Published at 30th of June 2019 09:12:42 PM
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 – I’m About To Be Removed From The Empress’ Seat
“I will accept the divorce . ”
Am I the only one who had a faint smile on my lips when I said those words?
Sovieshu looked down at me with a half-relieved, half-regretful expression . Was it a charade, or was it sincere?
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Until now I had been a good colleague and a perfect empress . We had never fought — that is, until he brought her along . He cast me aside for his lover, but until the last moment he’ll want to be a good man and a good emperor .
Then there was my family and the great church which had approved of our marriage, who insisted that I not step down from the position of empress . He would certainly dislike the idea of going through a tedious divorce trial against both of these groups .
He was that sort of man, and that sort of emperor .
“Your Majesty! This can’t be!”
Marquis Farang cried out and tried to run towards me, but he was caught by the Emperor’s guards and barred from taking a step further…
Marquis Farang and Countess Eliza, my defenders . I am thankful to all of you .
I cast them a grateful glance then turned to the court minister .
“Empress Navier . Do you really agree to this divorce document without any objection?”
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The court minister had a slightly angry voice . He wanted me to fight and challenge the reason for divorce .
While the odds of winning the trial were none, it would cause a scandal for the Emperor and his concubine as the people heard the news . That was what the minister, my family and my friends wanted .
I shook my head . A divorce trial may hurt Sovieshu’s reputation, but my name may be scarred as well . It’s not that I had a moral problem, but I might not be able to leverage the situation if it became too complicated .
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“I accept the divorce . ”
The minister closed his eyes gravely as murmuring broke out into the room .
“And ask for permission to remarry . ”
The moment I finished speaking, the mood changed completely . The air stilled into a shocked silence and the minister’s eyes flew open . Everyone glanced at each other, unsure of what they heard .
Sovieshu looked at me confusedly, a frown furrowing his brow . The minister was in a daze .
“Empress Navier…remarry?”
Instead of answering, I stretched out my hand and pointed to one place . As if on cue, a man wearing an embroidered veil that obscured his face burst into pleasant laughter .
“Do I come up now?”
The silence was broken by the murmuring of the crowd again . The man walked through the court and stood next to me . When he took off the veil, Sovieshu leapt to his feet .
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“Navier! That man–”
“Is the one I will marry . ”
The minister’s eyes looked hollow . I smiled and turned the man beside me . He looked at me as if to say, “You expected this reaction, didn’t you?”
Somehow I had a pleasant feeling .
Even though it wasn’t revenge I desired .
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The Troby family which I come from had already produced several empresses . Among the imperial family and nobility, arranged marriages were common . Marriage was for politics and romance was for their lovers, and it was common for male or female nobility to have a beloved on the side .
Ossis III, the previous emperor, spotted me as a match for the Crown Prince, and from an early age I was educated by the Empress on etiquette and the workings of the imperial court . Fortunately, the Crown Prince Sovieshu and I took to each other, and we got along like good friends .
We didn’t see each other as lovers, but it was still something . It was the kind of relationship where even when we fought at home, we walked into the wedding hall with a smile .
A lot about us worked well together, and we were quite fortunate . The nobility saw Sovieshu and I as only a pair of cubs, and we put our heads together and discussed the country we would build for the next generation . As an adult, Sovieshu inherited the throne from the late Emperor, and after the coronation ceremony we were on good terms .
…For about three years .
It was a bad day to plan for the new year .
After consulting with the officials all day, I returned to my room to find my ladies-in-waiting with nervous expressions on their faces .
“What’s going on?”
I looked around worriedly, and one of the ladies replied in a sharp voice .
“The Emperor went hunting and brought back a tramp . ”
“Then he called us and ordered us to wash the dirty thing . ”
All the ladies-in-waiting were the concubines and wives of high-ranking noble families, and they bathed only me . For ladies that did not even use their own hands to bathe themselves, it must have been a bolt from blue . But it was quite strange . The emperor knew the pride of the ladies-in-waiting better than anyone else, yet he ordered them to wash a woman he brought back after hunting?
“What woman?”
“We don’t know if she’s a prisoner or a slave . ”
“Her leg was trapped . ”
“Leg?”
“Yes . The emperor found her caught in a trap and saved her…”
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The ladies-in-waiting exchanged glances among themselves . There seemed to want to say more, but didn’t want to do it in front of me .
“It’s alright . Tell me . ”
After some slight pressure, one of them reluctantly opened her mouth .
“Even when she was filthy she seemed beautiful . I thought I imagined it even before I washed her, but she really was stunning when I was finished . ”
“Her beauty was comparable to the Duchess Tuania, the most beautiful woman in the world . ”
When they thought I was feeling uncomfortable, the ladies added their own chorus .
“Of course there is no comparison with you, Your Majesty . ”
My face was rather attractive . However, as a young princess and an empress, everyone tended to flatter me, so it was unclear exactly how beautiful I was . As a result I would exclude myself from such comparisons .
However, Duchess Tuania was known as the most beautiful woman in society . She debuted at the age of seventeen, and she was still an immaculate butterfly at the age of forty .
And now this mysterious woman was equivalent to Duchess Tuania? And even these high-nosed ladies thought so?
Perhaps the Emperor really did save a great beauty from the hunting ground . There was no reason for my ladies-in-waiting to notice if she was merely pretty .
“You can tell me anything . I can see you all have more to say . ”
When I prodded them again, another lady finally gathered up her courage and revealed everything .
“The truth is…the Emperor seems to be fond of her . ”
The lady’s face whitened as if she were terrified to let the words leave her mouth .
“The Emperor?”
