The dark-haired cleaner burst out a lament; “Things don't always go your way

  Nothing is as it seems

  When we were both younger we knew,” She was cleaning the bottom floor of the Emperor's castle, she was alone. Focusing more on the lament than running her yellow cloth on the floor. She was looking up while doing the lament. “Oh how the tree of penance grows on the fiery wind of your ever so built...up...rage.

  How disgusted you were with yourself.

  I never saw it.” There was a long pause. “Yet.” another long pause.

  “Don't you know that it was never yours but the fault of demons.

  Particularly your demons.” She ended her lament and seemed particularly happy. She gave a smile and went back to fully focus on cleaning the floor with her yellow cloth.

  “I wish you would repent, m’lord.” She said happily.

  “I never knew you!” Said the Emperor.

  He seemed to have slipped in without notice so he could listen to her because she normally lets out laments when she is cleaning alone. Or so the Emperor was told through rumours.

  The dark haired cleaner sighed and proceeded to stop cleaning. It was obvious that she didn't say this lament out of compassion for him. She seemed to lack the average levels of compassion and never cared about stuff but still just had enough compassion. She has been lamenting for so long that she can't help but say it with passion when it's a strong one. She always liked the melancholy of it. When she was growing up she had a fascination with the Old testament of the Bible. A fascination specifically with the history books of the Old Testament (i.e. Book of 1 Samuel) that by the time she was well in her teens she started lamenting of her own. She then remewbred a story she was told when she was young and wondered if it would work on the Emperor. So her mouth opened and she let it away. She just wanted the Emperor to shut up. ‘Have you heard of the little one who looked up at the moon? The little one never did dream big, but the little one admired the coldness of the night sky. The moon just amplified this feeling. The moon would be a special sign to this one. A special sign for this one to fantasize. To fantasize something small. This could be you." Said the dark-haired cleaner.

  This poignant phrase provoked in the Emperor, emotions he would often hide to himself.

  "Isn't attention something small?" The Emperor said with a facade like he was the one still in power. "Hmmm" replied the dark-haired cleaner, now letting go and not caring anymore. She felt that she already wasted her time trying to care for somebody. 'why did I even care,' she thought to herself now going back to cleaning. 'its meaningless' she felt it meaningless to care for somebody, she was indeed a jaded individual.

  The Emperor was genuinely afraid of her and lied to himself that he was still in power in this situation. 'She has gotten out of control, if I leave her to her own devices, she'll be letting the whole empire know about me. I need to get rid of her.' but the Emperor didn't know yet what to do. He thought that a real Emperor would kill her, but he didn't want to be a killer. So, he left and thought about it.

  The Emperor finally came to what he thought was a good conclusion. He would make the people think that she has been executed but she would be thrown away in a prison dungeon until the day she rots. The name of the prison dungeon is ‘Tibet’. The Emperor then thought ‘if she dies in prison, would it be my fault?’ then, realising the consequences for this he immediately lied to himself and thought: ‘this problem doesn't exist.’

  * * *

  The dark-haired cleaner went back to cleaning, but she started to overthink because of all the things that happened that day. So she said to herself within her thoughts within a smile: ‘The corner of a fractured mind. My mind won't stop overthinking. Millions of thoughts like millions of stars in the sky, trapped in a lifeless purgatory.If I were to focus on something insignificant, then I'd be free. I love how that is.’ Then she originally proceeded to take a pause while cleaning and she slowed herself down and started to breathe really loudly, but slowly. And she focused on each breath until she stopped overthinking.

  * * *

  The Emperor was waiting for the arrival of the daughter empress. But to his surprise a whole entourage came in before her, led her. And, in front of the entire entourage was her father. He was a big skinny man. The broadness of his shoulders was his most striking feature. His grey beard being his second. The Emperor couldn't help but think that he looked a bit Islamic. This angered him on the inside. He could feel the bitterness at the bottom of stomach as he tried to hide it within himself. He had a really thin beard. He had a very kind looking face. Infact, his whole demeanor looked like that of a kind, charming man.

  "Those who prepare to fail, are prepared to fail," Joffrey said.

  The Father of the Daughter Empress smiled kindly, appreciating the wisdom.

