The young emperor examined the outfit in the mirror, seeing how it caressed his figure perfectly in the correct places. The colour went well with the theme of the event he would be attending to. In the end, you had made something that well indeed exceeded his expectations. He was currently wearing a pearly white, kimono shirt that went up to his elbows, with golden embroidery of many different types of fish, which ended at a tight piece of plain black cloth that was tied neatly around his waist, hugging his figure. From under the belt of black, sprouted out loosely fitting, pastel sky blue pants that stopped just above the ankle. His feet were nestled in golden slippers, the base made of cork in order to be sturdy but lighter than wood would be. On top of all this, you had given him a light blue, thin and over sized jacket that matched with his pants and stopped at mid-thigh length. It was decorated with red and golden flowers, adding an extra touch of wealth to his outfit to show off his high status.

  Around his neck was a long necklace of white jade, to represent the increasing energy of love, and topaz beads to represent love and affection. Of course, his grandmother herself had chosen the jewelry to go along with it rather than himself. The young emperor was stood on top of a stage in the middle of his elegant dressing room, full of drawers and doors leading to walk in closets full of only the richest of things.

  Several maids and butlers hurried around him, keeping their heads down in order to show respect as they did so, never daring to stare at him directly. The maids were fixing his dark strands of hair into a low ponytail, tied with a golden cloth. One maid in particular stood on the stage, in order to place the hat onto his head. In her clutches was a conical hat that was fairly large, but still would make his handsome features visible. It was made of bamboo and threads of gold, also made with many different shades of bamboo in order to make it all the more fitting for his expensive taste.

  The maid cautiously went onto her tiptoes and began to put the hat onto his head, before moving in front of him and tying the light blue, fabric strings on either end of the hat to keep it in place. She didn't dare look up at him directly in the eyes, but just by looking at the lower part of his face, she could feel her heart skip a beat. After all, he was a real hit with the ladies. The emperor was known for charming women then quickly getting bored, not bothering to pursue them whatsoever.

  After all, he had every woman in the kingdom head over heels for him. He had no need to get on his knees and beg. Whatever he wanted, he got. Whichever girl was lucky enough to catch his eye, instantly fell for him and became boring much too quickly. The emperor took nearly no notice of the maid, looking straight over his head and continuing to stare at himself in the mirror. You had certainly done a good job with his outfit. Once finish neatly tying a draping bow, the maid scurried off and out the room, most likely to continue her chores. The other two maids in the room were cleaning up the mess that had been made while preparing the emperor of Intuuin for the day. Soon, they left as well, followed by the butlers at the same time.

  Finally, he was left with the two guards, standing painfully still like the silence right by the door that went out to the hallway. However, stood right next to the emperor was Octavi. He was there in order to help the maids pair his outfit with the most suiting ornamental minerals and to make sure the outfit was put on correctly. As always, Octavi was wearing his usual uniform while staring rather emotionlessly at the mirror, watching the emperor judge the outfit.

  "Quiet nicely done, I must say. Fuyomui does have the talent. Doesn't she, Kirayo?" The emperor questions, giving a look of approval to his reflection.

  "She does indeed, your sovereignty." Octavi responds plainly and clearly, without a single fault in his voice. His delicate purple orbs looked over to the emperor, who now was looking straight back at him. The emperor's gaze was bloody yet calming. However, Octavi kept all his opinions to himself, as the only opinion which mattered was the opinion of the members of the royal family.

  "Tell me, does Fuyomui seem suspicious? Friendly? What is she like? I have no need to go see her personally. It would be a waste of time, so just tell me of her right now." The emperor questions, dusting off imaginary dust from his outfit and adjusting the last few things by himself.

  "Lady Fuyomui is certainly not suspicious, I can easily confirm that she is not a spy. After doing a thorough background check on her, I have found that her birth is not recorded in any of Intuuin's hospital records. She has never been involved in any suspicious activity and has no criminal history. She has no educational records in the system either, so she is most likely not that bright or either home schooled. She lives with a man named Kai Fuyomui, her big brother. He is a professional tailor and has no criminal background." Octavi informs the emperor, having memorised the whole report that the private investigators had done, knowing that the emperor would ask him about it.

