"My child, introduce yourself just like we practised." The Emperor's grandmother gave her words of wisdom as she neatened up the traditional red yukata that the young Emperor was wearing. "It is your sixteenth birthday, and it is finally time to meet your assistants. Ensure you show them that you are worthy of their respect." His grandmother fussed over the small details of the Emperor's appearance, gently brushing several strands of his hair back with a wooden comb.

"Ah, this just won't do. Give me one moment." His grandmother took out a thin, red ribbon and went behind the young Emperor. His eyes were relatively wide and not yet as slender as his current self, and he was several inches shorter as the way you knew him to be. The Emperor's grandmother gathered his strands of hair and tied them back with the ribbon. His hair could only reach his shoulders, in a terrible mess. "Why do you insist on cutting your hair? I had to force you to cut it last year, and it made me feel terrible." His grandmother scolded him for being so difficult.

He crossed his arms and looked off to the side with a pouty expression. "Grandmother, my hair is a part of me. Cutting off my hair is like cutting off my parents. My parents are a part of me and always will be. So let it grow long." He stated, his voice not presumptuous or harsh at all.

His grandmother faced her grandson once again, a pleased smile easing its way onto her lips. "Now you look like you're all grown up and proper."

"Indeed." The young Emperor said, a small sigh leaving his lips.

"That was pathetic. Is that how the Emperor of Intuuin speaks?" She smacked him over the head with the wooden cane held in her hands, causing him to flinch and rub his side. "Alright, alright!" He yelled defensively, his side now stinging in pain.

"Ah, what a baby we have as Emperor. I'm going to continue training you long and hard until you can rightfully rule Intuuin. Now go, they are awaiting your presence. Go make your grandmother proud." She urged him on to the large, wooden doors.

"Of course, grandmother." The Emperor reassured her before taking in a deep breath and walking forward. His face was less slim than it would be in the future. All his features at the current moment in time seemed so childish and carefree. Despite his youthful and childlike appearance, nobody could miss the sorrow that sunk into those red eyes.

The guards opened the doors, and the young Emperor stepped into the garden to be met with four royal assistants who were going to serve him for the rest of his life. The first one was wearing a boring grey yukata that contrasted with his bright yellow hair and eyes. The second one had finely-cut black hair and black eyes, he donned a black yukata and appeared like quite the enigma. The third one had light brown hair that just begun to grow past his ears and white eyes. He wore a pink yukata and earrings, signifying that he was a fan of the latest trends and had no opposition to dressing up like a female. Finally, the last one had neatly-cut, light blue hair and striking purple eyes. He wore a dark blue yukata and stood straight and tall with pride. His eyes and face were slim, and he seemed much more mature than the others for their age.

"I come from the Eli family, your majesty. I pledge to assist you until the day I die. You may call me Eli. I am sixteen years old and honoured to serve you as the first assistant." The young first assistant said, revealing the crown of his blonde head as he bowed down.

"I come from the Kang family, your majesty. I pledge to assist you until the day I die. You may call me Eugene Kang. I am seventeen years old and honoured to serve you as the second assistant." The young second assistant spoke straight after, his dark appearance hiding his excitement as he bowed.

"I come from the Weing family, your majesty. I pledge to assist you until the day I die. You may call me Calix Weing. I am eighteen years old and honoured to serve you as the third assistant." The third young assistant continued before proceeding to bow his head just like the other two.

"I come from the Kirayo family, your majesty. I pledge to assist you until the day I die. You may call me Octavi Kirayo. I am sixteen years old and honoured to serve you as the fourth assistant." The young fourth assistant said and bowed their head. After several moments, all four of them stood upright anew and spoke in unison: "I am ready to serve the Wang family."

The Emperor observed judgementally the four green assistants before him. He kept his head held high and introduced himself in return. "I am from the reigning Wang family. I pledge to guide Intuuin to a glorious future. My name is Takahiro Nathaniel Xiang Wang. I am sixteen years old and honoured to be the current reigning monarch of Intuuin. I accept your assistance." The young Emperor stated. He spoke with strict confidence although he stumbled over several of his words.

"You may now go to your assigned stations, where you will be given a brief introduction and then proceed to serve the Emperor until you ascend to the heavens. Commence your daily tasks just as practised. You have prepared your whole lives for this role, and now is the time to show all this preparation off. Dismissed." The high-rank guard asserted in a harsh and loud tone.

After he spoke, the young assistants bowed once more to the Emperor before retreating to their discrete stations. Everybody except for Eli, whose station was right by the Emperor's side. He approached the Emperor and slowly stood on his left, sweat dripping down his skin.

"It is nice to meet you, Eli. I look forward to the years to come." The Emperor declared. His gaze did not meet the young first assistant's but instead continued to stare into the distance.

