“Your Grace!”One of the Lord Merchants ran towards us, the worry etched on his face as he checked on the Emperor, “We have been looking for both of you for over an hour!”It was already dark when we came back to the camp and everyone surrounded me and the Emperor the moment they recognized both of us. They quickly gave Aster and me some warm cloaks because we are both a little drenched from the soft drizzle in the forest.“Your Grace,” King Laurent approached us, his eyes going to Aster and down at me. I saw him sigh as if he got relieved when he found out that I was not hurt and was finally safe, “We apologize for the lack of action we had. We just didn’t know which part of the forest you went to together with lady Eodelle. Some of the rangers are still in the forest looking for you though. I am glad you finally came back unscathed and unharmed.”Aster laughed shortly and then walked alongside King Laurent, leaving me standing in front of the three Lord Merchants. Laurent gave me a
It’s just hard to evade the look in King Laurent’s eyes.The morning sky is beautiful and the wind is a bit cold but the soft warmth of the sun makes my spirit happy while all of us enjoy the breakfast prepared by one of the finest cooks in Talaphatia castle. Fresh fish, fruits, eggs, and slices of bacon are my favorite to eat every morning. Alpha Aster, on the other hand, looks a little grumpy. I can tell his head must be killing him right now so I made sure to serve him cold water to ease the aftereffect and his headache.What bothers me most is that King Laurent keeps staring at me from the other end of the rainbow. I can tell he is not pleased that I didn’t show up last night when he called me. But then I thought I didn’t come here to please anyone. I am here because Alpha Aster wanted me to, and I can do nothing since he has me on my neck.The other Lord Merchants are busy talking about their recent good trades from other Kingdoms and how much profit they got from poor farmers a
"I didn't mean it like that, your Grace. If it was about last night—""No. I'm sorry. It was actually a mistake that I tried to call you in your tent at that kind of hour. I was just worried about what happened to you after our guards saw you by the river. It's just—they reported to me they have seen someone on the other side of the riverbank. I was scared you got hurt or something." I was a little surprised when King Laurent suddenly changed his mood and smiled at me. I smiled in relief though. His serious, cold face made me a little intimidated and scared that he must have expected something from me and that I did something which he misunderstood."Do you enjoy this kind of setup though? being the concubine of the Emperor? How is your relationship with the other concubines? I heard he has four more back in the Headow Stronghold."I pursued my lips. Should I tell him what really happened to me in that Palace after Aster conquered the Empire? Should I tell him that he once threw me i
"EODELLE!"I feel like my whole body is burning. My inner self screams, claws, shrieking in torment as my insides feel like someone is incinerating them. But my physical body remained still, burning hot while the King carried me in his arms. I looked up at the clear blue sky and watched a bird flying above us. Am I dying? Lady Eodelle of the Wycliffe Empire died of snake bite in the forest of Talaphatia?The clouds moved slowly, being blown by the soft wind in the early morning. But I can't feel the cool breeze I am expecting because I feel like my whole body is being blazed by an invisible fire that is spreading fast starting from the tips of my fingers down to my toes. I know it will be my end once the poison reaches my heart and brain."Eodelle!" King Laurent kept on calling my name to prevent me from falling asleep. Yes… if I sleep there will be no chance for me to wake up again. But I guess that is fine for me. I am exhausted with all of this anyway. Maybe this is the chance t
“How are you feeling now, your Grace?” I turned to look at Nina’s worried eyes while she watch me curl my hands into a fist several times making sure that I have complete control of my hands after I woke up several hours ago. Helena’s presence when she entered my room made me a bit alarmed, scared that she might show up there and kill me in my sleep. The hatred and the anger in her eyes were so clear that Alpha Aster sent her back to her room after she went here wearing a funeral dress.My strength hasn’t been back yet but I am grateful that I can finally move several parts of my body and my eyes have already adjusted to the light outside, making me able to see things clearly inside my room. The poison clearly did bad damage to my nervous system that I wasn’t able to feel anything for so many days as if I was in a total coma. “I think I am getting better,” I answered Nina with a small smile. I am so happy that I am finally able to see her every day. I didn’t realize I missed her thi
I can't believe he just asked me to stay by myself tonight. But unfortunately, he was called for a vital council meeting tonight. If he stayed tonight, what would I do? I have no idea what to say to him. Should I apologize for causing him so much trouble after what happened to me? I stared into the darkness while leaning my back against the headboard of my bed. I couldn't sleep after so many days of sleeping for almost the whole day. I just spent hours trying to stare at nowhere with a blank mind. Deep inside, it made me wish that somehow, I had the chance to hunt down a game before that tragic thing happened. The vacation was so short I wish we never had to leave immediately or maybe we could just go back if it would be ok with Aster.But of course, it won't be okay with Helena and the other concubines with her.I got a little bored after an hour of sitting in the same spot, so I pulled down my legs and felt the cold floor under my bare feet. I grimaced a bit when I felt the pierci
I am not really sure what I am doing but I feel like I need to do something tonight because I just couldn't sleep knowing that Helena is trying to ruin me and spread nasty rumors about me while I stay in bed and get rest.I don't need rest, actually. I need peace of mind. I never want Helena to destroy me when I already have a bad reputation around because of being a former princess and the daughter of the former Emperor Wycliffe who made the whole Empire drown in so much poverty that led Aster and his army to conquer and overtake the land. The people don't believe in the Wycliffes anymore after my father tainted the glorious name of my ancestors. But I am still here. Maybe I can do something. I can still make a difference for the people of this Empire by helping Aster how to bring the land back to prosperity. And to start all of it, I have to gain the trust of everyone here in Headow Stronghold, especially the concubines and the council to make them hear all my plans and suggestions
I woke up in the morning all groggy because I failed to get enough sleep after my visit to lady Marian's room last night. My eyes felt so heavy even when I went to the dining area to eat breakfast with everyone including Alpha Aster who was silent the whole time eating at the head table while Sera and Katrina were talking about newly fashioned dresses released by a new designer that came from Europe. Helena, on the other hand, who was sitting closer to the Alpha has been murmuring to him words that I cannot hear with my weak senses. I guess she is reporting to him about some progress in the palace household and the activities of the concubines throughout the days that we both were in Talaphatia. I didn't try to speak anything though, not wanting to get Helena’s attention on me. But Marian has been staring at me the whole breakfast meal while eating her vegetable salad and oats. It made me think that Marian loves animals so much that she never wants to eat meat at all. All I see on