《The Blood Tear Of Dragon Empress》 Ch 1: The Bloodstained Betrayal A majestic and opulent occasion was held at the Grand Estate of the North-West Empire. The Emperor of this vast domain was a youthful sovereign known for his charm and sociability. This grand celebration marked the conquest of the Crucify Empire, a feat that strengthened his rule. The event proceeded smoothly, with nobles and dignitaries in attendance. At the stroke of midnight, deep within the Grand Imperial Drawing Room, Emperor Oknecao of the South-East Empire sat with his two concubines, awaiting the arrival of the Grand Emperor. A moment later, the imposing figure of Grand Emperor Herbio entered the room, his expression courteous yet calculating. He offered a polite nod. ¡°I appreciate your presence, Emperor Oknecao. I understand you have been preoccupied with drafting a new policy for your empire.¡± The concubines stood, bowing gracefully before the Grand Emperor. Emperor Oknecao narrowed his eyes. ¡°Surely, Your Majesty did not summon me here merely to offer thanks. Am I correct, Grand Emperor Herbio?¡± Herbio¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. ¡°You are not wrong.¡± The concubines took their seats, sensing the conversation was about to turn serious. ¡°Then tell me,¡± Oknecao continued, ¡°what is so urgent that it could not wait until morning?¡± Herbio leaned forward, his tone deceptively casual. ¡°I was wondering¡ªwhere has that adopted Chinese princess hidden the Blood Tear of the Dragon Empress? The lavaliere that I have sought for years.¡± His fingers drummed against the table. ¡°I sent spies, but they failed. That princess is clever¡­ they were caught and executed.¡± He let out a theatrical sigh. ¡°But now, while she sleeps, I thought I¡¯d ask you instead.¡± Oknecao¡¯s expression hardened. Herbio continued, his voice turning cold. ¡°Make no mistake¡ªmy primary goal is to obtain that lavaliere. If you refuse to tell me its location, I will have no choice but to grant you a pity death.¡± He paused, eyes gleaming. ¡°Of course, I will claim it was a suicide¡ªan elaborate plot to frame me. Your imperial family will be cast out into the streets, torn apart by angry villagers. And in the end, your empire¡­ will be mine.¡± Fury flashed across Oknecao¡¯s face as he rose to his feet. ¡°How dare you! Do you think I will betray my people? Even if it costs me my life, I will never¡ª¡± A sharp gasp escaped his lips. A dagger, its blade laced with poison, had pierced his back. Staggering forward, he turned in disbelief. Lady Charlos, his own concubine, withdrew the knife, her expression void of remorse. His legs gave out beneath him. He collapsed to the sette, unmoving. Grand Emperor Herbio¡¯s gaze flicked to Lady Charlos. ¡°Why now? I told you to wait until he refused outright.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Lady Kial, the second concubine, smirked. ¡°Forgive her impatience, Your Majesty. Oknecao had grown old, weak, and frustrating to serve. I understand my sister¡¯s desires towards a outstanding noblemen. We longed for a ruler who was¡­ younger. Stronger. Like you.¡± Lady Charlos lowered her head. ¡°I hope you will forgive me, Grand Emperor.¡± Herbio exhaled, rubbing his temples. Meanwhile, in the Empress¡¯s chamber, the wife of Emperor Oknecao, with pure shining white hair, stirred from her sleep. A sharp pain lanced through her chest, jolting her awake. Gasping, she clutched her heart and called out. ¡°Leonos! Leonos!¡± Her lady-in-waiting rushed inside. ¡°Your Majesty! What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡ªI felt a terrible pain in my chest,¡± the Empress gasped. ¡°It can only mean one thing¡ªmy husband is in danger.¡± Leonos hesitated before forcing a calm expression. ¡°Your bond with His Majesty is strong¡­ but please, do not overthink it. I will go check on him at once.¡± But as she left, Leonos did not head toward the Drawing Room. Instead, she walked toward the Princess¡¯s quarters. Outside the drawing room, someone was peeking through the slightly open door. It was none other than the personal maid of the Chinese Princess, assigned to accompany the Emperor but remain outside. She had been eavesdropping ever since the Grand Emperor entered the room. Without wasting a second, she hurried away, making no sound as she rushed to warn the Princess and Leonos. Her plan was to inform the Princess first, then Leonos, ensuring both she and the Empress could escape safely. However, upon reaching the Princess¡¯s chambers, she found the door already ajar. Hearing Leonos¡¯s voice inside, she paused and listened. Leonos spoke, ¡°The Emperor has ordered me to bring you to him for an important discussion.