Friend?

In an Empire that had just seemingly avoided a disaster a few years back, a person stood tall in the Emperor's Imperial Palace. He wore luxurious blue robes and looked into the horizon with two women standing behind him, both of them taking the personal space by his sides. They looked beautiful enough to attract the gazes of many men.

"My Emperor, who are you waiting for? You have already enjoyed the scenery for a few minutes. So it couldn't be that you were just sightseeing, right?"

"Sigh, Iona. It's time I left this place. Are you going to stay and plot to become another man's woman, or are you coming with me?"

"You...! Alexi! You doubt my allegiance and loyalty to you?"

"Well, you did switch from my bastard father to me when he died, so why wouldn't you switch from me to someone else?"

Iona Ethren looked angered, but she couldn't retort to that as it was nothing but the truth.