  "Brilliant. However, what is her personality?" The emperor asks, wanting some sort of entertainment in the time he had remaining before they had to leave.

  "She is quite clumsy. During the past week, I've seen her lose several needles and fall over multiple times over the same step in front of the storage room. Fuyomui is also very humble. I have noticed that she barely talks about herself and sends a generous amount of money back home to her brother. She is also very bad at telling jokes, it's humourous how bad they are. Fuyomui spends most of her time making the outfits while listening to music, practising embroidery or calling her brother on the telephone. However, I have noticed she has no other family recorded." Octavi explains, his face unchanging as he speaks in such a formal manner, not daring to use any sort of informality with the emperor.

  "Could she possibly be an immigrant?" The emperor questions, hitting Octavi with question after question.

  Octavi opens his mouth, about to respond, only to be interrupted by the sound of the guards opening the door with a small creak. In comes a fairly short, old woman. She wears a long, minty green dress with white detailing, a matching scarf over her head to keep the sun from heating up her hair, and a transparent, white coat that seemed rather similar to the emperor's. Her hair was grey and white, dyed by time and was curled to a short length of just to her jaw. She had happy, kind eyes that were pitch black, and she had her makeup done in a natural way. She had a rather small pair of full moon glasses with a golden frame hanging around her neck by a string of rose quartz beads.

  "My dearest grandson!" She calls out in a weak yet incredibly cheerful voice, her old age evident in her tone. She hurries over to the emperor, immediately climbing onto the stage where he was.

  "Oh, that new tailor of yours has done so well. You look so handsome!" She exclaims joyously before grabbing both of his cheeks in her surprisingly strong hands. She pinches his cheeks and squeezes his face out, laughing proudly. "Doesn't my grandson look so handsome, Octavi?" The emperor's grandmother questions, not even bothering to glance at Octavi as she does so, focusing all her attention on the emperor.

  "Certainly, your highness." Octavi responds immediately, wanting to show no hesitation to the emperor's grandmother. She tended to call him by his first name, as she was much more relaxed, loving and open than the emperor was. The emperor just called everybody by their last name when addressing them directly, keeping everything incredibly formal. However, his grandmother brought a much more calm feeling into the air than he could ever.

  "I have arranged for 47 women of high status to meet you today! I hand picked them with the maids, picking only the best of the best. After all, my sweet little grandson deserves only the best! I'm sure you'll love one of them, or even more! Ah, the carriage is waiting. Alas, we must hurry sweetheart. We don't want to keep them waiting!" His grandmother had a much louder character, and immediately let go of his cheeks to instead grip onto the emperor's wrist and drag him along.

  Even the guards at either side of the door were slightly surprised. 'Sweetheart' was definitely one word to not describe the monarch. In fact, the exact opposite. Surprised by such the contrast the two of them had, the guards eyes had widened slightly, only to instantly return to their original, statue-like position as soon as the duo left, completely disregarding Octavi.

  Finally, they were in the carriage. The royal grandmother and her sweetheart of a grandson sat in the elegantly made carriage, consisting of the finest wood, gold and red cushions for the seating. Emotionlessly as always, the emperor gazed out the window at the scenery passing by. The only reason he had agreed to do this is so he could possibly make his grandmother happy after everything she had done for him.

  "My grandson, there is one woman in particular who I think you will like." His grandmother speaks up, subtly breaking the silence and breaking his wall of cool and calm exteriors.

  Instead, a small shimmer of curiosity hinted in his eyes as he raised his eyebrows and slid her gaze onto her weak, and funnily cute figure. "Is that so?" He questions, his voice still quite bored.

