Cushioned snugly in her grandmother’s lap, eyes gleaming with ardent adoration, the little girl listened to the sweet melody. The older woman’s voice rang clear through the air as she gazed upon her granddaughter with a soft smile. The girl found herself slowly getting lost in her grandmother’s magical voice …

♫ A god and a beautiful woman, by chance, met by the River Judith —

They fell in love with each other like it were a tryst of fate-

Breaking all taboos, they showered their love on one another.

But the time humans have is limited, their life measured …

The woman’s young body turned ill and grew old.

The soft, silken hair started to wither away, the supple skin laced with wrinkles.

The god abandoned the once young beauty as she grew old and frail.

All her youth was devoted to the god,

Alas, all that she was returned was betrayal and the blame for violating taboos.

Pitiful woman!

Foolish woman!

To love a god, was your first mistake!

Oh, but the woman awaited the god unto her last breath.

She waited at the place they met … ‘til she turned into a flower.

After a long time, the god finally came to realize,

She was the only one that he ever loved.

He cried in pain, his heart ached in grief …

His tears of penitence bathed the flower she’d become.

His endless tears turned into a river … a lake … and a sea …

And yet the tears rained from his eyes …

The Goddess of Love felt pity looking at the scene,

And, in the end, she gave the god another chance—

‘Stop being sad, my son! I shall give you a chance. I’ll split your heart in half.

I will send one half to the human world, and on the day you find that half…

Shall be the moment you will love again.’ ♫

“The God of Judith” was an age-old love song that had been sung from generation to generation. The ballad passed from the grandma’s lips to the little girl’s, from her to another, and another … etching a place in time. But this was no tale of admiration and envy, for all whose ears it reached agreed that the God of Judith was foolish.

♛

Standing by the banks, a woman hazed at the River Judith before her … where the god may have stood thousands of years ago, her hand resting on her heart, a suffocating feeling clutching at her.

“The god isn’t the only one who’s foolish … Humans are the same as well … You and I.

♛

The continent of Slovenia comprised of several kingdoms. Spread over a quarter of the mainland, was the Arpen Empire – the largest of them all. With lands rich in water and natural resources, spacious and prosperous, this abundance was why this empire was considered a great power.

Life on the Slovenian continent had been peaceful until the Arpen Empire began its conquest.

“The Emperor of the Arpen has appeared!”

“He has conquered yet another kingdom!” Haunting words seized the hearts of people with fear.

The Arpenes had originally descended from a tribe of savages, and their ambition knew no end. During the bloody conflict, there was not a single kingdom that could hope to broker for peace. The kings of all the smaller countries trembled anxiously, worried that they were next to be attacked.

“A thousand people died. Another king’s head has fallen.”

“Don’t expect any imperial etiquette from them! Unconditional obedience is the only way to save your life!”

Unlike other kingdoms that boasted a thousand years of history, the Arpen Empire lacked a solid culture of its own. The only culture that they could claim stemmed from their dark past when their tribe wandered from village to village laying devastation in their wake. Not a single living organism could be found where they had passed through. Such was the beginning of their dynasty. They had no mercy.

“Must all the kingdoms of Slovenia acknowledge him as emperor?”

“What’s the best way to stop the bloodshed?”

The Emperor of Arpen was a ruthless killer. With his Blood Army, he mercilessly slaughtered any and all his enemies. Only after a slew of bloodbaths did the Arpenes finally begin to lay down roots. They chose to build their capital in the easternmost part of Slovenia.

The smaller kingdoms could finally breathe a sigh of relief, now that Arpenes were no longer waging wars. However, that respite lasted but for a moment. The Arpene Emperor sent envoys bearing imperial decrees to each country.

“To establish an alliance with the Arpen Empire, each kingdom must send a princess to become a Crown Princess Candidate. The princesses will undergo six months of training to divide them into those who have the potential to become empress and those who will be concubines. Any kingdom disobeying the imperial edict shall be seen as enemies and their access to the River Judith’s stream will be blocked.”

