LOGINShare
Only Hope
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Cecily and Emery had been cleaning up the Empress’ room when they heard the dreadful news. The Emperor was poisoned by the Empress! The two handmaidens refused to believe it. Although the couple had their ups and downs, Ursa was not a rash person, nor was she as vicious so as to poison someone! Cecily had witnessed their harmony for herself, just as they were leaving the room for their dinner. Besides, Ursa would never make such a cunning move without first consulting herself or Emery, not that Emery was much help.
“We must see Ursa,” decided Cecily. Emery instantly nodded in agreement.
“Where is she being held?”
“From what I hear, she’s being confined in the prisons, but no one will speak with me in detail about it.” Cecily was always seen with the Empress
Related chapters
Where Loyalties Lie The Investigation I
It wasn’t that Ursa wasn’t frightened or anxious about the results of the investigation. She worried how far the person who framed her went. She took comfort in knowing that their plan went awry when the Emperor ended up drinking the wine instead of her, although not much comfort can be drawn knowing that you were the one meant to be poisoned.Still, Ursa didn’t know how adaptable her opponent was to the new situation. She trusted her handmaidens with her life, and now they had the chance to prove themselves. Ursa only had a fledgling of an idea of who it could be, but making rash assumptions would lead to her downfall. So instead she sat in the cold, damp cell with only Cecily’s cloak to comfort her.***Emery knocked quietly on the door to the Emperor’s study. She had a feeling
Where Loyalties Lie The Investigation II
Outside the palace, many began to riot. Men and women stood with rocks and hard projectiles ready to throw, while the palace guard stood with stoic faces, building a seemingly impenetrable human wall.“The Romanov witch has cursed our Emperor! Execute her!” they screamed. From above, Orlov watched the people with disdain. So quick to judge and condemn, without knowing all the facts. Orlov had attempted to keep the situation quiet until the handmaidens could find evidence that suggested the Empress was not to blame, but it seemed some unknown force was intent on the public knowing of the situation. It was this kind of scenario that Orlov had worried when he said he would not be able to openly help the Empress.A knock on the door snapped him from his reverie. “My lord, the court wishes to hear about the situation. They have called a
Where Loyalties Lie The Investigation III
The maid crept around the corner. Surprisingly, there were only two guards on duty. They were standing by the door looking bored, as if they wanted to be anywhere but there. The maid could relate; she would rather not be there at this moment. But alas, it was either: assassinate the Emperor or be tortured by that lunatic Lady Tatya. To ensure that she did the job properly, Lady Tatya said she would ‘take good care of her mother’.The maid’s mother was the only family she had left! The only reason she kept working for the Poplovs was because she had no other source of income. If she knew this was to be the outcome, she would have rathered to starve on the streets.“Greetings,” the maid said in a shaky voice. “I’ve come to deliver medicine for His Majesty.”&
Where Loyalties Lie The Confession
Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the dark, damp chamber. The maid’s arms were strung up in sturdy chains, her legs bound together with metal cuffs with sharp spikes poking into her ankles, blood running down her feet.The door swung open and four guards followed by the prime minister himself entered. The maid lifted her head, and shuddered at the sight of the cold, deadly right hand man of the Emperor.“You are the maid that tried to poison His Majesty, are you not?” the maid couldn’t help but gulp, even though that was getting increasingly harder. The pain in her ankles made it harder to even breathe.“I- I am, my lord.” Orlov nodded.“And who is it you work for?” The maid shuddered. Her mother was at st
Where Loyalties Lie The Beginning of Her End
When her maid never returned, Tatya felt a weird sensation in her heart, one she had never felt before. It was as if her stomach was flipping over inside her, turning the rest of her organs inside and out.She waited for Fate to come and catch up with her, but He never did.Her father came home from court, but he only mentioned the situation with the Emperor in passing, and not at all in a concerned manner.“Father,” she couldn’t help saying at dinner, “What of the Emperor? And the Empress?” Lord Poplov looked a bit irritated, but hid it well.“The Empress was cleared of all charges, Apparently it was just some maid, though I think there’s something more to it. That cunning Orlov is hiding something.&rdquo
Where Loyalties Lie Another Dinner Alone
“When was the last time you dined with His Majesty?” asked Cecily. The three of them were eating in a small side room in Ursa’s wing of the palace. It had become their new norm since the Emperor continuously cancelled Ursa’s dinners with him. Something inside her felt twisted every time she heard the palace maids whisper about Lady Tatya Poplova’s visits.She was their enemy, so why was her husband having dinner with her every night?“My Lady, you’re grinding your teeth again,” Emery pointed out. Ursa relaxed her jaw and sat back, throwing the piece of bread she was chewing on on her plate.“Apologies,” she murmured.“Does it bother you that much?”
