Decision

The sound of music filled the entire room. All eyes were instantly drawn to the entrance where Quinn walked, accompanied by Nash, who held her hand, heading towards the altar on the red carpet.

Everyone was mesmerized, gazing at the woman in the white gown. She looked truly beautiful and radiant, even brighter than the most expensive diamonds the nobility had ever seen.

Amidst the scattered rose petals on the floor, they continued to move forward. Quinn's attention had been fixed on the man standing at the altar since earlier. The albino man in a white tuxedo gazed intensely in her direction. Whether he was enchanted or not, one thing was for sure: his expression was challenging for Quinn to interpret.

In front of the altar, they came to a halt. The man extended his gloved hand. Quinn hesitated for a moment. She seemed uncertain about accepting his hand.

In the end, I truly have to break my vow. After a brief pause, Quinn eventually accepted the man's outstretched hand and walked towards the altar. Meanwhile, Nash moved to his seat. Ronan, his second son, was already there, waiting alone.

In front of the altar, they stood side by side. Quinn, alongside Ezekiel, faced the priest who would officiate their marriage.

Before uttering her sacred vows before the priest, the woman glanced at the man standing beside her. Quinn observed him closely—Ezekiel Carter Cooper. The albino man is the prince from the southern region, the kingdom of Courtopia. Soon, the handsome man with white skin, white hair, and blue eyes would officially become her husband. A man she had only known for a moment.

If Quinn tried to recall everything again, she could count on her fingers the number of times they had met after being officially matched. At the first meeting, they only met each other face-to-face. They never knew each other's names, or even talked. The second meeting, they just started chatting. But it only lasted for a few seconds, and that was limited to getting acquainted. After recognizing each other's names, a few weeks later, they finally got married. It was just that short.

Quinn fell silent with her head bowed, paying no attention to the priest who had been speaking in front of her. She became absorbed in her own thoughts.

"Sigh~" Quinn sighed softly. Her mind once again wandered, delving deep into her memories from a few months ago.

*

The Lyntopia Empire, eight months ago.

Silence. Not a sound could be heard inside the room. There was only a gentle breeze blowing in from the open balcony door. The bright sunlight at that moment streamed into the room through the glass door and windows.

Quinn fell silent, examining each document in her hands. She read every word on the ivory-colored parchment papers before her. There was so much work to be done to help ease her father's workload.

Although she was only given small jobs that seemed light, there were so many of them. Quinn will inevitably have to sit all day in her chair to get it all done.

Quinn is a woman who loves perfection. She didn't want to do all her tasks carelessly. Even though it was only a small job that she got, she was really meticulous in doing it. After all, everything she did was for the sake of the empire.

Creek!

The door was pushed open somewhat roughly, shattering the prevailing silence. Quinn's attention shifted from the papers in front of her to the brown-haired woman who had just arrived. Marinka, her trusted servant whom she could always rely on, stood at the door, looking disheveled and out of breath.

"Can't you knock before entering?"

"I apologize, my lady; I really didn't have time. There's something important I need to tell you." Marinka was still trying to catch her breath.

"Why are you so panicked, and why were you running? Is there a problem?"

"His Majesty, the Emperor. He—" Marinka hesitated with her words. She was truly perplexed about how to explain everything to Quinn. Meanwhile, Quinn fell silent, staring at the woman with a puzzled expression. She was genuinely curious about what had happened to make Marinka so panicked.

"What's wrong with my father?"

Marinka took a deep breath before delivering the news that she had brought. But upon hearing the information Marinka brought, Quinn's face immediately turned anxious. The news about Nash made her worried. She quickly rose from her seat and walked out of her workspace to meet her father.

*

Quinn hurriedly walked ahead. Behind her, Marinka kept up with a slight jog, trying to match Quinn's swift pace. As they moved down the hallway towards Nash's room, Quinn unintentionally crossed paths with a man walking in the opposite direction. They briefly locked eyes, but only for a moment before completely ignoring each other.

Stop!

Quinn suddenly stopped. She turned around, gazing at the man who had just crossed her path. Quinn realized something new about Ronan's facial expression.

Ronan Spencer. The man who happened to be her stepbrother. He was the first son of her father's concubine. As step-siblings, Quinn and Ronan had no amicable relationship. Since childhood, they have always been at odds, and the animosity has persisted until now.

His expression just now—why was it like that? What else is he planning? Quinn tried to process what she had just seen. There was something truly peculiar about Ronan. He displayed a rather flat expression, as if nothing was happening. Even though Marinka had clearly stated that her father was not well.

"Your Highness?" Marinka snapped her out of her thoughts. "What's wrong? Why were you daydreaming?" Marinka asked with a puzzled expression.

"Nothing. Let's go!" Quinn continued walking towards her father's room.

*

"Father!" Quinn entered Nash's room in haste. The focus of everyone in the room instantly shifted to her.

"Your Highness." Danial, her father's aide, was quite surprised by her sudden arrival.

"Danial, what happened to my father?" Quinn approached them with a worried expression.

"Quinn..." Nash spoke softly. Quinn immediately redirected her attention to him.

"Father, what happened? How did it come to this?"

"You don't need to worry. I'm fine," Nash tried to reassure his daughter.

"Apologies for interrupting, Your Highness. Allow me to explain his condition. His Majesty the Emperor is merely exhausted, which is why his condition has declined." Otto, the royal doctor examining Nash's condition, spoke up.