  He couldn't resist adding his own phrase, one he always said to people, "Those who do not plan, are planning to fail." He said it with a smile. The Fatherof the Daughter Empress was always a kind person who cared about some people.

  “...You know, your lordship…often when you don't play the politics game, you get euthanized" He said it with a devious smile. Implying his experience as a previous emperor. Joffrey, the Emperor understood and gave a nod like he was in power, as always.

  The Daughter Empress then walks in near the end of the full entourage. She is making herself look tough but it looks like she is forcing it and in reality she is just a girl. “I am here to talk relations.” She said with an authoritative poshness. Joffrey then points at the Father of the Daughter Empress and tells him and the entourage to leave as they discuss matters (He also said this to maintain a sense of authority over them) As they were leaving, Edwod started to follow but the Father of the daughter Empress told him to stay and he then went by the Empress’s side. Her father spoke through the monitor.

  “We are here to discuss the matters regarding an increase of sex slavery in our domain and are suspicious that this has to do with your buying of sex slaves from lands across ours.”

  The Emperor couldn't believe how his eyes and ears deceive him. This was an innocent looking girl with words of an emperor coming from her mouth. Though his eyes deceived him he still felt really scared of her. He had heard earlier that day that somebody died because she simply rolled her eyes at them. This of course wasn't true but the person survived and was not harmed in any way.

  “We could compromise, but…what about the “master of illusions”? I need somebody to help me fake an execution.”

  Her monitor went off

  “How would you compromise?”

  “I'll simply close my borders and not let any sex slave in or out my domain.”

  Her monitor went off again.

  “What about people of power like us?”

  “It will only be closed for them.”

  Joffrey purposefully left out each part of a sentence to let people ask so he could clarify. It was one of his favourite ways of manipulating people.

  * * *

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “In this instance he played her like a fiddle,” said the historian. “She clearly felt it too. Just imagine the disappointment on her face when she realised her father wasn't the one in control.” ‘I wish I was the Emperor.’ the historian thought to himself.

  “Does he eventually die?” Asks the child. “We’ll see in due time.” Replied the historian.

  The child paused for a second while playing with his bottom lip and had a sudden realisation of confusion on why he is being told this story in the first place. So he decided to ask the historian. “Please my sir, but please enlighten me on why you are telling me this long story?” The historian's immediate thought was because he wanted to be the Emperor, and that if he told this story then he'd be the Emperor. He also thought he'd rather be the Emperor without the consequences he faced. So, the best option was to just tell this story to people he randomly met and wants to be close to.

  “Because I love telling stories to people I meet.” He lied. Then he pinched the cheek of the child and did so annoyingly. It changed the subject a little.

  The child got so angry that he stomped his foot to stop him and it worked.

  * * *

  The daughter Empress felt oddly scared of Joffrey, the Emperor. Her shoulders were shaking and her heart was beating fast. So fast that you could probably see it through the clothes she is wearing. But the Emperor was also afraid of her and too afraid to notice. She couldn't see he was frightened by her presence because she was focusing on her fear.

  Meanwhile her father is exploring the palace with a tour guard in charge. He was looking at the paintings, smiling very happily while telling his Daughter what to say through the monitor. The tour guard never paid attention because he wasn't that invested in these people.

  The Daughter Empress didn't know how to respond but she thought the best option was to nod, but she held back in case it was the wrong move. She feared that a wrong move would cause more harm than good and she didn't know if the Emperor was forgiving but she assumed he was but rather thought that her action was probably going to be the wrong one.

  Her father set off two clicks in the monitor which meant that she must nod to the Emperor. Despite her guess being right, she still felt that future guesses would be incredibly wrong. She felt that she didn't want to be here.

  She nodded and looked like she was power.

  "Show me where the master of illusions is." Emperor Joffrey said impatiently. He had a feeling of pride that he knew that Edwod - who was right by her - was the master of illusions. He knew that if he was wrong he would be corrected and then he'd get the attention he wanted. This pride he had often was his downfall when he would jump to conclusions like these in his head. He rebuked these feelings in his head and lied to himself that he isn't thinking this way.

