When Emma opened her eyes, she found a pair of light blue eyes looking down at her from above, looking relieved.

"Are you awake?" asked Therius attentively.

Emma blinked and stared at Therius for a long moment. She then grabbed her injured shoulder. Her clothes had been changed to clean ones, and the wound didn't hurt at all.

"Where am I?" She did not recognize the room she was in.

"We are staying in a secluded villa on the mountain, close to the capital. Atila said, you need to calm down. I'm preparing a grand funeral for the late king and your parents. I've asked Taeshi to send your father's body to be buried in Akkadia with your mother," Therius said.

Emma fell silent. She knew Taeshi was her mother's hometown, but her father was from Akkadia. And if Emma was going to spend the rest of her life in Akkadia with Therius, it would be better if her parents were buried near her.

She sat on the bed.

"Thank you," Emma said in a weak voice. "You understand what I want."

Therius sat beside Emma and took her hand. "I don't want you to be far away from me. If your parents are buried in Taeshi, you will have to go there to see them.?I think I did it because I was selfish."

Emma smiled faintly at that. She nodded. The girl then cast her gaze around. "Where is this? This is not your parents' holiday home, isn't it? I don't recognize this place."

Therius shook his head. "My parents' holiday home is too far away. I have my own place in the mountains, near the capital. I have to go back and forth to the royal palace to do my work, so I can't go too far away from the capital."

"Oh .. how far is this place from the capital?" asked Emma.

"Only half an hour away."

"Oh ..." Emma nodded in understanding. "How long have I slept?"

"All night. Atila took care of you here. She will stay with you while I go to work." Therius pressed a button and whispered to Emma. "By the way, I have a surprise for you."

Emma frowned. She did not know what surprise Therius might have prepared for her. Not long after, there was a knock on the massive door in her room from outside.

Emma glanced toward the door and waited to see who came. When the door opened, Atila entered with two people trailing behind her.

A woman in her early 40s, with a beautiful face and brown hair fashioned in a pretty bun above her head, walked in with graceful steps, followed by a boy about 14 years old.

Emma pressed her lips in shock and let out a muffled sigh. She didn't need to ask to know who these two were.

"Emma?" asked the woman in a sweet voice. When she got close, Emma could see how similar the woman's face looked to Arreya's. Was this Princess Lilia, her mother's younger sister?

Emma looked up and stared at the woman doubtfully.

"Big Sister Emma," the boy who was with Princess Lilia arrived in front of Emma. His handsome face looked very much like Kaoshin's. His hair was silver like his father's. For a moment, Emma was amazed. She felt like she saw her father alive again.

"You ... are you my brother?" asked Emma in a trembling voice. She immediately got out of bed and rushed to embrace the boy.

The two of them hugged and cried together. Finally, for the first time in her life, Emma could meet her younger brother. Therius and Lilia watched the meeting between the two, looking moved.

Therius was relieved that he managed to invite Princess Lilia and Prince Aran to Akkadia on time. He hoped that the two of them could comfort Emma.

"My name is Aran," said Aran, wiping tears from his eyes, after he and Emma broke away from each other. "Mother often told me about my sister. She said that one day, I must find a way to visit you on earth and bring you home."

Emma nodded with tears in her eyes. She felt very comforted because it turned out that, after her parents died, she still had another family.

"Emma, ??I'm Lilia, your mother's sister," said Princess Lilia with a smile. "You can call me Auntie Lilia."

Emma hugged Lilia and cried on her shoulders. She never knew who Arreya's family was before, so the opportunity to meet her aunt and younger sibling made Emma very happy.

"We came together with your father's body. King Licht said the funeral will be held here. He is making arrangements for everything," said Lilia, glancing at Therius.

King Licht.

Ahh ... Emma now remembered that Therius was no longer a prince. He was the king of this empire. She turned to Therius and nodded gratefully.

"You don't have to think about it. Avato has taken care of everything related to the funeral and the coronation events. You just focus on your health. Later, when you're ready, we will have our wedding," said Therius soothingly.

Emma hugged Therius and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Therius kissed the girl's forehead and squeezed her hand gently. "Very well .. I will return to the capital and do my work. I will leave you here to exchange news and spend time as a family."

Emma nodded. Therius said goodbye to Princess Lilia and Aran then walked out of Emma's room. He immediately went to the royal palace in the capital and took care of various state affairs.

Emma spent the whole day talking with her brother and aunt. They were all filled with deep emotions because this meeting was so unexpected. Even though it happened after the deaths of Kaoshin and Arreya, at least now Aran and Emma can meet.

***

The grand funeral was held for King Cassius, General Kaoshin, and Princess Arreya. The whole country was in mourning for seven days.

Once the mourning period was over, Therius made announcements throughout the country that the Stardust family would no longer be enemies of the state. He also cleared their names and made a statement that he would marry Emma Stardust, the daughter of General Kaoshin and Princess Arreya in the future.

The announcement caused a stir throughout Akkadia. There were many positive and negative responses from the Akkadian people and officials. Therius paid no heed to their opinions. As king, his power was absolute, and his words were law. Nobody could do anything against the young king.

After the grand funeral, he was coronated as the new king. After he was formalized as the new monarch, Therius created a new cabinet and appointed only the people loyal to him.

All officials and noble families loyal to his grandmother and cousins ??were removed from positions of influence. Therius' actions were so swift and efficient that before his political opponents had time to react, they had been eliminated.

Heron and Queen Ygrit were tried for treason and assassination attempts. They received different sentences. Heron was executed, along with his men, who joined in attacking Therius in Planet Daneria. Queen Ygrit was sentenced to spend the rest of her life in the Red Tower considering her old age.

Yared, who had not had time to do anything to rebel, was fortunate that no accusations could be proved against him. However, Therius restricted his access to the capital. Princess Yldwyn was sent back to Terren with a stern warning. Terren was given a massive fine for her actions and this made Terren's people very angry with the princess.

Therius started a committee to give independence to all of the colonies after he and Emma got married. He wanted the process to be peaceful and not harmful to Akkadia. Many officials were shocked to hear of his intention to free their colonies, but many more supported him.

Therius' reputation as the new king of Akkadia soon took off. The people, as well as the colonies, liked him for his progressive views. Akkadia had colonized the other kingdoms for hundreds of years, and many people thought it no longer suited the modern times.

People considered the resources in outer space should be their next target of exploration.

Three months later, all the hard work that Therius had begun to establish his reign was finally over.

***

"I'm so tired ..." Therius complained, resting his head on Emma's lap. They were enjoying the beautiful view of the valley from the balcony in Emma's room. Currently, Emma spent more of her time at Therius' home on the mountain close to the capital.

Her mind slowly found peace. And lately, she even started smiling again.

"Is your work finished?" asked Emma attentively.

"Not yet. I still have to meet the five kings from our colonies tomorrow. After that, we will discuss the technicalities for our relationship and cooperation in the future," Therius replied.

"Hmm ... but after that, your work is done?" Emma asked again.

Therius closed his eyes and nodded. "Done. I just need to do one more thing."

"What is that?" asked Emma.

Therius smiled without opening his eyes. His voice sounded blissful as he answered Emma's question. "After that, we have to get married."

.

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