¡± The maid frowned. When did the Emperor give this order? She had been standing outside the Empress¡¯s room and had heard nothing of the sort. Then, a chilling realization struck her¡ªjust as the two concubines had betrayed His Majesty, Leonos could be planning the same for the Princess. Glancing around, she spotted a flower vase nearby. Stealthily picking it up, she stepped closer to Leonos and, without hesitation, struck the back of her neck. Leonos collapsed, unconscious. Princess Long Yan turned to her. ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°Oh, can¡¯t you save yourself?¡± Maroon, the maid, scoffed. ¡°You foresaw this with your Dragon Mana, yet you stood there like an obedient student. Am I wrong, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Whatever! Let¡¯s escape now!¡± Long Yan snapped. Long Yan, the adopted Chinese heiress, with flowing black hair, striking red eyes, defined eyelashes, a crimson outline just below her lower lashes, and naturally pink, glossy lips, captivated all. Maroon hesitated. ¡°But what about the Em¡ª¡± Long Yan grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the balcony. Together, they leaped. Maroon shut her eyes, convinced this was the end. But just before they hit the ground, Long Yan summoned her mana, creating a portal beneath them. As they fell through, Maroon shivered from the sudden cold and opened her eyes. Around them, the night sky stretched endlessly, thick with swirling clouds. As they passed through, Long Yan clutched a red, diamond-shaped lavaliere¡ªthe Blood Tear of the Dragon Queen, the very artifact the Grand Emperor sought to destroy. Chanting a spell, she unleashed its power. A radiant white dragon emerged from the lavaliere, catching them midair. ¡°This is Yue Long,¡± Long Yan introduced. ¡°My traveling companion. Look below¡ªdoesn¡¯t the territory look breathtaking?¡± Maroon, however, looked down with sorrow. Long Yan noticed and asked, ¡°Why are you upset, Maroon?¡± Tears welled in Maroon¡¯s eyes. ¡°How could you leave the Empress behind to die? How could you be so heartless, Your Highness?!¡± Long Yan¡¯s expression darkened. Ch 2:- The Weight of the Past Long Yan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°The Empress Mother was already dead before the prediction from the sheer pain she felt after his death.¡± Maroon trembled. ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you crying, Princess?¡± Long Yan¡¯s voice was steady. ¡°If crying for the dead could bring them back, I would cry.¡± Maroon fell silent. Then, Yue Long, the moon-colored dragon, descended into an alley in a small village and returned to the lavaliere. Long Yan looked around and suggested, ¡°Instead of wandering around looking for a place to sleep, we should rest here in this alley.¡± Maroon hesitated. ¡°Are you sure, Your Highness? It does seem clean and tidy, but will you be comfortable sleeping here?¡± Long Yan smiled. ¡°Of course! This is nothing to me. Can¡¯t you see how clean it is? Before the Empress adopted me, I lived in conditions far worse than this. When I think about my past, I often wonder how I even survived. If I had to endure that again, I don¡¯t know if I could.¡± Maroon listened intently. ¡°Now, let¡¯s sleep,¡± Long Yan said, lying down on the alley floor. As Long Yan was about to drift off, Maroon spoke up. ¡°What kind of life did you live before? Ever since I became your personal maid, I¡¯ve wanted to ask¡ªwho were you before this? What was your life like? Where did you come from? But you were always so busy managing the territories, practicing swordsmanship, and performing rituals in the garden that I never got the chance to ask.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Long Yan chuckled. ¡°Oh, really?¡± She took a deep breath and began her story. ¡°A century ago, I was a Chinese saintess and the Heiress Apparent of the Red Dwarf Empire, the only difference was my white hair, while my younger brother was only a prince. This lavaliere was created by my ancestor god and chose me to be a saintess. The people of the village were overjoyed to have me, and I used my abilities to heal and bless them. But my good deeds made my brother jealous. He was greedy and desperate to take the throne¡ªso much so that he was willing to kill me, our mother, and our father to achieve his goal.¡± She paused before continuing. ¡°Then came the day of war. I was healing the wounded knights on the battlefield, but as I channeled my mana, something went terribly wrong. The golden energy of my healing spell turned black and red¡ªit had become dark mana. Within moments, all two hundred knights I had been treating lay dead. The news spread like wildfire. Their families, enraged, attacked my lands and burned down three of my realms, convinced I had killed the knights on purpose. Seeing an opportunity, my brother took action. A legal case was built against me, and he pushed for my imprisonment so he could become the next emperor. However, my father, the emperor, declared a battle between us¡ªthe victor would inherit the throne. My brother was a master in swordsmanship, while I had never even held a sword. I had no time