Gardenia of Blooming Desire

A week after that incident in the garden, an Empress' servant delivered the order for Aster to seek attendance to Empress. Her Majesty Empress Ceci personally summoned him to the Empress chamber, meaning that there was something important that needed to be dealt between Young Lord and Empress.

Aster sneered in his heart. Empress wanted to find him? For what else than helping her equally disgusting sister to took him to bed. But, Aster played along and polished his appearance. He wanted to see what would Empress do to him.

As for that wretched old woman, Aster already contacted Rosalie and obtained particular information.

Empress was desperately trying to cover Lady Merse's unscrupulous act of adultery and her hobby of pouncing young men. Lady Merse was actually quite infamous with this behavior.

Now that she actually tried to seize Aster, Empress was deeply troubled because Aster's identity wasn't small. He was the only heir of Grand Duchy Stormhill, the richest duchy in the empire. To daringly want to take him to bed, it was such a brazen move.

Aster had his own method of dealing with this woman. This was his first time to actually move against someone with his own way. Aster smiled on the mirror, he started to train his method of making a coquettish smile, his flirtatious gesture, his 'seemingly shy but secretly wanting it' expression. He started thinking about how to end his suffering.

'If I don't do it myself, then I will stuck like this forever.'

'Even if I have to act nasty like this, I will do it. I will do it for that person.'

Aster showed a mysterious smile, he couldn't stop smiling to the point of grinning whenever he remembered his servant. He might be in sad situation right now, but he would rally to take his servant back with glory. He would be powerful enough so he could protect his servant.

"Ramuja..."

***

Aster faced his aunt Empress. She had her usual thick powder covered her face, but it couldn't hide the fact that she looked very tired. Aster could see that Empress was getting thinner, but not in healthy way. It was similar to someone who was sickly.

Aster sneered in his heart. 'Are you tired everyday because you have to cover your nasty sister's doing?'

Aster walked slowly in front of Empress and kneeled humbly.

"This humble trash is summoned by Her Majesty Empress. What is Empress' order for this trash?" Aster said.

Empress Ceci felt like her nephew's greeting poked her sore spot. She didn't want her nephew to call himself such degraded thing. It was too humiliating for such powerful Young Lord. But it was the order from his Emperor husband, thus it was irrefutable.

Empress Ceci wanted to hug her nephew. Because she thought what she and her husband did to this kid was too cruel. She was only felt a slight reluctance to this kid before, but after all this psychological torture, she felt nothing but pity to Aster.

But she couldn't do it. Maybe she was too ashamed, maybe because her husband ordered her not to be kind to this Young Lord.

'Husband, Aster was just a young man! What we did to him was too much!' Empress begged to her husband to let Aster leave this palace. At least she could find some way to protect Aster.

'Silence! Just do what I ordered you to do!' Emperor shouted to Empress.

'He is your own nephew! What would your sister and her husband think when they saw us torturing their only son!'

'I told you not to mention my sister's husband! That unworthy man!'

Empress was shocked. She never saw his husband was thing angry until she mentioned Grand Duke, his sister's husband.

After that, Empress was too scared to mention about this problem anymore. She couldn't bear the anger of her husband.

Empress Ceci took a deep breath before saying, "Raise, and come here."

Aster was confused, but he followed Empress order and walked towards Empress.

Empress Ceci observed her nephew's appearance. Beautiful pale skin, flawless complexion, deep blue eyes with golden circle around the pupil, the trademark of royal golden blood, beautifully curved eyebrows and wavy eyelashes, small nose and rosy lips. He wasn't feminime, but he had stunning aura that made people dazed by his appearance. This was Empress Ceci's first time seeing her nephew's face up close and she was stunned.

'He blooms into a beautiful man, like a beautiful gardenia...'

Previously, her son Charles was extremely angered when she punished Aster. It made her doubted whether her son actually liked Aster romantically. But seeing this appearance, if that was the case, then it was logical.

Aster's appearance could shake the Empire when he bloomed perfectly into adulthood.

'Maybe that's why Merse boldly kissed Aster...' Empress pondered.

But she couldn't tolerate her older sister preying on Aster. Partially because Aster was the son of Grand Duchy Stormhill, it could create endless trouble for the Empire. However, that wasn't the only reason. It was also because Empress Ceci felt too guilty and ashamed, that she wanted to compensate Aster.

Since she couldn't control her debauched sister, she would find a way to do it. But for now, she needed to shut her nephew before it spread wide.

Empress Ceci took a gold medal and handed it to Aster.

"The accident about you and my sister, I hope that you could forget it. As for now, I will hand you this guard medal. With this medal, you could took few palace guards and use them as your own servant. You can protect yourself with these guards." Empress Ceci said.

Aster didn't say anything until he unexpectedly sneered. "Is Her Majesty Empress trying to compensate this humble trash for Lady Merse's humiliation towards me?"

Empress Ceci was flabbergasted because Aster questioned her intention rather than accepting the compensation and leave. What he said was true, but she couldn't accept that it was true, that she was trying to compensate him for that humiliating thing her sister did.

Empress' silence had confirmed Aster's question. However, he didn't reject it. He took the medal and then said, "Thanking Her Majesty Empress' kindness. This one will accept Empress' gift. But this humble trash had other request to let such humiliation go from this one's heart.'

"What is it?" Empress Ceci asked.

Aster smiled and drew his face closer to his Aunt Empress' ear. Empress was taken aback and tried to move, but Aster actually gripped her neck and whispered to her ear.

"I know that you cannot control your debauched sister, so I will let her do what she wanted, the more she defiles me, the more I have advantage over you. If you dared making trouble with me again, then pardon me for being nasty, Aunt Empress."

Aster loosened his grip on Empress' neck and grinned. It wasn't a cute or beautiful grin like his usual self, it was malicious, frightening, that made people shivered. It was similar to that woman's grin...

Aster excused himself while pocketing the medal guard given by Empress and closed the door.

Empress' body trembled. She was the Empress and her power was only below the Emperor. This green kid wasn't even a challenge for her position. But in this moment, she was frightened.