Hello! I'm sorry it took me this long to edit this story even though I promised it would only take a while. I guess I can openly admit that somewhere along the way I lost the motivation and inspiration to continue writing it no matter how I tried to force myself. Now, though, after a few months I've finally found some motivation and actually got around re-writing the first chapter of Bloody Empire as well as making a sort-of-prologue chapter, hurray for me! ^^ I hope my old readers don't mind what I did with the first chapter and that possible new readers would like it as well. I can't say when I'll be updating again but I can promise you that this story is far from dead, so just have patience if it seems like I've gone underground :)

I'd be ecstatic to know what you think of this fic, and since I don't have a beta, I don't mind being corrected on grammar, spelling, etc. if it helps make this fic an enjoyable reading experience :)

Elena stood silently before her mother and a well-dressed, well-groomed Englishman she'd never seen before, nervously switching her weight from her leg to the other as she waited for one of them to speak, her eyes stubbornly averting the obvious statement of the pair's entwined fingers as they sat beside each other, hand in hand. Her mother merely sat there with a serene look on her face as she turned her attention from the man beside her to her daughter, smirking ever so slightly as she finally revealed the news Elena considered worse than cancer.

"Hilbert Ashford proposed to me last night. I said yes", her mother informed her, her facial expression finally giving away as she smiled brighter than a thousand suns as she reached to Elena with her free hand and pulled her into an embrace, causing Elena to stumble onto her knees.

Elena's mind was completely blank as she knelt before her mother, barely remembering to even breath as she processed what she'd just heard. It must've been a joke; a sick, sick joke. A sudden burst of laughter threatened to escape from her mouth as she tried to dismiss the issue as one, though when she couldn't understand it she nearly pushed her mother away as she began to realize what was going on.

This just wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening.

In the midst of her denial she suddenly felt a strike of anger as she thought about her father and had to bite her tongue in order not to accuse her mother of betraying him. She knew, of course, that her thoughts were completely unfair and uncalled for, for her mother was clearly happier now than she'd ever been during the last few years.

And even though Elena had never stopped believing that one day her family would be whole again, she finally came to realize that it just wasn't meant to be – at least not the way she still quite childishly hoped it would.

Upon her realization it seemed like all the fight was sucked right out of her and she finally reacted to her mother's embrace, slowly wrapping her arms around her and giving a light squeeze, forcing herself to believe that the tears staring to sting her eyes were out of happiness.

"I'm so happy for you mom", she managed to whisper, the lie rolling off her tongue with relative ease as she quickly pulled away with a smile and excused herself as she hazily made her way to her room.

As the door shut with a light thud, Elena slowly eased herself onto the floor and leaned her back to the wooden door as the shock and horror finally took over and crippled her into a pathetic heap of sobs and tears.

Now, a year later, Elena found herself in a similar position in her room as she sat slouched on the floor and tried desperately to get a hold of the turmoil of emotions that threatened to cause yet another melt down.

Hilbert Ashford, her stepfather, had apparently had enough of her so-called school problems and decided that on the following week she was going to attend a boarding school in Switzerland unless she stopped being such a bother and started to act her age; in other words to learn some proper etiquette and become a lady, something she wasn't all that interested about. To his defense the man did come from a different background than her, but she still felt as though she was being forcefully guided – almost brainwashed – into becoming something she wasn't at heart.

Although their many differences, Elena still couldn't find herself hating the man; it was more like a mutual inability to understand the other, though unbeknown to her mother who seemed to believe that the two of them were on good terms with one another.

She was growing tired of acting like a happy family in order to keep her mother smiling when it was obvious to her that this fairytale was only meant for two people. Mr. Ashford's latest arrangement had made it clear as daylight; either she submitted to her new lifestyle or she could latch onto the crumbling pieces of the former somewhere else.

A sudden thought occurred to her as she roughly wiped away the last of her tears and focused her eyes on her bedside drawer and started to crawl towards it, slowly making her way to it and opening the single locked drawer. Reaching in, she pulled out a slightly crumbled white envelope, still sealed, its contents still a mystery. It was addressed to her, having been sent all the way from Japan over two months ago, hence her hesitation to open it. Without a doubt it was from her father, and it was the first and only letter she'd received from him during the eight years he'd been gone. To be honest she didn't know what to expect from it but her current situation pushed her to try her luck.

Carefully opening the envelope, she unfolded the piece of paper inside and began to read the surprisingly familiar handwriting, the content taking her by surprise and causing her to re-read the letter two more times.

'Dear Elena, I imagine I might stir up some emotions by contacting you in such a sudden fashion, but I'm willing to risk it in order to say these few things. Not a day goes by without me thinking of you, and it saddens me when I can't see or talk to you. I've often thought about calling you, but I've realized that there's too much I'd like to say for just a single phone call. The years have gone by faster than I intended, and I apologize that I haven't been there for you. But, if you so choose to, it would truly warm my heart to hear from you.'

Elena stared at the unfamiliar number written on the bottom of the paper for what felt like an hour as she considered her choices. She wondered why her father had chosen to contact her now after eight years of having the chance to. She'd pried information of her father out of her mother for the first few years after he'd left but upon receiving the same news time after time, she'd finally given up of hearing anything new and merely accepted that she no longer had a father figure in her life.

With her emotions starting to waver, she turned her attention back to the envelope that lay beside her on the floor. It had already been two months since he'd sent the letter; he'd probably given up on her answering by now. And even if she called him now, what could she say? What about time-difference; Japan was 9 hours ahead of England.

She snuck a quick glance at her alarm clock, noting it was barely two pm, making it only 11 pm if she were to call now. Turning back to the letter, she read through it one last time before making her choice. Picking up her cellphone, she quickly dialed the given number and rested the piece of electronics on her ear, holding her breath as she nervously waited for someone to pick up.

Her eyes had moved to stare at her clock for a lack of anything better to do, her call already gone on for nearly fifteen seconds without being answered. She was beginning to regret even trying to contact him when someone finally picked up the phone, the sudden action almost making her jump.

A single stiff and slightly reserved 'hello' was all the person had to give her as he waited for an answer.

Taking in a deep breath, Elena tried to calm her now rapidly beating heart as she opened her mouth and choked out her greeting.

"…Dad? It's Elena."