"It is a pleasure to serve you, your majesty. I too look forward to the years to come." The young first assistant stated. He grinned as radiantly as the sun and said, "I hope you don't frown too much! You might get some wrinkles at a young age, your majesty." Eli advised the Emperor.

The young Emperor jumped slightly at the sudden comment and finally looked at Eli's sparkling yellow eyes with his dark red orbs. The young Emperor forced a smile, which ended up looking awkward. Eli laughed at the Emperor's facial expression. The Emperor blushed with embarrassment and immediately craned his head to face forward once again. "Everybody grows old; there's no use in trying to prevent it." The Emperor said, pouting.

The young Emperor and his new royal advisor walked along the halls. The Emperor had taken it upon himself to give Eli a personal tour of the palace to strengthen their connection, which ended up taking several hours. However, Eli soaked in all the information that the Emperor told him, not forgetting a single detail.

They then proceeded to visit the three other royal assistants. They checked up on the second assistant, Eugene Kang, who sat in delight at his own office sorting out paperwork. He suddenly halted all his movements at the sight of the Emperor entering his new office and immediately stood up, bowing.

The Emperor bowed his head in return and asked, "How are you finding things, second assistant?"

"I'm finding them very well. I've never seen so much paperwork in my life, it's wonderful." The second assistant said a smile on his lips.

The Emperor left the second assistant's office and immediately received a whisper in his ear from Eli as they walked to the third assistant's new office, "Your majesty, they are meant to bow to you. You, however, aren't."

"Ah, it must have slipped my mind." The Emperor said nonchalantly as the guards opened the door to the third assistant's office. The Emperor's eyes widened to see the office already decorated thoroughly with exotic plants. On the desk were several papers and apparatus. There were conical flasks and bubbling concoctions that seemed profoundly suspicious.

The third assistant jumped at the sight of the Emperor and immediately took a bow. "Your majesty!"

"Third assistant. It's good to see you settled in well. I trust things are alright?" The Emperor interrogated, remembering not to bow in return this time.

"Certainly, I couldn't be happier!" The third assistant reassured the Emperor. Finally, the Emperor and Eli made their way to the final office that belonged to the fourth assistant. Once there, they saw him stood over an overstretched map, scribbling down coordinates and notes intensely.

"I believe it is better not to disturb his flow," Eli whispered to the Emperor who nodded approvingly in response, leaving the hardworking fourth assistant to his tasks.

The Emperor opened his eyes, to be met with [H/C] hair in his face. He rubbed his eyes and looked around to see his bedroom basking in the moonlight. As promised, you slept next to him in these ivory sheets. It seemed after many hours of providing you with comfort, the Emperor had managed to make you fall into a deep sleep. His arm was gently wrapped around your waist, holding you close as he slept. The scent of your hair flooded his nose, and he could feel relief wash over him.

He'd just had a peculiar flashback. He frowned. It was terrible to be reminded of Eugene Kang, the second assistant who had passed away. After his mother died, his father supposedly committed a murder-suicide, and their bodies were never found. The Emperor sighed and moved to lay from his side onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling, his heart feeling empty and broken. His long strands of hair intertwined with each other into a mess, his bed head becoming progressively worse as he rolled around in bed.

He turned his head to look at the back of yours, and he bit his lip. He flinched at the sight of you; it was too much for him to take. He could feel a relaxing high take over him, and his heart felt mended and full. This unknown feeling was driving him crazy. Was he sick? He had no clue what was going on. All he knew at this point was he wanted to stay with you for the rest of his life. The slot of second assistant was open ever since the Kang family produced no descendants. The task to find a new second assistant had been pushed to the back of his mind, yet as he looked at you, he pondered on whether or not you would fit the job.

Placing the honourable title of second assistant upon your family would be a great honour, but you couldn't be his tailor and assistant at the same time. He wanted a way to keep you close at all times and a way to make sure you wouldn't be able to leave him without making it too visible.

He sighed, "[Name], what have you done to me?" He murmured into the night as he slowly progressed himself onto you and held you in a dear embrace. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can let go of you now." He whispered into your ear, only to have a snore in response. He kissed your tear-stained cheek, "Little tailor, worrying about Octavi. I will make sure your wish is fulfilled and will bring him back home. I don't want you spending too much time with him, but every time I see a tear drop down from your eyes, I feel like a part of me breaks and cannot be mended." The Emperor mumbled before nuzzling his nose in the crook of your neck.

He felt your soft [S/C] skin caress his own, and he gently planted a peck on your neck. "I want to leave my mark here, but you won't allow me to, now will you?" He says. As he made himself comfortable in the crook of your neck, he suddenly sensed a piece of metal hurt his chin.

He pulled away to see your bras strap on your shoulder and interrupting his small cuddle session with you. He expresses an annoying sigh and grabs your bra strap and loosened it before pushing it down your shoulder and onto your arm, so it was no longer in his way. Now, he could feel your bare skin caress his own without any interruption.