  "Her name is Sua Suho. Her father is an incredibly wealthy business entrepreneur who makes deals and trades with farmers. She's incredibly beautiful, she's the main model for the second-leading makeup brand and has been known for being incredibly talented in all areas. She's also very mature like you. I think you'll adore her." His grandmother says, a satisfied grin gracing onto her lips as she pictured how beautiful of a couple the two would make.

  "Are there any others you like in particular?" The emperor asks, seeing if there could possibly at least a single woman in the whole world who was fit to his liking. He had high standards and he had no consideration to lower those standards whatsoever. Besides, women fell for him too quickly. It was a boring thing to spend time with women who just give themselves to you so easily, married or not.

  "There's also Via Resniyi. Her father is the head of the foreign affairs office, Mr. F Resniyi, and her mother is a well known photographer and one of the most pricey to hire. She hosts charity events and such as well. She must be such a kind and caring woman! Just what you need!" The emperor's granny exclaims, letting out a hearty laugh.

  A small smile sneaks itself onto the emperor's thin lips, curling up the corners of his lips and revealing only one dimple on his left cheek. "Grandmother, I am still young. Don't you think I should wait a little bit?" He interrogates, beginning to wonder why his grandmother was so desperate to find him a woman.

  His grandmother frowns slightly and looks down, taking in a deep breath before looking at the emperor directly in his eye and grasping onto his hands. "My dearest grandson.. I don't want you to be alone. I'm not going to live forever. You've already lost so much, and even if you own the entire world, I know how isolated you feel. I can't imagine how much more worse it would be. Besides, at least one high-class and capable woman will be able to make you fall in love. I know it. And.. you won't be so alone." She croaks out, choking back some tears.

  His small smile turns into a large frown as he reassuringly squeezes his grandmother's frail hands. "Do not worry, grandmother. I can find love myself. I will do this matchmaking session for you, so do not worry. Alright? Please live the days you have remaining with no stress." He whispers to her, his voice showing some hint of emotion know as his words smoothly and comfortingly rolled off his rosy tongue.

  Meanwhile, Octavi had made his way to your private quarters and knocked confidently and loudly on the hardwood door. "[Name], I bring good news." He calls your name, his voice still as emotionless as the emperors, however fortunately not that heartless and cold sounding.

  "Come in then, Octavi!" You yell back, causing him to scrunch his face up slightly. He slides the door open, an unpleasant look on his face as he steps in, all high and mighty with his powerful aura.

  "If you bring good news, why do you look so upset?" You ask, tilting your head to the side curiously as you dusted off your summery yellow dress that stopped right above your knee. The fabric had small white doves printed onto it, and on top of it all you wore a loose, thin and white kimono that was untied and hung freely on your figure. You also wore some wooden sandals, overall having dressed for the weather. Today was hot as summer painfully nestled into the air, making you feel sweaty and unpleasant.

  "Because you make me deaf. There is no need to shout so loudly if I'm outside the door." Octavi complains, his harsh gaze of purple orbs stabbing into your [E/C] ones.

  "My deepest apologies, I won't do it again.." You mumble, slightly disappointed in yourself for making Octavi upset.

  "Anyway, let us move onto the good news. We'll be venturing to the beach in a carriage behind the emperor. We certainly won't be joining him, we shall enjoy ourselves on a different part of the beach. I decided that.." He pauses for a moment, obviously becoming slightly embarrassed and flustered as his harsh gaze falters and his orbs wander to the side for a moment, "Perhaps you deserved a treat for your hard work. Besides, I need a bit of a day off myself. Let's enjoy ourselves today, shall we?" He asks, recovering from his flustered self and reverting back to his serious self.

  "Thank you, Octavi! That sounds absolutely splendid. Are we going right now?" You question, immediately picking up your new white handbag that was medium sized. You slung it around your body, having already prepared it for a day out. Inside of it was a small pouch of around one hundred golden coins, an emergency sewing kit in the unfortunate case of a fashion emergency, a small notepad, a pencil and some other knick knacks.