"Are you sure that father is just exhausted?"

"I have examined his condition, and there is no serious issue. He is simply exhausted from excessive work. At the moment, His Majesty the Emperor needs plenty of rest to recover."

"Thank goodness, I'm relieved to hear that," Quinn sighed in relief.

"You hear it, don't you? I'm perfectly fine." Nash held his daughter's hand with a faint smile.

"Father is not fine. Doctor Otto said you're exhausted because you've been working too much. From now on, you need to take a break from all your duties."

"I just need to lie down for a while, and then I'll be fine."

"You can't do that. I don't want your condition to worsen. So it's better for you to rest for a few days."

"But I am the emperor, and I cannot rest for too long. There is so much work that needs to be done."

"As for that, you don't need to worry. I will help you with all the tasks so that you can have sufficient rest."

"You won't be able to handle everything on your own. But, I will instruct Ronan to take over everything. He knows a lot about all my duties, so you can assist him."

"Ronan?" Quinn repeated it with a changed expression. Nash just nodded slowly. "He has been helping me a lot. So, it would be better if Ronan took over my duties temporarily, and you assisted him."

Quinn fell silent without saying a word. She really disliked it when her father started mentioning the name of the son from his affair with a concubine. How can I work with that man?

*

My father has always trusted Ronan more than me. This isn't good. If it continues like this, it's possible that when he abdicates the throne, it will be Ronan who will replace him as the next emperor. I cannot let that happen. I can't let him usurp the throne that should belong to the original bloodline successor of the official marriage of the emperor and his empress. My position could be jeopardized, and I can't let that happen. At all costs, I must turn the tables and make my father trust me more than Ronan.

Quinn fell silent with a troubled expression. Her mind has been haunted since earlier by his father's words, stating that he would appoint Ronan as his successor to handle government-related responsibilities.

Quinn simply couldn't allow this. She couldn't accept it when Ronan intended to usurp the throne that should belong to the original bloodline successor of the royal family. After all, Ronan was a child born to a concubine. Although he had the blood of an emperor, he was completely different from Quinn, who was a child of the original bloodline. Her mother was not a concubine, but the legitimate wife of the emperor. The late empress, who was much loved by the people of Lyntopia

But, how do I get him to trust me more? Right now, he is giving more important work to Ronan. Quinn was lost in thought. There were so many things on her mind. About her father's words, and his decision to give Ronan an important job. Quinn really couldn't relax. She was afraid her position would be compromised.

*

Slam!

The door closed slowly. Now, in the room, there were only Otto and Nash, who were still lying helpless. After ensuring there was no one else around the emperor's chamber, Otto quickly approached the man lying on the bed.

"Thank you for agreeing to keep this from her. I don't want to make her worried," Nash said with a relieved expression. He felt calm because Otto was cooperative in hiding the truth about his actual condition.

"It is my duty to obey every noble command. You don't need to thank me."

"Now I'm truly concerned. How bad is my condition? I'm afraid it might affect my duties in the government."

"Forgive me for having to convey this, Your Majesty, but from the examination I conducted, your situation is truly not in a good condition."

"What illness am I suffering from?"

"I'm sorry, but I truly don't know what illness is afflicting you, Your Majesty. I have never seen a disease like the one you're suffering from. So, there's a possibility that the illness you have is a rare disease that is not yet known," Otto explained with a serious expression. Despite his extensive experience in the medical field and dealing with various disease cases, Nash's illness was entirely unfamiliar to him.

"A rare disease? Does that mean there's no cure for my illness?" Nash appeared anxious upon hearing the explanation.

"Not that there is none. It's just that to determine the cure, I need to delve deeper into your condition. That way, I can understand what is causing your current state and what disease you're suffering from. If Your Majesty permits, I would like to request time until I find the remedy."

"For how long can you find the cure? Can you expedite the process?"

"About that, finding the right combination of drugs is not an easy task, Your Majesty. It will take some time. But I don't know exactly how long." Otto lowered his head with a somber expression. He truly regretted having to deliver this news to Nash.

Even though he wasn't sure about the disease afflicting Nash, Otto didn't want to quickly lose hope and give up before trying various methods to cure him. He wanted to make every effort possible until he could heal Nash.

"If that's the case, what should I do while you search for the remedy? Should I just stay still and wait until this disease continues to gnaw at my body until I eventually die?" Nash looked increasingly despondent. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if the disease eventually cost him his life.

The Empire of Lyntopia still needed its emperor to lead, especially since he couldn't abdicate anytime soon. His daughter, Quinn, was still too young to rule the empire and had much to learn about governance. Meanwhile, his son, Ronan, would never be able to ascend the throne because he was the son born to his concubine. If Ronan were to ascend to the throne, it would cause a lot of controversy, and could bring the Lyntopia empire into disrepute.

"I will try to give you some medicine that you can take. It's likely that these medicines can relieve at least some of the pain in your body, and for the time being, it would be best if you followed the advice of Her Highness the Crown Princess. However, what she said is true. You are better off resting until you recover. In the meantime, I will endeavor to find a cure for you, Your Majesty." Otto provided a solution.

"Alright. I hope you didn't spend too much time making the medicine." Nash looked at Otto expectantly. He didn't want to die yet, because there were so many things he had to accomplish before he died. But, if you are asking me to rest, then that means I should leave the imperial duties to Ronan first until I am better. I will follow your advice."

***