HOW TO LIVE AGAIN (girlxgirlxgirl)

Nine; Eligible

"I hope I won't regret it"
35

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⚠️ aggressive behavior, PG 13, censored swearing ⚠️

"Your excellency it's been several months-"

Andra is pacing around her private office. It's a huge room in the palace of silence, with a high roof and stone flooring. Golden statues of those that sat here before her are also standing by the walls, including one of Aryan and one of her mother that she can recognize. The rest are old men that are not her relatives, as her mother took the throne for herself from a dying male lineage. There is a desk made from the finest imported wood, from the red clan. And the desk has her initials engraved in it, because her initials and her brothers initials happen to be the same ones.

Usually Andra spends only an hour of her day here, because there is a lot of work to do in other places. Around the palace but also out in the capital. There are things that need to be handled and that takes more than just sitting by a desk and signing papers. Most her time she spends with the politicians in the silent hall of the silent palace, where they decide on new and old laws. But today is different.

Because there is more to an empress than just her work. She has to uphold a dynasty, a linage. If she wants to keep her family in control and keep the other nobles in check, she'll need a strong heir. Otherwise her court will become unstable, the nobles will start scheming and sending their sons and daughters to the court. Eventually someone else will take over and the country will go back into the chaotic state where nobles fight for the throne. Of course, Andra can't have that. Of course, she knows that it's a bad idea.

But this is not what she had in mind. Pacing around the room, a panicked look in her eyes.

It was so easy before to think about it, but now? It's gotten way more complicated, to the point where it fills her gut with dread and horror at the mere idea. One of her advisors stand in front of her, having just heard of yet another rumor concerning nobles that are fighting for power and training their sons to battle for the throne. This advisor was her mother's youngest advisor back in the day, but now he is Andra's oldest one.

"If you do not secure an heir to your throne during the coming years it will be very hard for you to continue as empress! Your excellency, please, we must have all eligible suitors at your service immediately"

Andra drags her fingers through her hair. It's not often that she is not calm and composed, but when she is everyone gets nervous. Thyra isn't even here today, she left a week ago to investigate the trade route incidents. Now Andra is all alone in her anger and frankly the only person strong enough to control her was Thyra. The advisor backs away physically but he keeps his gaze strong. He is right after all. Producing an heir can take time, and whether she wants to have a husband or a harem, she'll need to make that decision now.

It's not like there are other options, right? Not that they know of at least.

"Fine-"

Andra feels herself get angry when she says that word. She doesn't want to agree to this. A distant voice in her head is screaming something about Fei, and something about Thyra. What will they think? Should she ask them first? It's not like that's possible, because even if they were against it she still needs to do it. Otherwise the country will fall into someone else's hands. She needs a partner, a male partner, and that can't be them. Just the thought of it stings.

Because there is no other way, right? There is no other way.

"I will do what my mother did. Send out for eligible noble men, then we'll pick the best ones and take it from there..."