"Whose engagement?" he asked again, his tone laced with impatience.
The emperor exchanged a glance with the empress before swallowing hard. They had tried to rush Princess Esmeralda’s engagement and marriage before Alexis returned from his mission, hoping to shield him from the news. But it seemed the whispers had reached him. He wasn’t expected back for another three weeks, by which time Esme would be married to the Xolotl.
"Esme’s engagement," the emperor finally admitted.
In an instant, Prince Alexis leaped to his feet, his fury evident.
"What have you been up to while I was gone?" he demanded, his eyes flashing with disbelief.
The Empress’s words hung in the air like a dagger, aimed directly at Alexis. "That is no way to talk to the emperor," she scolded, her voice dripping with mock civility. The words were sharp and calculated, but Alexis was too sharp, too aware to be fooled by her façade. Her sharp eyes followed his every movement, the air thick with the tension between them.
He wasn’t like the other men she had manipulated so easily. Alexis knew too much, understood the politics of the court too well, and worse still, he wasn’t afraid of her. The Empress despised that. Her every interaction with him was marked by the bitterness of unspoken jealousy and resentment, knowing that deep down, everyone in high society—most especially the emperor—saw Alexis as the true heir to the throne.
The Empress, however, would never allow anyone to steal her control, not even her own husband’s son. She smiled tightly, the venom in her words well hidden beneath a delicate veneer. "You must remember your place, Alexis," she said, her voice low but laced with a warning. "I am in charge here."
Alexis stood unmoving, his expression cold, eyes narrowing at the pretentious threat veiled in her carefully chosen words. His fox instincts tingled, sensing the undercurrent of malice in her every syllable. He could smell it in the air—the faintest trace of her sickeningly sweet scent, a mask that shielded her true nature. It was the kind of fragrance that made the back of his throat tighten, reminding him of the rot beneath her pristine appearance.
"Esmeralda’s maid was caught going in and out of your room while you were gone," the Empress said hurriedly, her tone quick and defensive when the knight in charge of punishing Maria for aiding Esmeralda came in to ask for the desired lashes to give her. Alexis raised an eyebrow, his mind working faster than she could spin her web of lies. He could feel the tension in the air, thickening with every word. Her attempt to frame Maria for something more sinister was transparent. But she was playing her cards with reckless abandon, and he hated it.
His gaze didn’t leave her as he responded, his voice a low growl, "Really? Then why is your knight punishing her?"
The Empress flinched, her calm mask momentarily slipping. She hadn’t anticipated Alexis’s sharpness, hadn’t prepared for him to question her actions so boldly. But she quickly recovered, her lips tightening into a thin line. "Well, you weren’t home, so I thought to take care of it myself. After all, I oversee the household affairs," she said, her eyes glinting with an icy, almost mocking resolve.
Alexis’s jaw clenched. He couldn’t hide the disgust he felt for her. The way she manipulated everything, turned every situation to her advantage—it was sickening. It was as though Esmeralda’s very existence, her dignity, and now even Maria’s welfare, were things to be played with in a cruel game of dominance. The thought of his sister’s maid suffering under the Empress’s power made his blood run cold.
But it wasn’t just the cruelty that repulsed him; it was the way the Empress tried to dominate everything around her, the way she twisted the situation to serve her own interests.
"Well, since it’s my room and I’m home now," Alexis said, his voice hardening with barely concealed fury, "why don’t I take care of the matter?"
He knew his words were like a slap to the Empress’s carefully constructed façade. Her lips parted in disbelief, her eyes flashing with anger, but she said nothing. She wanted to retaliate, wanted to make him feel like an unruly child, but the emperor—her husband—remained unmoved, buried in his endless stack of paperwork. It was a small victory for Alexis, though it barely quelled the storm rising in him.
"I’ll take her with me," Alexis said, voice steady, and before the Empress could protest, he walked out of the room, Maria stumbling behind him.
As Alexis hurried down the corridor, his mind churned with fury. Maria was limping, clearly affected by the punishment she had endured. He hadn’t realized just how badly she had been treated until he saw her now—frail, delicate, and hurt. The sight only intensified his growing rage at the Empress. How dare she treat someone like that?
Maria collapsed against him, and for a brief, heart-stopping moment, Alexis thought he would lose her entirely. She was like a fragile doll in his arms, so light, so frail. He steadied her quickly, a surge of protectiveness flooding through him as he carefully lifted her. He would not let her fall. Not like this. Not when it was the Empress’s cruelty that had caused this.
Alexis’s thoughts turned to Esmeralda. The Empress’s treatment of his sister was something he could not abide. The woman had stripped Esmeralda of her dignity, her freedom, treating her like a pawn in a game she had no say in. And what hurt Alexis the most was that his sister was too kind to fight back. But Alexis would fight for her. He always had, and he always would.
Arriving at Esmeralda’s door, he knocked firmly, his eyes sharp, his stance rigid. The moment the maid opened the door, Alexis's gaze immediately fell to the piece of pastry she was trying to hide behind her back. He could smell the faint sweetness of it, but it wasn’t just the pastry that caught his attention—it was the subtle, layered scent of Esmeralda that clung to it.
"What was that?" Alexis asked, his voice laced with authority. The maid froze, a nervous glance flickering between the prince and the piece of pastry. It was clear she wasn’t expecting a confrontation. But Alexis’s instincts had already pieced everything together. The treat was for Esmeralda. Only the nobility could afford such luxuries.
He took a menacing step toward the maid, his anger flaring. "Bring Esme to my room right this moment," he demanded, his voice low and dangerous, like a storm about to break. "And be there."
Inside Esmeralda’s room, Esme had been growing restless. The confusion about the sudden visit hadn’t gone unnoticed. She knew the rules well. No one was supposed to visit her unless they were on the list of trusted attendants. So, when the maid returned with such clear signs of anxiety, Esmeralda’s instincts flared.
"Who was that?" she asked, though her voice was calm, the worry hidden beneath a veil of curiosity. The maid’s nervousness was telling, and Esmeralda didn’t miss it.
"It was Prince Alexis, your highness," the maid said, and Esmeralda’s sharp eyes narrowed as she picked up on the subtle shift in tone. "He’s back early."
A flicker of excitement passed over her face. Alexis’s return meant something, but Esmeralda was not blind to the timing. "What did he want?" she asked, hope rising. She didn’t know the full extent of what had happened to Maria, but she knew Alexis would stand up for her. He always did.
"He wants us to come to his room now," the maid replied, her voice trembling.
Esmeralda stood quickly, the excitement in her eyes visible. But the maid's sudden hesitation caught her off guard. She glanced at the maid’s trembling figure, and a sense of dread washed over her.
"Your highness, could you please say you gave me the piece of pastry I was eating?" The maid trembled, almost falling to her knees before Esmeralda.
Esmeralda’s eyes hardened. She knew what this was about. Anyone who had ever dared to mistreat her under the Empress’s watch had always suffered the consequences. And now, the maid had been caught—by Alexis, no less. Alexis would not tolerate any abuse against her. He had never allowed it.
"You should have made sure not to be caught," Esmeralda said coldly, her voice filled with disdain. "I will do no such thing."
She turned sharply, pulling her robe over her nightdress. "Now, let’s go to my brother."
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