The mighty Emperor of the Decreste Empire had no wife. Yet, in his harem were 100 beautiful concubines from all around the world.
Seated inside an imperial carriage on the way to the Stone Palace to become the 101th concubine of the Emperor was Prince Villiem Reinhardt.
He had never looked so breathtaking and polished in his entire life. His light brown hair slicked back, his eyebrows pruned to the perfect shape, his long, scanty lashes were neatly curled.
On his small lips were pink gloss. Diamond earrings hung symmetrically on his ears that had been pierced the previous day. He was wearing a fitted white outfit with a low collar and a pair of shining shoes to go with it.
Villiem was a handsome man, no doubt about that. But he had been dressed to appear as a beautiful man. One tempting enough to gain the favor of the devil's son, er- the Emperor of Decreste.
Anyone else in Villiem's place, who was an upstanding citizen, a beloved prince, a dashing prodigy, would have killed themselves or fled from the Empire rather than accept the fate of becoming a concubine to a tyrant.
But Villiem Reinhardt was not like anyone else.
'The Empire's Saint'—people called him. All his actions were true and righteous, and he would never dare to tell a lie nor shirk off his responsibilities.
His noble character was the reason why he was paying the price for his brother's political blunder against the Empire.
The imperial carriage came to a stop in front of the Stone Palace. Disregarding its dungeon-like name, the Stone Palace was actually extraordinary in looks with its pillars plated in gold.
This was to be Villiem's living quarters from now on, along with 19 other concubines. The Stone Palace was reserved for the irrelevant and unfavored concubines.
Its name was coined from the fact that stones were just pieces of rock that no one cared to look at twice. Meaning that the concubines living in the Stone Palace were irrelevant and nothing to write home about.
Nevertheless, there was a bright smile on Villiem's glossy pink lips as the door to the imperial carriage was opened by a helper and he stepped out of it.
Wind blew on his face and made a few strands of light brown hair go astray. The brown shade in his hazel eyes shone amber as sunlight rested on his facial features.
"Wow, it's so quiet here…" was the first thing Villiem said, observing his surroundings.
Though, he had been expecting a crowd of people to welcome him. The front yard of the Stone Palace was just so empty that one wouldn't be able to tell that people lived inside.
"Your presence is clearly not welcomed or appreciated." A cold, deep voice rang out from beside Villiem.
Villiem glanced at his side to see his best friend/assistant/bodyguard, Felix Nonaim, scoping the area with a detached look in his deep brown eyes. His eyes always carried distant nonchalance in them every other day to every other situation.
The strikingly gorgeous assistant who neither looked like a man or woman was a head taller than Villiem with broader shoulders and defined muscles. His angled jaw and indifferent expression shrouded him in an aura that did well to keep others away.
"Clearly." Villiem said back, positioning himself to look at the Stone Palace better.
He might not have ever dreamt of staying in a place like this, but he was here now because fate had a different plan in store for him.
His second brother, Codette Reinhardt, former Treasurer of the Empire had made the mistake of pitching 70% of this year's budget for the Empire on a foreign business venture that turned out to be a scam.
As punishment, he was stripped of his position and beaten to almost death, then ordered to compensate the Empire. Though he was the second Prince of Everflow, the King had long cut him off and shunned him from the family.
Codette had no means to pay back the money he squandered. He was moved to offer away his extremely valued younger brother who was guaranteed to ensure the Empire wouldn't suffer the loss of 70% of its yearly budget.
Villiem could already be said to be the 'True Emperor of Decreste' in the eyes of commoners, so of course the people would feel more secure with him in exchange for their budget.
That was how Villiem found himself given to the Emperor to make up for his brother's losses.
Villiem hadn't struggled or chosen to leave the Empire in the dire situation, he instead geared up (dressed up prettily) and had himself driven to the Royal Palace to take responsibility.
"Let's go in." Villiem said to Felix, then marched into the Stone Palace like it was his real home.
A short male servant with a hunched back was standing at the door when Villiem and his assistant walked through the main entrance of the palace.
"This way." The servant said indifferently without glancing at Villiem or even greeting him.
"Show respect to His Highness!" Felix was quick to pull out a sword and point at the throat of the servant.
The servant's eyes widened in fear. He looked like he hadn't expected a sword to be pointed at his neck despite his disrespect.
He had been free of worry since he was attending to Villiem Reinhardt, of all people. The prince was known to be humble enough to the point where anyone was allowed to walk over him.
However Felix… Felix was not like his master.
"Drop that this instant," Villiem said to Felix in disapproval.
"This disrespectful slave didn't even acknowledge you before opening his mouth to–"
"Acknowledge me for what? Who am I?" Villiem lifted his chin.
Felix's grip on the sword trembled as he said, "Y-You're the third Prince of Everflow…"
"No, I'm the concubine of the Emperor of Decreste. Put down your sword." There was no trace of bitterness or disgust in Villiem's tone as he spoke.
Once one became a concubine, their previous identity was meaningless. Villiem had accepted this. There was no need for anyone to call him a prince or refer to him as 'His Highness' anymore.
He was just a concubine now.
"... Yes, Master."
After a beat, Felix put down his sword. His jaw was tightly clenched, depicting anger which he dared not to act on.
"Apologize to him." Villiem said.
The servant's pupils shook. He had almost been killed, now he was getting an apology from a swordmaster!
"I apologize for my actions just now. Forgive me." Felix bowed his head to the mere servant.
The latter didn't say anything in response, probably too shocked to react. A different servant then appeared at that moment and offered to lead Villiem to his quarters.
No one could tell what was going through Villiem's mind as he was welcomed into a small and dusty room with low-grade furniture.
The servant left Villiem after showing him the room.
"These people really have no respect…" Felix spat hatefully as he took in the state of the room.
"A bit small, but after a few touches, it'll be okay." Villiem was optimistic, sounding as though he hadn't heard Felix's words. He looked at the guy with a gentle smile on his face. "Our things will be arriving here soon. Let's work hard to clean up this place, okay?"
Felix: "..."