Love Me, Fair Empress

The smell of petrichor reached Hera's sense of smell as soon as the rain had stopped pouring. The day was dismal, and her heart had just shattered since the Emperor's betrayal. She had become a noceur after her heart was trampled upon by the man she loved dearly.

She wished that her love for him should have come undone. Furthermore, she resented him and herself. It was a complete morosis to even love a man like him. It was her mistake.

Hera never felt ataraxy since he made a big fool of her, she just couldn't accept what was done. She's fought sciamachy over and over just to forget her grief and suffering. She kept the tacenda to herself, and she felt like she couldn't bear it.

Hera was the Empress of Zemira. She inherited her father's throne after his death and married a prince from another kingdom. Hailed as the new Emperor, Gavryll won the people's hearts. Hera loved him dearly.

With the great abundance of her love, Hera felt that it was hurting her, but what hurt her more was when Gavryll inaugurated the imperial consortium and made himself the man of a consort from the city of Yolivi, the southern city of Zemira.

She was fair and calm, pleasant to the eyes, and sweet. The Emperor had fallen head over heels for her, and Hera felt succiduous upon learning this.

What about the love she once shared with Gavryll? Had it just gone to waste? She felt as if she had no raison dêtre. She felt as if she shouldn't have existed at all.

She felt miserable, why had every piece of the puzzle she poured her hard work into started to not fit each other? Why did it suddenly crumble and become mismatched? What did she do wrong?

She tried to fall into serendipity, she wanted to find something good about the misery she was in. But no matter how hard she looked, she only can see that they betrayed her.

By now, they have plotted to overthrow her from the throne of her empire.

For so long, Hera had been an eccedentesiast. She faked a hundred smiles to hide millions of her pain. Why can't it just end there?

Why can't she just feel the redamancy? Why was her love not returned in full? Why is it that the people she loved from the day she was a princess had turned their back on her? Why had they taken the side of the consort?

Hera felt that this was unclear, she can't sort her feelings and her thoughts out. She was baffled. Her tears endlessly fell down her cheeks. It created tiny droplets in the reservoirs the rain created. All alone in the middle of the city streets of Zemira, Hera felt the weakening of her soul.

The moonlight shone on the waters the rain made.

There was a missing piece from her heart and she was unable to find it once again because it was already in someone else's hands. Her husband who she needed at this time had gone to kiss another woman's foot. Neglecting her only to bewilder in the presence of the lowly consort.

Everyone had broken the Imperial law. They neglected the Empress, who was responsible for the throne. But even though this law was broken, Hera couldn't do anything, she had already given everything to Gavryll even the authority to the Imperial Constitutions. There was nothing she could do.

"Why, of all the people? Why was it me that had to endure this?"

Because she was so vulnerable during the moment, Hera collapsed, with tears yet falling from her eyes, her sight had become blurry and the last thing she heard was the footsteps of someone who approached her.

Zemira, the empire that stood amid the continent. Prospered and wealthy, that was what Zemira was known for.

After the Emperor had fallen ill, Hera had to succeed the throne as Zemira's sole successor. No one believed Hera could be a great ruler, but she proved herself worthy of their trust. Thereupon, the Emperor died due to the severity of his illness.

Hera then married her fiancé, Gavryll. A prince from a different kingdom to help her with the Imperial throne's duties.

She loved him so much that it felt deeper than a lake, his betrayal then felt a deep stab in her wounded soul.

"I always loved what you are, Gavryll. Adored what you've become. I admired you greatly."

She sobbed, and her tears felt endless, so was her sorrow. Her despair was immense, on her knees, she was begging him. Begging the person she gave the throne to, pleading with him to love him back.

"I appreciated that, Hera…" Gavryll responded.

"Then, why is it that after I kissed your feet did you run to someone else to do the same? Why did you not see the efforts I did for your redamancy? I who have given you all these things, everything you had come from my possessions. The throne, the riches, the power, the nation…everything, I gave it all to you. Then why are you now settling with a woman who only cared about the silver and gold coins you'll spend on her and her dresses, to spend on her jewelry and lust? She can't give you everything I have given you!"

"Why are you suddenly acting this way, Hera? Is it so wrong for me to love a woman worthy of me? I did not ask you to give your everything to me, I never asked for anything from you. Why are you now acting like I owe such a debt to you?"

Gavryll pressed, he was not in the wrong, that was his belief. But he was mistaken. Hera knew how he played the strings. Hera knew all this, but despite this knowledge, she turned blind because of the love she greatly harbored for him.

"I made you become who you are, Gavryll… I have every right to speak as if you owed me a great sum. I gave you the throne you wanted so much, with the throne were the Imperial riches, the nation, the congregation, the knights, the Palace, and all there is that I possess as the Empress. This empire was your lust. Now that you have gotten it, you've immediately discarded me, the person who put you up there. You betrayed me, the Empress, for a commoner woman who climbed to the consortium." She sniffed, yet her eyes grimaced with hatred.

Indeed, she was begging for love, she wanted the love she gave to be returned to her, though at the same time, she hated the man. She hated the pleading.