Chapter 5
A breeze drifted in from somewhere, stirring the hem of Asteria’s white dress.
Lucian could not tear his eyes from the mystical sight before him. She was more beautiful than anything he had ever seen, and her violet eyes brimmed with an otherworldly radiance.
“Are you my Saintess, then?”
“I am.”
Asteria’s composure was that of someone who had foreseen this day all along.
“I was born with the destiny of guiding Your Majesty along the path the stars reveal.”
Her clear, serene voice settled gently in his ears.
In that instant, Lucian forgot everything the Empress Dowager had told him. A being this mystical could not possibly be anything other than a true Saintess. That was how transcendent Asteria’s presence was.
“We have met in the past. I do not recall it clearly, but I saw it in a dream.”
That matched his memory precisely.
“You truly possess the gift of prophecy?”
“I do. I read dreams and stars.”
Asteria continued.
“Not long ago, I saw a great star fall and a new star rise in its place. From that moment, I knew a day like this would come.”
“You mean… you foresaw that the boy you met as a child would return as Emperor?”
“Yes.”
An almost unbelievable claim. And yet, spoken from Asteria’s lips, it sounded unmistakably true.
“You have lived… in this White Tower all this time?”
“I have.”
“Do you not wonder about the world outside?”
“I am bound to the Sanctuary. I cannot leave.”
Asteria had first set foot in this White Tower as an infant cradled in the Elders arms, when the Crown Prince turned five. In other words, the Sanctuary surrounding the white tower was Asterias’ entire world.
“I was born for this day.”
The Elder had raised her with devoted care. Even knowing how the imperial court truly treated its Saintesses, she had taught Asteria exactly what a Saintess was meant to do.
“From this day forward, I shall be Your Majesty’s guide, reading the stars and interpreting dreams of the future.”
“You can truly… reveal the future that is to come?”
“I can.”
A faint smile touched Asteria’s lips. Watching her, Lucian felt as though all of this were a dream.
“Let me ask you one question. I have heard that a Saintess loses her power if she loses her virginity…”
“It is true.”
That was something the Elder had impressed upon her with the utmost gravity. Asteria had never once forgotten it as she grew.
“I see… So you are to be the companion of my destiny.”
“Yes.”
Lucian tried to speak further, but the words would not come.
“That is all you may ask of me today.”
Asteria spoke as though she had read his very thoughts.
“Then I will return tomorrow.”
“Very well.”
She offered an elegant bow. Lucian found it impossible to take a single step, but unwilling to ruin the first impression, he complied and left the White Tower.
“So that must be His Majesty, the new Emperor.”
Clarisse murmured once the door had closed.
“Yes.”
Asteria remained as composed as ever—like someone who had simply finished what needed to be done.
“He will become my star of destiny.”
Time and time again, she had read the constellations, and again and again she had dreamed. But the answer was always the same. Her fate was bound to Lucian’s.
“But… you haven’t forgotten the Elder’s teachings, have you?”
“That will never happen. He acknowledged me as the Saintess, did he not?”
Regrettably, Asteria had no knowledge whatsoever of how previous Saintesses had been treated within the Imperial Palace. No one had ever told her. And she firmly believed that no Emperor would be so foolish as to violate a Saintess who prophesied the fate of nations.
That was Asteria’s one and only mistake.
* * *
When Lucian emerged from the Sanctuary, Ezra bowed with respect.
“I pay my respects to His Imperial Majesty.”
“That’s enough. Walk with me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lucian strode purposefully through the garden.
“I just met my Saintess.”
“Your Majesty?”
“The girl in the White Tower, the Saintess meant for me. She was waiting, as if she knew I would come today.”
The mystical atmosphere still lingered in his mind. The only difference was that the girl he remembered had now become a full-fledged woman.
“In truth… the Empress Dowager has issued orders.”
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