  "Yes, we are. The emperor of Intuuin has just left with his grandmother, headed towards the private beach. It's only about fifteen minutes away." Octavi confirms, before gesturing to the black satchel around his body which you had barely noticed as it easily blended in with his uniform. "I'm already prepared." He finishes.

  You nod and quickly respond, "Give me just a second then," as you quickly went into your dresser to store a one-piece, summery yellow swimsuit into your handbag. You weren't sure what you'd do with it if you got it soaked, as you didn't wish to put it into the handbag after the trip and face a mess. However, you were in a rush and had no time to complain and think up solutions. Despite this, a sudden thought came into mind. And with that thought, you grabbed the wretched old keepsake, light blue case that once belonged to Kai. You put inside, a spare outfit and a swimsuit for the Emperor which you had made with the time remaining you had before the deadline, in case something went wrong. You were always great at being prepared for the worse.

  "Alright, I'm ready." You tell Octavi, causing him to instantly leave the room and start heading towards the main entrance, not bothering to wait behind for you. You quickly sped after him, carrying the heavy case in your arms like the time you first arrived at the palace. You only slowed down your pace when you were finally walking alongside Octavi. It was always difficult to keep up with him. He never waited behind for you and his long legs granted him the ability to do such large and confident strides.

  "You must not interfere or be anywhere nearby the emperor at any time. Do you understand?" Octavi interrogates you, making sure you had remembered what he had taught you the past week about how to act, manners, rules and all sorts of things. In fact, he felt like more of a tutor to you at this point because of it.

  "I understand, we already went over the rules only about 39 times, Octavi." You bite back, obvious annoyance lacing your tone which you had held back all those hours he pestered you on how to act.

  "It was only necessary," He begins, obviously trying to defend himself from the fact he was a bit too worried about you messing up.

  "To do it twice." You cut in and finish for him, your voice obviously still annoyed. A breathy sigh escapes him as he nods his head, admitting that perhaps he did go a tad little overboard.

  Soon enough, you both were on the carriage towards the beach. You could already feel your excitement getting higher and higher. This would be your first time leaving the palace ever since you arrived about a week ago. You were excited to breathe in the fresh air, play in the sand and live carefree after the stressful week you had in order to finish your first assignment.

  "So, let me tell you about the beach we'll be going to." Octavi begins, causing you to look over at him from the carriage window. Of course, your carriage wasn't as high-class as the one belonging to the emperor, but it was still more classier than what you were used to.

  "The sand at the beach is black. This is because of volcanic remnants, so do not think it's anything too terrible. It comes from the volcano named Xiongol's Rage. As you know, we had an emperor thousands of years ago, named Xiongol Ian. He was a very short-tempered man, known for being heartless. He was determined to achieve what our current emperor already has, dominating the whole world. However, Xiongol had barely any smarts, and rushed into things despite the royal cabinet's warnings. Whenever things didn't work out, he only did the same thing but with much more force. Sadly, this was his downfall. He risked the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers for nothing, causing the people to break into the palace, overthrow him and make him pay for the lives he had spent so recklessly. If only he had some strategic knowledge, perhaps things wouldn't have gone so terribly bad. However, only one week after his murder, the volcano erupted. Many more people were lost, and the new emperor made a demand for the youth to cause an enormous baby boom. So, since the volcano was one of the worst of our time and happened just one week after Xiongol's death, it's been named after him." Octavi explains, giving you a full history lesson on what had happened so many years ago.

  To be fair, Octavi made you feel incredibly stupid. Kai didn't have enough money to send you to school and didn't have the time to home school you. As a result of that, you lacked the basic education that most of the kingdom luckily received. Unlike you, Octavi was incredibly bright and intelligent in every way. He could solve nearly any solution and at the very least, knew heaps more than you ever would. Now that you had the money, you were debating on getting a private tutor. Even if you did, you would feel ashamed and stupid. You were simply too shy to get beginner stage education at this age and decided that perhaps you should just live with it.

  Before too long, the two of you had arrived at the beach. You had settled down on two sun chairs leaving your belongings there. Around you, were several other people from the