"The Emperor and the Crown Prince of the Flame Dragon Empire has arrived!" a eunuch announced before bowing low. That man must be one of the senior eunuchs of this palace.

I hated the horrendous fact that the people of my village had chosen me as their sacrifice and offered me as part of the spoils of war to this empire after our small country was conquered. The villagers resented my existence so it came as no surprise that if a woman had to be sent to serve as a slave to the Empire, it would be me, the one they hated the most and needed the least.

Two men entered the grand hall where around a hundred women were standing in rows like trophies on display, I was one of them. We were all dressed to please and entice men. We all wore the same dress, common for the concubine of this palace, in the bright red auspicious color of this empire. Simultaneously, we bowed low to greet the Emperor and his favorite son, the Crown Prince of the Flame Dragon Empire. I kept my head low and my eyes casted down to avoid catching anyone's attention or inviting trouble.

Needless to say, a lowly commoner like me has never been in the presence of royalty, not one from my homeland and definitely not one from a foreign country. My homeland was nothing more than a small town, we didn't actually have royalty, but we do have a governing family that served as the Elder of the village. I didn't know how to react, so I copied what the other women in the room were doing; I bowed low and kept my eyes down on the floor. Perhaps, if they didn't take interest in me, I could return home.

"Your Majesty and Your Highness, we have gathered beautiful and talented women far and wide to present for your choosing. These fine women have been specially nominated from their hometown to pay tribute to your greatness. Please do let us know if any of them pleases you," the old Eunuch proudly announced as he gestured to the rows of women standing in the grand hall.

"Before that, I have a very important announcement to make. The woman who manages to become pregnant with the Crown Prince's child will be immediately promoted to the Empress of the Flame Dragon Empire along with the Crown Prince ascension to the throne as the new Emperor. As per the traditions and customs of our Empire, the Crown Prince is only able to become the Emperor once his woman is pregnant with an heir to secure the royal bloodline. I sincerely hope that the future Empress of this Empire is one of you lovely ladies standing in this hall," the Emperor announced in an authoritative booming voice that echoed throughout the hall.

"Father! ... Your Majesty!" the Crowned Prince exclaimed in apparent shock at this father's announcement. It was clear that he had not been informed of such an arrangement beforehand. In other circumstances, I may have pitied the poor guy. However, my current mood and situation does not leave enough room for me to sympathize with other people.

"I am an old man already. I want you to take over the throne as soon as possible, and more importantly, I want to see the face of my grandchild. You will do your duty and pick some women to bed in order to produce an heir!" the Emperor replied sternly. His words were final.

The Crown Prince bit his lower lip in annoyance and frustration as he eyed the endless rows of women in the vast hall. They all look the same, he thought, how will I be able to choose. I don't even want a woman in my life. Why isn't it enough to just go to war and expand this Empire's territory as I've always done? It's not like I even want to be the next Emperor...

"If I may humbly suggest, in order to assist with the Crown Prince's selection, would it be an acceptable idea to get each woman to introduce herself and showcase her special talent? I am sure all of them have been chosen to represent their homeland based on their exquisite beauty and outstanding talent," the senior eunuch recommended before bowing low.

"That sounds like a great idea! Let's start at once. I would like to find my future daughter-in-law as soon as possible!" the Emperor exclaimed, clearly pleased. While the Crown Prince had a tight frown on his face.

What?! I'm supposed to display some type of talent! I was never told of this before. Obviously, I had nothing prepared and I didn't have any special talent for that matter. Well, perhaps this was working in my favor, if I don't attract the Crowned Prince attention then I can just go back to my poor village and return to my peaceful life once again. Since I was standing almost to the very back of the hall, I had time to observe the other women go first and prepare myself mentally.

"My name is Fan Misuki from the Kingdom of Azure Pearls. I will now demonstrate my nation's traditional dance to Your Majesty and Your Highness," a beautiful woman with wavy long hair and a curvy figure said sweetly.

I was astounded by the amount of beauty and talent gathered here within the hall. One after the other each woman introduced her name, showcased her beauty and then her talent. All the other women were clearly on a different beauty scale than me. It was clear that their nation had selected them based on their extraordinary beauty and talent. Dancing, singing, composing poetry, arranging flowers, and painting were just a few of the talents that the other women had chosen to put on display in order to please the two men of royalty standing before them.

"Bravo...amazing!" the Emperor complimented all of them as he clapped with joy. He was clearly enjoying himself.

From what I could tell from so far away where I was standing, the Crowned Prince had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal thus far. Perhaps he was hard to please. Even as a woman, I was very impressed by the beauty and talent of the other women who had already introduced themselves.

"You! You there! ... What are you spacing out for? It's your turn...quick!" I heard a man's voice hissing at me as I turned to the side to face him. He quickly waved me to step forward.

It's my turn already?!?! What should I do?! I'm going to embarrass myself in front of all these people.

--To be continued...