Chapter Two

"And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

 Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

 In her sepulchre there by the sea—

 In her tomb by the sounding sea." - Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allen Poe

Lilith could feel bitterness grow in her heart as she watched the many young ladies dance away with their prospective husbands as she lingered behind her uncle, trying to establish connections by implying marriage through Lilith— what a vile man, Lilith couldn't help but think over and over.

Lecherous men cast eyes on her body, and she could feel the need to scrub her skin raw from how filthy their gazes were; as her uncle droned on about various business ventures with some marquis, she let her gaze wander the ballroom. Groups of young heirs and debutantes were conversing to the side; some were dancing, gowns fluttering about, and multiple greetings were exchanged. Lilith couldn't help it as a melancholy feeling took over; she felt so out of place. She wanted to be as carefree as they were and not worry about being sold into a marriage.

"Lilith, smile, my dear; this is your debut." Her aunt nudged her. The pleasant tone and smile on her face made Lilith feel nauseous. She could feel her aunt's glare on her despite the sweet tone she spoke with.

"Maybe you'll attract a nice suitor if you smile more." Ariel snorted just before one of the men approached her, asking for a dance. Lilith's cousin accepted, giving her a smug look before heading to the dance floor.

Soft, romantic piano music began to play as suitors approached the young debutants. The song was typically played at balls so young men and women could dance with their possible future husband or wife. Every ball was a chance for romance to blossom. Luckily, none of the so-called gentlemen her uncle spoke to were interested in dancing, possibly because they were mostly older men interested in finding a mistress to add to their collection.

"I will be back in just a moment," Lilith whispered to her aunt, who hummed in acknowledgement as she eyed one of the young men in attendance. She was no doubt interested in having one of her many affairs with one of them, something that her uncle, strangely enough, did not care that she did. 

Quickly escaping the ballroom, Lilith hurried towards the massive garden to the side of the palace for some fresh air. Tucked away amongst the neatly trimmed hedges was a stone bench that Lilith gratefully sat on, finally resting her aching feet. It seemed that no matter how long she spent in heels, she could never get used to the pain they caused her.

Glancing around her, noting that no one was nearby, she removed her heel, rubbed the aching area, and sighed. Lilith deeply inhaled the crisp, cool air, feeling like she could finally breathe. It was spring in Skyvale, and the capital was significantly warmer than the Valdis estate of the north, but the air was still cool, and she greedily breathed it in.

The sound of footsteps startled Lilith.

There stood a mountain of a man before her, his black hair slicked back on one side and eyes a blazing red, akin to rubies. His face had a peculiar expression—one of playful interest. 

Whoever he was, she could feel something in the air surrounding him. It was almost as if his presence electrified the air, and his face looked as if the gods had carefully carved it themselves. She could tell he was all sharp angles, but his body was brusque and rough. His well-tailored suit showed hints of a robust physique; it seemed that he could be dressed in rags and still appear domineering, poised as a predator about to strike.

Alert now that a stranger was before her, Lilith scrambled to her feet to bow according to etiquette, but the man raised his palm and shook his head.

"No need," he said, and Lilith froze, unsure how to react. "It seems you're in pain, and it would be rude of me to expect a rigid greeting from an injured lady."

Lilith flushed, recalling her naked foot and sat back down. "Apologies, sir. I would like to offer you a proper greeting if possible."

The man shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

Then Lilith paid more attention to the stranger. He was dressed in a fine double-breasted suit decorated with what looked to be statements of military accomplishments. Lilith wouldn't be surprised if he were a general, but it was strange. The symbols were of Zhurian origin; none of them were Arthurian.

"Are you perhaps from Zhuria?" Lilith asks, and the stranger smiles.

"I am," He tells her, "Does that bother you?"

She shook her head. "Not at all; I have no issues with Zhurians."

"Good."

Lilith slipped her foot back into her heel and stood. "It was nice chatting with you, sir, but I must return now. My family may be looking for me."

"Lilith Valdis." She froze. How did the stranger know her name? With shaking eyes, she spun back around to face him. "If it is alright with you, I would like to escort you back; it seems you're in pain."

His palm outstretched, his smile innocent despite the rude calling of her name.

"How do you know my name?" Lilith asks, blatantly ignoring his request. The stranger tilts his head.