His head returned into the crook of your neck, and he grew silent while holding you close. He needed to find out how to control what he was feeling. His yearning for you was clouding his mind, and all he could do to suppress these strong feelings was hold you close. The Emperor silently let go of you however and pulled away, standing up. "I can't bear you waiting anymore." He muttered.

The Emperor changed into a black tunic and baggy black pants. He rolled up the ends, so they didn't go past his ankles and then proceeded to use the red ribbon once in his hair to keep his pants up like a belt. Lastly, he shoved a small dagger into the pocket of the short, thick coat he was wearing before leaving the room. All this happened so quickly that the rustling he made while getting changed would not have mattered since you would see him go either way.

Once the Emperor had left the bedroom, several mumbles could be heard from outside. Just a few minutes later, Eli marched into the Emperor's bedroom with a tired look on his face. He yawned and slumped against the door, instantly falling asleep. The Emperor had sent a maid to wake up Eli to look after you while he was doing some late-night business. Of course, Eli had no choice but to listen to the Emperor's commands, especially since he was the first assistant.

Several hours later, the prominent cloudless sky allowed the moonlight to fall into Octavi's cell as he sat there, motionless. His breathing was weak, and he could see his sister sitting in front of the cell that held him next to Eugene. Eugene was still wide awake and allowed Odette to rest her head on his shoulder as she grew sleepy. It seemed as though the two had formed a connection and could not be separated.

Only now, Octavi finally spotted the golden ring decorated with expensive bright diamonds resting on his elder sister's ring finger. Shock pulsed through his body and he looked up at Eugene. Eugene's dark orbs looked at Octavi with no pity. His gaze deflected from Odette's finger to Octavi's ludicrous facial expression one or two times before he finally understood.

"Ah, did you only just notice? We are engaged." Eugene hissed, his voice shattering the cold silent whistles of the outside wind.

"Why? You-" "Truth be told, I've grown attached to your sister. I fell in love with her after just two years of being the second assistant. I agreed to allow her to assist me, which seemed quite funny. An assistant for an assistant? Well, she was a big help. She wanted just about anything to be in that darned palace." Eugene murmured.

"Eugene? What are you doing here? The Emperor will kill you if he finds out you managed to sneak in." Odette said in a worried tone. She sat by her windowsill, peering over at the black-haired man standing down below.

"Odette, I know the ins and outs of this palace. Do not fuss. I have an important question to ask." Eugene called up to her. The wind sang a beautiful melody as she nodded her head, signalling for him to continue speaking. Her light blue hair flowed gracefully in the wind as she awaited the words to leave her beloved's lips.

"Will you run away with me? You do not need to be in the palace to be happy, my love. I thought that you were happy just to be with me." Eugene professed, calling out to his lost love.

"Eugene.. fine. I'll join you! I can't stand being apart any longer." She responded. Eugene beamed with happiness as she disappeared from the windowsill. He waited several moments, and soon he could spot her leaving the back entrance to the garden wearing nothing but her black nightgown and a white cardigan to shield her arms from the cold night.

"My love!" She called out joyously to him, throwing herself in his arms. Oh, it felt wonderful to feel his embrace around her once again. He spun her around several times before setting her down.

"Let's go, Odette." He whispered before the two lovers ran away into the forest, hand in hand, never to be seen again. Little did they know, from a dimly lit room sat Octavi, watching the whole scene play out. He sipped his camomile tea before placing it down upon his room's windowsill.

"Odette, my older sister. Are you sure I'm not the oldest? What in the world have you done?" Octavi seethed in self-directed anger. Why had his sister made such a stupid move to run away with the Emperor's arch-nemesis? He sighed in exasperation, massaging his temples with his slender fingers. The young Octavi could feel the stress getting to his head.

"What do I do, what do I do?" He pondered in a panicked state.

"She promised herself to me, and I promised myself to her. So we ran away, remember? But then you found out my father was the new leader of the black snake group and informed the Emperor. The Emperor cast me away, and I was forced to leave my dear Odette. When I came back, she was married off to a nobleman who treated her terribly. You didn't know, though, did you? Soon enough, she decided to run away with me and join the black snake group. When you found out about her, you didn't tell the Emperor now did you? Why did you rat me out but not her? Either way, it doesn't matter. Your men seized her from my arms, and you decided to keep her trapped in that asylum packed with security. It took a lot of plotting, but I managed to retrieve my wife-to-be." Eugene sighed.

