Corey Silvearean

They missed the sun.

There was a guarantee that after each rainy day, when clouds covered the sky with gray, the sun would peek and shine its praise. That warmth, that light, that beauty. What happened to the sun?

If the moon fell from the sky and gained humanity, it would be him. Shining silver hair, dark purple eyes like the abyss. The first son of the royal family of Silvearean, the empire of prosperity and independence. The first prince, a gift from the universe above. But it did not seem that way. Since childhood, he could only dream of the sun, any warmth.

Because ruling an empire was not for the weak. Before he could smile, he could write, before he could laugh, he could read, before he could love, he would fall. His parents were strict rulers of the land, making sure no one and nothing is out of place. They were loved, and they were respected, and all they wanted was to pass that onto him. He was expected to be everything and everyone. Except you.You were his sun.

His warmth.

But that was for him. To everyone else, you were nothing but spilled ink on perfect paper. A mistake, a stain, an outcast. Your father is the Grand Duke, a high-ranking, perfect reputation. But your mother? Your mother was nothing. A mere commoner out of place, never to be known by the people above. But it was love. Cruel, far, love.

But he was too far. They had you. And that's how it was found out. The Grand Duke's secret lover.

Your stepmother was furious. She hated you. Your real mother died giving birth to you. So you had no one. But it didn't mean that you didn't reach for the sun.

If no one became your sun, you would be the star.

You were desperate to gain good favor. Oh, so desperate. You did everything you could. But it really did nothing.

But you didn't give up, you tried not to...That's how you met him.

Your stepsiblings despised you as much as your stepmother. And due to reports of abuse, your father would often bring you with him when he went to the imperial palace. There, you were safe. Because somewhere in his eyes, he could see his lover through you, something he would never admit.

You would stay outside in the gardens, loving the way the sun would wrap its arms around you.

And sometimes, he went outside. Sometimes, when all his lessons were finished, they would let him read outside. And that's how fate intertwined.

At first, he was scared of you, a little bunny in the grass, but you held out with a carrot.

And as you were kids, you started to blend into each other.He would finish his lessons early. You would prepare quickly to go to the carriage.

Looking at the clouds, conversations about his silly books, jokes mixed with laughter. His sun, you became his sun. No matter what mistake, you would always smile and nod like it was nothing. Each of his achievements became a celebration rather than a half-hearted nod. You were his lifeline. To you, he was the first that lingered, that listened, that cared so dearly your heart couldn't take it. He didn't shame you, he didn't look at you differently, he saw you. And you grew together. Letters, dances at balls, meetings late at night.

It was love. But it was far.

The moon is far from any other star but the sun.

She was the real sun. The sun of the empire. The Marquis' wonderful daughter. Locks of blond that shone like the sun, eyes of blue that mimicked the ocean. Beautiful, perfect. Lady Aridiane. During her debut, she was almost guaranteed to be his wife, the next empress. Her political standing is perfect, her reputation is perfect. She fit all the standards.

Standards that you couldn't uphold.

Back in reality, you were still nothing, if not less, to everyone around you. You were the opposite of qualified to be royalty. You were nothing but a means to an end, and you knew that. All you are is a secluded star, far, unknown, afraid. But he reached.

And when the time passed, he bowed down and chose you as his empress. He is now the emperor. His word is law. So no one could really stop him from pursuing his love. Because he would do anything for you. But you know how the story goes.

He was a popular emperor among the lineage. But the only thing that stained it was you, again. And he didn't even see it. Some made rumors that you were a witch, seducing his warm heart only to gain power. Some say that you threatened him to become your wife. And it hurt. Really. But you never told him. Because he was shining. And if it meant keeping that shine, then you would keep it.

Enduring the pain of always being set aside despite everything. But that wasn't the worst.

Then became war.

He joined as a commander; it was nothing but a small war. And you knew we would win, but that's not what caused it all. Lady Aridiane joined him. The marquis is known for war strategy, and knowing most likely, she helped him through it. And the rumors spread like wildfire. You knew they were twisted, and you couldn't believe a bit, until the day of the parade back.

The war was won as expected, but he stood by her, waving, smiling. And it hurt. Because while he was gone, you were drowning in papers, sending supplies, doing everything alone. Like the world left you.

But you couldn't let go of how he smiled that day.

He became more distant, doing his own thing and whatnot. Your only source of warmth became so far you couldn't feel a thing. Then it rained for what seemed like forever. No sun, no love, nothing.

And maybe that's when you couldn't take it.

You planned an annulment. You've only been married for a year anyway. You planned to leave the capital and go where no one would even know to hate you. It was your only hope.

He's been busy with work lately and affairs of the empire, so he didn't even remember to acknowledge you. That is until he found papers of annulment at your desk while looking around. His heart sank, his world tilted. But more than ever he was furious. Maybe it was because he was already frustrated, or maybe it's because love has long faded. But he couldn't bear it.

That night, in your shared quarters that always seemed cold, a fire emerged. Not the warm ember kisses, but the ones that burned and left marks.

You sat in the bed, reading a book about life in the country. He would usually come late.

But tonight, he burst into the room with the crumpled paper in his hand. Startled, you stood and faced him. He glared at you. You felt even more numb than before.

"Why have I stumbled upon a paper of annulment?"

He growled, his voice palpable with anger.

He stepped closer, and closer until you could see the tiny flecks of white in his pupil. The way he stared at you was livid, you could tell.

He grabbed your arm just shy of bruising and stuffed the paper into your hand. The sharp edges poked at your skin, but it didn't hurt as much as your heart.

In this moment, you already knew that you should've never reached for love in the first place.