(Requested)

ooooo imperial china AU ooooooo

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"My liege, the generals are here to see you, as you wished." I raised an eyebrow, slowly clicking my golden rings on the throne's arm rest. Humming, I merely tilted my head, a sign for them to come into the room and tread along the lavish red carpet. I heard the sound of a small horn, the sound of the Imperial Army. Lowering my gaze, I was met with the sight of Amaya and Gren, both kneeling, an arm across their chest.

"Your excellence," Gren spoke, his voice as clear as day. "You summoned us?" I flicked my hand for the servants and maids to go away. They scurried towards the door, whispering among themselves as they made their exit. Sighing, I resisted the urge to fiddle with the pearls attached to golden strings hanging from my crown, and instead attempted at a conversation.

"Yes." My voice boomed across the throne-room, the mere presence of it shaking the delicate vases that stood on pedestals. Their blue marbled designs seemed to shift, quivering at my suddenly raised voice. "I didn't think my words would be a question, General Gren." He shook his head and yet another phrase of compliance was uttered.

"No, your excellence. Forgive me for my mistake." I nearly laughed, but kept it inside, not wanting to look less intimidating -- I had an image to upkeep, after all.

Uncrossing my legs, I stood up and made my way down the steps, my robes dragging behind me. Guards kept a close eye on my footing to make sure I didn't sustain any injuries. Overprotective bastards. Who were they, my brother?

Successfully making it down the steps, I glared at the footmen to take a hint and scram, only leaving the higher-ranking officials in the room. Now I stood just in front of the two generals, my silken clothes piling up behind me, gliding down the steps like water onto rocks.

"I'm sure you all are very well aware that invading armies from Neolandia are coming," I said, addressing everyone currently present, "We must take extreme measures to protect our kingdom." My eyes were fierce, set ablaze at the thought of one foreign man or woman even setting foot in my empire. I looked back down at the two generals still on the floor and internally cringed.

"Generals, you may rise." Surprisingly, there was no lilt or tremor in my voice. Oh, how guilty I felt for just leaving them there. Amaya signed a small note of thanks, to which I nodded to. Gren's eyes suddenly met mine, and for a second, a shot of heat ran to my face, but he quickly turned away. I covered my cheeks with the golden claws at the tips of my fingers and calmed down, closing my eyes for a few moments.

"I'm sorry about the disruptive behavior. Lately, I've been feeling a bit odd." I cleared my throat and continued with the briefing, discussing battle plans and preventative measures to take in order to secure our kingdom the best we could. Amaya was able to get some insights on her patrol journey and explained everything in detail, while informing me that a small part of the barrier had been breached, on the West end of our line of defense.

After the meeting, I called Amaya and Gren into my private quarters, offering tea and refreshments to soothe their nerves and satiate their appetites. I took my claw rings off and sighed, relieved to finally be able to sit somewhere that wasn't as hard as a rock. Wriggling my fingers happily, I took a cup that was sat on the table and smelled the fragrant aroma of jasmine tea.

About to press the cup to my lips, I suddenly got a whiff of an inconsistency.

"Stop!" I exclaimed, nearly smashing both of my generals' cups down and spilling the hot drink all over them. Two guards pooled into my room, holding spears and fully dressed. My companions across from me looked at my distraught face in concern.

"Your imperial majesty!" one of the exclaimed, pointing a sharp blade to Amaya and Gren, "What happened? Did one of them hurt you?" I growled, slapping the spear away, letting it fall to the ground with a clutter. The foot soldiers were taken aback as I rose, my robes fluttering like a whirlwind around me.

"Put your weapons down! Now is not the time to be blankly accusing!" I shouted, furiously rushing to the door, "We have a spy! Round up all the maids, servants, and eunuchs! I want to see what little rat has the audacity to come into my kingdom and pour me poison tea!"

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"... she had two buns on either side of her head..." I cursed under my breath as the guards scrambled to find any leftover maids and servants, all of the eunuchs and apprentices already round up in the garden.

"I want them all here!" I roared, absolutely steaming, "Any traitor or outside force that tried to poison my guards will be disposed of! You hear me?" A few minutes had passed and the council had officially announced that the perpetrator had been captured and detained right outside the palace. I nearly cracked one of my golden rings.

