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Kneeling before her, Evander seethed with silent rage as he vividly remembered what had transpired for the past seven years. The Emperor of Draxes, her father, The Incompetent, the fool king, playing a spoiled brat who never grew up and started a civil war over a woman who did not wish to have an affair with her lover.
The responsibility of the aftereffects of his out-of-control tantrum was too much for him to bear; despite her being the only thing keeping the people and the nobles afloat. He had to call on our 'allies', the jester king being too stupid to realize they were waiting for a moment like this, to put the entire kingdom in jeopardy.
If you borrow money, you make sure to pay it back, but if you're Alister the Incompetent Fool king, well, what does it matter? your an Emperor, and the kingdoms played him like the feeble-minded imbecile he is. Though the neighboring kingdom planned to put him into debt that he couldn't pay, start a war, force his hand and take his land and destroy his empire, and kill him and his lineage.
Only one kingdom had more ambitious plans, only one was willing to take the riskier move, and only one wanted the empire and its lineage.
The kingdom of Casmir, after a violent massacre otherwise known as a war of succession. The zealous 2nd prince Perseus took the crown, and he had wanted only one thing: Expansion. He had waged war after war and won every time; he massacred and pillaged people to extinction, all to expand, all to have more. When the king cried out for someone to fix his mess, the ruthless prince showed mercy.
He showed pity to the fool and gave him money, too much money. He gave the fool soldiers, he gave the fool drugs and wine, he gave the fool women, he gave and gave. He gave everything the fool would need to dig his kingdom into the ground, then one day he asked. The deceitful prince asked for everything back.
The empty-headed king, "finding out the genius plan" of the prince, raged that the prince was a demon who tricked him, but the prince only reminded him that it was he who went to him, he who went into a lake when they couldn't swim.
The blood overflowing from the prince's hands made his threats of war, if he was not compensated soon, an actual obituary to the entire country. Instead of having used all the gifts to enlighten and uplift the Empire, like she had said, the idiot Alister decided to play pretend, and pretend debt does build, pretend his people aren’t starving, pretend his old age wasn't catching up to him, pretend he had not taken from the devil.
After four weeks of a stressful stalemate, Persesus made his first move. He had sent delegates to call attention to the pressing matter, only for them to be turned away with screams and a shame-filled apology from her. The next day, the prince had soldiers breach the border and take a town, and a message was delivered without talking. But the foolish king refused to respond despite the pleas of the commoners.
The prince didn't turn away, though; in fact, he took it as permission and surrendered. The coming week would be known as the Strife of Hexcs. About 23 battles would happen till the soldiers of Casmir took the capital, but the fool attempted to flee in the night, abandoning her, his people, leaving everything except his money.
He was lucky to keep his life that night, as his feeble mind is easy to read, and his plans were ruined by the knights of Casmir. They took him to the prince, and he forced him to give him everything, including her, in exchange for his life, not that he would even need his permission. The Casmir kingdom had conquered Draxes in what should have been years of war and senseless spending of money, in a matter of weeks.
With Drakes added to his territory, he would no longer be known as King of Casimer, but Emperor of Casmier, and every emperor needed an empress.
That's where she would come in. The first princess of the Empire Draxes, The Evening Star of Draxes, the light, the Savior, Carina Gion Almra of Draxes. She was the one to suffer for the Emperor's stupidity. It was she who kept the entire Empire alive and thriving throughout its adversities. She was the one to wear the shame for the monarchy; she was to marry the 2nd prince of Casmir.
Should she refuse and run, she would be the reason her people would be ravaged by the Perseus rage, and her culture and history would be raped and never to be spoken of again. Carina, who only knows sacrifice, shame, anger, and pain, would never run and let her people suffer for her selfish actions.
That's why Evander was engrossed in hushed vexation before her. Evander watched as she grew in anguish, giving everything she was, is, and will ever be to her empire. He was there beside her for everything. He cursed the Emperor for being a madman; he cursed him for bringing someone so kind and empathetic towards the others into a world of poison.
He cursed himself for not being able to protect her better; he cursed himself for failing her in every way. She sacrificed her entire being for the empire; now, what he is to suggest would be a sacrifice deserving of her.
"Carina. I'll kill him for you."