“Let me get straight to the point,“ Empreor Yixerean began. “I hear you got hands on the Isrier flower and finished making the cure. I am sure you are aware I have a son dealing with the same curse as yourself“

What is he getting at he is beginning to scare me. I quickly sneak a glance at Angelo, who is a close follower of the Emperor, and he has a smirk on his face. That is never a good sign. I nervously clutch my bag closer to myself, which was a big mistake.

“What do you mean Your Imperial Highness?“ I nervously ask.

“You are a clever thing aren’t you,“ he began. “I am sure you know the meaning behind my words. Let me spell it out for you; give me eight of your vials and give it to my son“

I felt my heart in my throat. He can’t be serious.

“You can’t do that!“ I protest.

“Watch your words, Mage“ Angelo interrupted. “Remember who you stand before“

“I worked hard for this you can’t take that away from me!“

The emperor stands up and walks towards me. I instinctively take a step back.

“Child, why would I ever harm you? This is for the prince after all“

Yeah, a prince born to your favorite concubine who isn’t even going to take the throne! I never understood why the emperor favored a child who wasn’t even the crown prince. However, this is going way too far!

“Don’t you want to do a good deed for the prince of this empire?“ the Emperor asks me. He then leans in and whispers in my ear so only I can hear. “What would your dear master say when he hears his beloved pupil let the empire’s prince die?“

My blood is boiling. I bite the inside of my lip. If he has much as hurt a hair on my master’s head, I will not be idle and watch. I fight the tears ready to burst and silently open up my bag without a fight.

My master means a lot to me, and I don’t know what I would tell his other apprentice if anything were to happen to him.

“Wise choice,“ he said and walked back up to his throne. “Since you already procured one flower, I'm certain you will be able to find another. Isn’t your birthday soon? You should hurry up and find another“

A servant of the Emperor walks up to me and I place eight of the vials on the tray the servant was holding. I stare angrily at the Emperor but he pays my hostility no heed.

I leave the palace grounds angry and curse the empire with all my heart. I have two months to get a new flower and by the time I will begin to lose a few of my senses. What do I do…