Chapter 1

"Remember my rose, never trust without reason. This world is full of frightening things,"His always mother told him these word when he was young. He had never truly understood the meaning of the words, not seeing the importance of them he had decided to forget them.

But ever since Eliphas went out and never came back these words kept playing in his head like a warning of something inevitable going to happen.

Rain feel hitting the roof of the manor the slow rhythm of it lulling him to sleep. Cerrse sat by the window seal watching the water droplets fall slowly the amount of it making it almost impossible to see anything beyond the window. The wind blew from his slightly open window and hit him on the face carrying with it some water that neared his face but did not touch him as if attracted to him but also shy of his touch.

He closes his eyes savoring the feeling of the wind as it blows at his skin.

"You've stayed in the wind too long master, it's time we close the window anymore and you will get sick," a familiar voice says from behind him.

"I do this every time, I've never gotten sick before,"

"It doesn't mean that it will not happen," the man spoke as he placed a bowl filled with something warm near him.

"Mohan?"

"Yes young master,"

"Don't you find the rain interesting?" Cerrise asked the man as he turned around and placed his hand inside the warm liquid and his previously pale face turned ruddy in an instance. The man ordered the servants beside him to close the window as he guided his young master to bed.

"I do find it interesting and occasionally beautiful sometimes,"

"My mother used to say that rain was a blessing from the heavens?"

"Really, that's a beautiful thought," Mohan said even though the conversation happened every time it rained, seemingly not tired of having the same conversation over again.

"But Eliphas says that its not a blessing but a pardon from the heavens and it will be gone immediately we anger the gods,"

"He has always been pessimistic, it's not surprising that he would think like that,"

"His thoughts and my mother's have always seemed to differ,"

"…"

Mohan did not answer

Seeing as he did not speak Cerrise changed the topic.

"Huh…will you be sad when I go?" this question again. He asked it a lot these days as if desperate to be remembered.

"Yes, I have been with you since the young master was a child, it is inevitable that I will feel sad,"

"That's nice."

"Young master please sleep," Mohan said as he covered him then slowly left the light slowly disappearing as he closed the door.

-------------------------------------------------------

Whispers.

He could hear them all around him, constantly reminding him of the fact that he didn't belong.

Sitting at the edge of the lake he stared at his reflection, blue eyes, pale skin and pure white hair contrast to his tribes' men who had black hair and darker skin coupled with emerald green eyes.

The wind was getting stronger and the touch of it made his body shudder and his sensitive, pale cheeks turn pink. He slowly moved his hand above the water in a bored manner and small waves start forming where his hands passed caressing his fingers adding to the chill causing goosebumps to form on his hands. It was uncomfortable yet comforting for him, staying there was better than going back to the manor at least the birds and the beasts won't avoid him and the water was always there to comfort him.

A sudden movement of birds caused him to look up. On the other side of the lake near the edge forest at the village entrance were creamy-white carriages being pulled by huge beasts.

'Huh, so it is today' he thought.

"Cerrise! Cerrise!"

Aloud childish voice sounded across the lake. He turned around and spotted young boy waving at him in an exited manner. Behind him were two female attendants who were struggling to catch up to the six year old.

He was one of his uncle's sons, the third one to be more precise, and one of the few who didn't hate him but he theorized the cause to be the fact that he either didn't understand what hate was at the moment or he hasn't learnt why he should hate him. He was sure if he learnt he would be like the rest.

"What is it Teigo?" he asked while forcing a smile on his face.

"Father is calling for you, he asked you to hurry up,"

His uncle prefers to avoid him most of the time and technically treats him like a plague which was also alright for him because every time he meets his uncle it means something bad was going to happen to him.

Only a year had already passed, yet they were back, they must have come to see him, maybe to assess if he was still worthy of their attention.

"Get up Cerrise, I saw a golden haired man with him probably why he wants us to hurry,"

"A Golden haired man?"

"Yeah he was well-dressed but he looked abit rude and arrogant-

"Okay I heard you no need to continue. Let's go then we don't want to keep them waiting,"

He lifted the child up and walked ahead causing the boy to laugh. He saw the looks of disapproval from the attendants it wasn't anything new anyway. About ten minutes later he spotted the village entrance he placed Teigo on the ground and held his hand, they walked towards his uncle's office which was located near the village entrance and knocked, after a few seconds the door swang open and a guard at the door let them in to the room made of enchanted wood and monster hide, it had a scent of nature which was unique to his tribe, another reason he was different from his tribes' men, they could control nature and could understand it while he could control water. He could also talk to spiritual beasts but nobody knew that cause it was shameful that he was different he didn't want to give them another reason to mock him, the only power that could be remotely the same as his clan's men was that he could understand some low level beasts.

"Uncle,"

He says bowing as a sign of respect to the chief.

His uncle nods then gestured for him to get up, that's when he looked beside him and spotted a golden haired man dressed in imperial clothing. He must be a member of the royal family, different to the one that was here the last time.

"You may leave now Teiga,"

"Yes father," he says, his childish voice carrying a touch of grievances. He obviously wanted to know what was happening but had no choice but to respect his father.

"Cerrise, this is the duke of Rafion, Casius Lukreon,"

"Greetings, Your highness," he bows and the duke nods with a smile which was obviously superficial, one used to please.

He looked at his uncle with inquiring eyes but he avoids his gaze as usual.

"There was a decree from the emperor a year ago, I know you remember," not only does he remember, it gave him nightmares, it was one of the bad lucks brought by visiting his uncle.

The crown princess to be was assassinated a year ago and this shook the kingdom, the king had to choose another person to govern beside the crown prince but since the one who assassinated the crown princess was not found they need to find a way to protect the new person so the king's advisors made a plan, they needed a shadow empress. So they chose candidates from different tribes across the empire to act as contenders for the seat as guise while the real empress was hidden.

