Chapter 1
Cordellia Empire has been known for it's strength. The emperor himself was a powerful man already, not just by wealth. He was surrounded by strong and capable subordinates, but his own strength was wide known as well. His right hand army commander, Brick the Bold, as others called him. In battles he appeared to start an arson, figuratively and quite literally. His appearance itself was a warning, having long auburn hair and eyes of hell itself. One of his eyes is covered with an eye patch like a pirate, some say he only uncovers it when planting a curse upon who he aims. It makes him quite unapproachable, but his ways of handling difficult situations is extraordinary, so the emperor holds respect to him, and keeps him around. But he's not the only one that the emperor holds close. A woman he used to play with as a child is now his personal bodyguard. Because of her fast reflexes, empress herself named her as personal bodyguard of her son. She wanted nothing but the best for her son who ascended to the throne in place of her late husband, murdered by assassins. At youth, she planned to have her child son and the girl engaged, but afterwards she changed her mind. Thus Buttercup the Breaker was appointed as emperor's bodyguard. The chemistry between the emperor and his bodyguard, and witnessing different chemistry between emperors bodyguard and first hand commander is what made me read this book for the second time.
I squealed as I finally reached to my favorite part of the book. The confession!
I rolled back to my stomach and excitedly flipped to another page where my favorite dialogue is placed. Despite knowing how the dialogue goes, I still enjoyed imagining the scene while reading it again.
" If you say you felt nothing that night at the ball, I know you're lying" the emperor whispered as he held the dark haired girl pinned by the door, blocking her in leaving his office.
I know this scene well, it was right after they shared a kiss on the balcony while separately grabbing fresh air and avoiding the crowd. The ball was held after the emperor officially ascended, and was formally recognized as the ruler of Cordellia Empire.
" Would I dare lie to his Majesty? " she whispered back, making sure her voice was low enough so guards on the other side of the door won't hear her.
" Drop the formality when we're alone. Can't you just treat me like you did before? " he asked, his voice sounding desperate for past times.
" I'm afraid I can't. Our feelings aside, we can't go back to those days. Not when I'm holding a dagger walking beside you, and you holding a crown" she said, trying her best to cover the disappointment when saying this. The emperor backed away after hearing this. Subconsciously touching the crown on his head, he suddenly felt the real weight of her words. Both were lost in the made silence, even Buttercup couldn't leave now, despite having the opportunity.
The emperor let out a snicker after looking back at the raven haired girl.
" So there are feelings between us after all " he said, recalling her words.
" Not anymore Sire. Like I said, we're putting them aside…it's for the best "
" Not mine, I'll give you that"
" Butch just accept it already. You're the emperor and I'm your bodyguard. You have to live no matter what, even if it means-"
" Continue that sentence and you're going back to that wall with nothing but moans" he interrupted, leaving the girl speechless.
She sighed, remembering how hard is talking sense into him. The emperor was an incredibly good looking and incredibly smart young man, but when led by feelings of love or hatred, those are enough to make anyone bow to their mistakes. She gently took his hands and intertwined her fingers with his. Everything they do must be for the empire and people, personal matters aside.
" Just stop it….move on and adjust to this role" she tried to crack a smile, but failed the moment she looked at his eyes.
" You can't do it either"
" It's not a can or can't thing to do. It's a duty"
" I'll just proclaim you as my fiancee and we can have that duty instead"
" Butch, just stop-"
" I'll appoint someone else to the throne and we can live somewhere else"
" Stop"
" For crying out loud I have the power now to move this Empire the way I want. So fuck social circles and just walk down the isle with me! "
Butch realized he was too loud this time. There is no way that the guards didn't hear that. The silence filled with adrenaline and embarrassment filled the air, along with the silence of the outside. They couldn't tell whether the guards are commenting the dialogue, or they're ignoring until their shift ends.
Bubbles flipped the page again, her legs playfully moving up and down as she positioned herself comfortably on her stomach.
" I want to…I really do want to" whispered Buttercup, as the tone of her voice changed. She did want to be by his side, not as a bodyguard but as his lover. But as things are, that can't happen. It shouldn't. She was the only one capable of protecting him better then others.
" Other then positions, what else is stopping you from saying yes? "
Nothing. Just positions. But she had to think of a better reason.
" I want you to live" she said.
" Perfect! So let's set up a date, we'll just invite Cordellia and allies"
She loved when he joked around, it helped lift the mood. But not this time.
" Butch….you'll live only when I'm beside as your protector, not as your wife"
" You're wrong" he started
"-I'll only die faster"
This made her heart drop. Protecting him was her life. It only made sense for her to die in his name, if it means he'll live a long life and lead their people, it was ok for her to die. But, she started having second thoughts. She doesn't want to die either, she wanted to be beside him as well. She suddenly realized she had a new dream, a dream to enjoy life beside him, rather then expecting death in his name. The thought made her happy. Wiping the tears of relief, she tip-toed herself and placed a long kiss on his lips. Even though she didn't know how to live this new dream, she felt relieved to have another way out. A way that included both of them being together.
" Look, I love this Empire. I love my people and I hold respect to my parents for everything they did. But I can't be a worthy emperor if I can't find a solution to this obstacle "
" We'll find a way some day " said Buttercup. This caught Butch off guard for a moment. Buttercup noticed this and pecked his cheek.
" Yes, yes, I said we "
" I don't want to marry another woman, and I don't want you to die for me "
" I don't want those either. But…I can't really propose a solution…I don't have a clue how"
" Like you said, we'll figure it out. But for now, you'll live as my Empress, not die as my bodyguard"
Bubbles sighed as she closed the book, and hugged it tight. Having a poor love life, and experiencing a heartbreak two months ago, Bubbles found relief in reading her favorite novel. Unlike emperor Butch, her ex gave up on them, leaving her without a single explanation what went wrong. Fighting back the tears after thinking about her ex, Bubbles rolled to the other side, hoping to sleep the melancholy away. Her life was a mess. She was studying Arts and Literature, but failing exams miserably, her rent was due and her job at call center was filled with people who rudely hang up. Love life became a zero after the breakup because she enjoyed her romance novel more then actual dates.
Drifting off to sleep, Bubbles hoped to wake up a bit happier.
Bubbles POV
"Holy shit I'm in my novel"
