Path of the Berserker-Chapter 17Book 5:

Dearest mother,

You will be pleased to know that I have finally found myself a husband. I have included his particulars so that you can see for yourself that my patience in waiting has finally born fruit. The Imperial Marshal Max Chun is one of my own subjects, but is the first to ever achieve such a ranking from the Academy of Du Gok Bhong at such a young age.

He is truly a prodigy.

You can read of all his exploits attached.

But mother, this man is a man of not only strength but principle and honor. He has openly expressed his love for me, but is ashamed to ask for my hand in marriage due to his lowly birth status. Please mother, you must find me a way to make him royalty.

A Duke he says will be the right title in order to wed an Imperial Princess like me.

He also askes a few other small things, to help him prepare for my upcoming trial with my sister Rheutera. Hopefully those things can be arranged as well, as they will be required for him to gain the strength needed to defend me in the High Council.

43rd Empress Revenah shook her head. It was just like her third daughter to come up with such a ridiculous and contrived plan just for marriage. The daft little girl should have secured a suiter decades ago, but now here she was asking for the empire again for something that should have been trivial.

She let out a long and exasperated sigh as she read through the list of demands and then laid the letter aside. Access to the archives and even to the core world of Ri Ben were small matters. She could do so via her own influence alone, but to grant true royalty to a native born commoner?

That would take the will of the High Council itself.

Or that of her husband.

As she read on, it was clear that the latter was indeed the true purpose of Lunalah’s letter to her.

Please mother, I do not ask for much. But please petition father to grant my beloved a title so that I may marry with dignity. I have foreseen our path. It is a strong union that will bless the empire with much fortune. I am not worthy to ask father myself, but please have pity on This One.

I shall ask no more if you will do me this one kindness.

Your loving daughter,

Lunalah

Revenah sighed and shook her head again. The girl was shameless. How forward of her to even think to ask such a thing? As only a 145th heir herself, the time for her influence with the Soul Emperor had long since passed. She had not heard as much as a whisper from Emperor Yin Yee for decades. But such was to be expected.

That was the price of becoming a royal princess.

A short period of extravagance, joy and bliss and then after childbirth a lifetime of solitude as you raised his majesties royal heirs alone. Luckily, Revenah was far enough down the royal line to have a loving concubine for companionship, no questions asked. But that same lowly status is what also made Lunalah’s request all but impossible. Her husband, the Great Soul Emperor, returned to the mortal realm but twice a year and mostly to seek out new brides.

A small matter such as this was far too below his station.

And besides, what kind of man demands such a thing from a princess anyway?

Clearly there had to be something else afoot.

Revenah leafed through the profile Lunalah had sent. The man was attractive, she would give him that, in albeit a brutish, militaristic sort of way. She could see why Lunalah fancied him. And his credentials within the Legionnaires Academy appeared authentic as well. That would make him a prize indeed, but what he asked for was too much.

And certainly, such a civil ranking should be more than fitting for him to beg the hand of her audacious third daughter.

It has to be her, Revenah decided. Always wanting far too much.

Still, little Lulu was her baby at heart. Her elder sisters had long since married and were raising their own families within their domains now. To finally be able to say the same for her youngest would be a miracle from the heavens. An anchor finally cut free that constantly dragged her down in social standing. She could not attend a single ball without one of her sisters or even petty noble friends asking her, cheekily, “Oh, has Lunalah married yet? No? I wonder why? She’s so perfect. May her day soon come.”

Just the thought of those snobby, arrogant lesser ladies leering in her face filled her heart with rage. It she could, she would behead every one of them. But there was no such violence allowed in the upper echelons of the Lower Courts. Social combat was instead held through prestige and pageantry. And thus far Lunalah had provided her none.

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Revenah thought a moment more.

To not only be able to say, that ‘yes’, Lunalah had wed, but also that she would be wed to an Imperial Marshal and a Duke?

She was beginning to see the value in this ask.

If it were even possible.

And the man…Max Chun…would also be defending Lunalah in the High Council, it seemed. That would bring much attention to the both of them. And it was against Rheutera as well. She never liked the woman. And now she sought to attack her own daughter?

The bitch…

Revenah sat back in her throne and gazed out at the illustrious cityscape of the core world of Scalia. Towering buildings lay interwoven between cloud-touched trees. At their feet, vast networks of canals and rivers ran freely, giving life to the otherwise mundane city. High above in the sky, lay the golden sphere of the celestial realm, shining boldly as the planets primary sun. The city basked in both its radiance and its authority. Somewhere beyond that golden veil, where no mortal flesh could transcend, was her husband, the Great Soul Emperor Yin Yee.

She could attempt to lay this petition with the chief priests in hopes that her husband might sense her prayers and answer them. But in all likely hood, the legal route was perhaps a far easier means to see such a pledge through.

And it would provide a means of both meeting and testing the young man as well.

She only need now to ensure that such a thing was possible.

“Darling?” she called.

A moment later, her ‘true’ husband joined her on the veranda overlooking the city. He was still dashing at three centuries old, with only his slightly greying temples and salt and pepper beard an indication of his age. The illustrious Admiral Jin Yoo Sai, who had traded in his command for a seat on the imperial council a century ago, came to sit by her side. She was lucky to have snatched him up as her partner before any of her rivals did. In retrospect, she supposed she should give Lunalah some credit for finally attempting to do the same.