It was obviously a way to sacrifice the shadow for the sake of the real. For his tribe his older cousin, Yadril had been chosen but, that is where Cerrise came in. He had 'accidentally' appeared in front of the imperial representative and he was deemed nobler than his cousin and was chosen in her place.

"You had been chosen to be the queen's shadow. The emperor wants to hand over power to the prince and his chosen consort is required to move to court in order to receive official training for their duties. You and your partners will accompany them and be the distractions as they learn."

He had actually thought of many ways his uncle would get rid of him but this hadn't been one of them.

Ever since his brother Eliphas left him to his uncle when he was ten years old his uncle had seen him as an extra load he was carrying.

Although he's getting rid of him, it was not bad at least he'll leave this retched place. If he dies he hopes to die in a different place, away from all the resentment.

"You have two years to learn how to act like a noble, learn all the basic etiquette, all the basic tea and banquet rules, all the basic royal swordsman ship and finally all the basic rules of the royal palace, all a thousand of them and their individual consequences. You will be sent to the palace after two years," this time it's the duke who said it.

"You may go prepare yourself now Cerrise, you'll find some servants outside your room, they will be your teachers."

"Yes your Highness,"

"You leave at dusk, you will be taken to a secure place to learn, you are dismissed."

"Yes your Highness," he bowed without another word then turned to leave.

He was Immediately ambushed by a small body when he got out.

"What did they tell you tell me? Tell me,"

He rubbed Teigo's head softly, the sound of the assembly horn blowing cut through the air. His uncle was probably going to tell the village that he was leaving. He needed a quite place to learn.

"It's a surprise you'll find out at the assembly,"

"But-

"Ah ah be patient,"

He leaves him there and walked to his room and true to the duke's words there were people outside his room.

Two of them stepped forward, they requested him to stay still as they removed his clothing, they led him towards a bath tub and started to clean him slowly. They dressed him one clothe at a time, he was sure that he had worn over ten layers of clothing and they still placed a red cloak above it all.

As they dressed him, Circe couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He had never been treated this way before, with so much care and attention to detail. Is this how they treated people at the royal palace.

He picked up the only object that he owned personally, a head piece given by Eliphas, and tied it on his hand. They then lead him to the assembly. On his way he saw two carriages packed one after the other, only then did he realize that although the duke made it sound far, it had only been an hour till dusk and the hour was used to dress him up.

As he walked towards the assembly point, everybody was looking at him some with jelousy some with awe. They had already been told.

He turned to face the duke who gestured for to one of the guards near carriage and the door was opened, he walked to where his uncle and his family was and gave a bow, Yadril was looking at him and hatred couldn't be hidden from her eyes and her twin Yakil wasn't any better, he ignored them and looked at Teiga he was looking at him with red eyes not saying a word, probably threatened by his father not to do anything stupid. Circe rubbed his head with a smile.

"You are sixteen and nearly an adult Circe this will be good for you," yeah and also very prosperous for the tribe he thought, it was his aunt speaking and he could hear the underlying warning that stated not to mess up.

"Yes you are right Auntie," he said shivering with disgust as she gave him a hug seeming like the nice mother figure she wasn't, standing beside her praiseworthily stupid, husband who was also smiling. A bunch of hypocrites

He walked to the open carriage and sat down and it was immediately closed. He noticed that together with him were some two other people. Who were staring at him intensely.

The carriage started moving after a while but he didn't pay attention to it still wondering why the two were staring at him like that.

"Uhm, is their something wrong?" the stare was uncomfortable.

"Wrong etiquette and even worse form of address. Are all savages like this or just the ones from this forest?"

Savages, hmmm, it was a word he hadn't heard in a while, it was what the people of the kingdom call those who originated from the kingdom periphery.

"Ananke behave. I'm sorry for her rudeness she's just irritated lately. I'm Ruda, she's Ananke we were assigned as your personal guards,"

So one was hostile while the other was pretending to be nice to him. Well that makes him feel safe.

Years of being in the village had taught him to differentiate between good and bad people and he wouldn't be surprised if one of the people in front him pulled a knife and stabbed him. But why do they hate him? He didn't even know them.

"Nice to know you I hope we work well together," he said with a smile secretly hoping they would die on the way. He was sensitive to emotions, living in a place where he could die if he breathed wrongly was not easy.

"Troublesome," Ananke states then looks outside the carriage which made his smile drop.

"Ananke," Ruda says with a warning tone.

"What its true,"

Well if you didn't want the job of being my servant why did you accept it? He thought silently.

"Don't mind her, have you been told about who will be your escort?" Ruda asks

"What escort?" he asked and Ananke snorted.

"Each of the eight shadows will stay with a younger royal and learn the etiquette of the palace, you were the only consort who will be escorted by a duke and not a prince," he finished while looking at Circe with a fleeting annoyance. And Circe started to understand why they hated him, the two were obviously not from the king's castles with their manners so they were probably from the duke who was going to be his escort. And considering the fact that they knew about shadows they must either be highly ranked or very trusted.

The king had probably given the younger royals work as escorts in order to humble them and warn them not to disturb the succession of the crown prince but chose the younger duke in order to shame him. From that deduction he understood that the other shadows must have good backgrounds which was why the king didn't want to offend so that was the reason their wasn't any complain from the emperor when he was chosen as a shadow. His mother was a traitor and his family wouldn't retaliate if he was harmed as long as he didn't die. They chose him who had no power and gave him to the duke, which was shameful for any young prince or princess with no title let alone a duke who manages a whole land.

With that thought he turned to look outside at the trees that were seemingly moving.