  The Father of the Daughter Empress always had a fascination with paintings. Particularly anyone with a light brown color. A brown that is almost that of a camel. Nobody would ever expect that this happy loving father was a calculated individual.

  This is a man who doesn't manipulate people but manipulates chances, odds and opportunities. He believes himself to care more about his daughter than his political job, but in reality he does care about her but not to the extent he thinks. He doesn't think himself to be manipulative. That doesn't even cross his mind. He thinks himself to be a normal human being.

  He was now falling behind the rest because he focused on one of those paintings with some of the shade of brown he liked and was muttering the whole time to himself. Or at least it looked that way, he was really telling his daughter what to say.

  The Tour guard noticed this and turned his body to the direction of the Father and bellowed with a little bit of empathy or compassion or even sympathy - it was hard to tell; "Old lordship! This way you must come!"

  The Father happily moved along to follow the rest of the entourage. The Father had just told her through the monitor that she must try to see if she can continue by herself. This made her a bit shook and a bit nervous, but she carried on to the best of her ability. The authority of her words were now gone. The Father of her just wanted her to become independent like a lot of parents do.

  This facade that Joffrey has been showing the whole time, has been feeding his hunger for attention.

  “This creature right here…” she was signalling her arms towards Edwod.

  The Emperor leaned closer in anticipation, he was scared to interrupt her. He didn't want to die or ruin relations with her domain.

  “-Is the ‘Master of Illusions’,”

  She sounded like that of a girl her age.

  “What is his name?” Joffrey asked. Thinking about Edwod as an equal human being.

  She started to trip on her words a little bit. “T-this c-creature doesn't have a name that we know of so we call him Edwod.” She said most of it without a pause. Joffrey never noticed.

  The Father of the Daughter Emperor told her that she has done enough and that he will be in control now. He had compassion on her too. He thought he was doing this because he cared more about her than what he wanted. She felt violated that so much pressure was put onto her, she preferred being a puppet even though it was boring. She didn't understand what her father was trying to accomplish by doing that. It felt like it was just dumped onto her.

  Just then; Edwod was starting to say stuff she considered stupid, and in his usual bad English too. “Somebody should teach you the art of staying quiet!” She said to Edwod. He stopped. She felt that her words would get her in trouble with the Emperor, but it never did. She was technically in charge of him. In Joffrey’s eyes, she is doing her rightful job as an emperor type figure but in her eyes she is just herself infront of an Emperor. (She didn't feel like the Daughter Empress right now.) She couldn't help but feel a sting when the words left her mouth. A sting of potential punishment. She said it anyway.

  Edwod only listened to her because she was the ‘Daughter Empress.’

  “Why complain? ‘Isn't that the nature of man?’” The Father of the Daughter quoted to her. She wanted to encourage her with a quote he half made/ half discovered. She didn't feel encouraged as he wanted her to feel. She rolled her eyes internally. He had discovered the part 'isn't that the nature of man' along time ago and when somebody he knew was complaining he thought about how complaining could be a nature of man, so he added to it to the quote

  “Ok, how about you give me this little man here, Edwod, and I close my borders?” Said the Emperor. the way in which he said it was different, his body language too. It was obviously attention seeking. (When he said closing borders he meant to only close it for the sex slave trade.) He still saw Edwod as a person, a human being. He wants what he wants but still values him. He used the closing of borders as a bargaining chip. The Daughter Empress knew that it would work and she was in no option to do anything besides what she was told. She wouldn't have done anything even if she had the power. As the Father of the Daughter Emperor was being guided with the entourage. (Him being at the back.) He saw around one of the corners was Joffrey's sex slave. The father knew her. Her name was Monica. She had blonde hair, insanely wide hips and was overall pretty thick for a woman. He spoke to her. He always didn't like her humbleness. "Your trust I shan't abuse.

  The truth I shan't abuse.

  Chivalry I shall keep between the two of us.

  Let the both of us be honest gentlemen even though you are not a man.

  Chivalry isn't dead, let me and you be proof of that statement.

  In a perfect dream, it is you and I being one being," he then smiled. "Let it be transcendental."