“After washing her, I dressed her with clothing from someone with a similar size, and when His Majesty saw her he seemed concerned . ‘How did you get hurt? Why are you so thin? You look pale…’”
“That sounds reasonable . ”
At my remark the ladies exchanged awkward glances between themselves .
“You have not been in adulthood long and may not have experienced a romantic relationship but…”
“There is a certain nuance and atmosphere, Your Majesty . ”
“We are on your side, even if it’s difficult to hear about this . ”
“And if it turns out to be nothing then it will be fine . ”
Among the ladies-in-waiting, the only one my age was Lady Laura, and the rest were older than I . Their wisdom was richer than mine when it came to human affairs .
“I see…”
I murmured in my embarrassment . Even if what the ladies said was true and that the Emperor was interested in another woman he saved, what should I do? Should I go to the Emperor’s room and ask him if he was interested in his captive, or drive her out, or have her work in the imperial palace? I didn’t know how to react .
Countess Eliza approached carefully .
“How about you try your luck and say that you heard he found an injured woman?”
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Everyone agreed and said I should ask in passing .
“Maybe say you heard it from one of the palace maids…”
“Just in case . ”
I nodded and smiled, praying it would not be a large issue .
“I will . Thank you all . His Majesty the Emperor is a compassionate man, so he must have brought her here out of pity . ”
When would it be a good time to ask the Emperor about the woman he found at the hunting ground? After much consideration, I decided to ask him at dinner tomorrow . Although we were husband and wife, our rooms were separated on the east and west . It was said that the rooms were placed to show that the monarchy symbolically supported each side of the country . That meaning had now faded, and now it was a perfect arrangement for the emperor and empress to live without having to touch each other .
Although Sovieshu did not yet have a concubine, we ate and slept separately due to our busy schedules and different lifestyles . However, we had dinner twice a week, and that was tomorrow .
Yes . It would be too meddlesome for me to visit today and ask about the woman from hunting ground . I will wait a day . I hadn’t forgotten what my mother said to me before I was married .
“Do not interfere with Sovieshu even if he takes a concubine later . ”
“Is that really alright?”
“Look at history . Were there any emperors without concubines? Even Ossis II, who is known as a great military leader, has had twenty of them . Do not waste your anger on it . ”
“Navier . All you have to be for Sovieshu is be young and beautiful…and healthy . Do you understand my words? You can find a man like that and make him your lover . ”
A commoner would widen their eyes at this kind of drama, but this was natural in noble society where political marriages were the norm .
Of course, the right of inheritance would go to the children of the married couple, but problems arose when a spouse was in love with their partner and couldn’t tolerate other lovers . Political conflicts happened that way . This must have been part of my mother’s concern . And so, on her advice, I was not going to go see Sovieshu today . I would ask him tomorrow evening instead .
And even if he took the woman as his concubine…I should pretend to ignore it .
I was not in love with him . I knew other people lived like me .
Still, when I thought about my husband taking another woman as his lover, there was a lonesome feeling in the corner of my heart . Strange .
I lifted my hand and placed it on my breast . My heart beat neither slow nor fast .
The next day, rumors of the “hunting ground girl” spread even faster . The only ones who spoke openly about it to me were my ladies-in-waiting, but even when sitting in a quiet place I could hear the gossip among the palace .
During lunch, the ladies-in-waiting complained throughout the meal .
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“I heard that filthy tramp is a runaway slave . She must have gotten onto the hunting ground while fleeing . ”
“The hunting ground is connected to Viscount Roteschu’s estate, so she must have escaped from there . ”
“If she’s a runaway slave, she should be sent back immediately . I can’t believe the Emperor took pity on her and made us take care of her . ”
Before dinnertime, the ladies dressed me more methodically than usual . They clothed me in a glittering dress and adorned me with silver jewelry and simple pearl earrings, showering me with praise throughout . They always cared for me, but today they seemed especially adamant .
“No matter how beautiful the slave is, you are our Empress . ”
“The Emperor will have to wash his eyes after he sees you . ”
Their efforts felt empty and passed through my ears . If Sovieshu was going to fall in love with me for dressing beautifully, shouldn’t he have already done so before?
All I had in my head were useless thoughts . However, even though I considered the efforts of the handmaids to be futile, I entrusted myself to them .
After all the preparations were finished, I went to the eastern palace where the Emperor stayed, and sat at a dining table that was far too large for two people . At first we only talked about recent political issues, such as the preparations for New Year’s Day . I waited for Sovieshu to bring up the story about the hunting ground girl, but no matter how long I waited, he didn’t mention her .
It was when he was cutting his steak that I finally brought it up .
“I heard that you found a runaway slave at the hunting grounds . Is that true?”
There was a clack as his knife hit the plate, and his hands stopped . He looked up and stared at me for a moment .
“Who told you that?”
His tone wasn’t pleasant . In fact, he seemed rather tense .
Seeing the wrinkle between his eyebrows, I deliberately covered up the source of the story .
“Everyone was talking . It was hard to miss . ”
“It must have been your ladies-in-waiting . ”
“It doesn’t matter who told me . Again, is it true?”
Sovieshu looked noticeably uncomfortable when I repeated my question .
“Your Majesty?”
“Don’t rush me . ”
“I don’t know what you heard, but what happened was that I found a woman who was badly hurt and I helped her . ”
He called her a woman, not a runaway slave…
“I see . So where is she now?”
“Empress . ”
“…Please tell me . ”
“We have two meals a week together . We have so many other things to talk about, don’t you think?”
The iciness in his voice was clear to me .
Do not get involved in this in any way .