บท 3: CHAPTER ONE: THE INVASION
A princess is meant to be kind. Poised and neutral. Meant to serve the kingdom and her father, His Majesty Demetri Lykoudis. Unfortunately, Kleopatra has a different ideology. She is everything a royal shouldn't be. Defiant and rebellious, Kleopatra never took 'no' for an answer. Currently, with a smirk on her face, she stood proudly at her younger brother's coronation.
"Dear sister, I was not expecting your appearance on my special day," The twitch in his eye didn't go unnoticed by Kleopatra. The younger brother, Kai, forced a smile on his lips as he looked at the eldest princess with a bitter gaze.
"Do not fret, brother, it is a brief moment that I wish to share with you," Her pale amber eyes scanned the other in an overconfident way. In a swift movement, her firm hands gripped her half-brother's shoulders and pushed him down to his knees. Her eyes were now seeping into his with an amused look.
"Look, dear brother, what your future holds," She scoffed with a devilish grin on her face and her grip tightened as she transferred her vision into his mind.
"No… this can't be…" Newly crowned Kai huffed out fearfully, his hands gripping Kleopatra's wrists tightly, his whole body shaking with panic.
In his mind, Kai saw his flesh burning off and a swing of a sword cutting his head clean off. The young Emperor was pushed to the ground by his eldest half-sister. He was left shaking and clutching his head in the fetal position. The nobles were in disarray as Kleopatra left the ballroom. As she left the room, the princess heard profanities spewing from her father's mouth and curses from the former Empress. With one last look to the noble crowd, she laughed maliciously.
As a child, she was frightened by the fact that she didn't have any knight protecting her from the dangers of the palace. She used to cower at at the faces of nobles. Kleopatra suddenly remembered the day her father learned of her abilities. She was quickly sent away and only had visits from her father when he needed to know how to avoid certain dangers. In return, she was given empty promises to see her mother. A pit formed in her gut as she thought of her mother. She remembered her soft hand stroking her head with a bright smile on her face. Kleopatra's jaw clenched at that moment and remembered seeing her mother's body hanging from Kai's palace. Her poor mother never had a moment of peace. It was on that day that she would never tell the truth to her 'family' again. As her mother said, they will lead themselves into chaos.
Clutching the gloves in her hand, the young woman threw them down on the floor and strode towards her palace. Kleopatra would never have to look upon this land again after tonight. Her feet would never have to step upon his cursed stone again. The blood of her mother and many others stained the atmosphere in this country. The air was thick with death in this place. Kleopatra had to clench her teeth to stop the flood of memories from her father's horrific reign. Her jaw felt as though it would crack if she held it any tighter.
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She quickly stepped inside her palace and breathed out a heavy sigh. Her calloused fingers ran through her coarse, curly hair. She took out a hairpiece and let her dark taupe hair fall messily to her mid-back. The lonesome princess kicked her shoes off and walked up the spiral staircase to her terrace. There, she had a kettle full of water and a bag of tea leaves prepared. She placed the kettle on the cast-iron stove and waited patiently for the water to heat. Since the age of twelve, Kleopatra has not had one servant. Since she is of low blood, Kleopatra didn't 'deserve' servants. Now at the age of twenty, she has grown accustomed to an empty palace. The building itself was of olden times.
It was abandoned and Kleopatra honestly held sympathy for the walls. She often wondered what the walls had witnessed during their time. The creaks in the floors were like a distant piano key of the once-occupied palace. The overgrown garden symbolizes a once-abundant valley of colors. The crevasses that adorn the cobblestone pathways represent a vast map of the once-powerful Kingdom. In age, there is still beauty. Kleopatra gazed upon the aged cement pillars, once grand and strong, now cracked and unsettled. Her rough hands grazed the surface and she smiled bittersweetly.
