Emperor Najeer
The sweet smell of flowers and spices filled the air as the hall was decorated with lovely women swaying their hips In accordance to the tune of the music. The girls performed excellently well, swirling their veils and twirling their gowns.
From above the ground floor, a crowd of spectators watched with their hearts in their palms. Only the elites among nobles and governors in the High Court had been allowed the opportunity to watch the Royal Engagement directly.
The Nobles looked down at the scene adding to the tension as new dancers entered the room. They had pulled many strings to get their daughters to this stage. The only thing out of their hands was the selection itself. At the end of the day, it was the Emperor that was doing the picking. If he saw a girl and didn't like her, there was nothing anyone could about it. No one could manipulate nor persuade him to take a girl he didn't want.
All they could do was hope and look towards the High Throne, searching for a sign of interest in the Emperor's face.
But it was the same as a blind gamble. The Emperor had only pointed to girls during unexpected intervals without showing hints of interest.
His choices were too random to even make a distinction of his taste.
Najeer watched from his seat heavily aware of his Court's gaze on him. Annoying, it was. But it couldn't compare to the heavy ache growing in his chest, a sick ghost-like pain.
The pain had been born only a week ago and ever since then it failed to leave his body. When the annoying sensation came, his body would suddenly become restless.
Tonight that feeling seemed to have amplified.
The last set of girls danced out of the hall a new girls entered shaking their bangles.
A silent sigh escaped Najeer's lips.
Like sitting on knives. Not even a break to regain your sanity. Whoever made this tradition must have been a true sadist.
Watching women dance over and over again for hours, as unbelievable as it sounds, could become tiring.
How many brides had he chosen already? Six to seven hundred, maybe. Something within that range. Which meant that he still had... quiet a lot left to select the required minimum of three thousand.
Considering the fact that he needed to search for five queens, he had to be critical about it as well. He could have as many wives and concubines as he wanted but his Queens were limited. Only five were needed. Among them would be his Empress. His equal.
His true search tonight was for the women who would rule with him in his Era. Deciding a Queen was more important than just selecting a bride.
Queens were an extension of the Emperor's arm of power, and His Empress could make final decisions on his behalf.
They were like a safety net. Relying on court members alone to make the decisions for the Empire was equal to lying on a bed of snakes, a horrible idea. They rarely agreed and most tried to push their own selfish agendas. The last time Najeer experimented a new form of government by letting the Courts act independently, wars between courts and houses broke out and two rebellions spawned nearly overnight. He failed to remember that before peace can be gained, there must be conflict—in his empire's case, even the smallest conflict could lead to the death of millions due to its size and cultural differences.
Since then Najeer learnt that he could never trust a politician. They didn't care about the lives of people that would be wasted, as long as they could achieved their vision in the end.
At least, if he chose the right queens, they could control their sections in their unique ways. Queens he could monitor and execute if they acted out of hand, without worrying about who would take their place
If he bonded with the queens as well as the previous Emperor's did with their queens, they could become the most trusted allies.
Someone like Evere. He had already chosen her as a Queen. She would make a great one at that. If there was anyone he could trust at his side, it was her.
In the midst of the moving women, a white dress caught his eye.