The words fell like thunder. The Emperor of Arpen had set his sights on becoming an emperor, so some time ago he had stopped his war campaigns and started building waterways to and from the River Judith. His control over its flow made the surrounding countries dependent on him, and now the powerless kingdoms were each left with no choice but to send a princess as a Crown Princess Candidate to the Arpen Empire.

History flowed on like that. The world came to revolve around the Arpen Empire. The smaller, surrounding countries now hailed the King of Arpen their emperor and followed his every order.

However, nothing continues perfectly forever. One fateful day, the emperor, who was then the Crown Prince of the Arpen Empire, made a mistake. One of the Crown Princess Candidates had managed to escape under the cover of darkness and vanished like a shadow. To make matters worse, she had fled on the night she shared his bed.

For no less than eight years, the emperor searched tirelessly for her. And indeed, he eventually found the very woman who had fled from his nest.

“… How…?” Her form trembled as she gazed up at him. Her eyes darted to places, helplessly trying to find a way to maneuver an escape.

“Why are you so surprised? How long did you think you could get away for?”

Skkt-!

The new Emperor of the Arpen Empire unsheathed his sword and easily sliced through the guard who had been protecting her as if he was chopping a rotting fruit.

Puak!

Blood spattered. A blue fruit tumbled onto the floor as hot blood splashed on it, staining it crimson.

The woman gritted her teeth hard. Surrounding her was a sea of blood. She looked at the dark liquid running all over the floor, and the human remains at its center.

The body had all its limbs cut off and no longer resembled a human’s. It was a horrifying sight to behold. She opened her eyes wide so she could remember the corpse of her loyal knight, engraving the grotesque sight in her mind.

“Why aren’t you more distressed?” The emperor snorted casually.

“…”

“Yes, how do you feel, seeing it with your own eyes? Tell me, how does it feel seeing me about to go crazy?”

The emperor drew closer. The sight of his chest heaving ferociously frightened her. As he tried to narrow the distance between them, she backed away.

“Don’t come any closer.” Despite her fear, she dared to warn him.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s not like you. You know, back then, I fully realized how much you looked down on me.”

The smile on the emperor’s lips grew the closer he got to the woman. She carefully searched for a way out while keeping her eyes keenly fixed on the emperor’s face. However, she knew all too well that she couldn’t escape. Her heart went wild and she clenched her teeth. The scent effusing from his body, together with a sticky smell of the ambiance, attacked her nose and stirred her insides. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, but the way she quivered indicated that there was something other than the fear of the emperor.

She remembered when she had moaned and screamed salaciously for him like a temptress. The emperor’s strong, solid body then came naturally to her mind. Her body had spent countless nights under his, trembling in pleasure …

The man gazed softly at the woman, her secret place slowly grew wet. Her body was reacting to the sight of its master.

“Don’t look at me like that because I am holding myself back from embracing you right now. Well, it’s only natural for your body to get hot from us seeing each other again.”

“That’s not true!” She spat at him.

“Really? You have gotten better at lying.”

There was a lack of courtesy in his gaze as he eyed her from head to toe. The more he laughed, the more her heart tingled, for on his mirthful lips hung the most beautiful smile in the world.

“The way you’re looking at me is proof that you were waiting for me.”

“You’re mistaken!” The woman screamed, causing him to laugh again.

“Don’t lie to me—I’m not that same stupid prince from eight years ago.”

The woman had originally entered the empire as a Crown Princess Candidate before she chose to leave eight years ago. She had barely managed to escape from him and hid in the woods for eight years, hiding her own identity … but she had eventually been caught by him.

The woman’s eyes fell onto the scar on the emperor’s cheek.

♛♛♛

She regretted it.

It might have been a mistake. She should have stabbed his heart, not his cheek! She wouldn’t have suffered this much if she had … Then they would have never had to meet again.

“I am excited to see you again. Can you hear it? The sound of my violently beating heart—”

There was no place for her to run. The woman was horrified when the back of her heel made contact with the wall. She stared back at the emperor with a stiff face as he reached his long arms towards her. She was trapped against his chest with no escape. His unforgettable scent entered her nose and rapidly spread deep inside her body. Her heart beat like crazy as his scent strengthened.