  The Father of the Daughter Empress told his daughter through the monitor to nod in agreement with the Emperor; and so she did.

  * * *

  The Father and the Daughter Empress left, along with the entourage. The Daughter Empress was pleased that Edwod was gone.

  When she arrived home she couldn't help but realise how all this talk of the sex slave trade appealed to her fantasy. She wondered if Joffrey would own her. She wanted him to own her as one. She wanted power over her, to be dominated.

  * * *

  Before the Great Usurping era of the domains, and before the ban of usurping became a tradition among the many domains. There was a saying; "Tick Tock there's the clock, tick tock Timmy get daddy's Glock." It was a signal for a violence about to happen, and that violence was about to happen; the 'execution' was to be held this very day. The Emperor was not that patient. Especially when he thinks his reign of attention is in danger. He is delusional at this moment and time. Edwod has already made it look real. It looked as if the dark-haired cleaner was chained up in a Y position. She was chained up a wooden frame. She probably couldn't break free if the real her was there.

  The real her was rotting in a blue prison dungeon. And it isn't blue because of paint. It was full of mould. She would at times hold onto the bars while she is on her knees, but not out of desperation. She didn't care.

  Everybody under his domain would be present at this execution. The Daughter Empress wanted to be present but she had business to attend to.

  The plan was that the Emperor would stand close to the person going to be executed, surrounded by 4 guards with spears for his protection. The Executioner hired for the execution would take a long-sword and cut off her head. But since this is an illusion it is just particle matter which would convince anybody, even those who know it's just particle matter. Edwod was a master of illusions indeed.

  Vicko was going to be there too.

  "Let's execute!" Shouted the executioner who was hired for that day. He had a very hard personality.

  Gilbert was there. When he first heard that she was going to be executed he thought that it couldn't be true and that it was false. Still he is here hoping it was fake and that if it was real that she would be saved at the last minute. Gilbert didn't know her well but he knew of her and only had a small conversation once. He doubts she would remember him. The sarcastic friend was there too. He wanted to make a sarcastic remark as usual but for himself and himself only did he make it. He didn't care this time what somebody would say or not say. He was a bit selfish for not caring that much about the gravity of her in this situation.

  The timid friend was shaking. The whole gang knew her or of her. The timid friend had once dated her. It ended on good terms and they were just almost friends. He thought of himself as almost friends.

  Vicko was out of sight of everybody. He was on top of a heap of sand with a bow and arrow. " 'If you're going to aim at the Emperor, don't miss?' " He grumbled to himself mockingly as he got the bow and arrow ready. He was sure to prove Gilbert wrong. He didn't care about the execution. He just saw this as the opportunity to show Gilbert who's boss.

  The Emperor hired somebody to declare a speech about the execution of this dark-haired cleaner, if you could say the execution of this illusion.

  Emperor Joffrey didn't want him to disclose exactly why she was being executed because then he would look back with his true inner self of his past exposed.

  "This young lady is to be executed for crimes that are undiscloseable. Be prepared for her execution, there will be a blood splatter so stand back." Joffrey did stand back because he doubted that there would be blood splatter, but he knew there would be blood.

  As the Emperor stood forward, Vicko smiled selfishly as he got a good aim from his bow and arrow. He was very confident, despite only having one good eye.

  It felt as if the air in the sky paused. He released it, aiming for the middle of the side of his head. His adrenaline was through the roof. He tried to like it to keep himself steady in this situation.

  The arrow flew on and flew on. It was going to hit...but then it missed where he was aiming and it pierced the very tip of the Emperor's nose.

  Vicko was smiling until he realised his mistake. Vicko then fell to the ground in shock.

  The Emperor felt a painful feeling on his nose. One that could be described as a 'dry razor.' There was also a wet feeling in that same area, he could feeling it dripping, he thought that somebody must have messed some warmish liquid on his nose. He put his hand towards it to feel it. He felt a little pain as he felt it. He then put his hand towards his view of his eyes and he saw that it was his own blood.

  'Why did I miss? I'm better than that.' Vicko thought. Now a bit composed.

  The truth was that since Vicko had only one usable eye he had very bad depth perception. So what he thought was a perfect aim was far off than what it actually was.