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"Your Imperial Majesty! Please wait for us!" Her ladies-in-waiting say, chasing her.
Urduja immediately runs away the moment she is out of the palace and goes to the Empress's garden. She arrives at the gazebo while still hearing the four ladies calling her.
But her chest is rising up and down from nervousness as she is catching up her breath from running so fast.
'Damn it! Damn it! I felt like I fucked everything up! Corinne, what did you do?!'
She supports herself to the pillar, feeling her knees wobble. She even inhales and exhales in exasperation.
'His aura is way more intimidating than my professors in college. Damn it... If he becomes my professor, he would force me to drop out!' Corinne says, panicking. She fans herself using her hands.
"Damn that Emperor Asshole..." she mutters.
She plans to accidentally meet him but she has no idea that Emperor Asshole is way beyond herself. Urduja shivers when she sees his aura element. His aura element is ice which is why the Emperor is as cold as ice...
'I thought I could manage him... And why the heck is he so strikingly handsome?! That is so freaking unfair!' She is fuming mad because she finds it unfair that even though he is a white-haired man, he can still be as handsome as the models Corinne sees in the magazine.
"Your Imperial Majesty!"
Urduja pivots around and blinks seeing her ladies-in-waiting who are leaning in the pillars, catching up their breaths. 'What happened to these four and they looked so tired?' She is perplexed by what she was seeing right now. "Are you all alright?" she asks, approaching them.
"We are all right, Your Imperial Majesty..." Gertrude says, trying to calm her breathing.
"Indeed." Ingrid nods her head.
"We didn't know that Her Imperial Majesty is a good runner..." Camila comments.
"I think I need water..." Polly says, slides down to the floor.
Urduja chuckles. 'Looks like they are not physically fit.' Although Urduja feels tired from running, she can endure a little due to secretly enhancing her physical body. She does some extreme exercises in her room but since her room is spacious, she can initiate an exercise and does the training she experienced when she was still Corinne.
"How is my act there?" Urduja asks with a wry smile. "Do you think I faltered there when I came to speak with the Emperor?" She bites her lower lip as she waits for their response.
The four ladies exchange glances before they unshackle squealing giggles. They immediately approach Urduja with beaming faces.
"Your Imperial Majesty, you amaze us back there!" Polly says while clapping her hands.
"It is our very first time you have spoken to His Imperial Majesty in such a nonchalant tone, Your Imperial Majesty!" Camila clasps her hands and jumps in excitement.
Ingrid giggles. "Have you seen the flabbergasted expressions of His Imperial Majesty, Lady Tatiana, Lady Eleanor, and Lady Odette? It is so priceless!"
"Even I was astonished by you, Your Imperial Majesty! The atmosphere may have thickened but you have done an astounding performance." It is Gertrude. Gertrude disregards her composed attitude and joins with the other ladies. Even she can't believe that their Empress can speak without even faltering on her words.
That flatters Urduja. She also can't believe that she can outdo what she is expecting.
"Aha! Thank goodness! I nailed it!" Urduja says with matching punching in the air.
"Nailed it?" The four ladies ask in unison, bewildered with her words.
That made Urduja stiffened. 'Shit! They didn't know about that slang term...' "Well, you can express 'I nailed it' if you have done something clever. Like what I did in front of the Emperor Ass—Alistair, I mean." She chuckles mentally. 'I almost say Emperor Asshole.'
"Oh." They nod their head, understanding now.
"So, if you have done something skillfully, you can express that yourself," she adds.
"Then can we express that you nailed it back there, Your Imperial Majesty?" Camila asks with a smile.
Urduja nods her head. "Of course. I can say back to you all a great job as well." She feels relieved now. "Care to lead me to the training grounds?"
"As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty."
They leave the Empress's garden and take strides to the South Wing of the palace where they train and hone the skills of the magician knights. There is a certain training ground for her, bestowed by Alistair. It is an abandoned training ground and is no longer inhabited by people for training.
