The Emperor's First Love (Re-edit)

Chapter 1: Returning

"My Lady, are you awake?"

At the rarest times, just like this one, where she found herself falling asleep, Emerald could not understand what Doris was panicking about. The elder lady never once raised her voice as it was a fact that she was always calm. Though hesitant, she opened her eyes, struggling to regain the strength in her arms that had relaxed.

"My Lady, please wake up."

Emerald groaned softly from the electrifying pain that was slowly dissipating and headed towards the doors. With her distorted expression, she looked at Doris, wanting to understand why the woman was being abnormally impatient.

"Miguel... my lady. Miguel asked me to come get you."

The butler?

Emerald swung her eyes at the window and quickly recognized the black carriages heading towards the manure. At this time of the year, everyone should be informed that the Duke Arquilie, her father and Count Ancel, her father's best friend, were at the border for an annual inspection. It appeared that even the butler, Miguel, didn't know that there would be guests from the Imperial palace.

In the middle of fall season, rain was frequent. Because Idora, the Duke Arquilie's territory in the North, has such heavy rain. Traveling from the Capital, where it is South, Idora is a far and difficult journey.

Emerald opened the door for the headmaid and the other ladies. All of them came in and started occupying themselves with their designated job, one maid filling up the tub with warm water while the other was laying out the dresses for Emerald to choose from. Doris quickly took Emerald's hand and guided her in front of the mirror.

"I heard someone from the frontline had returned home..."

After Karsein left for war 5 years ago, the Crown Prince followed suit a year and a half later. Calisto was sent away like Karsein as reinforcement. But since Karsein was already there to lead the Army, Calisto was sent to lead the investigation of land resources because the army needed more sources for food and medicines as the war prolonged. With the result of the war becoming more of the priority, instead of going through the arranged marriage with the House of Arquilie, Emperor Callen personally requested for it to be postponed.

The guilt of knowing Calisto's true feelings made her agree. Emerald thought maybe they were better off postponing the marriage rather than her asking for it to be canceled. Because it, being canceled, would never happen unless Calisto said so. In this aristocratic society, a woman does not have a choice but to wait for the man to decide.

From what Emerald knew of him, Calisto is not a man who was foolish for love. He knew that Duke Arquilie, as one of the most influential nobles in the empire, held the power to sway his already gain favors as well as divide the nation. No ruler of an empire would be happy to sit on the throne while waiting for a rebellion to happen.

Calisto's return might mean one of the two things-- marriage or annulment. Nevertheless, Emerald was not able to hide her excitement. She jumped and quickly turned around, meeting Doris expectant eyes.

"Is it the Crown Prince?" she asked hastily.

The elder woman bowed her head, "... that, my lady, I am not sure of." The woman said as she shook her head. Doris took Emerald's hand and gently squeezed it," If it's his highness, then... it might be the reason why the carriage from the Imperial palace is here at Idora"

Emerald bit her lips, she couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes and lowered her head as she turned around to look at herself in the mirror once again.

Calisto must have returned home. Has he finally decided to do the wedding ceremony? A smile formed on her lips, everyone must have thought the same as soon as they saw the imperial carriage arriving at the Palace.

As soon as she was ready, Emerald and her maids left her room together to meet Miguel, who was waiting for them at the receiving room. Her feet felt so light that she couldn't hear anything other than her thoughts. This time, she would see Calisto's grown up face.

4 and a half years-- It took that many years for him to finally come back.

The door of the receiving room opened, Emerald froze at the sight of a man in his iron suit. The familiar figure stood before her.

"The palace is summoning my Lady, I was told." Miguel first opened his mouth, quickly explaining why Leo Arquilie, the man in the iron suit and the Captain of the Royal knight, was there. The man was not supposed to be there as he too was sent to the border to fight. But it made one thing apparent — Calisto has returned.

Leo smiled as if he could read Emerald' expression, "How are you, my Lady?"

It was not a dream— Leo, the Duke's adopted son, spoke and laughed as if to prove he was the real deal. The 18 years old Leo back then left once he got approved to join the Imperial knights. The man never came back after leaving Idora and that kept her wondering why...

"It's been a long time." 

Leo smiled familiarly and bent his knees, offering her a greeting only used for Royalty.

"I greet the future moon of the Empire."

Emerald's lips trembled, at a loss for words. Emerald furrowed her brows, finding herself a little unprepared. She smiled, intending for her expression to look natural, but it was not the case. There was a mixture of ambiguous emotions built within her.