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Urduja secretly trains herself to enhance her body. She needs to stay physically fit. She dreams to be a police officer someday but unfortunately, it never happened because her mother forced her to drop out in her fourth year in college. It will never happen anymore now that she is in this body.
Urduja sighs and scoops some water into her hands. She let it flow down to her bent knees as Ingrid is busy scrubbing her back.
'So boring...'
Today is a busy day for the people of the empire. Everyone is pacing back and forth through the hallway. Urduja can hear their running footsteps which she didn't mind at all. There is a welcoming celebration that is going to happen right in front of the palace.
His Imperial Majesty will be returning to the palace after twelve days of participating in the expedition.
Polly wets her hair and soaps it. Urduja sighs, looking at the bangle on her left wrist.
No matter if she is taking a bath, she never removes it. She is afraid that the people from the outside of her chamber may detect her overwhelming mana in which she hasn't controlled properly. But she can grasp it already.
For the rest of the days, she studied mana, aura element, and magic armament.
As far as she knows, mana is meant to be used for unleashing your magic armament. She has to learn how to magically appear with her weapon. For now, she has tried so many times but she needs to master her aura element first.
Having mana means you must also have your aura element. That is what Urduja believes.
Each person possesses an aura element. It is either water, earth, fire, air, lightning, ice, wood, or nature. The rarest aura element is lightning.
Urduja possesses the rare aura element that is why she needs to be secretive about this. Good thing she already makes a precaution beforehand even though she hasn't known that what she has right now is quite rare.
"I am not going to wear a gown," Urduja says, shaking her head when Gertrude holds a Victorian ball gown. "I want to wear a different one. Not a gown," she adds.
The four ladies-in-waiting look surprised by Her Imperial Majesty's words. Have they heard it correctly? Her Imperial Majesty doesn't want to wear a gown?
"What do you want to wear, Your Imperial Majesty?" Gertrude asks after recovering from Urduja's words.
Urduja grins and walks to the wardrobe. She picks the clothes that are not a dress. She picks the blue steampunk tailcoat, trousers, and leather boots. Then she faces her ladies-in-waiting.
"This one." She smiles confidently.
'I spent three days fully checking the real Urduja's wardrobe. It's worth it if I will wear these steampunk jackets and tailcoats that haven't been touched for years!'
Urduja can't contain her excitement. She thinks she is going to cosplay these steampunk jackets and tailcoats. But she admits the design looks cool and vintage. If she hasn't known that this is an era where Victorian ball gowns exist, she will think that she is just in an opera or she is just cosplaying this for fun.
Hesitant, Gertrude takes the clothes the Empress chose for her to wear at the arrival of Emperor Alistair.
"As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty."
They quietly dress her, pull her hair into a braided high ponytail, put on light makeup, and put the sapphire marquise-shaped dangle earrings on her ears. As for the lipstick, she requests a rose peach color to fit her white complexion.
"You look more beautiful, Your Imperial Majesty," says Camila, holding her handkerchief as she tries to wipe some tears.
"Empress Urduja looks beguiling and elegant now and then," Polly compliments.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I certainly love your red hair," Ingrid utters with her eyes sparkling.
"The tailcoat suits you, Your Imperial Majesty." It is Gertrude with a tender smile.
'Don't flatter me.' Urduja giggles mentally.
She displays a brilliant smile while applauding quietly and excitedly. "I felt like I'm going to a comic-book convention! And I'm cosplaying right now!" She can't help but utter those words.
What Urduja says makes the four ladies bewildered. They have no idea what 'comic-book convention' and 'cosplay' words mean. But they just get along with her, not wanting to ruin Her Imperial Majesty's joy.
Ever since the day her tongue-tied condition has healed and she has mana, Her Imperial Majesty has a cheerful behavior that makes them at ease. Those days are the times they see their Empress being so cheerful and in high spirits.
Being their ladies-in-waiting for two years, the Empress plasters meek smiles most of the time. Next is her affectionate, soft and gentle smile.