"Bring her in. Bring her to me." My voice was dangerously low as the doors swung open, revealing a struggling girl held by two guards. She shouted and wrung around like a snake that had been shot with an arrow. Hissing at my council and glaring at my generals, she finally faced me with the most hideous expression.

A little taken aback, I just smiled and paced down the steps to greet her, taking her face by the chin, the cold metal claw gently scraping on her cheek, caressing the soft skin. She growled and lunged forwards to bite my hand, but I pulled it away while the guards tugged her by her hair, restraining any sudden head movements.

"Now, now," I chided, eyes gleaming with malice, "that's not a very good way to greet someone. Maybe you can compensate by giving me some information." She scoffed and remained silent. I laughed a little, seeing her reaction. Playing hard ball, are we?

"So, you're a quiet one, huh?" I spoke, voice significantly quieter than when I had spoken last, dipping down to a whisper. "We can fix that." The "maid" growled again, finally too scared to hold anything back. Perfect.

"You're not getting anything out of me!" she yelled, mouth wide open to release the full extent of her voice, "I'm not telling you anything!" I pursed my lips, tapping a finger on them, considering my options. I hope my eye makeup wasn't ruined for this special interrogation. Casting a look to my generals on the side, I beckoned for Amaya to come forwards. She bowed, then made her way to me.

"What should we do with her?" I asked, pointing at the pitiful figure, "It's your call. She poisoned your drinks." Amaya looked at me as if I was crazy, making rapid hand signals that Gren didn't need to translate. I nodded again in response to her, sighing and lightly rubbing my head.

"Yes, I'm well aware that she poisoned mine too, but you two couldn't detect it. Your lives are much more precious than mine. Defending the kingdom is a great honor, and it's time I pay you in the best way I can." The girl on the ground sneered at my words, cackling in mockery.

"Lies!" she spat, baring her teeth, "Your ruler wants nothing to do with you! They are only selfish and cruel, not caring for the well being of their empire, not engaging in a treaty that could save millions of lives! They repay you with a human life, not money, not gold, no wealth, but something that is inhumane! They don't ask you what you want, they give you what they want to give you! These are the true colors of the (L/N) family!" The guards suddenly brought their spears up to her neck, shutting her up. She gulped, a thin line of sweat dripping down her neck.

"You'll never be the rightful heir to the throne. Never."

"You dare still speak to the sire like that, wretch?" one of the guards shouted, forcing his blade onto her neck more, almost drawing blood. I couldn't bear the sight of a neck shot, and instinctively called them off.

"Enough," I demanded harshly, "Gentlemen, stop, you're going too far now." The two men obeyed and the girl laid limp in their grasp. Roughly, I breathed out through my mouth and massaged my forehead, Amaya placing a hand on my shoulder. I thanked her by placing my hand on top of hers, clinging to her fingers. We both glared at the raven-haired girl sat on the floor.

"It's really your call. If you wish to release her, so be it. If you wish to torture her, so be it. Anything you say will be my final decision." Amaya took her hand off of me to signal Gren over. She then turned her attention to me to let me know a few things. He trotted towards his partner with caution, always keeping an eye on the maid.

"General Gren," I said to him, looking at him in the eyes, only to find piercing blue shock waves radiating back at me, "General Amaya said it was your call. She trusts that you will make the right decision." He hesitated for a moment, thinking about the importance that his decision held. Someone's life was on the line, so how would he react to it? In the end, I realized both Amaya and I knew him too well and predicted the outcome.

"I don't want to see her die. No matter how badly she acted," he finally announced, "She's from a different kingdom, and yes, she did do a misdeed. So she should be punished, but I believe she can change. She's young and impressionable -- there must be more to this than just the surface that we are scratching." It was like the whole courtroom breathed a sigh of relief. A smile came about my face, shining brightly upon my features. I patted the ginger's face, happily accepting his request.

"Guards, you heard him -- send her to a detainment room and bring her clean food and water." I placed a small kiss on my index and middle finger, then pressed it to Gren's cheek, beaming at him.

"I'm so proud of you," I murmured, "You're one of my best after all." Quickly returning to my normal duties after noticing his flushed face, I cleared my throat and ushered all the servants, maids, and eunuchs to do their daily duties, and ordered the guards to fetch some sustenance for themselves after the hard work.

"And please," I instructed, voice firm, "Get some rest. I wouldn't want you to die on me."