to train due to the legal proceedings. On the day of battle, his eyes burned red with fury, and he attacked like a warrior in the midst of war. The villagers cheered for him. I had no weapon, so I ran. But then, I saw something terrifying¡ªblack, smoky tendrils swirling behind me. It was dark mana. Only priests, their students, mages, and I knew the art of manipulating mana, yet my brother, an ordinary man, wielded it effortlessly. I realized, in that moment¡ª Ch 3:- Rebirth of the Fallen Saintess I realized, in that moment, that he must have secretly infused my healing mana with dark energy during the war. The smoke wrapped around me, immobilizing me. One of the tendrils reached for my lavaliere, trying to rip it from my neck. But then, something brilliant emerged from the crystal¡ªa radiant form took shape. It was the Queen Dragon. The battle became a clash between two legends¡ªmy brother, fueled by dark mana, and me, alongside the Dragon Queen. The fight was brutal. Then, without warning, a thick fog covered the battlefield. Amidst the chaos, my brother stabbed me in the back with his sword. But before he could celebrate his victory, the Dragon Queen lunged, sinking her sharp teeth into him. She tore him apart and swallowed him whole. I felt myself collapsing, but before I hit the ground, the Dragon Queen caught me and swallowed me as well. My vision faded to black. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the arms of a poor farmer¡¯s wife. She was smiling at me. I tried to speak, but my voice was weak¡ªlike a newborn¡¯s. When I lifted my hands, I saw they were small and chubby. I had been reincarnated. The farmer had wanted a son, while his wife longed for a daughter. Their arguments over small things escalated constantly. The man was a drunkard, and the fights between them continued until I turned six. Then, one day, in the heat of an argument, the farmer¡¯s wife took her own life. The very next day, he threw me out. Homeless and starving, I scavenged for food¡ªeven if it was rotting on the street. But soon, I decided stealing was a better option. I became a thief, living in filth among scampering mice. The villagers complained to the emperor, and the soldiers hunted me. Though I evaded capture for a long time, they finally caught me and dragged me before the emperor. He ordered my imprisonment, but then the Empress noticed¡ª Ch 4:- Marked by the Dragon Empress The Empress noticed the lavaliere around my neck. ¡®Little girl,¡¯ she asked, ¡®where did you get that?¡¯ I had completely forgotten about it. The Empress studied it from her throne and gasped. ¡®The Blood Tear of the Dragon Queen!¡¯ The entire hall erupted into whispers. The Empress, who was infertile, requested that the Emperor adopt me. To confirm my identity, he summoned mages to test my blood. They discovered that I had imperial blood, and I was officially adopted.¡± Maroon, wide-eyed, asked, ¡°And what about your brother?¡± Long Yan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°He was reincarnated too¡ªinto the body of the Grand Emperor. Now, he is after my lavaliere, determined to destroy it. He already knew I had been reborn, but I only discovered his existence while meditating in the Grand Imperial guest room.¡± Maroon murmured in awe, ¡°You¡¯re not just a saintess. You¡¯re more than a goddess. What could have earned the lavaliere the name¡ªthe Blood Tear of the Dragon Empress?¡± Long Yan chuckled. ¡°Amid the war between the Dragon Empress and rival dragons, every village dragon under her, met its demise. This sent the Dragon Empress into utter despair, making even her blood mourn, and she perished on the spot. Our forebear deity gathered her sacred blood and entombed it within this lavaliere. The deity forged a pact with the fallen knights and the Dragon Empress: should they desire resurrection in their own forms to battle for the next era, they must be bound within the lavaliere. When they are asked to summon, they would be awakened. Embracing this fate, their spirits became enshrined within the lavaliere. Now enough talk¡ªlet me sleep now.¡± They both drifted into slumber. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Meanwhile, in the North-West Grand Empire¡­ Leonos knelt before the throne. ¡°I apologize, Your Majesty. I failed to capture her. But I did confirm that the Blood Tear of the Dragon Empress is in the Princess¡¯s possession. The lavaliere only appears when she performs rituals or summons it.¡± The Grand Emperor, Herbio, turned to his knights. ¡°There is no time to waste. We march to conquer the South-East Empire!¡± Lady Kial hesitated. ¡°But what about finding the lavaliere?¡± Herbio smirked. ¡°The lavaliere is with Long Yan. Once we have secured the empire, I will send my men to retrieve it.¡± Lady Charlos turned to Leonos. ¡°You must remain vigilant. I know you resigned from knighthood due to your health, choosing instead to serve as the Empress¡¯s lady-in-waiting. But you cannot afford any mistakes.¡± Leonos bowed. At dawn, Long Yan and Maroon awoke with empty stomachs and set out in search of food and shelter. As they wandered, they marveled at the village¡¯s beauty. The streets were clean, the villagers joyful, and even the animals seemed content. A woman from a bread shop called out to them. Long Yan turned back, and the woman handed her a loaf of bread. ¡°I have no money,¡± Long Yan said. The woman smiled. ¡°No need to pay. ¡®Service to God is service to mankind.¡¯ You seem like an outsider, though. You look Chinese.¡± Long Yan hesitated, unsure how to respond. She simply thanked the woman. Just then, she noticed Maroon lost in thought, oblivious to an approaching carriage. ¡°Maroon! Look out!¡± she screamed. Ch 5:- Eyes That Remember ¡°Maroon! Look out!¡± she screamed. But Maroon didn¡¯t hear. The carriage thundered toward her. Without hesitation, Long Yan lunged, knocking Maroon aside just in time. The carriage screeched to a halt, and the driver hurriedly stepped down. A young noble emerged from the carriage. As he approached, Long Yan turned to face him¡ªand their eyes met. A jolt of recognition struck her. She knew this man, with golden hair, captivating blue eyes, and fair skin. ¡°Are you the Lord of Dukedom?¡± she asked. He nodded. Tears welled in Long Yan¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. That young man was none other than her childhood friend. After Long Yan was adopted, a grand ball was held for honoring Long Yan¡¯s ascension as Heiress Apparent at the Imperial Estate. She elatedly danced with a boy, and they shared a bittersweet farewell. She asked the Empress if they could continue meeting, and with her approval, their bond grew over the years. Eventually, they fell in love. They admitted their love to each other and vowed to conceal it from their parents. The Empress frequently observed her feelings and one day, asked about them during dinner. Blushing, Long Yan admitted it, but the Emperor was furious. ¡°You are of the Imperial family! I have already chosen a match for you,¡± he declared. Heartbroken, Long Yan cried through the night, and they stopped meeting. Her destined betrothed was none other than Herbio. Now, after six years, they reunited, running into each other¡¯s arms. ¡°I missed you, Vekem.¡± ¡°I missed you too, Long Yan.¡± The crowd cheered, calling her their future Duchess. Vekem took Long Yan and Maroon to the Duke, who, after a long sigh, granted his blessing. Overjoyed, the couple embraced while Maroon scoffed, ¡°Lovebirds everywhere.¡± Long Yan requested extra protection, but before she could explain, a breathless messenger arrived. ¡°Your Grace, the North-West Grand Empire has conquered the South-East Empire! The Emperor and Empress have been killed. The Grand Emperor declared the escaped Princess will bring destruction if not captured.¡± Long Yan froze, ¡°They¡¯ve begun searching for me.¡± Ch 6:- The Night the Sky Burned Long Yan froze. ¡°They¡¯ve begun searching for me.¡± Understanding the danger, the Duke granted her request. A month after their marriage, Long Yan frequently inspected the armed forces. However, she was dissatisfied with the number of knights. Determined to strengthen their military, she drafted a detailed proposal to increase the size, power, and tactical efficiency of the forces and presented it to Duke Vekem. He agreed and implemented her plan. Within a year, a formidable cavalry and infantry force was established in the Dukedom. Though powerful, it still paled in comparison to the Grand Empire¡¯s army. Nonetheless, Long Yan and her forces began reclaiming territories under the Grand Empire''s rule. Three empires that had sided with the Grand Empire fell under their control. Enraged by this, Grand Emperor Herbio planned a surprise nighttime assault on Long Yan¡¯s Duchies. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. That fateful night, the attack commenced. Long Yan and her allies were alerted, and Duke Vekem immediately ordered his butler to dispatch his knights. The knights defended the realms while the cavalry and infantry forces launched a counteroffensive. Long Yan seized a sword hanging on the wall and rushed to the top of the fortress. From there, she saw Grand Emperor Herbio leading the attack. At that moment, the lavaliere appeared around her neck and glowed. Channeling its mana, she summoned the Dragon Knights and the Dragon Queen. Mounting the Dragon Queen, she descended into battle, slicing through enemy knights and barbarians as she fought her way toward Emperor Herbio. Meanwhile, Duke Vekem also joined the fray, engaging the enemy forces. However, a group of priests suddenly surrounded him, forming a massive sacred pentagon. The High Priest emerged and began chanting, transforming the pentagon into a dark, ominous one. From its lines, undead warriors rose and attacked him with barbaric weapons.