“I hated every time I saw this wound. How could I get revenge on you, not just for tearing up my heart, but for turning a blind eye to my true love for you? What shall I do with you who betrayed my faith? I dreamt about it constantly, and then I realized the only way to heal my melted heart was by finding you … Thereon, I felt happy every day, thinking about finding you and taking you back to the palace with these hands of mine. Because that would have been the greatest punishment for you—”

“I’m never going back to the palace. Kill me right here instead!” The woman glared at the emperor. If she couldn’t escape, then she was happy to die by his hands.

However, the emperor did not draw his sword. Instead, he put his face right beside her cheek and studied her face. She tried to avoid his persistent gaze, but he caught her jaw with his hands.

Instead of pain, she felt a hot sensation emanating from the place where he gently held her chin. That heat quickly spread outwards from where his skin touched hers.

“You wanted to kill me, didn’t you? Then come back and kill me. Kill me in the palace you hate so terribly.”

She heard a child cry out as soon as the emperor finished his sentence. The woman doubted her ears. That child was supposed to be in the royal palace, but now she was in the hands of a knight. The young girl was frightened out of her wits.

“Wendy!”

“The last princess of the Kingdom of Koronis. Now that they again have a son, does this mean they no longer have a need for another heir?”

“Let her go!”

“What do you think? She looks good enough to be the next Crown Princess Candidate.”

“Crown … Crown Princess Candidate?”

“Yes.”

“She is only seven years old! She’s still not even old enough to leave her mother’s bosom!”

“She’s a princess and as such will become a Crown Princess Candidate anyway. You think anyone is going to complain if I take her to the empire in advance?”

“… !”

The woman swallowed a scream. Her face turned pale. He was basically threatening to take her seven-year-old sister hostage. The emperor had already anticipated that the woman would not return with him so obediently, but if he brought along her younger sister all the way to this foreign country …

She couldn’t breathe. Her throat felt clogged, no matter how hard she tried to come up with the words to clear her insides. She felt her heart stop for a moment.

The woman drew her sword. The determination to cut his heart this time blazed within her. The emperor laughed before removing his upper clothes and pointing to his heart.

“Stab me. This time, you’re going to have to cut my heart, not my cheek”

“— Ah—”

Her arms were trembling. If she just cut his heart, she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. She could finally become queen, like the King of Koronis had promised her. Yet, just like last time, she could not stab him …

He grabbed her shoulder and smashed his lips against hers none too gently. A wild moan burst forth between them. The hot mass of flesh squeezing between her lips forced her to breathe.

“Mm—”

“Mmm!”

His kiss was impatient. Like a long-lost lover, he sucked on her lips as if he was experiencing love for the first time.

All strength in the woman’s legs disappeared. The reality of having to return to his palace appalled her; however, the tingling sensation bubbling up from the depths of her heart spoke otherwise.

She missed him so much … his lips and body … But at this moment, she could not appropriately express those sentiments. It pained her.

‘Why … You … It’s been eight years … Shouldn’t you have forgotten?’

The emperor was in a hurry. He couldn’t be satisfied with just a kiss. He hugged her body and kicked open the bedroom door. She heard the wooden door crack and clatter. As soon as she felt the fluffy sheets touch her back, her dress was smoothly pulled off her body, leaving her bare.

The sounds of her tongue clashing with his resonated lewdly. He wrapped his tongue tightly around the base of hers as he kissed her, leaving her no time to breathe. Surprisingly, his touch on her body was gentle, unlike the harsh words he spoke a while ago. His lower body, however, told a completely different tale.

Her dress had been spread out recklessly on the bed, displaying her to him. She shivered, not from the cold, but from his smoldering gaze raking her figure. Unknotting the girdle around his waist, the emperor stood as ***** as the day he was born, revealing his perfectly sculpted torso illuminated faintly by the candlelight.