"Oh! I remember!" Urduja expresses it out of the blue.
"What is it, Your Imperial Majesty?" Gertrude asks gently.
"Is there any small balcony here in the Clair de Lune Palace where I can watch the Emperor's arrival?"
Clair de Lune Palace is the main palace where she and the Emperor resided.
Since these four ladies tell her days ago that the Empress has been forbidden by the Emperor to appear herself before His Imperial Majesty because he despises her unless he invites him. It means she can't meet him in person.
'That favors me though. I don't want to meet him because he is an asshole already.'
She grins mentally. It is favorable for her since she can move freely in this palace. But she is planning to annoy the Emperor of the Lucelence Empire. She plans to invite herself later and sees his shitty concubines.
But for now, she needs to watch him from afar.
"We do have, Your Imperial Majesty. But if you wish to see more of His Imperial Majesty, we can use the Clair de Lune Palace balcony." But then, Gertrude remembers. "But that will make you attract and accentuate attention from the people of the empire." She is concerned that the people may lash out at Her Imperial Majesty.
Urduja arches her eyebrow and curls up a smile. "From what I learned from you all, I am already at my worst. They won't pay attention to an incompetent Empress. But even if they do, it is not of my business to pay heed to their malicious stares."
She already understands her situation. She likes the idea that she is being treated weak but those people have no idea that she will rise as the excellent Empress soon. She just needs to be careful.
According to what she knew when she was Corinne, in this kind of environment she is in, there is a high chance she may encounter betrayal, hate, anger, jealousy, and grief. There is a chance that an assassination or killings may happen. She based this on the Korean and Chinese drama she watched as Corinne. She sees it as her edge to survive here in this palace.
'Very worth it that I watched them before.' she says.
That is why she needs to hone her skills and her mana. She has to unleash her magic armament soon so she can protect herself from any harm.
Who knows, maybe the Emperor plans to kill her soon...
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People of the Lucelence Empire have gathered in front of the Clair de Lune Palace. The joyous cheers are all over the place as buisines and drums are being sounded by trumpeters and drummers. Confetti rains as they await His Imperial Majesty's arrival. The Knights of the empire are lining up on each side of the aisle, getting ready their swords for the saber arch.
Urduja yawns a little by covering her mouth with her hand as she is resting on the balcony railings, cross-legged. She is facing the aisle, waiting for Emperor Alistair to appear himself. She rests her left arm on her thighs as she also places her right elbow near to her knee, resting her jaw on her right palm.
"Huh. He takes his time to arrive," Urduja says in a dejected tone. "I didn't know this kind of ceremony is boring."
Her four ladies-in-waiting, who are settling behind Her Imperial Majesty, exchange glances. The soft-spoken Empress Urduja will not say such absurd remarks like this. Since their Empress has forgotten who she is, they just let her. Or perhaps, it is much better to see the high-spirited Empress than before. They can tell that the Empress has confidence and is the type that won't back down.
This is very refreshing for them.
Urduja tries to find the Emperor's concubines. She hums and spots them on the imperial staircase, in front of the palace. She narrows her eyes a little. Her blood is boiling just by seeing them.
'Those are the bitches the real Urduja writes in her journal.'
She already knows their names and how to address them. She manages to cope up with this kind of environment. In her past days as Corinne, she loves to read and watch that is all about royalty. She watched movies and series while studying. That is why she can manage to change the course of her speaking because she has the edge of having the technology on her side as Corinne. She will not turn a blind eye and be a gullible person in this place.
But she can't believe what she had read days ago. The real Urduja is planning to divorce this jerk, Alistair, once he comes back from his expedition. She understands the pain she endured for two years.
But what if she wants to do otherwise and continue her ruling as the Empress? Corinne wants to raise the real Urduja's reputation she truly deserves as the Empress of the empire.
That is why she keeps on practicing her mana and training her body. She even studied the rules here.
"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Alistair D'Arcy has arrived!"
She snaps back, curling up a small smile.
'The Emperor Asshole is here.'