Where Loyalties Lie A Dirty Scheme I
It was the first time that he had visited her on his own volition since he was poisoned. He looked as healthy as he did before, with a bit of an extra energy to him that he didn’t seem to have before.“What can I do for you, Your Majesty?”“I want to throw a banquet.” Ursa didn’t look up from the papers she was perusing. If she did, she would see his face and his expression. She was curious to see what kind of expression he had on while making that kind of request to her. A banquet? To celebrate what? His mistress, the noble lady Tatya of House Poplova?“What for? Money’s tight. The people won’t stand for wanton spending,” she reasoned.“It’s the annual celebration of my… com
Where Loyalties Lie A Dirty Scheme II
Ivan sat in the dining room waiting for his guest to arrive. He had just been given clearance by the physician to leave the Med Wing, and he already began putting his and Orlov’s plan in place. He made sure the dining room looked as exquisite as it did when his step-mother entertained foreign dignitaries. Although Ivan always loathed the woman, he was excited to see that effervescence return with Ursa at the helm.But that would have to wait. Ivan didn’t want to ruin Orlov’s show before it even began! A servant opened the grand doors, and in a loud voice announced, “Lady Tatya Poplova has arrived.” The lady herself entered moments later, wearing the latest fashions and a fan in clutch.“Your Majesty,” she greeted, curtsying low, as if her knees were about to hit the ground. Ivan reluctantly stood up to
Latest chapter
Where Loyalties Lie The Ghosts of Wruclas
Aisha spent the entire next day pouring over other material Ursa had pulled from the library and pacing outside of Ursa’s wing. Earlier that morning, she had stopped in to update the Empress on what she and Ivan had found, but the handmaiden Emery firmly stood her ground, chasing away any and all visitors, no matter how important they were.She was like a guard dog, really, the way she looked like she’d bite someone’s head off if they got even remotely close to the doors of Ursa’s apartment. Aisha had wanted to fight Emery on this, but she also knew how much Ivan had been stressing Ursa’s physical recovery from the chaos that occurred at the New Year’s Celebration, so Aisha slinked away back into the library quietly until lunch time, where she and Emery rehashed their earlier arguments. Inside the most heavily guarded doors, an empress laid in her bed with the covers half off, only covering her freezing toes. The rest of her sweated out a non-existent fever, while Cecily dabbed a col
Where Loyalties Lie Sibling Crime
The Poplov townhouse was located in the upper echelons of Ichares. The streets were clean, the houses were opulent and luxurious, the architecture a crude copy of the palace. It was not hard to break into the house, seeing as there were so many windows and not enough guards-- though this criticism could be shared with the palace.Ivan noted this.Aisha and Ivan were both dressed in black clothing-- Ivan in a black poet shirt and tight dark trousers, while Aisha wore a skin tight turtleneck with matching trousers. At present, they sat in a tree, watching the windows as light passed through the dark hallways, a maid checking the corridors.Aisha bounced her leg anxiously, causing the branch to sway with her. Ivan sent her a withering glare, instantly freezing any movement from her leg. They had been sittin
Where Loyalties Lie The Duel
Aisha juggled her broadsword in her hand while her other hand held her dagger tightly. She stared at her brother, only the light from the torches around the arena illuminating his lean frame. Ivan shrugged off his coat and kicked it to the side, his signature sword appearing out of thin air.“How--” Aisha gawked, staring at her own swords that came from the weapons room.“Magic?” Ivan smirked, spinning his sword with his wrist as he got into position. Aisha made sure to note down to have him teach her that trick before getting into her own starting position.Neither of them moved, circling each other. Aisha’s left foot shifted and then she was off, launching herself high into the air, raising her swords up into a crossing motion. She landed on the blunt side of Ivan’s
Where Loyalties Lie Respect, A One Way Street