“You called?” he asked.

“I did.”

He then chuckled but didn’t say anything, realizing no doubt that she was about to ask of him something audacious.

Here it goes, she thought.

“As a military man, you are a student of history, are you not, love?” She smiled at him, to stroke his ego. “Tell me, when was the last time the High Council awarded a royal title to a commoner?”

His brows raised with interest, clearly surprised by the question and he looked skyward a moment as his mind went to work.

“That would have been the General Arminius, I believe,” he said after a moment. “For quelling the rebellion of the South Sea Skies. He was granted one of the planets he liberated as a reward and was made a Baron by Council Decree.”

“Is that all one must do?” she asked. “Liberate a world from rebellion?”

Jin Yoo Sai chuckled. “I wouldn’t tone it with such mundanity. Few can say they have done the same.”

Revenah sighed dejectedly. It indeed did not sound like an easy task at all. “Yes, I suppose.”

“Curious as to why you would ask this, my love?”

Revenah handed him the young man’s profile. “Your step daughter’s latest love interest. He said he wishes her hand in marriage but is a low birthed native with no royal title and is thus ashamed to ask. She’s petitioned me if there is a way to make him a Duke.”

“A Duke?” He harrumphed and shook his head as he scanned the documents, but then slowly his grin of amusement became one of disbelieve. “I’ve heard rumors of this man. He’s an Imperial Marshal! You mean to say he comes from Lunalah’s own world?”

“So she claims.”

“That accomplishment alone is perhaps the equivalent of a royal title. If not more! What is wrong with that girl? Does she not know the value of what she has? She should marry him right away!”

“This is what I am saying as well!” Revenah nodded in agreement. “But she said his honor would not allow him to propose to her. He is ashamed of his low birth.”

“Incredible.” Jin Yoo Sai shook his head. “The opportunities that simply fall into that girl’s lap.”

“So, what are your thoughts?” she asked. “Is it possible under law to make him a Duke?”

“A Duke? You are serious about entertaining this?”

“There is a bit more at stake than you know, but I dare not take this to the emperor as Lunalah asks. It would be within his power, but I no longer hold such influence.”

Jin Yoo Sai’s face suddenly paled. “I’d rather you didn’t as well. The last thing I’d want is to draw the emperor’s attention to this household.”

Revenah laughed. “Please, darling, you fret too much. Yin cares not that you share my bed.”

Jin Yoo Sai shook his head. “I wish you would not refer to him so casually as that.”

“Never you mind, what I call my own husband,” she said with a smirk. “So what are the chances of this happening? Any?”

Her ‘true’ husband cradled his beard in thought. “Any bestowing of royal title comes bonded to land. One cannot exist without the other. It is why titles such as Imperial Marshal even exist. It grants Honor without the right to own land.”

“So can’t I just grant him some of my domain?”

“That is within the emperor’s power, not your own. And do you know how many other of your sister wives and nieces would perhaps ask the emperor of the same if he did so? It is not just your daughter that would wish to marry a Duke, you know?”

Revenah frowned. “So how else then?”

“It must be new land acquired for the empire,” he said. “Either land gained through conquest or the recovery of lost land as was the case for General Arminius. I would say though, with his background and notoriety as an Imperial Marshal, it would not be a hard sell to the High Council if he could accomplish such.”

She chortled. “He will be standing before the High Council already, apparently.”

“What?” Jin Yoo Sai furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Revenah then explained the court proceedings taking place between Lunalah and Rheutera. “I know not the details and care not to, but he will be made well known by everyone in the lower courts. It would do our family well to not only win but for him to defend her as a Duke beforehand. Don’t you agree, counselor?”

Jin Yoo Sai lowered her brows at her. “It seems you’ve now made your daughter’s problem one of my own. Why did you not start with this part?”

“It made for a more interesting story, no?”

He huffed mirthlessly. “I suppose.”

“I beg you. Speak with your colleagues quietly on this please,” she said. “In the meantime, I will summon him for a visit. There are some other things he wishes that I can see to myself.”

Jin Yoo Sai sighed heavily. “Does this mean she’s coming as well?”

Revenah glared at him. “Well it is her would be husband.”

“The girl hates me, Revenah. And I can’t say the feeling is not mutual. You ask me enough already in currying favor secretly amongst the council.”

“Fine,” she said. “I will instruct her to send him alone.”

She then thought a moment more. “Actually, it may be beneficial that he does travel alone.”

“Oh?”

“I wish to meet this so-called ‘Iron Bull’, to truly see what measure of man he is. He could sorely not be his true self in Lunalah’s presence.”

Jin Yoo Sai rolled his eyes. “Who can?”

“Hush,” she chided him. “I am her mother. It is for me to say such things, not you.”

Her ‘husband’ raised his hands in quiet surrender.

“Anyway, I am quite looking forward to this now.” She smiled, pleased with herself. “We shall see if this man can indeed become a Duke.”

“He is still just one man,” Jin Yoo Sai said. “Unless he has a hidden army somewhere, I would not put too much stock in him conquering a planet anytime soon.”

Revenah shrugged. “I suppose that all depends.”

“On what?”

“On which planet he chooses to conquer.” She then smiled. “And what realm of a cultivator he is.”