She remembers that Gertrude says before that Empress Urduja used that training ground to practice unleashing her magic armament. That is why she is curious about what she will see there. She wants to see if she can manage to practice her mana there. For days she has stayed in her room, Urduja studies mana, aura elements, rules of the palace, and other things that are related to her being the Empress by reading the books she has in her room. She even does exercises to keep this body that isn't hers to stay physically fit as much as possible.
Thus, she can't leave on those days to see the training ground since she was busy at that time.
Urduja plasters a stoic expression as they traverse to the knight's training grounds. She even spots the Emperor's elite knights, the Blue Rose Knights, and the Garnet Songs Knights who were busy training in solemnity.
She halts from walking and watches them silently. Even her ladies-in-waiting halt from walking and wait for their Empress.
She counts as to how many elite knights to be considered in a troop. Each troop has ten knights. 'The Emperor's elite knights are quite dangerous to deal with.' From what she learns in that certain book, Alistair's elite knights are trained to kill with no hesitation. They are the protectors of the emperor along with his assistant, Sir Maximus Fischer. Alistair doesn't need protectors but for the sake of the empire, he trained them and made them elite knights.
"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty."
She quietly turns her head to see who greets her. When her ladies-in-waiting bow and greet him as Sir Maximus, Urduja knows immediately that is the Emperor's assistant. She already sees Maximus earlier beside the emperor but she doesn't know his name.
"Are you sightseeing with the Elite Knights, Your Imperial Majesty?" Maximus asks politely.
"I am just wondering," Urduja starts.
Maximus knots his forehead, tilting his head. "Is something the matter, Your Imperial Majesty?"
Urduja glances at him. Then she scrutinizes him up and down. 'He is a good-looking guy... But he looks like a playboy to me.' She scoffs mentally from being a judgmental person. "I wonder why an Empress has no elite knights when the Emperor himself has two troops of elite knights."
Maximus is surprised by Empress Urduja's statement. 'Since when does Her Imperial Majesty get interested in elite knights?' Maximus already converses with Her Imperial Majesty before but what he knows so far is the Empress is only interested in the Emperor and the state affairs of the empire.
"My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty but I cannot answer you. Only Emperor Alistair can give you an answer to your question." He will report this to Alistair later. Perhaps, the emperor will be surprised by the Empress's statement.
Urduja sighs and almost rolls her eyes. 'Damn this guy. I want to stay away from that asshole then why do I have to ask him? Can't they just give me the answer that I want?' "Well, then, what business do you have here? I am certain that you did not approach me just because you wanted to have a conversation with me." Urduja already surmises something. "Has Alistair ordered you to investigate what happened to me in the pond incident?"
'How did she know that?' Maximus is surprised but he didn't show it to Urduja. Instead, he bows his head. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I would like to ask some questions about it."
"Why does he want to know about it when he never favors me anymore?" Urduja asks sardonically, smiling smugly.
'The way she speaks seems... different. Indeed.' Maximus says in his mind. 'She looks confident as well.' He bows his head politely. "It is an order from the Emperor himself, Your Imperial Majesty." That is the only thing he can say because he can't answer Urduja with her question. Even he can't understand what is on Alistair's mind right now.
'Can't answer me, boy?' Urduja scoffs. "If I tell you that it was the three concubines of the emperor who were behind my pond incident, will you believe me?" She faces Maximus and crosses her arms with arrogance in her tone.
That surprises Maximus. The Empress easily admits who the culprits were. If before he had to find who was the fault behind the Empress's misery, right now, it was indeed different. The Empress never speaks ill about the three concubines of the emperor because she is setting a limitation and doesn't want to add fuel to the fire. The Empress he knows doesn't want to argue with the emperor. But the Empress Urduja he is facing right now has become bolder.
"I shall investigate that, Your Imperial Majesty. I shall find evidence to show to His Imperial Majesty."
"Ha." Urduja looks at Maximus with a scornful grin. "Of course, no one is going to believe the incompetent Empress. I understand." Maximus's heart ceases from her words. That is not what he means to say. He wants to defend himself when Urduja summons her hand to stop him from talking. "Save your breath." She smiles then turns around. "Gertrude," she calls.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?" Gertrude steps forward and bows before Urduja.
