Erich did not get much sleep that night, but he was not the only one plagued by foreboding thoughts. Both Ayumi and her royal aunt were incapable of sleeping, as they lied alone in their beds, fearing for the life of their lover.
Nor did Emrys have any rest. After all, his protégé was about to be executed within a handful of hours. If Erich died, he would have to start a new in developing a legitimate successor, one that would allow him to stay in power from behind the scenes.
He had spent years molding Erich into a proper leader, but not only that, Emrys believed that Erich now trusted him as a mentor, an advisor, and a friend. Allowing him to be more open to the idea of following Emrys' "advice" once he had officially stepped down from the throne, which he was currently "occupying."
Such a thing was valuable, and would require extensive effort to instill in another protégé. Not to mention that the legitimacy of this replacement would be called into question. Since Erich was chosen to replace the previous Supreme Leader, by the artificial intelligence which selected everyone's occupation within the Empire.
That artificial intelligence would now have to choose a successor for Emrys, whose reign was still illegitimate, despite the outrage which drove Hans Epp from his seat of power. Normally, the Empire could just clone Erich and use a backup copy of his memories.
But after being executed by the Alfheim Empress, she would undoubtedly restrict this from happening. To do so would be a violation of her supreme authority, and would cause the Empire to enter a state of war with their Suzerains. Which was a war they could not win.
Thus, Emrys spent the entire night thinking of how he would be able to convince the woman to spare Erich's life. Not knowing that she had already decided to do so.
---
When morning came, Empress Lunaria Asterion made a shocking declaration to the delegates who had arrived for the purpose of the Centennial Ball. She would be granting her errant daughter, and Erich a full pardon, under the condition that Celestia revoke her proposal to the man. Which, surprisingly enough, she agreed to, despite just the night before being willing to die in the arms of the outsider.
Erich was then released from custody, and brought to the Empress's personal quarters. Where she was waiting for him. She was dressed in a rather revealing white and gold summer dress. Much like her daughter had worn before. However, unlike Celestia, Lunaria wore an exquisite tiara, which was made of a material that Erich had never seen before.
There were little differences in the appearance between Lunaria and her daughter. The primary difference being the hairstyles that the two women adorned. But other than that, both Celestia and her mother had pale skin, long white hair and shimmering golden eyes. Bother Lunaria and Celestia had perfect bodies, with large busts, slim waists, and wide hips. But while still being slimmer than either Erika or Ayumi.
And these two women both had nearly identical faces that appeared to be sculpted from a block of marble by God himself. Age appeared to not affect the two Elven beauties, as Lunaria appeared younger than even Erich himself. Who was now approaching his thirties, but still looked like he had just entered adulthood.
In all honesty, out of the two women, Erich did not know which he thought was more beautiful. They were both living goddesses and were naturally well beyond his reach. And yet, he could still remember so vividly how this woman had kissed him so passionately the night before, while also making him do other things to her.
In fact Erich was quite nervous as he entered the room, and knelt before the Empress of the Light Elves, who appeared to be gazing upon him as if he were a delicious treat that she wanted nothing more than to gobble up. Thus, his voice almost cracked as he thanked the stunning woman for sparing his life.
"I thank you for sparing my life.... I know I don't deserve your mercy, and I will do whatever I can to properly earn your forgiveness...."
Lunaria's eyebrow raised slightly as she witnessed how flustered Erich was. It was actually quite adorable in her eyes. And thus she stood up from her seat, where she then approached the man, and whispered something in his ear that he found to be irresistible.
"You will do anything that I desire? Are you sure you can handle that?"
Erich had a hard time controlling his arousal. Why were these two women so god damn seductive? For fuck's sake, S'aleth was a literal succubus, and she had never enticed him to this extent. Upon seeing how flustered Erich grew, Lunaria giggled before returning back to her bed, where she sat down with the grace befitting an empress such as herself. She then made a comment about Erich's appearance.
"You are simply adorable! I know now why my daughter likes you. You don't have to worry about repaying my favor, Erich. You already did so last night, by entertaining this old woman's greatest fantasy. I apologize for suddenly springing that on you. I am sure you have been nothing but confused since.
But I did not summon you to my quarters just to tease you, although it is an added benefit. I have come to discuss matters of importance, and to ensure your secrecy about what happened between us. Erich, there are only two species in this galaxy which have ever produced a Sage. The Light Elves, and our hideous cousins.
