hands and snapped them without a second thought. Then, I slipped into the crowd of nephilim, but not before grabbing his drink. I stuck my finger in his drink and summoned a lightning bolt inside the bubbly liquid, forcing it to conduct a large amount of electricity. This would teach him not to touch me, that bastard. 

Before his majesty could recover, I placed his drink back on its original spot, careful to align the condensation stain just right, and disappeared inside the crowd of onlookers. I had to maintain enough distance so that he wouldn’t see me, but close enough that I could still watch the show.

I heard the Emperor ingest his drink before I saw it, his high-pitched screech echoing through the Party Plaza. I peeked over the crowd to survey the scene. His body lay unconscious on the ground while party guests flocked around him, a lily in his lapel. Nyx’s signature.