I Will Prove My Worth

Here goes another one! Enjoy.

Useless.

Weak.

Fragile.

Those words defined her.

Though she was the first princess of the Hyuuga throne, her father saw her as unfitting, her sister pitied her, and the whole royal family looked away whenever she entered the room. Disappointment and rejection was all she's ever known for the past 24 years of her life.

She was quiet, compared to Hinabi, who wasn't afraid to speak up and voice her opinions. She was not fit to be a warrior, even though it was required for all royal members to be trained in combat. She was incapable of standing in front of thousands of villagers to say a simple hello...and if she couldn't even greet her own people with confidence, as her father said, she was not fit to be born into royalty.

The only good thing about her that people gossiped about, was her beauty. Her lavender orbs that seemingly hypnotized anyone who stared at her, her wavering locks that grew lusciously over the years, and her flawless porcelain skin was unmatched, even by the queens of the neighboring kingdoms.

However, beauty got her nowhere, especially in the Hyuuga household. They valued strength and assertion, none of which she had.

And now, as she stood in front of the throne and the royal court, her life was being bought and locked away, forever, against her will.

She stared at the scroll in her trembling hands, and her breath quivered.

This is the royal decree,

The Emperor expresses his affection for Hinata of the Hyuuga kingdom. In order to further ensure alliance and flow of trade between the two kingdoms, the princess of the throne is to be betrothed to the Emperor. The Hyuuga princess will be declared as the First Empress of the Uzumaki Era and as such, the Hyuuga kingdom will receive unlimited protection and be first-hand priority during wars and kingdom conflicts. The Emperor has gifted the price of:

20,000 pounds of gold bars

20,000 pounds of silver orbs

20,000 pounds of diamonds

1,500 pounds of new weaponry

10,000 pounds of poultry and grain

The Emperor offers peace and stability for this marriage alliance. Should you accept this marriage alliance, the Emperor will descend upon the Hyuuga kingdom on the 30th night of the crescent moon to take his bride.

End of royal decree, signed and approved by the royal court of the Uzumaki kingdom.

She knew she was unloved and frankly, unwanted...but she didn't know that her own father would actually sell her away to the Uzumaki Emperor.

Naruto Uzumaki was the current reigning emperor and controlled all 8 kingdoms: the Hyuuga kingdom, the Haruno kingdom, the Uchiha kingdom, the Yamanaka kingdom, the Inuzuka kindgom, the Nara kingdom, the Aburame kingdom, and of course, the Uzumaki kingdom.

She's never seen him, but judging from the letter, it seems as if he already laid eyes on her, and evidently wanted her as his empress. She didn't know much about him, only the fact that he was a young hero who united them all when there was a raging war between the kingdoms only 5 years ago. She could recall her father going out frequently with the palace soldiers to fight, but all other information was withheld because she and her sister were locked up in the castle to be protected.

Overall, the Uzumaki Emperor did not seem like an overbearing tyrant or a cruel, power-hungry man...but it still didn't excuse the fact that she was going to be married to an absolute stranger and be expected to spend her whole life with him.

Hinata slowly averted her eyes up to her father and with all the courage she had left in her, she replied, "I decline, father."

Hiashi gazed at her with that all-too-familiar ice cold expression and almost scowled at her defiance. "You have never done anything to benefit this kingdom. I do not understand why he chose you, out of all the more capable princesses. The fact that you will be the Empress and have legal power over me, shakes me to the core, daughter. However...the Emperor has declared his affection for you, as stated. And I, as the king of the Hyuuga kingdom, will not turn away the much needed resources listed in exchange for you." With a wave of his hand, two court members retrieved the scroll from her and brought it to him.

"Whether you decline this marriage or not, is not up to you. I will order the servants to gather your belongings. Be prepared to meet the Emperor within a month's time to discuss the marriage arrangements."

The whole room gasped when Hinata abruptly dropped to her knees. "Father, please...don't send me away like this. I cannot live with the Emperor, much less rule over the kingdoms as Empress-,"

"Get up." Hiashi cut her off harshly. "Not another word, Hinata. You will be the Emperor's wife. You do not kneel, even to me."

"I cannot marry someone I don't love...please, please..." Hinata was on the verge of tears, but she wouldn't let them fall, especially not in front of the whole royal court.

"This is not about love. Marriage is more than petty feelings and emotions, especially for someone of high status like us. Marriage is a contract. It is business. It brings resources and unites our kingdoms to promote peace. Raising you up till now, you should know better." He glanced over at Hinata's mother. "Your mother understood her duty when she was betrothed to me. Nearly all the leaders of the 8 kingdoms were in a marriage arrangement...no one married out of love, Hinata."

"I...I understand, but...I beg, please reconsider, for the sake that I am your first daughter-,"

"It is because you are my first daughter, that I am accepting the Emperor's proposal." Hiashi cut her off with such remarks that made her mind blank. She knew there was no way out of this. There was no excuse that could beat what the Emperor would gift their kingdom if she married him. Those resources were worth more than her life...and if the Emperor had asked for her head instead, she was sure that Hiashi would cut it off himself without a second thought.

"I will do anything to prove that I am worthy of being a Hyuuga. Just don't sell me away like this. Father, I will do anything-,"

"If you want to prove your worth to the Hyuuga family, then be a good Empress, damn it!" Hiashi slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne, making everyone in the room jump at the loud echo that followed. "You will not dishonor this family any longer. You are dismissed, daughter."

Hinata's jaw clenched and she stayed quiet at his comment. She forced herself to shut down her overwhelming emotions and pushed down her tears.

Unworthy.

A princess who dishonored the royal family.

Another set of phrases that now defined her.

She just wanted to leave the room with the last of her dignity. She swallowed the air stuck in her throat and then relaxed her shoulders after realizing how tense her body was. She slowly stood up and though her hands were still shaking, she brought them together gracefully in front of her and fixed the front of her long dress.

Again, mustering up her courage, she resisted the urge to bow as usual to her parents on the throne and to the other 10 royal court members seated on both sides of her. Instead, she stood her ground and though her heart was pounding like crazy, she met her father's piercing gaze with her own and could see that her father was slightly taken back by her firm stance.

If that was what her father wanted, then so be it. She will prove it...that she was not weak, useless, unworthy, and most of all, that she was a daughter worth the Hyuuga name. If being Empress was the burden she had to bear in order for acceptance, then starting from today onward, she vowed to herself that she would make them all regret how they treated her.

"...then, from now on, father..."

She didn't know why, but she felt as if a fire ignited in her at that moment. She was numb to the usual anxiety and embarrassment she felt when she stood in the middle of the room with all eyes looking at her.

Right now, she felt...powerful.

"...no. From now on...the Hyuuga kingdom..." Her eyes scanned across her mother, sister, and the court members on both sides, indicating that the message also applied to them.

"...you all bow to me."

Without even staying a second more to see the evident shock on everyone's faces, she turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the door shut behind her with a loud bang!

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