"Do you not know who I am yet?" He had an incredulous look as if he couldn't believe she didn't know who he was, which sparked an indignant feeling in Lilith.

"No, is there any particular reason that I should?"

He laughed at her answer, and she frowned. Not finding the situation very funny, Lilith was beginning to feel frustrated with the man's cryptic nature as she spoke to someone who was a stranger to her.

"I suppose not. Not yet, anyway." He answers, which only frustrates Lilith further.

"If you have nothing else to say, I will be on my way." Lilith's voice trembled in anger as she spun on her heel. She would've stomped back into the ballroom if she wasn't wearing painful heels.

Watching Lilith's angered form disappear back into the ballroom, the strange man chuckled.

Ezekiel wasn't a big fan of social gatherings and opted out of them most of the time unless his mother dragged him to one; however, he was looking forward to this particular one and felt agitated— and impatient. He had been hovering around the ballroom's edges for an hour now, watching mostly and drinking champagne like it was water.

He couldn't bring himself to care about exchanging pleasantries, nor was he interested in his presence being announced with grandeur, as they typically did for events such as a ball. Ezekiel evaded it all by manoeuvring silently past a side entrance and doing his best to slide silently past roaming guests, guards, and the like.

Strangely, it was easy enough. Ezekiel almost laughed aloud. How could the security be so lax? If he were Arthur, he certainly would've had these knights tossed out long ago. The brief thought of how the war would've ended by him sneaking into the palace and assassinating the emperor where he slept crossed his mind.

Ah, well, they were on the cusp of a peace treaty, so that it wouldn't do any good now. Especially not when he is to take a bride from Skyvale, one he coveted.

He came to this ball with the intention of seeing his future bride and possibly meeting her, but while trying to hide his presence and not be noticed by the nobles and aristocrats milling about, it wasn't easy to catch sight of her. It was only thirty more minutes before the crowd had thinned out enough for him to catch sight of her.

There she stood, her face without emotion, but he could see her simmering anger toward the man beside her, whom Ezekiel figured could be her uncle. After a preliminary investigation of her family, he knew what they looked like.

And Lilith, despite only being able to see her from afar, Ezekiel knew right there and then that he wanted her as his empress.

He wasn't sure what it was that made him desire her so, but his feelings were similar to the story of how his father pursued his mother. Something akin to intuition— an intrinsic, incessant feeling of 'this is it.'

Ezekiel had always thought the story his father told him about his first time meeting his mother was strange—how could someone know who to marry upon first sight?

His father had just laughed when young Ezekiel asked and shook his head. "A Titus always knows."

Only now did Ezekiel understand his father's words.

He couldn't help but admire Lilith's figure. Wearing a deep blue dress with a mermaid silhouette, a basque waistline and a halter neckline, her pale, pearlescent skin was exposed due to the dress' open back, and her hair was in a braided updo.

Ezekiel's fingers involuntarily flexed and twitched as he watched her; she had said something to her aunt before promptly turning and leaving the ballroom, his eyes following her until she disappeared.

Deciding to meet his prospective wife, he handed the empty champagne flute he had been drinking from to a passing servant who looked bewildered. Before they could speak, Ezekiel was already gone.

There, in the garden, he could see it, something he could not forget, and he could not figure out why—well, that something was just some thing; it was her. He had become accustomed to the ugly things in life, such as death and destruction; it was natural for someone like her to stand out amongst everything.

There was never a lack of women in Ezekiel's life, and he never found interest in any of them. Likening their touches to a bug crawling his skin, he never gave them a second glance or thought. But why was Lilith the first to spark something in him? Ezekiel has pondered this numerous times since he first saw her portrait, but he has never come to a conclusion.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she took off her glass heel.

Maybe it was in the way she moved. Her fingertips were dusted with a faint pink as she moved with a fluidity that seemed more lifelike than those around her, as if she was life itself— crisp and as fresh as tranquil waters.

Beautiful in the moonlight, she almost looked a part of it. His body moved on its own, a small step into the clearing without realising it, but it was enough to alert her to his presence. Lilith's eyes bore into his, and his heart almost stopped.

It was something in her eyes, deeply buried, but the moonlight was quick to reveal all. Her eyes were brimming with the righteous fury of a stormy north sea, and despite casting them upon him, they did not fade in their unwavering; there was a beauty in them that encompassed the universe, pools of inky darkness that he felt inexplicably drawn to.