It is what allowed both of our civilizations to reach the pinnacle of power in the galaxy. And I have a sneaking suspicion that both our sages and theirs are in cahoots with one another. Though for what purpose, I do not know.
I want you to develop your abilities to the point where I can rely on your predictions. I'm not saying you have to do so overnight. For all I know, it could take centuries, or even millennia, for you to become adept enough to do so.
All I really want from you is a simple promise: that you will not turn your back on me, now that I have spared your life, and that if there ever comes a time when those damned old fools turn against me, that I will have your support. If you do this, then I will allow you to return to your home in peace.
However, do not be surprised if you receive my summons now and then. I must admit, I am growing intrigued by you, and I'm not just speaking about your abilities. Would you be surprised if I told you that no man has ever been graced with my touch before? But for you, I might be willing to taint my soul.
Alas, it is much too soon, we barely know each other, and no matter how much I find you to be intoxicating, there is a proper order to things that must be followed. Perhaps if you were to visit more frequently, we could get to know each other better. And who knows where that could lead to.... So what do you say? Will you swear to be my knight in shining armor?"
Erich could hardly believe his ears. This whole trip had been one giant surprise after another. If he was a weaker man, he would have died from a heart attack by now. But if he was understanding things correctly, then this Empress, who was among the most powerful individuals in the galaxy, was requesting that he become her concubine? Was this really happening?
Of course, this was an offer he would need some time to think about. There were too many aspects about this relationship that were being proposed to him, and they could have unintended consequences not just for himself, but for his entire society. Thus, he took a deep breath before revealing his thoughts on the matter.
"Can I have some time to think about your offer? It's just a lot to spring on me, and I need to consider it very carefully. I will swear that I will never speak a word of what happened between us to anybody, not even your daughter. But, I just don't know if I can make such a vow for you at this time. At least not until I have had some time to think it through..."
Lunaria honestly did not think she would be rejected like this, but this did not infuriate her. If anything, it made her more intrigued by Erich. Something she was quick to discuss with a tone filled with curiosity, desire, and approval.
"Interesting.... So very interesting.... The most beautiful woman in the galaxy makes such a tempting offer, and yet you deny her? If you were any other man, I would be seriously considering the possibility that you were a homosexual. But I know that isn't possible. Your people got rid of such proclivities long ago.
Sure, you may take as much time as you need to think things through properly. But I will be expecting an answer eventually... Don't make me wait too long, or I might just have to visit Germanic Space to pry an answer out of you myself!"
The idea that the Alfheim Empress would fly all the way out to a tiny regional power just so she could get an answer from a man she was pining after was certainly amusing. But Erich did not believe she would really do such a thing. Thus, he chuckled and shook his head before responding to the woman's words with a jestful tone.
"Don't worry, at most you will have my answer in a fortnight. How may I contact you?"
Lunaria's brows furrowed as she thought that Erich might be taking her remarks a bit too lightly, thus she stood up from her seat and approach Erich once more. Where she grabbed hold of his chin and kissed him passionately on the lips once more. All the while envisioning all the things the two of them could be doing together.
After a particularly long kiss, she released her hold over Erich, who continued to kneel. Before speaking to him in a rather stern tone like that, a parent would use to scold their errant child.
ραΠdαsΝοvεl.cοm "Do you believe me now?"
After saying this, Lunaria walked over to her dresser, and pulled out a holo communication device, which she handed to Erich. Who was still shocked that the Alfheim Empress had just kissed him for a second time? She then looked at Erich with a longing expression before elaborating on how to contact her in the future.
"That holo recorder has only one frequency saved to it, which is my personal number. You can contact me at any time of the day on the device and give me your answer. But I suggest you do so while in private, because I do not need any rumors about the two of us getting out. Such a thing could be disastrous.
Make sure to contact me within the next two weeks, because if you don't I will visit the Germanic Star-Empire myself, and punish you until I hear your answer! And if that happens, then don't blame me for being merciless!"
Erich could see the lust in Lunaria's golden eyes as she said those words, and immediately felt that he may have gotten himself in some trouble that he can not avoid. At most, he had been able to buy himself two weeks to think how he could get out of such a situation, but in reality, that wasn't much time at all.
With this said, Lunaria dismissed Erich, who returned to the room he was supposed to be staying in the night before with a particularly bewildered expression on his face. How he had ended up in such a ridiculous situation, he would never know. Nor could he ask anyone else for advice on this matter. It was something that he would have to find out entirely on his own.
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