“Episode 7”
“Episode 7”
“I don’t understand why you don’t feel that Her Majesty is a cold person at all? Rather, it seems like Her Majesty is… Oh.”
As I took a step forward from the bed, I doubled over, clutching my abdomen with both hands and sinking onto the bed.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Are you okay?”
Everyone was startled, their bodies twitching as they moved closer to me. I quickly raised a hand to signal them to stop. At my command, they all halted their advance and hesitated in place.
“Where… are you feeling unwell?”
Melanie was the only one who disobeyed my command, stepping forward alone to ask.
“Ah, it seems like my body… struggled to handle Her Majesty’s passion all night. But I’m fine now, so please don’t worry.”
“…Really? That, is that true?”
Melanie’s voice rose with an expression that seemed to say she couldn’t believe it. The other ladies were equally surprised.
“Oh, what can I say? There’s no way to describe this feeling.”
The ladies’ eyes scanned me up and down, searching for something.
“You’ll understand my condition better later, when we attend the ball.”
I gave a shy smile, pulling up a slipped strap with one shoulder.
“Well, shall we all leave now? I’d like to prepare with my attendants for this morning.”
“But now we’ve become Your Majesty the Empress’s dedicated ladies-in-waiting…”
“It’s a matter that hasn’t been approved by me yet. It seems consultation with Her Majesty is necessary.”
Whether I’ll accept you as my ladies-in-waiting or not.
“So please leave the chamber now…”
Melanie stood still, as if nailed to the spot, despite my words. The other ladies alternated between looking at me and Melanie, unsure of whose words to follow. With a slight frown, I gestured towards the door again. Only after that did the ladies-in-waiting all curtsey and withdraw, followed by Melanie with a reluctant expression. As soon as they were all out of the room, I heard their murmuring voices outside. They probably thought that as an empress from a vassal state, I would be timid and overwhelmed in front of them.
“Why me?”
Until now, I had avoided showing my facial burn scars to people, but I had never bowed my head to anyone without reason. The bewildered expressions of the ladies-in-waiting, who had been wrong about me for a long time, lingered in my mind. I put on my gown and opened the terrace door wide. The well-maintained and splendid garden of the Empress’s palace came into view. Knock, knock, knock. Along with the knocking sound, a chambermaid entered. She was one of the maids who had helped with the wedding preparations yesterday.
Sharon entered the bedroom with a proper greeting and explained the reason for her intrusion.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. While waiting outside, I saw the ladies-in-waiting coming out.”
“I told everyone to leave.”
“Your Majesty the Empress, may I ask the reason?”
“It’s not necessary.”
“Oh? Uh, yes…”
“Are the attendants going back to their mansions now?”
“Oh, no. It’s customary for the ladies-in-waiting on their first day to stay in the Empress’s palace for the day.”
“I see… Well, it was quite nerve-wracking and unfamiliar during the wedding preparations yesterday, but thanks to you, it was helpful.”
“Your Highness! Your Majesty the Empress. I just did what was expected of me.”
As I expressed my gratitude with affectionate words, Sharon’s face brightened with a smile.
“Sharon, I have a question.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Do you happen to know who selected the attendants?”
“I’m not familiar with the detailed procedure, but I understand that a list of selected young ladies recommended by their peers was submitted to Your Majesty.”
“So, they are appointed attendants by royal decree?”
“That’s what I understand.”
In the Shatonyil Kingdom, selecting attendants to serve the empress is entirely the empress’s prerogative unless there is a special recommendation. However, was it different in the Lapion Empire? Anyway, it was said that the empress’s permission was required to select new attendants.
“I… When Your Majesty wakes up, there was something she wanted to convey.”
As I was admiring the palace garden again, I turned my head at Sharon’s words.
“What did she say?”
“She wanted to know if having lunch together in the main palace today would be suitable.”
Sharon delivered the message with a bright smile. Suddenly, the look in Emperor Rinal’s eyes from last night, as he looked down at me, and his rough breathing came to mind. I took a deep breath.