He wasted no time—the desire to ravish the woman before him too strong. Seizing her pair of delicate ankles, his erect member surged with a rush of red, hot blood as he plunged inside her narrow opening. A startled moan escaped her lips. It had been so long since their bodies were connected, and the parts that joined them were slick with the juices of their love. Their voices rang out with every strong ******.

Obscene noises echoed throughout the room.

“Ah … ah!”

It was hard to tell from which of their mouths those lewd sounds came as the two crazily explored each other’s bodies.

Tears suddenly gushed down the woman’s cheeks. She choked back the sobs threatening to spill from her throat.

She didn’t know what she was crying about. The emperor withdrew his lips from hers and tenderly caressed her tear-stained cheeks with his tongue. She took a deep breath, fooling herself that it was a sigh of relief.

The emperor took his lips off her and slowly rose from the bed. He lightly held her chin and stood at ease. His onyx eyes blazed with a fervor that seemed determined to burn the woman’s soul.

“The only person who can make my madness disappear is you, Viola … I left it empty for you … the seat belonging to the empress—”

Every human being harbors certain dark desires within the heart.

Viola was no different. She dreamt about recovering her status and being recognized as a princess of the kingdom once more; however, instead of the pen, she had to wield the sword. Instead of basking in the sun gracefully sipping tea, she had to ride horses and train in swordsmanship.

Why was this the case?

Precisely because Viola was only half a royal daughter. Her very existence was a disgrace to the kingdom as half the blood in her veins was considered dirty. Yet the king, who had never accepted her as a royal daughter before, visited Viola himself one day.

“Do you wish to avenge Edward?”

Viola’s ears perked at the king’s words. Edward, her elder brother by two years, was slain on the battlefield. … slaughtered by the Blood Army of the Arpen Empire.

She still remembered the last time she had seen him. His body lay under a tree, pierced by a sharp spear extending from his bottom right to his mouth. It was a terrible, gruesome sight and way to cross the underworld. From the moment she had glimpsed his desecrated body, the Arpen Empire became her enemy.

The deal the king was offering was too sweet a temptation. He was giving her the chance to avenge Edward who had been unjustly killed.

‘I’m the sole prince of the Kingdom of Koronis, and I am going to be king.’

What once had been Edward’s dream was now Viola’s. Since the kingdom had no other prince, it only meant that one of the princesses would become queen.

Her eyes held fierce determination, she wanted to be that one princess. “What do you want me to do, Father?”

“Go to the Arpen Empire as a potential crown princess.”

“What?!” Viola was stunned. What did he mean by potential crown princess —?

“Go to the Arpen Empire as a Crown Princess Candidate. I’ll give you your mission then. You can get your revenge once you finish your tasks. If you seize this chance, I shall bestow you the same opportunities as the other princesses. I will restore your status so that you can once again inherit the throne. Decide, Viola.”

Viola bit her lips and nodded to show that she understood. “I understand. I will take the deal. But, Father, please give me reliable proof of your promise.”

“Proof? Did you just say proof?” The king was visibly shocked.

“Yes.” Undeterred she affirmed.

She had lived in an abandoned castle for thirteen years without ever receiving any proper care. Although supplies would arrive once a month, they were much too little to feed three mouths. While her nanny foraged for fruits and mushrooms all year round, Edward hunted in the woods and cut down trees for firewood. She had lived a particularly difficult life, never even owning a proper dress, all because her mother had been a slave …

The king looked at the girl before him, who was looking back at him, and laughed as if he were astonished. Other women would have been frightened out of their wits, but not her. To Viola, the king was just a father who had abandoned them. She couldn’t believe his words no matter what he promised without something to vouch for it.

The king was locked in thought for a moment, then finally, as if he had made up his mind, he withdrew something from his sleeves and held it out for Viola. Her eyes popped wide open.

What he brought out was none other than the dagger that was traditionally handed down, generation to generation, to crown princes of the Kingdom of Koronis. Crafted from gold and adorned with the most precious jewels, the dagger made for a dazzling sight.

“This should be enough to serve as a voucher for my promise, no? My daughter.”

♛

“Princess Viola enters.”

