“Ahhhhhh!”
I yelped in surprise. The bright light showered me. I was trembling in fear when Orlean poked me from the back. I started to walk slowly towards the door.
The red carpet covered the path and the stairs.
People around me murmured, “Wow, look at that jet-black hair.”
“Do you really think she is the Duke’s daughter?”
“I heard she is his bastard daughter.”
“I thought she was a distant relative.”
“Wasn’t a younger daughter supposed to come today? The emperor was really excited about that.”
“What an unusual skin color.”
It was no wonder people were confused. Lisbeth was supposed to come, yet they presented a 20-year-old girl.
Somehow, I didn’t fall. I arrived at the bottom of the stairs. I was taught last night what to do today. I didn’t want to, but I remembered the ceremony steps clearly.
I bowed first.
Before Orlean could poke me again, I said out loud the words I memorized, “It is my honor, as a daughter of Bonafit family, to meet the Emperor of the Empire Cransia.”
I could hear Orlean sighing in relief. I must have done it right.
As soon as I was finished, I heard the footstep coming towards me. It was the emperor coming down the stairs towards me.
A pair of pointy shoes appeared. It was such a ridiculous pair I almost laughed but stopped myself just in time.
A stranger’s voice said to me.
“Raise your head.”
A harsh voice.
I trembled so hard my teeth chattered. I clenched my teeth and raised my head.
I stared at my future husband.
“...”
“Oh~ not bad. A little different, but not bad at all.” The 70-year-old creep said to me.
I had hoped I was mistaken, and that I was to be married to a young hot guy. Perhaps this guy was under a curse, and once the curse was lifted, this old man would turn into a handsome prince.
However, I was being stupid.
My future husband was a wrinkly, ugly, old man. He was fat, yet he was so wrinkly it didn’t make sense. He also smelled horrible. His hair was completely white as if it was covered in powder.
If my grandfather was still alive, he would have been about 70 years old. I remembered seeing my grandfather in a photo and he looked neat and gentlemanly. I expected someone similar, but I was dead wrong.
This situation felt real now. I would become the concubine of this ugly old man.
My knees gave away as the harsh reality hit me. Orlean gasped in shock. Suddenly, the room became silent.
I knew I had to stand up, but I couldn’t feel my legs.
Then, someone offered me a hand. White-gloved hand.
“The lady must be very tired from the long journey.”
I took his hand and stood up.
He smelled wonderful. When I looked up, a young man was standing in front of me. He was the exact opposite of my future husband.
This must be a joke. The contrast was shocking.
Beautiful face, shining blond hair, kind green eyes. A handsome young man. He looked a few years older than me.
Why couldn’t this be my husband?
I murmured my thanks, “T, thank you.”
He smiled. Such a kind smile.
“No thanks needed. You are about to be one of my stepmothers, so we are family now.”
“...”
My head spun. Stepmother?
I realized then. This man in front of me was the one and only heir to the great Cransia.
Lucretius Le Cransia.
It was him.
With a bright smile, he handed me to his father.
My future husband.
The old man.
The wrinkly sweaty hand touched my skin. It felt like a bug was crawling on my hand, but I had to stop myself from cringing. I already made one mistake. I couldn’t make another.
I lowered my face as if I’m being shy. I didn’t want to look at the father or the son.
I didn’t want to face this cruel reality.
The Emperor led me to the top of the stairs. At the top, seven women waited for us.
The Emperor pointed at one of the women and ordered me, “Bow to her. This is Empress Katleyanira.”
She was surprisingly young and beautiful. She looked slightly older than the prince, but not by much. She was at most in her early 30s.
The prince looked younger than his age, so perhaps the empress was older too. I couldn’t tell.
Her ruby red hair was in an updo. She was also heavily pregnant.
I bowed to her. “It is an honor to meet the great empress of this empire.”
“Nice to meet you.” She replied to me blankly. She clearly was not interested in me.
“And these are her daughters, Princesses Liliana and Roselia.”
The emperor introduced me to the two young girls. One was in her late teens and the other looked like she was about 15. Just like their mother, they both had red hair. Luckily, their faces also resembled their mother instead of the emperor.
I bowed again to them. They bowed back to me politely.
The next four women were the emperor’s wives. Some looked older than Empress Katleyanira, while others looked younger. They must have been all from different countries as they were of different races.
The four women were all beautiful. They greeted me insincerely.
The emperor had one empress, four wives, and fourteen concubines. I was to be the fifteenth. Only the empress and the wives were considered to be official figures. That was why none of the concubines were here.
Fifteenth concubine. The newest and therefore the weakest and lowest of them all. My eyes watered.
Finally, the emperor introduced me to the prince.
“And this handsome young man is my only son and heir, Lucretius.”
“It is an honor to meet the great heir to this empire.” I bowed. When I glanced up, his smile looked different.
He still had a kind smile, but his eyes looked blank. It was brief, but I still saw it.
‘...what was that?’
The emperor pulled me towards him. I lost my balance, but thankfully I didn’t fall.
The emperor got me to kneel in front of him. He then placed two drops of oil on my head and announced loudly.
“I now pronounce Sa Bina Des Bonafit, the first daughter of Duke Aeal, to be my fifteenth concubine.”
Everyone applauded. It felt surreal, but one thing was for certain. I was now this old creep’s concubine.
I tried my best not to bite my lips. I did my best to smile, but my mouth trembled violently.
The emperor grabbed my waist quickly. It felt like a snake was choking my body.
When I looked up in surprise, the emperor grinned at me. His teeth were black and decayed. Nothing surprised me anymore.
I tried to smile again.
The emperor whispered to me quietly, “As the Duke claimed, you have an unusual skin color. It’s strange, but I like it. And... I see that you are shy, which must mean you are a virgin.”
His eyes looked at me in a vulgar manner.
“Tonight will be interesting.”
Goosebumps covered my body.