“Then, we have some time until lunch, so it might be nice to explore the Empress’s palace. But first, I want to take a bath.”
“Yes, I will prepare right away. What about the dress and accessories you’ll wear today?”
Since I had sent out the attendants, there was no one to choose dresses. It was a question born out of curiosity.
“Would you like Sharon to choose something suitable for me?”
I smiled and asked. Sharon, looking greatly surprised, bit her lip.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
“Dresses are traditionally chosen by the noble attendants, but I wonder if I have the authority to choose the Empress’s dress…”
I glanced up and down at Sharon’s neat appearance.
“I trust Sharon’s judgment. Please.”
A warm word from someone in a higher position occasionally takes root in the hearts of servants and kindles loyalty, they say. And if sincerity is felt, its effect is doubled.
“R-really, Your Majesty the Empress?”
Sharon’s voice, tinged with excitement, rang out cheerfully.
“Yes, somehow I feel like you know the dress that suits me best.”
Sharon nodded vigorously at my gaze, filled with trust.
“I’ll do my best to choose the most beautiful dress!”
“No, not the most beautiful dress, but the one that suits me best. That’s all I need.”
I calmly clarified to the somewhat excited Sharon.
“And please tell the attendants in charge of the bath not to use cold water.”
“Yes? Your Highness, even though it’s summer, if you soak in cold water, you’ll catch a cold!”
Sharon exclaimed, taken aback.
“It’s okay. I’ve had a habit of bathing in cold water since I was young, so it doesn’t matter. Actually, I feel more refreshed when I bathe in warm water.”
Despite my kind yet firm tone, Sharon didn’t retract her worried expression, but she couldn’t protest further. When I soak my body in cold water, the temperature gradually rises. And it remains warm until I finish bathing. On the contrary, if I use warm water from the beginning, it gradually gets hotter, and eventually, my skin turns red. Sometimes, the water temperature rises suddenly, like hot spring water bubbling up. That’s why I had to drain some of the water from the tub and mix in cold water intermittently during bathing. This phenomenon started occurring after I got burned on my right cheek. I was curious why it happened, but I kept the secret, thinking it wouldn’t be appropriate to disclose it to others. My family, who never cared much about me, and Bonnies, my only confidante and fellow bath attendant during palace life, didn’t know about it. When my body heats up, I don’t have such a reaction even if someone touches my skin, so it was a mystery why it happens when I come into contact with water.
“Oh, and the bath is ready. After bathing, I’ll call for you to wait outside.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”
After Sharon left, I headed straight to the bathroom attached to the bedroom. ***
In the Raphion Empire, the water temperature was much colder than the water in the Shatonyl Kingdom where I used to live. As I submerged myself in the tub filled with cold water prepared by the attendants, I felt refreshed. As time passed, the water gradually warmed up, just as I expected. Running my hands over my body, memories of last night emerged like steam. The first night with Emperor Lionel. The unfamiliar sensation spreading through me as I faced him. His expression as he looked at me. The low voice whispering between slightly trembling lips. The feeling of his firm muscles against me. His incomprehensible gaze. As his labored breath came to mind, a shiver ran through me. My heart pounded. Soon, bubbles began to rise in the bathtub. Worried that staying longer would cause my skin to overcook, I quickly rose from the tub. Standing naked in front of the full-length mirror to cool off for a moment.
“Can I face him and have a meal together?”
The thought of facing Emperor Lionel already made me uncomfortable. I wiped the steam-covered mirror with my palm and looked at my flushed face. I touched the spot where the burn scar on my right side used to be, vanished after drinking the magic potion. I still couldn’t believe the scar was gone. The pain I felt, like the scorching sun of midsummer settling on my right cheek, began when I was seven years old. I never disclosed what happened that day to anyone, all for the earnest plea of Prince Tesler. The incident became a secret known only to me, Prince Tesler, Princess Lyselia, and Logan, the palace mage.
“Zelda, listen carefully. You must endure the pain that feels like it will consume you. If you can’t bear it, you will die. But if you do, you might one day possess this entire continent! This must never be spoken to anyone, do you understand?”