This was her first time wearing a formal dress. In her inexperience, the long lace and wide hem kept getting caught in her feet. She had tripped and almost fallen down a couple of times but fortunately managed to avoid such embarrassment.

Viola had to undergo some training before she could enter the Arpen Empire as a Crown Princess Candidate. A stern-looking teacher stood in front of her, greeting her with a bow.

“The future empress should at least know the history of the empire.” She spoke without a preamble. “It might be difficult.”

“It’s all right.” Viola simply replied.

She was a quick learner, her life full of ordeals had taught her survival. No one knew better than her, the fastest route to living was through gaining knowledge and quickly. The more one was aware of one’s surroundings, the better the chances of longevity. As such, her senses were always open to learning. Sitting at her desk, she listened to the teacher.

“Two hundred years ago today, marked the beginning of the Arpen Empire that originated from the wilderness. The once barren territory was only able to become this dominant due to the River Judith. The saying, ‘the Arpen Empire quickly rose to power once the tide of the RiverJudith changed’ is accurate. I don’t know if they receive God’s blessing, but … One day, the course of the river suddenly changed. No, the continent splintered, and as it did the water gathered into the Arpen Empire.”

“I know that. The abundance of water heralded the influx of prosperity.”

She didn’t know the detailed history but remembered what she had read from Edward’s books. He had quite a lot of books, so Viola had naturally ended up reading some. She continued reciting as far as memory served her.

“Thanks to this, the Arpen Empire was able to accumulate wealth and raise its forces, unlike other countries where their people would farm all year round yet still starve. Of course, through this, they came to possess the strongest troops on the continent and turned themselves into a robust and powerful country. They started to conquer all the smaller countries surrounding them using their superior military might. The war was so terrible that it was rumored that the River Judith was dyed with blood.”

The astonished teacher looked at Viola, while the latter simply looked straight ahead and continued.

“Yes, so to avoid war, the smaller countries had to broker peace with them. They agreed to send one of the members of their royal family as a hostage to the Arpen to form an alliance. And this practice, that started a hundred years ago, remains till date … Koronis is no different. Now, we must do the same.”

“Yes, because our kingdom ended up sending a hostage too.” The teacher sighed.

Koronis was once a strong country, albeit not as strong as the Arpen Empire. Nonetheless, it still wielded great power. However, after they lost the last war, their boundaries collapsed. In accordance with the empire’s demands, the kingdom was now required to send over a princess as a hostage. Of course, they weren’t sending a real princess, just a half-blooded princess, but …

The teacher had a pained look on his face. He seemed to hate having to send a princess, even a half-princess, as a hostage.

“The next lesson will be given by the top elder of the royal family.”

Right then, a woman entered as if she had been waiting for her cue. Viola vividly remembered those splendid features wrapped in brilliant jewels from Edward’s funeral. She was the Queen of the Kingdom of Koronis.

They normally weren’t on friendly terms to sit face-to-face and drink tea like they were now. Even though the tea she was having now was sweet, Viola felt like she was sipping bitter medicine. The fact that the queen had sought her out meant that she was, at least for now, someone that the queen needed.

“I have decided to accept His Majesty’s decision.”

Viola remained silent, waiting for the older woman to state her point.

“I don’t feel good about it even if you’re not my daughter.”

Though that was what she said, the queen’s words were thinly veiled. Her tone meant she only cared because it was shameful for the kingdom to send a hostage in the first place.

Viola studied her expression and sensed the chilling aura she was emanating.

“You will be entering as a Crown Princess Candidate, but in reality, you will be a concubine. However, don’t worry too much because you probably won’t ever have to take off your girdle.”

“What do you mean?” Viola was confused.

“Literally what I said. Unlike their current emperor, the current crown prince says that he is not interested in women.” She replied flatly.

“When you say the emperor is not like the crown prince—”

“The emperor is a flirt who is unequaled in this world. The number of women whom he has gone through is too much to count. Nevertheless, none of the princesses who were sent as hostages ever became empress. In the end, he married a noble’s daughter from his own kingdom.”