Ursa gave a shallow wave to the guards stationed outside of Ivan’s study as Aisha trailed behind her with a tray of food. The guards instantly bowed and one stuck their head in to announce her presence. Ivan was hunched over his desk, staring intently at a particular piece of paper as his quill moved on its own-- most likely enchanted by Ivan, writing furiously. “Ivan.” He looked up, surprised to see the two women. “What are you two doing here?” Ursa gave him a funny look. “Our arrival was just announced. Didn’t you hear?” Ivan didn’t respond, choosing to just lounge back in his chair. The quill fell back and landed unceremoniously onto the paper. “We brought you dinner.” Aisha set the tray onto t
Where Loyalties Lie Poplov's Numbered Days
“Your Majesty, Lord Volkov is here to see you,” one of the guards from outside said, peeking his head slightly into the office. Ivan only waved his hand as an indication for the other man to come in. It was the middle of the afternoon, a few hours after the morning’s court session had ended and he finished his meeting with his advisors (without Orlov, he thought bitterly), but Ivan felt so very unproductive.He had sat there while everyone talked at him, only nodding or shaking his head, sometimes yelling at people who got a little too presumptuous. It wasn’t that Ivan didn’t understand the things being said in court-- after so many years of attending, it would be quite stupid for him not to have an idea of how these things worked. But Orlov made it easier for Ivan, always taking a load off of the heavy weights that already pushed Ivan to his knees.
Where Loyalties Lie The Tetsi Trial
“The prosecution would like to call its first witness up to the stand: Yuri Tetsi!” Orlov announced, and waited for the Young Tetsi to make his way to the stand. Ivan sat in his throne in his usual posture, his hand holding his face as he leaned into the side of his throne. Yuri Tetsi clambered up to the stand and took a seat, his hands nervously shaking. Once Young Tetsi looked ready, Orlov began laying the foundation of his questioning, asking simple questions about Young Tetsi himself before delving into the real case. “You claim to have recorded evidence of secret plots against the Empress?” asked Orlov. “I do. My own father, as well as Lord Haschoff, Lady Salisterova, Lord Grieschkov, and Lord Telbor all had conversations with each other and others about a few things. At first, they conversed abo
Where Loyalties Lie Big Reputation Brings Bigger Enemies
Ursa returned to her chambers after a quiet dinner with just Ivan and Aisha. It was a nice and gentle dinner, where the only mention of Orlov was Aisha excitedly announcing she would be helping. Otherwise, the dinner was the perfect glimpse of a life without Orlov constantly breathing down Ivan’s shoulder, and Ursa enjoyed it. But even Ursa could admit, a piece of Ivan was with Orlov in his home, eating dinner alone. Ivan would smile and joke with them, but his gaze was far off, not even in the room. It burned Ursa. It burned Ursa even more to know that a part of her also felt deeply while staring at the empty chair next to Aisha. Once upon a time, Ursa thought that she and the prime minister were friends. Friendly rivals, intellectual equals, and respected colleagues. She missed the mirage.
Where Loyalties Lie A Handmaiden's Tale I / The Princess
Ursa’s lunch didn’t end up being as peaceful as planned, as the second Vasil barged in on her meal. “Sister, I hear you’re heading the Orlov Investigation!” Ursa put down the little bite sized sandwich Cecily had prepared for her as Aisha made herself at home in the chair across from her. “You heard correctly.” “I want to help.” “No.” “Please?” “This is a delicate political matter, Aisha. My apologies if I don’t think you’re quite ready for such a complex matter.” Aisha slid down her seat, crossing her arms. “I can handle it. I’ll be covert. No one has to know we’re working together.” Ursa smirked as she put he
Where Loyalties Lie She Who Does Not Break So Easily
Ursa dropped a bag of coins into the maid’s hand, and the small girl scurried out of the library. After more than half a year at the palace, Ursa learned who could be bought and who could be swayed to join her cause-- her cause being keeping her in the loop of things she otherwise wouldn’t be. That just happened to be any and all court matters, seeing as Ivan specifically kept her out of political matters. “You’re still recovering, Ursa! I can’t have you getting all stressed about these matters when your health is so fragile!” But her health has been ‘fragile’ for a little more than a month and a half. Physically, Ursa was already back in her original form, and more than capable of delving back into court. But the most work Ivan had even let her see had only been the preparations for the upcoming annual Royal Hunting Trip, renamed to the Imperial
