Published at 30th of June 2019 09:12:32 PM
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 – Compare With Whom? (2)
The Imperial Palace was buzzing over the news of Laura’s confinement .
The gossip was that the Emperor’s punishment for the Empress’ lady-in-waiting was an outright expression of his love for Rashta . It was her first unofficial competition with me, and she had won . I didn’t hear this with my own ears, but my ladies-in-waiting were furious and told me about it .
“I should have been there!”
A lady-in-waiting who had bathed Rashta exclaimed that were she present, she would have kept me away from the slave .
“But I think the Emperor really likes her . ”
“I used to have admiration for him, but this time he didn’t even listen to the Empress’ words . ”
Despite their anger, the ladies-in-waiting were worried about the future .
“It’s only been a few days since the Emperor met her . I’m worried . ”
There was nothing I could do in this situation .
Sovieshu and I acted like nothing had happened when we ran into each other at the central palace . I focused on my work and tried to forget what had happened that day . When I was alone in my room, I remembered Sovieshu’s cold gaze and felt the bruise in my heart, but it ached less when I kept myself busy .
When Laura’s imprisonment finally ended after five days, I went up to the tower to retrieve her myself . I asked the other ladies-in-waiting to bathe Laura in my bathroom and bring her some soup . I also ordered Laura’s favorite cake .
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A secretary sent by Sovieshu came to me to deliver a message .
“His Majesty the Emperor wants to see you . ”
“Me?”
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“Yes . ”
What could it be? I nodded and turned to Countess Eliza .
“When the cake is finished, tell Laura to come here and eat . Then let her know she can rest for a few days before she comes back . ”
“Yes, Your Majesty . ”
I turned and nodded at the secretary, and he quickly led the way . The atmosphere changed as we went east, even though it was surrounded by the same wall . Perhaps it was because the palace was styled in completely different ways .
I was concerned that I might encounter Rashta again, but she was nowhere to be seen in Sovieshu’s bedroom .
The Emperor was sitting by a small round table .
“You called me . ”
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Sovieshu stared at me silently as I approached him . His eyes seemed full of things to say .
“What can I do for you?”
I spoke first, and Sovieshu seemed to hesitate for a moment and pressed his lips .
“Your lady-in-waiting, the one who was imprisoned–”
“Laura . The daughter of Marquis Tarital . ”
“I heard you took her back her from her prison . ”
“She’s my lady-in-waiting . She suffered for five days . ”
Sovieshu looked even more displeased .
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“Did you have to?”
“Are you asking me if I had to take care of a woman that was punished?”
Sovieshu could clearly hear the mockery in my voice .
“You know what I’m trying to say . In other words, you retrieved the lady-in-waiting yourself, even though you knew I would be offended . No?”
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Partially . I suspected that Sovieshu might be offended…but I also thought he might have already cooled down after five days . Perhaps after everything had settled, I could let him know that his punishment was far too much .
Maybe not .
“I suspected you might be displeased . ”
“But now you’re taking care of her? If you had any thought for me, you would have sent her away . What is the emperor if the empress cares for the people he punishes?”
“It is not right to send someone away after they already received their punishment . Besides, what she did was not out of line . ”
“Calling people filthy?”
“She was trying to stop someone from pulling on my clothes . A scolding would be enough . ”
The more I spoke, the stonier his expression became .
“So, you will keep the lady-in-waiting?”
“It is entirely up to me to decide who is my lady-in-waiting . ”
Although Laura may want to quit working in the Imperial Palace, I was going to keep her for a while . Being punished because of a runaway slave was enough to make her an outcast of high society . If I let her go, she would have no protection, let alone against Sovieshu . As empress, I would use my name to safeguard her .
Sovieshu sighed and turned away .
“I am tired of arguing with you . Can’t you just be obedient to me for once?”
“The empress does not have to bend to the emperor’s will . ”
“Continue on like this, and you won’t even be able to compare . ”
Compare? …With whom?
He stared right at me, then he put on a wry face .
“I see that you’re tired . Please retire for the day . Go back to and take care of that misbehaving filly . ”
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After Empress Navier left, Sovieshu sighed and rang a small bell on the table . The door opened, but it was not a servant who walked in the room .
“Since when do you work?”
At Sovieshu’s puzzled expression, Rashta smiled sheepishly .
“I feel like I’m a burden when I’m not doing anything . ”
“So you’re going to be working now?”
Rashta spread out her arms joyfully, and Sovieshu grinned .
“You can’t even go around by yourself . ”
Serving the Emperor was regarded as a great honor among nobles, and was a position that even those without titles coveted . But Rashta wanted to work for the Emperor because she felt like a burden… She had no idea that the nobles would strangle each other over this position .
“What an unusual person . ”
Sovieshu chuckled at her oddity . For Sovieshu, there had only been two significant women in his life so far . One was his mother, a great empress, and the other was Navier, the current empress . He was familiar with the empress’ imperial education and even studied together with Navier, but he thought the clumsy Rashta was incredible no matter what she did .
“Come here and have a snack . ”
Sovieshu rang the bell again, and the servant who had been waiting impatiently at the door came in .
“Pumpkin pie . Very sweet . And bring wine . A light one . ”
The servant left to fulfill the orders, and Rashta clapped her hands and exclaimed “Pumpkin pie!”
“Do you like food that much?”
“Not just any food . How many people have never eaten a bite of a pumpkin pie in their life?”
She smiled innocently like a child, and Sovieshu found he couldn’t pull his eyes away from her .
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“The Empress doesn’t even respond to jewelry, no matter how expensive it is . But you’re still happy even with the little things . ”
“Doesn’t she like jewelry?”
“She does . But she doesn’t have a lot of emotional ups and downs . She only expresses herself in small portions . ”
Rasta frowned and gave a sigh .
“She grew up beautifully and doesn’t know the harsh world . Anyone would take jewelry for granted . ”
“Hmm?”
“It’s not that the Empress is wrong, it’s just that she has a lot of wealth . Even if you got her a big gem, it’s not a surprise…”
“That’s true . Oh my god . My prey is smarter than I thought . ”
Rashta didn’t know whether he was making fun of her or not, and she blushed and puffed out her lips .
“Tch, you always call me prey . ”
“Because you’re the prey I caught in my trap . ”
“So…Your Majesty . ”
Rasta laughed at his light joke, then settled to speak to him again . She twisted her fingers together and ventured forward carefully .
“You said you’d make me your concubine…”
“Yes . ”
“The Empress doesn’t seem to know that yet…”
Sovieshu nodded and gave her a reassuring smile .
“We’re in no hurry, so let’s take our time . Your legs haven’t completely healed yet . ”
“I’m not rushing, but…I had a hard time when I met the Empress before . I didn’t know how to introduce myself . And what if it happens again…”