"I'm sorry, Eugene. It's my job-" Octavi was cut off by Eugene. "Yeah, I know. I was going to kill you, but I decided that Odette wouldn't like that. But actually, she hates you now, doesn't she? I don't think it'll matter much at all to her if I killed you. In fact, I think she would beam with joy. So, how about it? It'll be a lovely wedding gift. Yes. At our wedding, I will sacrifice you. That is what I decided, and that is why I kidnapped you. Without the man in charge of military affairs, the Emperor is seriously weakened. Don't you think?" Eugene stated, a cruel smile coming onto his lips.

"Octavi, no! Why are you doing this to me?" Odette yelled at the top of her lungs. Her immense amount of sweat caused the blue strands of her hair to stick onto her face. Her whole countenance was in disarray as she sobbed, her cries filling the air as the two men on either side of her controlled her movements.

"I'm sorry, Odette. If the Emperor finds out you've been spending time with-" "But I love him!" She cried out, her voice loud as snot began to run down her nose. She was acting hysterical; she couldn't bear being apart from Eugene for any longer. It was so unfair. They were finally together again, only to be separated by her own flesh and blood - Octavi.

"I hate you!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, attempting to lunge towards Octavi, only to be pulled back by the pair of guards.

"Hate me now, dear sister. This is for your own good. You've become insane - when will you understand that that man is only using you?" Octavi interrogated her, his heart beginning to ache at the sight of her poor sister. She was slumped over on her knees in the mud as they stood there conversing in the rainy night.

"He is not using me! He loves me! We're going to get married no matter what you say! I'm the woman of this family, so you should listen to-"

"And I'm the one with the highest-ranking position. The Emperor's fourth assistant. Needn't I remind you? My dear sister. I'm genuinely sorry, I truly am, but this has gone on for too long. If you get caught, you will die. I'd rather you be locked up than die because of something preventable." Octavi sighed, her cries ringing painfully in his ears. He couldn't bear looking at her dishevelled state any longer.

"What's the point of living when you have nothing to live for?" She shouted at Octavi.

"We all have a purpose in life. It is to help ourselves and survive. Do you hear yourself? Your whole life is dedicated to Eugene, who is no good for you whatsoever." Octavi responded.

"Says you! You've dedicated your whole life to the Emperor!" She yelled in response, a fiery rage seeping through her veins.

He shook his head, still avoiding eye contact. "That is where you're wrong dear sister. I have dedicated my whole life to Intuuin. My country. My people. My home. Unlike you, who has been brainwashed by some psychopath!" Octavi yelled back, his temper beginning to become lost as they continued to quarrel in the rain.

"This country is nothing to me! My home is Eugene! You're taking away my home!" She cried out. He sighed once again and looked to the guards on either side of her sister and nodded.

"Take her to the mental asylum. That is the only place where she can be truly safe and recover from this mess." He muttered under his breath. His eyes finally met the matching purple orbs of his sister who stared at him in disbelief, still struggling to no avail against the tight grip of the palace guards.

"Don't underestimate the-" "The Emperor? Oh please, what can he do if he loses two of his assistants? It's either you die by my hand or stand by my side and join the black snake group. I'm sure your sister will forgive you if you join us. If you don't pick one option right now, I'll kill you either way." Eugene said, picking up the sharp sword from the side of the chair. The metal gleamed in the moonlight dangerously, threatening Octavi. He felt his heart rate increase and the blood in his veins pump faster.

Restrains. She was locked up against a wall with chains, finally silent after nearly a month of hysterical, violent and shouting behaviour in the asylum. She looked down at the ground, tears gently rolling down her cheeks for what felt like the millionth time this day. Her heart was aching, and she had no idea how to stop it. She loved her brother to bits, but this was too much to bear. She could never accept the fact that Eugene was corrupt in any way. She was sure that during this whole time, Eugene was devising a plan to help her out of this wretched place.

Her hate for Octavi grew day by day and soon enough, the day she long-awaited for had come. All that was on her mind was Eugene, and she couldn't bear to think about anything else. Eugene took her away from the asylum, and she finally felt at peace after days and days crying and whimpering on repeat. Finally, those long years she spent could be put behind her.

She began to grow unsure of her love, though, as she realised Eugene's fickle behaviour. Sometimes, he would disappear and then return with bruises on his neck and small bites along his skin. Of course, she didn't question it because her Eugene would never betray her.

Until it was too much to bear inside her head and she confronted Eugene about everything. The unfamiliar scents on his skin and strange bruises and bites and the long nights away from her arms. Instead of responding, Eugene got on one knee and proposed. He needed Odette after all for his plan to work.

Eugene carefully stood up, making sure not to hurt Odette's neck as he did so. Silently, he walked over to Octavi with a smirk on his lips. "Choose now," Eugene whispered through the bars, his eyes watching Octavi's weak and perplexed figure intently. Eugene opened the door of the cell and slowly advanced towards Octavi.

"The Emperor tortured my men. Now it is time I torture men of his own." Eugene said, a wicked smile on his lips.