Chapter three

Choosing concubinus proved to be harder than princess Cassiopeia expected.

Everyone was handsome, but most of them weren't worth it.

She had already an handsome concubinus, after all.

She had to discard the offers of commoners, as her situation was precarious enough. She could not afford to allow more criticism to come her way for now.

She frowned at one of the requests.

"What is this?"

Lord Chamberlain ran to her. "What is it, your Highness?"

"This has to be a joke!" She huffed.

The young man's eyes focused on the applicant she was looking at.

"Please call immediately for Lord Rabbah's third son, Lord Asher." She commanded.

"I shall comply immediately, with your permission..." He bowed and left the room.

After not even four hours, she heard five knocks on her office door. She rushed to open it.

"Lord Asher!"

A boy with ashen hair smiled softly, greeting her with a bow. "Greetings to the blooming flower of this Empire."

She took his hands in hers, and guided him inside. She cupped his cheek with one hand.

"How are you? Has something happened to you?"

He shook his head, not dropping his shy smile. "I'm sorry for your loss, Princess." He did not mean it, yet she murmured a "thank you". He knew more than anyone how awful her so-called family was.

She sent away everyone, and was left alone with the boy. He was a year younger than her.

"I saw your candidature to be a concubinus. Fear not, I'll reject you. Your father cannot impose this marriage on you." She caressed his cheek lightly.

"I sent it." His words stunned her.

"Why? I don't understand..." She was puzzled. They had been childhood friends since she could remember. He used to sneak out and visit her wing of the palace all the time. Although shy, he never backed down when it came to defending her from the insects of the garden. As for her, she defended him from everything else. He was frail and timid. Boys often picked on him, and his father was abusive. She knew it all, yet she did not have the power to help him. That is, until now.

"My father has engaged me to Countess Olga", he explained.

She cringed at the thought of the old woman. She was the definition of mannerless, a rude and uneducated person, who was terrible to look at and emanated a pungent smell of mold.

She had married the rich late Count, and now she was preying on a younger man who was hated enough by his family to be sent as her husband.

"I do not wish to marry her." He stared in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I feel terrible asking you this, and I know I am a coward for running away." He lowered his gaze, covering his face with his hands. "I have no one to turn to. You're all I have." Tears begun welling in his eyes.

She hugged him, as tight as she could. "I'll marry you. It'll be alright. You won't have to marry her."

It would bring her benefits too. His father was against her ascension to the throne, after all. Even if just to keep up appearances, he would not dare oppose his son's wife. Instead, he probably would have him compete in the struggle for the throne against the other concubinus.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, "I'm really sorry."

She caressed his hair, never breaking the hug. "It's okay, don't be. I have nothing against you joining the harem."

The hatred she felt for the man was growing. Once powerful enough, she would have him banished, or better, executed.

He kept thanking her in between the tears.

She just held him, waiting for his sobs to subside.

He was the sweetest person she had ever met. Her first friend and the person who cared about her the most besides her brother. Yet, everyone seemed to see a weakness in his kindness.

She would never forget the faces of anyone who hurt him.

Once he returned home, she was left in a foul mood.

Her aide, the brother of the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Neus, carefully approached her after sending her bad mood.

"Is everything alright, Your Highness?"

She sighed, "I have picked two concubinus from the list. Archive these files and proceed to inform the families. I won't take more in since I expect two to come from the other Kingdoms, but don't toss the list away. I may need it for future adjustments."

Those two men would be enough to appease the nobles. One was the son of the most important ducal family, and one was the son of one of the most important conservative nobles, by which she was not seen in a good light.

She just hoped the daughters of the other nobles would join her cause and persuade their families to support her.

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One week later, after she had moved to the Emperor's palace, and had taken care of all urgent matters, she called again for a General Assembly.

The Council of Nobles reunited at noon.

At her right sat the conservatives, while at her left the progressives. The neutral nobles sat in front of her.

"Thank you once again for joining me today."

She was still wearing black, but this time it was not a dress, but pants in formal attire. Her flaming red hair cascaded on her shoulders in lustrous loose curls.

"I would like to discuss with you my governing strategy for the next five years."

She looked at them for a moment. "Those in favour of the discussion may lift their hand."

Everyone seemed to want the discussion to happen.

"No objections." Declared the Lord Chamberlain.

"Very well. I will begin with foreign policies, and then move on to inside affairs."

She waited for them to pick up their files, pens and papers.

"The first topic of discussion is the relationship with the Darafen tribe."

Great turmoil. A headstrong start.

"We are all aware of how my father has approached the matter. His great efforts and dedication to the matter is commendable, but I would like to propose a different approach."

Bullshit. She found none of it commendable.

"A peace treaty?" Asked skeptical one of the Lords.

"A peace treaty would be great," she took a deep breath, "and that is indeed the ultimate goal. We do not need the sacred forest, and they have not bothered us aside from the war that we began. I wish to include them as subjects of this Empire, and I wish to form an amicable relationship with the tribe."

Again, some shouted against it, and some vouched in favour. She used the royal sceptre to loudly stomp on the ground.

"Now that we have gone a month into a stall, and that there have been no attacks by them, I wish to invite their leader to my coronation."

The nobles' voices came out again.

Nevertheless, she expected many more to go against her, but in the end the debate was settled.

She was surprised at how they actually discussed with her, and although they did talk over her and often diminished her opinion, she got her points across, and she was able to come out on top.

Princess Cassiopeia was satisfied.

The conversation thus shifted to the invitations for the Coronation. She wished to have a grand ceremony despite the "awful" events.

"If we are to receive guests from afar, we cannot have our Empire be ridiculed because of a meager ceremony. I suggest we keep it as grand and elegant and as my grandfather's."

Her father had exceeded the royal budget and threw one of the biggest Coronation ceremonies in the history of the Empire. She did not wish to repeat his actions. This time the nobles had some complaints, but the foreign minister, Lord Paul, agreed with her and the debate was settled.

"The Coronation will last two days, and then my weddings will take place. On the first day, the actual day of the ritual, we will celebrate with the entire population, while on the second day I will celebrate with the nobility. For my weddings, the commoners will pay a fee if they wish to attend."

It was common practice to do so, and no one objected this time.

She then proceeded to talk in detail about the trades with the other nations, how they were progressing and what could be bettered.

The conversation went smoothly, and she could consider herself pleased with the outcomes.