The emperor making a noble of his own kingdom the empress essentially implied that the princesses sent by the other countries were nothing but sex slaves to him. An empire that started out as a savage tribe … A picture flashed across her mind.

It was a painting of the Arpen Empire which depicted troops riding their horses in a large field. They carried flagged halberds, which marked their corps. Holding the front, their infantrymen wore chainmail and were armed with longswords and tower shields. Even more than that, they had wolves around protecting them … All these things together made them an enormous unit.

The man who had been leading the troops was the infamous Emperor of Blood. Although it was only a painting, the charisma oozing from him was dizzying.

If one were to read through the Arpen Empire’s full history, they would discover that the empire was never to be underestimated. Viola had to hide her identity if she wanted to enter and survive their palace.

“What they want is not an empress. Rather, they want to insult the princesses of each country. The fact that the Arpen Empire was born from a savage tribe … They want to crush our kingdom’s pride and exert their superiority in spite of that.”

“Yes, I think so, too.”

Viola couldn’t find a particular reason for thinking so but she had also come to that conclusion. This was because the Arpen Empire, unlike other countries that boasted thousand-year-old histories, only began their reign around 200 years ago. They did not have the history to prove their legitimacy as a royal family, and they had been known to wander in groups like beasts.

“However, the strangest part is that all the hostage princesses came to love the emperor. Did you know about this?”

“That’s—”

They ended up in love? The queen just said that the princesses who were sent as hostages all ended up loving the emperor. Viola couldn’t comprehend her words. It was far-fetched!

“It’s because the emperor’s face is so magnificent that once you see it, you can never forget it. The reason why, of the ten princesses sent there, all wanted to be his concubine was because of his appearance. It isn’t hard for him to grab hold of their hearts without any effort.”

The queen smiled, one that did not convey warmth. “They come to love him even if he doesn’t try to tempt them. They said that at first, they thought he was oppressive, but they all ended up wanting him. Even if you go there, be prepared that you may also end up becoming his woman. Of course, there is no law saying that you will end up the same, right?

“Not me.” Viola steadily replied without missing a beat.

“Of course, you are the princess who is going to come back and gain the right to become the queen of this kingdom.”

The queen’s laughter rang out loudly. She did not want Viola to come back. She wanted her to either become the crown prince’s royal concubine or a sex slave. The queen had also smiled like that at Edward’s funeral. No tears dripped from her eyes, even though the kingdom’s only prince had died so miserably.

Viola clasped the hem of her dress firmly. Somehow, she would find a way to finish her training and safely return to become the queen of this kingdom. She would not forget who had wronged her and Edward. In order to do that, possessing the strength of mind was important.

A heart that wouldn’t be shaken no matter what happens …

“His Majesty will tell you your mission separately, but there’s something I need you to do too.” The queen finally stated her demands.

“Please, tell me.”

“As soon as you arrive at the imperial palace, I want you to find news about Guinev, the Princess of Farus, and send someone back to me with the news.”

“If it’s Princess Guinev you mean—”

“Oh, have you seen her before?”

Viola had actually lived inside the royal palace for some time before her mother died. If it was Guinev, Viola recalled seeing her once before she and Edward were kicked out into the woods. If she remembered correctly, Guinev was the queen’s niece. She had heard that they lost contact with her after she entered the Arpen Empire as a Crown Princess Candidate.

“I heard the corpse of the knight who accompanied Guinev arrived ten days ago without any clues as to what had happened to him … but it is clear to me what occurred without having witnessed it myself.”

The queen’s eyes were moist. She looked very worried about the girl, unlike when she had sent young Viola away. Back then, she had been like a thorn by the queen’s side.

“The wild tribes think of the princesses as sex slaves … Even though they say their prince is not interested in women, I am sure he pushed Guinev into a corner and she got caught trying to escape. You can do as I ask, right?”

“Yes.” Viola replied tonelessly.

At her indifference, the Queen’s voice took a callous edge. “Don’t think of looking for her halfheartedly just because she shares no blood with you. You have to find her.”

“Of course … I have one condition.”