Chapter 2 – Early Signs Of An Affair (1)
“Other things to talk about? Your Majesty, I did not suggest anything unusual. As the owner of the Imperial Palace, I am only asking if you brought in an injured woman. It’s never happened before.”
Was I overdoing it? I had my usual tone and gentle smile on my lips. I spoke casually in order not to appear overbearing, as if discussing the New Year’s Day preparations.
Sovieshu looked markedly uneasy, however. He seed to want to avoid the topic as much as possible, and the atmosphere beca increasingly uncomfortable.
“Are you asking because you’re only curious?”
Sovieshu looked at suspiciously, and I blinked at him.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t curious.”
“She was accidentally caught in one of my traps, and I brought her here so she could be treated. She’s not too injured, so I’ve had her put in a room with a maid to look after her.”
“...I see.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t call your ladies-in-waiting again.”
Sovieshu resud cutting his steak, the knife cracking like a woodpecker and echoing in the dining room. He usually had so much to talk about, but this ti he remained silent.
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“What did His Majesty say?”
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When I returned to the west palace after dinner, a group of my ladies-in-waiting who were gathered in my room anxiously approached .
“He...he didn’t say much.”
Countess Eliza’s eyebrows lifted at my lukewarm answer. She didn’t seem to believe .
“Then you would not be so sullen.”
“...”
“It’s alright. Talk to us, Your Majesty. That way we can be prepared.”
“He said the woman was accidentally caught in one of his traps. There was no ntion of her being a runaway slave or anything like that...”
Co to think of it, I didn’t even get a na.
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“He said he was taking care of her, and he seed unhappy to keep talking about it.”
As soon as I finished, Laura stamped her foot with a resounding thud. The other more genteel ladies gave her a look, but Laura was already pouting and not paying attention to them.
“Your Majesty, do you know that’s exactly what my father was doing at the beginning of his affair?”
Laura raised her voice and Countess Eliza said her na in warning. Laura, however, had already gone this far and wouldn’t stop.
“That’s what it looks like. Those are exactly the early signs of an affair. Why wouldn’t he want to talk about it?”
The ladies scolded Laura for talking too bluntly, but they did not deny her words.
Countess Eliza finally took it upon herself to shoo the ladies out when I was looking depressed, then sat in front of the dressing table and started combing my hair.
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“The Emperor is a man who likes to hunt. He is doing this because it must seem like a miracle to him to find a beautiful woman caught in his trap.”
“Countess.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Before...my mother told . Even if the Emperor takes another woman as his lover, I should not let myself be hurt. There are so many cases like that, and I shouldn’t expect it to be any different.”
The middle of Countess Eliza’s forehead creased. Countess Eliza had a rare marriage of love to her husband, and to such a person, my mother’s advice might sound ridiculous.
I continued.
“I didn’t say this in front of the other ladies, but I am a little prepared. Even if the Emperor welcos a slave woman as his concubine.”
“Your Majesty...”
“But when he doesn’t speak to ...I feel a little down.”
Countess Eliza set the comb down on the dresser. I looked up at her and asked her honestly.
“Whether he has ten or a hundred concubines, they’re still concubines and I’m the empress. He and I never loved each other to the point that we would die for each other...so theoretically, we should still be fine. Yet why do I feel so empty?”
Countess Eliza reached out to embrace my head and shoulders. She held still for a mont, then withdrew before speaking.
“Even though yours is a political marriage, you’ve been together since you were children up until marriage. It’s no surprise that you’re upset. I would feel the sa if my child were to bring soone else in as their foster parent. I would feel upset if my parents took another child and favored them because they were more beautiful. And I would feel upset if my best friend brought soone else in and was more friendly to them. It’s a natural emotion.”
“Then would the Emperor feel that way if I had another man next to ?”
Countess Eliza picked up the comb and started brushing my hair again, and I took her silence as a “no.” After a mont, she finally spoke.
“To be honest, I don’t know, Your Majesty. The more powerful your love is, the harder it is to look around.”
So I had no choice but to deal with my heartbreak by myself. I forced myself to smile.
“I see. I’m sure I’ll feel better soon. She and I won’t have to et each other...”
“Yes. Even if the slave becos a concubine, she still cannot enter into high society.”
Being a slave didn’t an one couldn’t rise in status. It was also the case for the innocent who beca slaves due to collective punishnt caused by their family mbers. Every year, the country restored a certain number of slaves to commoner status, but it was never the case for a runaway slave.
Being a slave ant that one had a life sentence for so cri they committed. Because a runaway slave escaped without paying the price, they were considered the sa as an escaped prisoner. An extra charge of guilt was added, and a runaway slave was considered the dregs of society to aristocrats. No matter how much Sovieshu lavished the woman, there was no opportunity for her to debut in high society or for to run into her. I nodded my head and gathered myself.
Yes, Countess Eliza. It was natural that I felt empty when soone who had been my husband for a long ti had a sudden interest in another lover.
But I couldn’t get more emotional now. No matter if he had another woman, he couldn’t cut off. There was only one Empress in this empire after all.
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“The Emperor goes to see the slave day after day?”
“I heard he even brings her food himself.”
“He’s acting so calm too. The audacity.”
“He even called a court doctor to treat her leg.”
There were voices whispering between the bushes. Although the Imperial Palace gardens had flowering walls higher than one’s head, I could still hear the gossip that filtered through. I designed this garden myself, and deliberately placed a nest-shaped swing chair in an area not frequented by many. It was like my secret place. I didn’t bring my ladies-in-waiting here, and so people said things aloud without them noticing .
‘About a week has passed...’
I closed my book and placed it on my lap. As Sovieshu’s interest in the slave woman grew, so did the stories. Everyone’s attention was on the woman who managed to capture the Emperor’s interest. Wasn’t it fortunate that she and I never ran into each other?
The next ti I had dinner with Sovieshu, I didn’t ask about her. I instead I acted as if nothing had happened, and brought up the New Year’s preparations.
I decided to compromise at this point in ti. Ignorance. Pretend I didn’t know.
But coincidence ca out of nowhere and confronted .
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