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“I can help you with that, right? I can ‘assist’ you better than anyone else can.”

“…..”

“Don’t you think so?”

Castor’s long hair was tied up and held by an accessory that looked like a crown. The toga that wrapped around his body without a tunic exposed his upper body. She could clearly see the tension in his muscles. His clothes matched what Ashley was wearing and it made him look god-like. He might look masculine and rough but, strangely, he still looked refined.

Castor walked past Ashley before placing the crystal on the table. He then whispered.

“Amor.”

All he did was call his name.

“Brother…”

However, the tension in the air was palpable and paralysed the hall.

“If I do it, the stage will be the most perfect.”

“…..”

As the sun set over the mountains, a couple of the lamps turned on. The lamps that were lit by divinity continued shining in silence. Even though there were so many people here, the hall was quiet. Ashley was able to imagine what was happening outside. The square must have been filled with chatter and laughter. Because that was where the Founding Festival would be held for the people to enjoy the Empire’s prosperity.

She slowly turned her head around before staring at the man standing as still as a tree. He looked like a large willow tree. After the long silence, Castor slowly tilted his head. A smile was plastered on his face. A wordless madness flashed in his eyes.

“Amor.”

Castor continued to call his name. If anyone else had heard his voice, they would have melted from how dizzyingly sweet he sounded.

“You’ve been doing something no one told you to.”

After a long silence, Amor replied.

“Do I have to act only according to your orders?”

And that was the end of their conversation.

***

The curtains rose to the beginning of the Founding Festival.

Traditionally, the dance by the most precious person in the Empire marked the beginning of the festival. It was a custom that had been around for thousands of years and the people of the Empire had always looked forward to the exhilarating and beautiful performance.

“The princess will finally be appearing today!”

“The princess must be a blessing from the Lord of the Gods!”

A blessing!

A blessing!

The people of her country gathered together to exclaim. Their voices echoed like waves which continued to travel to the far corners of the earth. The square was packed with people. And that was not all. People still flocked to nearby buildings so that they could spectate the performance. Some were even waiting on the roofs.

There were also people flying through the air who must be the Templars of Feathers. They had bought disposable monoculars for a high cost from Templars of Vulcanus. Though they were costly, the monoculars were selling like hotcakes such that the inflated prices did not matter to people as they burned their pockets.

“Duke, there is nothing to report on the western wing.”

Hernan was the one in charge of security. That was natural. Because he was the Crown Prince’s one and only guardian and loyal knight. With the heir to the Empire outside the Imperial Palace, he had no choice but to attend as his escort to weed out dangerous individuals. Of course, Hernan didn’t think anything bad would happen to Castor but it didn’t hurt to be careful.

HIs pale sky-coloured eyes looked clouded over. No, it was more like his beautiful face had hardened and looked downcast. His subordinates had long noticed their captain’s bad mood and had gotten out of the way. The people around him already knew how dangerous he could become when he was in a bad mood. They had no idea when he would turn into an unrecognisable beast.

‘Funny.’

Hernan smirked.

A pair of lovers caught his eyes, Lovers… no, were they married? They looked like an ordinary couple. But for some reason, the couple stood out to him. Hernan couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the woman’s long fluttering black hair. As gold slowly dyed Hernan’s blue eyes, he spotted a pair of purple eyes when the woman spun around.

‘The princess?’

However, the purple that bloomed in her eyes had fizzled out and darkened in a blink of an eye. In the next moment, the woman’s eyes were brown. The passing woman seemed to have forgotten about her lover who was beside her as she blushed under the gaze of a handsome man before disappearing into the procession.

“Ha. Hahaha.”

Hernan held his face as he burst into laughter. He could only scoff. Whether his eyes were open or closed, only her face came to mind.

‘Is this an imprint, a blessing or a curse?’

After laughing to himself, Hernan raised his head only to feel slightly dizzy. It was a cry from his instincts to break free from their restrictions. Hernan staggered forward before leaning against the walls of one of the alleys and muttering slowly. Was he human? Or was he just some ancient god in human skin? In a fight to take over him for eternity? And Hernan had made the choice a long time ago.

“Be loyal to me. This will be our contract.”

The words were as sweet and cruel as a devil’s whisper. His voice had been so thick Hernan could melt. That was what his young master’s voice sounded like as it beat down on the survivors like rain in the devastated city. Castor, the otherworldly looking black-haired boy, promised him–the only Templar of Beasts remaining after so many of his kind died–many things.

Hernan slowly left the alley. Fortunately, he didn’t easily succumb to his desires. Out of habit, he took out his suppressors and ate them. As his sanity slowly returned, familiar figures appeared in front of him.

‘The Wheel of Rome?’

No, they were supposed to look familiar to him. The strangers had dark skin and they were mixed into the procession. How? Hernan observed them carefully before arriving at a thought. They must be the performers responsible for exciting the crowds.

Bang!

Bang bang bang!