Ezekiel was doomed from the very start, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

And as he watched her storm away after their brief exchange, he had an inkling that she may be the death of him.

Once Lilith had returned to her uncle's side, she noticed he was no longer conversing with the many men who had approached him with slimy intentions toward Lilith. He looked almost giddy with excitement, and she felt dread at the sight of him.

"You seem rather happy, uncle," Lilith commented as she eyed him wearily. He immediately broke into a grin at the sight of her.

"Of course! I found you the perfect husband," Regef gleefully told her, ignorant of the immediate despair Lilith felt hearing those words. Her back stiffened with anxiety hearing it, and she inwardly prayed to whatever gods existed that her future husband wasn't a disgusting old man, foaming at the mouth at the thought of having a young bride.

Before anything else could be said, Emperor Arthur Regan stepped into the ballroom, and a quiet hush fell over all those in attendance as he descended the grand marble staircase. His blond hair was slicked back, exposing his face, which Lilith always felt was menacing. He was a cold man, a fearsome and fickle one—with a flick of his wrist, you could lose your life.

Arthur Regan was aptly named after the first emperor, hence why citizens of Skyvale were always referred to as Arthurians— the people that belonged to the first and now the current emperor. It was pure hubris, in Lilith's opinion, but to say so would be blasphemy, and she inwardly cursed her ancestors for allowing such an evil family to take hold of the empire.

And to retreat to the north as a simple ducal family, she supposed that her ancestors had wanted a quiet life in the icy mountains, away from the hectic politics of the capital, but the bitterness in her heart remained, and the mournful followers of Valdis continued to lament what could've been to this day.

Collectively, the ballroom bowed in reverence, and Lilith had to bite her tongue to keep her face from showing how she truly felt.

"His Majesty wishes to make an announcement." Arthur's aide announced as everyone straightened to cast their gazes upon the emperor.

"Greetings, my dear subjects." Arthur began, "Today is a glorious day, and I am thrilled to announce that the war has ended. Many of you have struggled—" Lilith almost snorted. Everyone here was either noble or an aristocrat who held no stakes in the war and sent their knights to join the Arthurian army in a futile conquest of the southern empire Zhuria. "-but we are here today, arm in arm, with the empire of Zhuria as we negotiate a peace treaty that will truly benefit our great land of Skyvale!"

The emperor spoke so enthusiastically that everyone cheered in great admiration. This was followed by thunderous applause, and as Arthur raised the palm of his hand, the room fell silent again.

"I would like to present an esteemed guest." Arthur held up his wine glass in the direction of said guest. All eyes turned towards the middle of the ballroom, and the man from earlier stood amongst the numerous nobles in attendance. Lilith's eyes widened upon seeing him, and she almost stumbled in shock.

"--- Emperor Ezekiel Titus of Zhuria!"

Her blood ran cold, her face flushed as his eyes caught hers— she was disrespectful towards an emperor, by the gods, could this night get any worse? Ezekiel then smirked before his eyes turned back to Arthur; he held up the wine glass in his hand in response to Arthur's announcement before downing it in one go. Whispers broke out amongst everyone, but Lilith couldn't take her eyes off the Zhurian emperor.

"Isn't that the barbaric emperor who partook in the battlefield?"

"My god, his eyes are blood red! What a frightening man."

"The demon of war, they say he laughed as he slaughtered!"

Arthur raised his palm once again, silencing those fervent whispers. "It is a great honour to have you here, Emperor Ezekiel. Come." He gestured for Ezekiel to stand on the staircase beside him. Everyone held their breath as they watched the young man saunter across the ballroom as if all eyes weren't on him— you'd think he was at home in his land with the way he confidently walked and stood next to the emperor of what was an enemy nation not so long ago.

"We are here today in celebration of peace. May we enter a new era of tranquillity, and may our great god Mehir bless us in this union!" Arthur bellowed as everyone cheered; glasses were held up in a toast, and Lilith tentatively held up her own. She couldn't help but feel Ezekiel's eyes on her.

Did she possibly incur an emperor's wrath? Lilith couldn't tell why he gazed upon her so, but what puzzled her even more was the deep-rooted feeling of butterflies in her stomach every time he looked at her.