Published at 7th of August 2019 01:30:07 PM
Chapter 34: 34
Chapter 34 – Secret Friend (1)
I could tell that Sovieshu believed me to be a heartless person . It was clear by the lines between his brows, which were usually not there, and the narrowing of his eyes .
“The empress is cold . ”
“As I should be . ”
“What?”
An international embarrassment could happen if Sovieshu disregarded his guests, and the blame would fall to him . But if I set aside a guest for Rashta, I would be blamed for doing something wrong to impress Rashta and Sovieshu . A similar rumor had already spread after Sovieshu gave Rashta gifts under my name . While that incident was disgraceful on a personal level, disrespecting guests would directly be judged by society .
But Sovieshu’s behavior wasn’t a mistake . Even at this moment, he was smart . He was forcing me to act this way to protect himself and soothe Rashta’s heart .
“I’m not intentionally being cruel . Rashta is your concubine, not mine . I don’t know why you’re trying to force me to do things even you, the Emperor, cannot do . ”
I was too peeved to explain it further to him, so I deliberately turned away . Sovieshu’s jaw was clenched and Rashta glanced at me with a frightened look, but I wasn’t feeling any better at all . I gave my farewell as etiquette dictated, and then left the room with a stately walk .
When I arrived at the western palace, I found the ladies anxiously waiting for me .
“You should have eaten without me . ”
“How could we? We wondered if something terrible happened again . ”
“You don’t look good whenever you see the Emperor these days . ”
After calming them down, we ate breakfast together, but I found it difficult to swallow . I managed to fill my stomach lightly with soup and pudding .
Afterwards, the ladies-in-waiting prepared themselves for the party, so I sat alone at my desk to check the schedule after the New Year’s celebrations . I had to see off the foreign guests, as well as accommodate those that wished to stay longer . Reports of any incidents also had to be handled thoroughly . If any foreigner had a legal problem, it had to be settled before they crossed the border .
The day passed quickly, and then it was time for the feast . I made another examination of myself in the mirror, and I saw that each of my ladies-in-waiting were splendidly dressed as well .
“Will you come to the party after the special banquet?”
“I don’t know . I have to check the time…what’s wrong, Laura?”
“Alischute—no, Lady Alischute is ill and cannot go to the party . If neither you nor her come, I’ll just show my face and leave quickly . ”
Laura, who preferred to mingle with her peers, did not seem very interested in socializing with the other noblewomen .
“I’ll be there if you wait for me, Laura . ”
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I gave her my promise, and Laura smiled with excitement and quickly went to the grand hall for the party . The other ladies-in-waiting also followed suit, while I went to the Red Rose room for the special banquet .
Lively music filled the air, and the special guests were gathered together in groups of three or four . I walk towards Princess Soju, with a casual nod to everyone else, when I came across Grand Duke Kapmen first, who was holding a champagne glass . A large statue holding a flower basket and sword and a servant carrying champagne bottles stood symmetrically on either side of him, leaving no other way to pass .
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
A nod wouldn’t suffice as he was right in front of me, so I smiled and spoke to him . Before I bowed in greeting, it occurred to me that he ignored both me and Rashta yesterday .
“…Your Majesty . ”
Fortunately, Grand Duke Kapmen did not turn a blind eye to me this time . He didn’t answer my question, however .
“Does the food suit your taste?”
I gave him a small bow for the second time without realizing it . Instead of answering me, he stared at me again . His long, sharp eyes were something fierce .
This was Grand Duke Kapmen’s first invitation to the banquet, and I had never interacted with this man until last year . I had little knowledge of his character . All I knew was that he was a grand duke from a desert country, and had graduated first from a magical academy .
As I waited for his reply, Kapmen asked me his own question out of nowhere .
“Is this the state of the Eastern Empire?”
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“What do you mean?”
“In Rwibt, the Imona’s and Imot’s emotions are one . “
“The king and queen are one . That’s amazing . ”
” …You know what it means?”
“Not enough to say I’m fluent . Only a few basic words . ”
When I lifted my eyebrows, he opened his eyes in surprise and continued .
“If Emot’s lover is in front of her, she would be killed immediately . ”
“Are you not able to do that, Your Majesty?”
“I’m afraid that in this great empire I cannot kill a person for no reason, even if I am an empress . A trial must be held first . ”
“Foolish that you cannot eat soup out of your own bowl . ”
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Was he saying that I didn’t have proper control of the Rashta yesterday? However, just as there were the laws in the country of Rwibt, there were the laws of the Eastern Empire . In my country, concubines were legally approved . And if an empress ever killed an emperor’s mistress? There was the strong possibility of being thrown into prison .
Then what did that leave me? A little excitement? Should I bet my life to kill Rashta? Before giving an answer, however, Grand Duke Kapmen left with his glass of champagne .
I gave a relieved sigh . He probably thought of me as pathetic .
‘How strange . It was Sovieshu that made Rashta a concubine, so why am I the pathetic woman?’
Unfortunately, Princess Soju seemed to have moved elsewhere in the room . I shook my head and looked around to find another person, when my gaze landed on Duchess Tuania .
“Queen . ”
There was a low voice from behind me . As soon as I turned my head, I found Prince Heinley right before me .
“How are you—”
Before I could ask him how he was, he spoke again .
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment . ”