Forty-eight kingdoms, each ruled by its own royal family, kings and queens who govern according to their own laws, interests, and ambitions. For hundreds of years, these kingdoms waged endless wars against one another, but eventually, it reached its breaking point.
Out of fear, exhaustion, and necessity, the Imperial Alliance was formed. Its purpose is to preserve peace, make trade safer and far easier between kingdoms, and unify the world under a single imperial authority. At the same time, the Alliance allows every kingdom to keep its own sovereignty, traditions, and internal rule. The kingdoms are not erased, they are bound together.
From among these united kingdoms, an Imperial King is chosen. This monarch rules the Alliance as a whole and serves as the supreme authority over all allied lands. The position is not inherited through a single bloodline. Instead, the next Imperial Monarch is selected from the royal families of the member kingdoms.
However, only royals who are bound through a recognized relationship, such as marriage or formal engagement are eligible to become imperial candidates. This rule exists to ensure unity and loyalty between kingdoms.
Because of this requirement, Princess Lily and the other twenty one princess and twenty six princes now reside within the Imperial Palace not as honored guests.
Officially, they gathered for diplomacy, advanced education, and cultural exchange. In reality, they are expected to grow closer to one another, to form alliances, attachments, and ultimately romantic partnerships that may lead to marriage. These relationships decide which royal pair becomes eligible to stand in the Imperial Election that will take place just in two years.
When that day arrives, it is not a single monarch who is chosen, but a royal couple, one man and one woman, bound together who ascends to rule the Imperial Alliance and govern all allied lands.
Of course, this isn't just about marriage or forming relationships. The real focus is on the ability to rule. Even before anyone can think about the Imperial Throne, every prince and princess must first learn to govern their own kingdoms, to understand the responsibilities, the challenges, and the decisions that come with power.
The biggest problem with all of this is that it is just straight bullshit, the whole thing. It is only about power and influence. There was only one Imperial King and Queen who actually loved each other, who truly cared about the people. They were the ones who created the Imperial Alliance, the idea that the kingdoms would not wage war against each other. But they never knew the world would change this much, that families would start using their own children as tools just to claim the throne. And now, this is what it has become.
A total mess for the main power.
"Ahh, what dress do I even get for this bullshit?" Lily's voice came out as she stood in front of the wardrobe, staring at dozens of dresses. All of them looked too flashy, too royal, like something straight out of the fucking eighteenth century.
"Get whatever you like, miss." A sudden voice came from the door.
"Oh, Clara, how nice to see you." Lily's voice suddenly softened, a bit relieved. "The only normal person in this whole palace."
"Well, a maid needs to be… normal, and on good terms with the people she serves." Clara laughed as she stepped inside and hugged her. "I think you should wear what you like, and not worry about impressing anyone."
"How fucked up is that… you just said the complete opposite of what my father told me."
"What did he say?" Clara asked, kinda confused.
"Basically, he told me to dress like a bitch. Show my chest, show my ass, look sexy, get fucked by one of the princes, and voilà, I can become the Imperial Queen." Lily stared straight into Clara's eyes. "What a great dad I have, right?"
Clara stayed silent for a moment. "It is just sad, thinking about how much this whole thing tears families apart." She said it right, because there was no better way to put it.
The worst thing about all of this is how rotten and fake it really is. Everything is made up, just pure acting, with only one goal in mind, to secure the throne, nothing more and nothing less. It is sad and disgusting that a father can tell his daughter to stand up and be used by a prince, basically to sell herself, and only then, maybe, they can compete for the throne.
It is the 21st century, yet royal women still cannot do what they want. There is no real free will for them. They have to be the ones who carry the burden of becoming the Imperial Queen, the biggest achievement and honor someone can get, but at the same time, it tears them apart into pieces.
What kind of life is it when you cannot do anything?
Why are you royal, with power, with status, with money, yet you cannot choose for yourself?
You cannot express who you are, you live inside a prison cell. Normal people, common civilians, live a better life in almost every way, because you are only needed to be the one who becomes a living ticket for your family to reach the ultimate throne.
And once that ticket is used, once your role is fulfilled, you are no longer a person. You are a symbol, a tool, something placed on a board and moved around by others. Your smile is practiced, your words are chosen for you, your silence is demanded when speaking would be easier. Every step you take is watched, judged, and measured by how useful it is to the crown.
They dress it up as duty, as honor, as tradition, but it is just a pretty mask over a bullshit system. They tell you that you should be proud, that this is your purpose, that many would kill to be in your place.
And the cruelest part is that everyone calls this privilege. They envy the crown, the palace, the luxury, without seeing the chains wrapped tightly around your neck.
A golden cage is still a cage, no matter how beautiful it looks from the outside.
