The shattered cups still lay scattered across the polished floor.
Wine spread slowly, staining the marble like blood.
And at the center of it all,
Amelia knelt.
Her forehead pressed firmly against the cold stone.
Her entire body trembled.
The grand hall, once filled with laughter and celebration, had fallen into complete silence.
No music.
No whispers.
Only the sound of her uneven breathing.
"Raise your head."
The voice came calmly.
Too calmly.
Amelia froze.
Her fingers tightened against the floor.
In the outer palace, no one raised their head before the emperor.
To do so was arrogance.
A crime.
Sometimes punishable by death.
"Did you not hear me?"
This time,
Colder.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
Her breath hitched.
If I look… I may die.
If I don't… I will definitely die.
Slowly,
Too slowly..
Amelia lifted her head..
He stood just a few steps away.
Draped in black and gold.
His robes heavy with power.
With silence.
With authority.
His face,
Colder.
And his eyes,
Terrifying.
Dark.
Deep.
Watching her as if he could strip her thoughts bare without effort.
This was no distant emperor.
This was a man who decided life and death with a single word.
"This maid," the chief councilor spoke, his voice loud in the silence, "spilled drink in the presence of His Majesty and the nobles. This is punishable by law."
A murmur stirred faintly among the nobles.
Then died.
Because no one dared speak over the emperor.
"You are the one"
Alexander's voice was quiet.
But it reached everyone.
Amelia blinked, her lips trembling.
" Your majesty!?"
Her blood ran cold.
Her fingers curled slightly.
It had been an accident.
She had slipped.
The tray had fallen.
"I—I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness," she whispered quickly, bowing again. "This servant deserves punishment."
Voices rose faintly around her,
Agreement.
Expectation.
Judgment.
Then..
Silence.
Too long.
Too heavy.
Even the air seemed to tighten.
"Stand."
Amelia hesitated.
"Stand."
This time,
There was no room for delay.
She rose immediately, her legs weak beneath her.
Unsteady.
Barely holding.
Her gaze remained lowered.
Fixed on the edge of his robe.
"Look at me."
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
Slowly,
She lifted her gaze.
Up.
Past the gold-threaded patterns.
Past the sharp line of his jaw.
Until..
Her eyes met his.
And in that moment,
She realized something was wrong.
He wasn't angry.
He was…
Curious.
"You weren't looking at the tray," he said quietly.
Amelia's breath caught.
"I..."
"You were looking at me."
The world stopped.
Her mind went blank.
No.
No..
"That is a crime," he continued, almost thoughtfully. "Do you know the punishment for gazing at the emperor without permission?"
Her knees nearly gave out.
"Death," Ryan answered coldly from behind.
"Correct."
The word fell like a blade.
A faint wind passed through the hall.
"If Your Majesty wishes," the chief councilor said, bowing slightly, "this servant will accept her fate."
Another silence followed.
But this one,
Felt different.
Alexander stepped closer.
Too close.
Amelia's breath faltered.
She could see it now,
A faint scar beneath his left eye.
Thin.
Barely visible.
But real.
A reminder,
That even emperors had bled.
"Most people lie," he said.
"My lord?"
"They beg. They cry. They deny." His gaze held hers firmly. "You didn't."
Amelia swallowed.
Her throat dry.
"I have nothing to say, Your Majesty," she answered softly.
Because it was true.
She had no one.
No one to beg for her.
If she lived.
Or died.
Something flickered in his eyes.
Brief.
Unreadable.
Then..
"Interesting."
Before she could react,
He reached out.
Amelia gasped softly as his fingers lifted her chin.
The touch was light.
Barely there.
But in the palace,
It was everything.
Her entire body stiffened instantly.
No one touched the emperor.
And the emperor,
Touched no one.
Yet here he was..
Touching her.
A low-ranking maid whose existence meant nothing.
His thumb brushed lightly against her skin.
Testing.
Observing.
"Not afraid enough," he murmured.
Her heart pounded wildly.
"I am afraid, Your Majesty."
"Then why are you still looking at me?"
She froze.
Because she hadn't realized it.
Her eyes—
Were still locked on his.
She should look away.
His gaze darkened.
And then,
He smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
But like a man who had just found something…
He wanted to keep. Amelia had refused him once.
"From today," he said slowly, "you will serve in my inner palace."
Amelia blinked.
"My lord…?" the Empress's voice cut in, sharp with disbelief, she sat near the Empress Dowager.
"You heard me."
The words left no room for argument.
Amelia's chest tightened.
Inner palace?
That was impossible.
Only selected maids served there.
Experienced.
Trusted.
Chosen.
Most had served for years.
Some for decades.
And her,
A young maid?
"This servant is unworthy," the Empress said quickly, her tone controlled, but her eyes burning with something else.
Suspicion.
Jealousy.
"Silence!" the chief councilor snapped immediately. "No one questions His Majesty's command!"
The hall fell quiet again.
Alexander released Amelia's chin.
But the warmth of his touch lingered.
Like a mark she could not erase.
"Take her."
The order was final.
Absolute.
Two guards stepped forward instantly.
Amelia's breath caught as they grabbed her arms.
"Your Highness, please.."
Her voice broke.
But no one moved.
No one spoke.
Liam stood still.
Frozen.
He understood.
The emperor had wanted her close.
And now,
He had found a reason.
A perfect one.
One no one could question.
"This is not mercy," Alexander said calmly
"Stay alive… if you can!"
***
The guards pulled Amelia to her feet.
Her legs barely obeyed.
Her mind spun.
Why me?
Again!
Why would he choose me?
As they took her away, to the long corridor of the inner palace.
Whispers followed.
Servants stopped.
Stared.
Some with shock.
Some with pity.
Others,
With something darker.
"She won't last," one whispered.
"This is the first time the emperor allowed a young maid work at his inner palace," another replied.
Amelia's heart sank deeper with every step.
Ahead,
The inner palace gates rose.
Tall.
Silent.
Unforgiving.
The doors opened slowly.
A cold breeze brushed against her skin.
And for the first time,
Amelia felt it.
Not fear of death.
But something worse.
Something far more dangerous.
A quiet, creeping realization.
She had not been chosen to live.
She had been chosen,
For something else.
Something she could not escape.
Something that had already begun.