Mage Logan repeatedly implored me on the night I got burned, sneaking into my room through the window. I was suffering from a high fever at the time, but I remember his words clearly. Logan left after leaving incomprehensible words behind. The next day, he disappeared, leaving behind his beloved daughter, my only friend, Bonnies. From the day I recognized the presence that I couldn’t understand, my life became a series of unexpected events. When I was seventeen, thanks to Prince Tesler’s recommendation, I was able to stay in the royal palace and work as a bath attendant, escaping the persecution of Count Trobar. I found mental stability and peace. It was all thanks to Prince Tesler. Perhaps it was because of the kindness shown to me by my sister, Princess Lyselia, on the day she caused the incident. But now, seeing that I was sent to be the acting Empress of the Raphion Empire, it seemed that Prince Tesler needed my sacrifice once again.
“I will endure. I won’t be caught. And I’ll get a cure to completely erase the burn scar.”
I reaffirmed my determination while looking in the mirror. *** After finishing my bath and coming out of the bathroom, attendants were waiting to assist with my dressing. I first put on the dress chosen by Sharon. Surprisingly, Sharon’s eye for fashion was much better than I expected. After completing all the preparations and stepping out of the bedroom, the guards standing outside the chamber greeted me with respect. As I walked down the long corridor, a maid hurriedly approached from the opposite end of the corridor.
“Presenting Her Majesty the Empress! An hour ago, a visitor requested to meet Her Majesty the Empress. They are currently waiting in the reception room.”
“Who is it?”
Although I asked, in reality, I already had a suspicion about who had requested the audience. There was only one person who would come to meet me in the unfamiliar Raphion Imperial Palace.
“What is their name?”
Pretending not to know anything, I asked the attendant again.
“It is Duke Martyns Rohain of Shatonia Kingdom, Your Majesty.”
“Well, then I suppose I should meet him.”
Duke Martyns was the person Prince Tesla assigned to me as I departed for the Raphion Empire. Prince Tesla said Duke Martyns would accompany me in the Raphion Imperial Palace in the capacity of a foreign affairs minister and serve as my protector. However, I didn’t believe it. Protection, my foot. Duke Martyns was obviously a watcher sent by Prince Tesla to report on whether I was performing my duties as the proxy empress well, or if I was engaging in any other frivolous activities. The Duke and I were in a position where we had to fulfill our respective roles diligently and keep an eye on each other. Although I couldn’t exactly call him an enemy, our relationship was ambiguous, with holes of doubt undermining trust.
*** Following Sharon’s guidance, I entered the reception room located one floor below the bedroom level. Duke Martyns stood near the arched window, then turned as I entered. I consciously stood up straight and approached the Duke. He kneeled down and kissed the back of my hand.
“I am honored to meet the Empress of the Raphion Empire.”
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for both the Shatonia Kingdom and myself.”
I said calmly, looking down at Duke Martyns. As he briefly smiled at my words, he straightened up and looked into my eyes. His sharp features felt like they were piercing through me.
“Your Majesty’s destiny, which now includes overseeing me, is also included.”
He’s being amusing.
“I have too many destinies to take responsibility for. I believe Your Excellency can manage well on your own.”
“…Yes.”
“Please, have a seat.”
I pretended not to notice the flustered Duke Martyns. I sat in the main seat on the sofa where only the Empress could sit and gestured for the Duke to take the seat opposite mine. I surprised myself with how naturally the action came, as if I had always been the mistress of this empress’s palace.
“Your Majesty, as it is before mealtime, may I offer you some milk tea?”
I nodded in agreement to Sharon’s suggestion.
“Yes, that would be nice.”
“I will have it prepared and brought right away, Your Majesty.”
Sharon discreetly left the room to prepare the tea. I turned to Duke Martyns immediately.
“Do you have anything you wish to discuss with me?”
There must be a reason he sought me out. Perhaps about Princess Lesilia’s whereabouts…