"Yeah, that's the worst part." Lily said as she grabbed a full white dress. "What's even worse is that he thinks, even if I get the throne, I'll still give him power. If I become the Imperial Queen, I won't give him shit. Honestly, I'd fucking expel him from the alliance."
"I think he just sees himself in you." Clara said, stepping closer to help her with the dress. "After all, he and your mother failed to obtain the Imperial Throne. They weren't even close… and he has already decided the day of your crowning ceremony. You're going to become the sole ruler, the Queen of Moniclar."
"That too is bullshit, in my opinion." Lily muttered as she adjusted the dress. "In reality, I could only become the ruler if both of them died and the throne fell to me. But no, they stepped down just to use me as a tool for the Imperial throne. I'd have no real power, just a puppet. It's so obvious."
"Then don't be their puppet, be the one with the power." Clara began as she zipped up her dress. "You're twenty-four years old. You know how to rule, and more importantly, you'll rule better than your father and mother ever did. You know how to speak to your people in this modern age. Your mother and father and even I we're all boomers. We don't know how to handle or control the younger generation. But you do. So once you're officially a queen, the sole ruler, grab it and do it. Be the ruler."
"Impossible… they are—"
"Joseph did it." Clara cut in. "Joseph has been a King for three years now. He did it."
Indeed, he did it. Joseph became the only prince in history to ascend to the throne at such a young age, the first and only one to take full control of his kingdom. No one before him had ever managed it. From the very first day, he acted with speed and certainty, making decisions that others would spend years debating.
Though not everyone admires him. Some say he has connections to the criminal underworld. Others say his strength doesn't come from wisdom or fairness, but from fear.
Even so, some people respect him. They see a boy who has taken what no one else could, a young man who survives in a world full of danger, and has become the one everyone must follow. Joseph is young, but he has a mind, a will, and a power that no one has seen before.
That's why people fear him and why they cannot ignore him.
"Joseph Cassius… he's a criminal, doesn't he?"
"Maybe." Clara continued. "But those are just whispers, stories told by those who envy him and most importantly… he might be here today. Maybe you could ask him for some advice on how to rule your land when you get the throne."
"That's risky." Lily said. "He's the black sheep, and talking with him… would bring so many fucking misunderstandings and bullshit that I'd be tangled in it all."
"It's better than just sitting around listening to princes who only want to hit on you."
"Yeah, maybe I will talk to him."
"And remember, Lily, no matter what happens, don't start a fight with anyone. Keep your temper in check, stay calm, and don't let anyone provoke you. You're better than that, and you know it." Clara said as she eyed her and held her shoulders firmly, remembering what had happened before.
Lily had already knocked out three princes who had touched her. One of them fell into a short coma, while the other two lost teeth in the process. She is a badass princess, but when her mind goes black, she fucks up everybody around her. During that same fight, she almost stabbed a fourth one with a broken chapel bottle, but the servants grabbed her at the right moment.
Since then, everyone knew better than to test her limits. Smiles turned cautious when Lily entered a room, laughter softened, hands stayed where they belonged. Not because she demanded respect, but because she had earned it the hard way. She is a badass princess, not because she enjoys violence, but because she refuses to be powerless. Still, that strength comes with a cost. When her emotions spiral and the world fades to black, restraint disappears, replaced by pure instinct and fury. That is why Clara worries. That is why the servants watch her closely. Not to cage her, but to be ready, just in case, when control slips again.
And tonight, at the royal ball, with princes, pride, and provocation everywhere… everyone knows one thing for certain, if Lily loses herself again, the night will not end peacefully, and the chance of that happening is high.
But before that, Clara did something that angered Lily before even going to the ball itself.
"Take this." She said as she pulled out something from her pocket.
"Are you serious now?" Lily said as she looked at the condom in Clara's hands.
"Yeah, who knows what type of illness all of them crazy have, so if you do a blowjob, do it with a condom, and sex is obvious, so—"
"Clara, I am not going to suck nobody's dick nor let myself get fucked." Lily said with pure disgust in her voice at just the mere thought of all of it. Clara is the same age as her mother, and she is saying these sexual things.
"Are you sure?" she asked again. "I have flavored ones for special blowjobs and eve—"
"Clara, stop, I don't need a condom. I do not plan to do anything sexual." Lily said, eyeing her.
"Okay, okay, I just worry about you, like my own child." Clara said as she hugged her.
"You would give your own child a condom and say to suck a dick with it?" Lily asked back laughing about it.
"I would, it matters, but now I need to go. I will be at the ball, so if something happens, I will be on the side, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good then, bye, and be sure to go on time." Clara said as she waved her hand and left, leaving Lily kind of embarrassed by what had just happened, though she needed to prepare herself for the ball itself and the bullshit that would come with it.