A huge firework exploded in the sky. It must have been the combined efforts of the Templars of Light and the Templars of Vulcanus. The fireworks seemed a lot smaller than what he’d seen when he was a child, back when the Templars of Fire–who had disappeared–were still making them but it was a great start to the festival.

There were also people spectating the beginning of the performance from a slight distance away.

“It’s starting soon.”

A woman whose skin was as dark as cocoa commented. Even in pitch-black darkness, her dazzling pink eyes lit up her face. Looking beautiful enough to seduce anyone watching was a key characteristic and a talent of her people. Slowly, another man turned his head. His brown hair fluttered as his red eyes narrowed gently.

“Let everyone know what you’re here for. Focus on your role here as much as you can.”

“Yes.”

The woman paused for a moment before asking.

“But will it be alright? Originally, we were supposed to…”

“It’s alright.”

The man interrupted her sternly.

“There’s nothing more important than her.”

“I just don’t know why you’re sacrificing yourself for this.”

The red eyes turned to face the woman.

“Of course… I wouldn’t dare to ask why you’re doing this.”

The woman then disappeared. Her movements were quick and stealthy like a burglar’s. The man’s gaze lingered at the empty space for a moment before turning his head again. It was as if he was staring at a fluttering veil at a distance.

Soon, the appearance of the princess was welcomed by an explosive cheer. The cheers were so loud his ears were ringing. Dane stared at the small girl at a distance before replying slowly.

“Because I’m willing to do anything for her.”

To call it sacrifice, well. He didn’t want to consider this sacrifice.

***

Instead of cheering to greet the most cherished individual in the Empire, the people held their breaths. The couple entered from the other end of the road filled with green petals, courtesy of the Templars of Flowers. Along the scented road, some brought their hands together as the petite woman approached them while others prayed to the Lord of the Gods.

The silhouette of the veil falling to her ankles was something they had not seen in a long time. The divine veil which could only be worn by the dancing princess. This was something no replacement could wear. It was real. The princess had truly appeared before them.

They were getting closer to the square. And the closer they got, the louder the music crescendoed. The upbeat melody was the same one which livened up the streets just the day before. As she continued walking, Ashley was vaguely reminded of something.

The lively tune sounded like something from the opera, ‘The Magic Flute’. But as she got closer, the music gradually subsided before she finally climbed up the steps.

“Are you nervous?”

There was only one man who was close enough to see her trembling. Ashley raised her head slightly to look at Castor. Even though his back was against the light, she could make out his expression.

“No.”

The two who were now on the stage let each other go before their hands slowly lowered. They headed to each end of the stage to allow only silence to occupy the large white space. At that moment, Ashley ignored the countless people breathing down on her and focused on her task.

Something on her arm burned before a vine grew out from the same spot and wrapped around her arm. A pure white flower then bloomed from the said vine. The flower then darkened to purple before disappearing.

Just then, the sound of a longhorn announced the start of the performance. The white light was a signal from the Templars of Vulcanus. Soon, all the lights had turned off and she faced the lone man in the pitch-black darkness. Now, to her, he was no longer the tyrant.

‘The Lord of the Gods.’

As soon as the toga-wearing man stepped forward, grass flowers grew from his every footstep. The flowers on the vines then grew to a tree with seeds, leaves and petals that scattered under the sunlight. The season in which green returned to the earth. It marked the beginning of the Empire. The moment when the Lord of the Gods descended.

A long time ago, the Lord of the Gods brought a great flood to the land that sprouted the Empire. It was all from the whims of the god who felt bored. Out of boredom and infinite ennui, the gods had revived the barren land before burying it again. Then one day, he discovered a sign of life on the lands he had destroyed and revived.

It was a human.

Fearing the wrath of the god, the human placed an altar on the top of a mountain. The god approached the altar and stood in front of her. A white veil. It fluttered in the westerly wind like hair. The god slowly raised his hand and removed the veil.

“Your holiness.”

And the moment the god met the bright pale purple eyes that were revealed, the god felt an urge he had never before. It was too deep to be called an emotion and meant too many things to put a name on it.

The moment the man lifted the woman’s hand and kissed it, she was lifted by the waist into the sky. Like a feather, the veil flew away. Her brilliant blonde hair was scattering light into the dark. His black hair and gold eyes that captured the sun’s glare held a dangerous glint.

The god decided that this was love.

The relationship between the Lord of the Gods and the First Emperor could be interpreted in a variety of ways. And according to historians, the characters of the [Primo Salvatio] differed. It had once been a soft song by the Lord of the Gods muttering sweet whispers of love, a hymn for the founding of a nation that will never fall and one day, it became a nocturne that announced their friendship.

As an amplification of Ashley’s emotions, the golden light emitted by the devices revolving around Castor made him glow like the actual Lord of the Gods.

Castor smiled.

And Ashley believed that that was the face of a madman.

T/N:

Just note that since until now, the author has not clearly mentioned the genders of the Lord of the Gods and the First Emperor, I’ll be using ‘he/him’ and ‘she/her’ respectively only for this performance because those are the roles Castor and Ashley are playing respectively.