Chapter sixteen

When Empress Cassiopeia woke up in the morning, she found the bed next to her empty. Yawning, she slowly rose sat.

"Good morning, Your Highness. Have you slept well?"

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"You're here Lord." The man sat across from the bed, reading a book on a comfortable sofa.

"Where else would I be?" The royal protocol did indeed forbid consorts to leave the bedchamber before the Sovereign on the wedding night, but it was often overlooked once morning came.

"Have you had breakfast?" She asked instead.

"Not yet. I was waiting for you."

"You must be hungry. Have you been waiting for long?"

He flipped through the book, "not much, around two hundred pages."

She did not know his reading speed, but that was around three hours for her.

"I apologise."

"No need, I did it of my own volition."

She stared at his clothes. He had already changed into formal attire.

"Then I thank you for waiting."

The concubinus quarters had a dressing room, in which were stored four or five outfits of the ruler. She thought it a useless rule, but now that she was in the position, she understood that the maids would have a hard time bringing a chance of clothing every morning from the main building.

He smiled, "I'll ask two maids to help you get dressed."

"I'll wear a simple gown, since I'll have to get changed in three or four hours, after all."

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧☆⋆｡𖦹°‧

The second wedding took place soon after.

This time, Empress Cassiopeia's husband would be her dearest childhood friend, Lord Asher Rabbah, the third son of Marquess Rabbah.

She cared for the son as much as she despised the father.

The ritual was the same. Her brother walked her to the altar, the groom gave her his mohar (this time a great sum of money, as well as two mines), they performed the ritual and paraded through the capital city.

Holding her hand, he shyly greeted the people of Saol. Her hair seemed to shine under the midday scorching sun, and her smile shone brighter than every gem in her dress.

He admired her as she enjoyed the cheers, waving her hand from left to right. Her cheeks were slightly flushed by the heat and the emotion, yet she did not seem to mind.

He caressed her ring. Another golden ring. In it, there was imbued the Tiger's Eye, of the few chatoyant gemstones. His eyes were of Mida's, but amber, although much closer to the colour, was considered less precious, thus not worthy of an Empress' finger.

His ring was the same as Lord Dorkas', a golden band with a ruby.

"Do look at them, Lord Asher! They're all cheering for us. Does that not fill your heart?" She told him, loud enough for him to hear over the cheers, but not enough to be heard by the citizens.

"It does, Your Highness", though he seemed to think that seeing her this cheerful filled his heart more.

The evening passed by just as quickly as the wedding. On the second day Empress Cassiopeia's heart was calmer than on the first. As per usual, she chatted with the nobles, danced until her legs gave out and ate as much as her corset permitted.

Opening some of the gifts, she laughed and met nobles that never dared to speak to her. Even some of the people that always criticised her were now at her feet.

It felt good.

Nearing the end of the night, she took some time to herself, enjoying the fresh early summer air.

"Mind if I join you, Your Highness?"

She turned around, noticing the Lady from Vindbjerg. The fireflies that roamed freely through the Palace's gardens illuminated her golden locks.

"Lady Cassandra. You do not disturb me, please come sit." She gestured to the lady, patting on the empty seat of the stone bench she was sitting on.

"I apologise for not congratulating You yesterday. It was hard to even glance at Your way, since You always seem to be surrounded by people."

"Like a moth to a flame, greed flocks to power."

"Wiser words were never spoken", she chuckled at the Empress' bluntness.

"Have you been enjoying your stay?"

"I have, thank You for Your hospitality."

"You speak my language fairly well."

"Thank You. I had time to practice. Being His Majesty's aide for the last few years I was often in charge of revising communication with the other nations."

"It must've been hard."

"Not at all. I enjoy working."

"That is a good quality to have."

"Thank You, Your Highness."

The Empress smiled a warm smile.

"So... Five husbands, huh?" She nudged at her with her elbow.

Empress Cassiopeia choked on her saliva, erupting in a fit of coughs. Were all ladies from the Vindbjergian Kingdom this blunt? Yet from her unbothered expression she seemed to not mind her words. She simply patted her back, waiting for her to stop choking.

"I will soon have five husbands, yes." She finally said, after regaining her composure.

"Which one is your favourite? They're all pretty good looking. Although I think the prettiest one is the horned one. Oh, but our Prince has nothing to envy! His tan skin clashes beautifully with his ivory hair, and- Oh, is it rude of me to speak in such a way of Your husbands?"

Empress Cassiopeia's head spun. What kind of topic of discussion was this? She had never practiced it with anyone. She knew all the latest trends, all the scripts most of the nobles followed, so why were all those topics outclassed by this mundane profanity?

"You are not familiar with our etiquette, it seems."

"Oh? I apologise for crossing the line, Your Highness."

"It is quite alright."

An awkward silence fell between them.

"So you think the half elf is good looking?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She had heard everything but that about him.

"Do you not like well built men, Your Highness?"

The blush on the Empress' face was evident.

"I-It is not relevant. Does he not scare you, my Lady?"

"Oh, he gives me the creeps, but it doesn't make him any less handsome. He's scary, that's true, but he's not scary like most men. The worst thing he could ever do to me is killing me, unlike some of the nobles I met during my socialite years."

Just what kind of people came from Vindbjerg?

"You are quite honest."

"Should I lie to You when we said we'd be friends?" She seemed taken aback.

"Lord Wolfgang isn't bad either", commented the Empress, covering her face with a fan.

Lady Cassandra Camden seemed pleased with her answer, "You have a good eye, Your Highness. All of them are good choices."

The Empress had eyes too, and she had also noticed that. Anyhow, she would have never voiced that thought aloud.

"So, how was last night?"

The question took the Empress by surprise. Her face became even redder.

"My Lady. I take it you are not married yet, what do you know about such things?"

Lady Cassandra winked at her, "I know enough to talk about it."

The fan the Empress was using swung from left to right, in an attempt to cool down her heated face.

"Lady Cassandra -!"

The woman chuckled.

"I'm 27, not 10. I think I'm old enough to know what I'm talking about, Your Highness."

"You look younger."

"Is that a way to call me childish or should I be flattered?"

"I apologise, I-"

"I'm joking. I apologise, I must've had too much to drink."

"It's quite alright, I tend to ramble about anything when I drink too much as well."

"I see. That's comforting."

"Do you wish for me to send someone to take you to your rooms?"

"Duke Casimir must've noticed that I disappeared. He'll come look for me, and if he finds me he'll bring me back." She was talking about His Majesty the Crown Prince's other aide.

"What if he doesn't find you?"

"He will. He always does."

Writer's corner

Lord Asher has golden eyes = eyes of Mida's.