With the queen’s attention fully occupied by the food in front of her, the king turned his sight towards the maidservant still unconscious on the bed. He initially planned to interrogate Lila while the queen was gone but for some reason, he could not do it. Not because he was worried about how the queen would react but because the maidservant chose to be quiet despite the fact that he threatened her multiple times. And not to mention, she was oddly unconscious most of the time Whatever her real relationship with the queen, it was something that the king would not be able to severe easily. A little while after, Emery finished her food and noticed that the king’s eyes were focused on the maidservant she was looking after. She raised an eyebrow and simply stared at him without saying a word. “I am truly curious why you are so invested towards that sole maidservant,” the king commented. He, then, looked back at the queen. “That is why I had her background checked but I only found out th
The next morning, Emery woke up when she heard Lila’s voice just outside her chambers. The sun was already out outside the window, so she got out of bed and let Lila enter. However, her forehead creased when she saw the other maidservants holding some dresses as if she was about to get married again. When she asked what was going on, Lila replied, “Princess Garnet has invited you to attend the Flower Banquet held at the nearby lake.” Cocking her head to the side, Emery wondered what the Flower Banquet was. But then again, she heaved a sigh since she would not fully understand the different occasions or banquets held by the nobles. May it be out of a whim or not, banquets were the least favorite of the queen. “Can I not go? I am a bit tired of yesterday’s travel,” she tried to reason out. “Your Highness, the princess said that you are needed for the banquet. Royal Concubine Hazel is now waiting for you by the gates.” Saying that, Lila pushed Emery towards the bathing ward so she co
When Emery finally reached the pavilion, she curtsied at the princess who was wearing her usual smile that hid some unpredictable sinister. The queen felt a bit relieved when Princess Garnet asked the other ladies to leave them alone for a while. “Thank you for inviting me to this banquet.” Those were the first words of the queen. She first thought that the princess had already gone home to the Vesuvia Kingdom when she left the palace but she was wrong. She wanted to ask why she stayed longer in the kingdom but that would sound like she did not like her presence so she chose to just keep it to herself. Pouring herself some tea, Princess Garnet smiled. “I have heard that you got in an argument with the king the moment you returned. But what really worries me is that he let you come here without him despite the attempted assassination.” “His Majesty needed to attend important meetings today so he needed not to accompany me to attend the banquet. Besides, he is already investigating th
Emery was still speaking with Lady Ruby when everyone got on their knees and lowered their heads. “Your Majesty, please spare our lives!” they begged. Looking behind her, the queen locked gaze with the king who was coming in their direction exuding some deadly aura. She turned on her heels to face him and asked if the royal concubine was doing fine. The king did not reply and was about to walk past her, however, Emery stepped to her right and blocked his way. She received his infamous icy and striking glare but it did not stop Emery from stepping to her left when the king attempted to get past her for the second time. “Step aside.” His command was absolute and full of authority but the queen knew that if she did let him be, he would scare the shit out of the already frightened ladies behind her. “If Lady Hazel is doing fine, there is no need for you to be merciless towards these young ladies. Other than that, did she tell you who pushed her?” “She is not saying anything so I woul
Submerging herself deeper until only her head was above water, Emery raised her eyebrow. “Are you not ashamed of getting inside the bathroom while a woman is bathing?” As usual, the king did what he was good at-ignoring the queen. He walked towards the corner where he could take off his clothes, making Emery scoff in disbelief. “Are you out of your mind? Can you simply wait for me to finish?” she yelled. “What are you embarrassed about? I am your husband so it is no big deal if we are to bath at the same time and at the same place.” “That only works if we both hold mutual feelings but that is not the case at all!” “Your Highness, is everything okay?” Emery felt a bit relieved when she heard Lila’s voice coming from the outside. She asked her to bring her some clothes since she was almost finished with her bath. Turning her back towards the king, she covered her face with both of her hands to make sure that she would see nothing until she left the bathroom. However, a few moments
Emery moved when she felt a bit ticklish behind her ear. She was about to simply brush it off but when she raised her hand a bit to hold her ear and drive away whatever was causing it to tickle, she felt someone’s hand that drove her away from sleepiness. Out of instinct, she opened her eyes in no time and saw a masked person right in front of her, with only his remarkable blue eyes could be seen. She immediately grabbed her dagger hidden beneath her pillow and did not hesitate to attack, slashing the intruder with no hesitation. However, the masked person immediately stepped back and dodged the dagger. It was just the other day that her first assassination attempt happened so she expected that the security around the palace became tighter but it seemed like she was wrong. And for another attempt to happen so early, Emery was just as surprised. However, when she immediately stood to make a lunge, she felt lightheaded all of a sudden and her vision started to blur, making her dizzy and
Lady Ruby’s eyes widened as she lowered her head. “I dare not try to take His Majesty’s time from you, Your Highness.” Despite her reply, Emery simply smiled and said, “It is okay to tell me how you really feel. Besides, it is common for every noblewoman to dream and becoming one of His Majesty’s concubines. And even though you get my approval, the final decision still lies with His Majesty.” The lady could not fully understand the queen. If she was in her position, she would allow no concubine at all to enter the palace as it would only reduce the chance of her bearing the king’s child. However, from the words of Emery, Lady Ruby could find no hint of a lie behind them. Seeing that she seemed like the lady who was not hot-tempered and heartless like what she heard from the rumors, Lady Ruby took the courage to speak about the incident just a while back. Clasping her hands together and staring at her cup of tea that had gone cold, she took a deep breath. “It is true that I am jealou
For a while, Emery stared at the king with her eyes wide and a crease on her forehead. After a couple of minutes, when his words finally registered in her mind, she made a nasty expression, showing a mixture of disbelief and disgust. “Did you just address me as my Queen?” She shivered as she hugged herself. “You better not say that again or I might find myself puking out my stomach.” The king simply gazed back at her, ignoring her remarks, and responded, “Even if you try to change the topic at hand, I won’t be swayed. Now, tell me, what is it that you are hiding?” Emery sighed. With the stubbornness of His Majesty, it was unlikely of her to avoid him, especially that both of them reside in the palace and even share a room. Running away from him was not just the right way to make him stop asking questions. Thus, he straightened her back and clasped her hands together ready to execute her second option of getting away. “The prime minister wants me to keep an eye on you,” she confesse