"Since you are one of the witnesses of the pond incident, I shall let you confide this matter to Maximus. Perhaps, Maximus shall listen to your words."
Gertrude closes her eyes and bows her head politely. "Of course, Your Imperial Majesty. You can leave this matter to me." When she raises her head, she bestows a meaningful stare at the remaining ladies-in-waiting. It means that since she has to be with Maximus, they must tend to Her Imperial Majesty on her behalf.
Ingrid, Polly, and Camila nod their head, understanding what she meant.
Then Gertrude turns at Maximus who was already almost panicking from Urduja's words. "Shall we then, Sir Maximus?"
Maximus wants to utter some words to Her Imperial Majesty but she hastily walks away from them. 'I didn't know the Empress could have this kind of attitude. Is it because her tongue-tied condition that healed made her much bolder? How did she change for a couple of days?' Maximus sighs in defeat and shifts his head to Lady Gertrude.
He nods his head, plastering a dry smile while Gertrude has a haughty smile.
"It seems Her Imperial Majesty has become dauntless, Lady Gertrude," Maximus comments in an intimidating manner.
Gertrude snickers a little. "It is a sight to behold, Sir Maximus," she says politely but with a slightly sardonic tone. "I am glad that Empress Urduja can withstand the pressure of the three concubines and our Emperor's presence."
"I can see that," Maximus admits with an ironic smile. "I wonder when our Empress decided to have a change of behavior."
Gertrude looks at Maximus. She scoffs mentally. 'To think that you are wondering, I am hoping Emperor Alistair is wondering as well.' She cackles. "Perhaps Her Imperial Majesty thought that it was time to cease the unfair treatment she experienced here in the palace and decided not to let herself be oppressed." That is all she can say with a bit of arrogance in her tone. She can't tell the reason that Urduja lost her memories which is why she is being dauntless.
Maximus silences and sighs. "Of course, I understand her point of view." 'Why now? When could she have done it beforehand?' He is suspicious but he lets it slide.
"Indeed. I shall tell you what happened in the pond incident, then?"
"Very well."
Maximus and Gertrude walk side by side as she starts telling what happened at that time.
On the other hand, Urduja ceases from walking and turns her head seeing the two leaving the training grounds. But she slits her eyes at Maximus.
"He has a frightening aura," she says out of the blue. "What aura element does he have?"
Camila steps forward and answers her. "Sir Maximus's aura element is water, Your Imperial Majesty. His magic armament is partisan, a type of spear sword. It is why he is being called Maximus the Emperor's Spear."
"I see." She needs to be cautious. It may seem that he is such a klutz person but she thinks it is just an act. 'Maximus the Emperor's Spear, huh. Why can't I have my knight, too?' "Is it possible that I can have a personal knight?" she asks, turning her head to the three ladies.
The three ladies exchange glances. Why does their Empress take a liking for knights? She already asked why she can't have her elite knights to Sir Maximus. What is she really thinking? That is what the three ladies thought. The Urduja they knew is not bothered by having knights but since she lost her memories, perhaps they can't stop her anymore.
"Yes, you can, Your Imperial Majesty," they say in unison.
"Even without asking permission from the Emperor?"
"Yes." They nod.
Urduja smiles. "Okay."
"But you have to inform His Imperial Majesty," Polly butts in.
"Sure thing," she says in a sing-song voice as they continue to take strides towards the abandoned training ground which is meant for her.
As they arrive, Urduja is surprised by the deserted place she witnessed. It is messy. Broken swords, shields, spears, and other weapons were laying on the ground. The grass she is stepping is not a luscious grass place unlike the training grounds of the knights. The grass looked like had been washed away by the flood.
She huffs silently. 'So this is what it means to be unfavorable. That Emperor Asshole... This place looks like a pigsty! How can the real Urduja endure training here?! This is freaking unfair!'
"We need to clean this fucking place," Urduja utters in annoyance. How can she train here if this place looks like not a training ground but it is just full of mud? "Ladies," she calls.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?" They curtsied before her.
She scrutinizes them. 'Camila has a nature element, Polly has a water element, and Ingrid has a wood element. They are perfect for cleaning my training ground.' "Well, it's time to clean."