Published at 30th of June 2019 09:12:30 PM
Chapter 6 – The Empress’ Gift To The Concubine (1)
“The Emperor is going to take the woman as a concubine!”
It was a typical morning . It was neither cloudy nor rainy, nor warmer or colder . Today was just like yesterday and the day before yesterday .
Unusual news came out of nowhere on this ordinary day .
“So the Empress is busy with the New Year’s preparations while Emperor takes in a concubine . ”
“That’s too much . ”
“He should at least have waited until New Year’s was over . ”
The ladies-in-waiting were complaining darkly among themselves .
I stared silently at myself in the mirror . I was prepared for Sovieshu to make her his concubine…but I didn’t realize it would happen so soon . Judging by the timing, the ceremony might officially happen just before New Year’s Day .
“Haaa…”
A sighed emerged from deep inside me, and I felt nauseous at the thought of everyone coming up to me at New Year’s Day to talk about it . And even if they did not speak about it to my face, I was sure to hear them whispering from behind . However, I could not ignore the fact that the Emperor was taking in a concubine no matter how much I disliked it .
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“When is the ceremony?”
The ladies-in-waiting glanced at each other, and eventually it was Countess Eliza who answered .
“Rumor has it that he wants it to happen as soon as possible . He’ll want it done before the New Year . ”
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Around noontime, Sovieshu’s secretary came up to me again to deliver a message . It was about the concubine, and the other officials kept an eye on us in an effort to catch some gossip .
“The Emperor wants it to be simple, as there are other large events scheduled and time is tight . ”
“Simple?”
The Emperor’s concubines were not recognized as part of the Imperial Family, and her children were not recognized as prince or princess . The best that could happen was to earn favor and take the title of duke, but with no claim of succession .
Even so, it was possible for a concubine to carry the emperor’s child, and it was customary to hold a banquet . It was no wedding ceremony, however . The concubine would be the center of the attention of the banquet, and would later sign a contract notarized by the chancellor .
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“Is the Emperor saying to hold a simple banquet or omit it altogether?”
“It’s impossible to invite a large number of guests at such a short notice, so we’ll skip the banquet . ”
“Is there anything I need to handle if there isn’t going to be a banquet?”
“There isn’t . His Majesty said you needn’t worry about it at all . ”
As far as I knew, omitting the banquet was not unusual . The inside of the hall would still be decorated in honor of the concubine that day, but instead it would be a smaller affair to dine with the Emperor, invite the people that were close to them, and sign the contract documents .
But I needn’t worry about it? Was it out of Sovieshu’s pride or his consideration?
“Tell him I received his message . ”
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There was no harm to me . The secretary bowed and left . The other officials were staring at me, and when I glanced up, they hurriedly lowered their heads and pretended to go back to work .
‘Do not tremble in front of them . ’
They would whisper if I showed any signs of hurt . Even though the concubine was nipping away at my life, I didn’t want them to think it was over just because my husband loved another woman .
Placing on an indifferent expression, I reviewed the plan again and advised them on the necessary revisions .
“The Emperor will sign the contract first . Then you sign on the thin black line below his name . ”
Baron Lant, one of the Emperor’s secretaries, was put in charge in educating Rashta . When the Baron finished explaining the basic outline of the documents, Rashta’s eyes widened and she let out a small wail .
That was not usually a sound made by an aristocrat . Baron Lant stared at her for a moment, flustered, while tears streamed from Rashta’s eyes .
“I understand what you mean, but…Rashta has no signature . ”
“You can make one . ”
Rashta’s face turned red at the casual way he answered .
“Ah…”
Baron Lant finally realized why Rashta was struggling .
“You don’t know how to write?”
When Baron Lant was assigned to Rashta, the Emperor had told him she was a commoner, and so he assumed that she had basic education . Perhaps the rumors were true that this beautiful prey the Emperor favored was indeed a runaway slave . There wasn’t much investment in teaching slaves how to read or write .
“I suppose you don’t know . ”
He wanted to ask her if she was a slave, but he smiled, pretending not to know, and set down a blank sheet of paper in front of her . It would not be easy to teach her to write in a few days, but she could quickly learn how to draw her name .
“If you don’t know how to spell your name, I’ll write down several versions that sound like ‘Rashta,’ and you can choose one and memorize it . ”
Fortunately, Rashta quickly mastered spelling . It should’ve been a frustrating task for someone who came from slavery, and Baron Lant was astonished .
“Am I doing alright?”
“You’re doing excellently . ”
After praising her and receiving a smile in return, Baron Lant explained what she could expect from the signing ceremony .
“There will be a big banquet and all the nobles will be there . Miss Rashta can invite as many friends as she wants . ”
“Wow . ”
“When the chancellor comes up to you and unfolds the government documents, you sign it . ”
“The documents–”
“The chancellor will keep it safe . ”
Rashta stamped her feet in delight and let out a small squeal . Baron Lant watched her for a moment before adding another thing .
“This is not an obligation, but…”
“Sometimes the empress sends a gift to the emperor’s concubine when she signs the contract . ”
“A gift?”
“The Empress is the owner of the palace . ”
“From the viewpoint of the owner, a concubine is one that will live with them in the future . This means the concubine not only receives the emperor’s respect and acknowledgment, but the empress’ as well if she is given a gift . If there are several concubines, the ones that receive a gift from the empress are regarded as the top concubines . ”
Rashta suddenly looked insecure .
“So Rashta will receive a gift from the Empress?”
Your votes are in . The novel which will get a mass release is…
…All of them!!!
The votes were close, and so I decided to release extra chapters for all three stories! The release is as follows:
2nd place: Remarried Empress – 3 chapters
3rd place: The Male Lead’s Villainess Fiancee – 2 chapters
Thank you all for participating! Read on for more chapters of Remarried Empress!