"Old friend, thank you for standing this long. You are the only one who has taken care of me all this time," She whispered into the walls, her body leaning against the wall, waiting for the kettle to boil. Hearing the whistle of the teakettle, she went over to the stove and poured the hot water into her cup. It was a simple design, with a gold rim and an iris painted at the bottom. She then poured milk and stirred in a spoonful of honey. Content with the taste, she gracefully walked over to the terrace and lit a candle. The meek flame blended in with the blaze at the main palace. Kleopatra's eyes stared blankly at the terror of her Kingdom. The hotness of the tea comforted her while she watched the Capital perish. With her raspy voice, she hummed a tune that her mother used to sing to her when she was a young child. She sipped once more and was unwavering when she felt a cold blade prick the nape of her neck.
"Who are you?" A sharp voice was heard as Kleopatra gulped her hot beverage. Unafraid, she set her glassware down and she leaned into the blade, making it prick her skin and create a small trickle of blood.
"I am Kleopatra Lykoudis, first princess of the Athanos Kingdom. I am the only illegitimate child of Demetri Lykoudis," Her voice was calm and her hands rested on her lap in a poised position. Feeling the blade retreat from her neck, she took in a deep breath.
"How can you be the eldest? Your late brother inherited the throne," The voice was unwavering and unsympathetic. The sound of the blade clasping in its sheath was the only sound heard for a moment.
"My mother was my father's lady-in-waiting. I was two when my brother was born," Kleopatra replied, standing quietly. She kept a straight face when facing the man behind her.
"How can I believe you?" His face churned into a bitter expression as he gazed upon the woman in front of him. His hand hovered over his blade. Her warm hand touched his, and she had a kind smile plastered on her features.
"I'll show you," Her voice was just above a whisper as he went into a trance. In seconds, Kleopatra showed the mysterious soldier her memories, her torments, and her vengeance. The man gasped awake and staggered away from the princess. He was heavily breathing as he held himself up on the wall. His eyes were wide and he couldn't utter a word.
"While I have revealed something to you, you have done the same for me. I am sorry that you had to do that to your younger sister, she deserved to live a longer life. But she was very sick, and I'm sure that she forgives you," Kleopatra said in a meek voice. She felt his pain and almost felt tears prick in her eyes. She crouched down in front of the man and touched his face. "It's not your fault." She said as he stared into her soothing eyes, his own sullen eyes squinting in bitterness.
"What do you know?! You know nothing of what my sister went through. You have no right to speak for her!" He screamed and panted, clutching his heart through his armor, pain erupting in his chest.
"You're right, and I will never do that again if you wish it not to be, but I know now what you want, Third Prince." She said, walking back to her tea, and sipping eloquently.
"And what's that?" He mocked, gripping his blade as if his life depended on it.
"The throne." It was a simple response that shook him to his core. He grits his teeth as she walked up to him. "I can help you gain the favor of the Emperor," His untrustworthy gaze wavered for a moment.
"What's in it for you?" His wine-tinted eyes peered down at her, meeting her powerful gaze.
"The seat next to you," Kleopatra replied cooly.
His eyes widened and his large hand racked through his hair stressingly. He gulped and went through what had happened in the last few moments. Still, unsure of how she acquired such deep information on him, and pondering if she could actually see what had happened, he sighed and turned away from the woman.
"You have two months to prove your claims, you will be introduced as my Princess Consort," He said simply and received an approving nod from Kleopatra. "Ah. My name is Niklaus Dragunov, a pleasure to meet you, Princess," He bowed and offered a hand to the princess. Surprised at the feeling of calloused, unladylike hands, Niklaus pondered what she went through.
"The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness," She replied and held his hand softly as they left the building. And almost poetically, the palace crumbled after Kleopatra took a few steps off the palace grounds. The past is now behind her, and Kleopatra will never look back.
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thenovelist
thenovelist I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I'm excited to see where this story will take you and me! Thank you for your support and constructive criticism is always great to hear! Or if you would like to make a suggestion, I would love to read it!