The Crown of Deception

Empress Uhleksis could still remembered the day she was crowned like it was yesterday.

It was a day of celebration for the empire, but for Uhleksis, it had been a day of triumph, a victory over her greatest rival, Rena, the woman who had once held everything Uhleksis coveted.

The memory played out in her mind like a carefully scripted drama, every detail vivid and sharp.

The Emperor had been inconsolable, a broken man after losing the woman he had loved. He had retreated to his chambers, his grief too raw, too overwhelming for him to govern. It was in this moment of vulnerability that the court saw an opportunity.

Ohtis Marcelo, a master of calculation and manipulation, had taken the lead.

He gathered the most influential members of the court, pressing them to convince the Emperor that stability was what the empire needed now.