<h4>Chapter 149: Emmah’s luck starts running out.</h4>


    At the grand estate of prime minister Windrider, a ce whose every corner whispered privilege and powerughter and happiness was the theme of the day. Inside the grand hall of the estate, two noble families were celebrating a union of their children.


    The union was not one both families ever nned on but their children being caught in an embrace that was sted all over the empire left them with no choice. A wedding had been arranged rather quickly and both families were hoping to quell the scandal by legitimizing the rtionship between their children.


    The first part of the wedding which was the taking of vows was over, it had been done in church. Presently, a reception was taking ce at the home of the prime minister.


    This fact alone caused a lot of frowns because ideally, the reception should have taken ce at the home of the groom, on the estate of the Durin family. The prime minister however was a powerful man and he had overpowered the Durin family, holding the reception at his home.


    Chandeliers sparkled, and the scent of roses mingled with the aroma of avish feast. The king was expected to arriveter which was a great reason behind all the extravagance andvishness. The Windrider’s were walking around with proud smiles on their faces. The bride was resplendent in a silk wedding dress that had been designed by Emmah and sewn overnight.


    The groom was dashing in his tailored suit, the couple was the picture of aristocratic perfection as they took their first dance. Despite the fact that neither bride nor groom liked the other, they had happy smiles on their faces.


    Florence was mourning her lost chance at being the king’s secondary consort, Jonathan was mourning the loss of his independence. As an active rake that prowled the city making his way through one woman after the other, he never nned to settle down until he was forty.


    Marriage had found him six years before his preferred timing and for that, he med Florence. All he wanted to was have fun with a woman that looked like the former consort. He had always desired Rina but never got a chance to touch her because she was the king’s woman.


    Florence Windrider on the other hand was not royalty and he figured he could fool around with her a little, share some kisses, fondle her breasts and touch her all over. As long as he did not sleep with her, there would be no trouble. He was no fool, he knew that sleeping with the prime minister’s daughter was a foolish move and he was a rake, not a fool.


    Until now, he could not exin how he had ended up kissing her at a ball when pictures were being taken!


    The orchestra struck up a lively waltz and he started leading her back to their seats while other guests rushed to the dance floor.


    The music suddenly stopped, near the orchestra a suddenmotion erupted. One of the trumpet yers, pale and trembling, burst into a loud scream shouting, "Fire! there is a fire."


    Panic rippled through the guests as smoke began to rise in the hall from different corners. Like a herd of elephants, everyone started to run towards the nearest exist and the men that were quick located the nearest windows.


    They were lucky that the windows were wide and open, so those that escaped started helping others by pulling them out. The sound of explosions went off, a mixture of sparks, ribbons and confetti filled the hall.


    Screams became louder, in the chaos, Emmah rushed to help Lysander who was trapped near ming curtains. She figured that the Windrider’s would forever be grateful to her because while everyone run, she saved the prime minister’s oldest son and heir.


    As she pulled him to safety, a pot of scalding soup, jostled in the frenzy, tipped over. Emmah cried out as the boiling soup sshed onto her hands and face, leaving angry red welts. Lysander was freed sessfully while Emmah was screaming and he carried her out, escaping through a window.


    Hiding in the smoke, a short mage that had used magic to topple the pot of soup disappeared into the crowd, his mission sessfullypleted with a bonus in addition.


    *********


    At Stormwind, a fire of a different sort was burning and it was a fire of anger among those that had just finished watching two episodes of the rise of Lady nche.


    Sigrid had decided to take the viewing to the ballroom and invited the servants and knights that were not on duty. Altogether, there were two hundred people in the room and the television screen wasrge enough to cover an entire wall. At the moment, snivels and sadness epassed the room.


    The reason for this was because one of the most beloved characters in the sow had just died. Her name was Lady Cleo Fletcher, Lady nche’s best friend. She was an innocent youngdy that had protected Lady nche many times before to the extent of nearly dying three times.


    Even when her arranged fiance fell in love with nche and ended their engagement, she did not me nche and even encouraged her to marry him because he was a good man.


    She was an honorable woman, with a sharp wit and a deep sense of fairness. Her loyalty to nche and mission to keep her best friend away from the path of evil made a beloved character.


    Her courage and skill in sword fighting in battle made her a character that was admired by men. She was bravely pursuing the path of a female knight.


    In the episode they had just watched, Lady Cleo stumbled on Lady nche and her brother kissing and talking about her pregnancy. Lady nche was convincing the crown prince to kill his father so that their secret would never be known and their son that she was carrying would have a chance to be king someday.


    Lady Cleo had been hiding behind the door, she gasped when she overheard the conversation and despite trying to escape, she had been captured by nche’s forces.


    nche had gone ahead to kidnap her and torture her cruelly. As if that was not enough, to keep her family from searching for her or looking for answers, she sent magic beasts to their estate, killing all of the Fletcher’s.


    By the time the heroine showed up, it was toote to save the Fletcher finally. In a finale, nche cruelly told Cleo about the fate of her family. She brought over mangled parts of their bodies and when Cleo was wailing, nch cut her chest with a sword and ripped her still beating heart out of her chest.


    It was a dramatic scene and an emotional one at the same time. The viewers were angry and mourning the loss of the beloveddy Cleo and astounded by what happened to her family, cursing Lady nche. Until the veryst moment, they had been hoping that the heroine Lady Somerset would rescue Cleo.


    Some had even assumed that Cleo and Somerset would work together to reveal nche’s schemes and take her down. Nothing could have prepared them for what they had just seen.