Right to the First Night

The "Right to the First Night" is an old law in The Empire of Mephius that says that the male members of the Imperial family can, on the wedding night, take from the groom the right to spend the first night with the bride.

There was a time when it was believed the blood of a virgin was something filthy, and that going to bed with power-wielding royal family members or priests would cleanse that blood. Even with that said, it was essentially only a means to extort high taxes, paid in order to avoid the right to the first night. The law was established a little less than 200 years ago, in the midst of the successive battles with the Ryuujin Tribe.

Nowadays, the right to the first night had become a dead law and as far as anyone can remember it has never been claimed in recent history. That is until Gil Mephius, drunk and high on Black Water Lily Powder, attempted to use the law to force himself on Layla Jayce when he came upon her wedding celebration.