❈⋇⋆✦⋆⋇❈
One of the maidservants serving at the Leal Palace, where the emperor's concubines are residing, sprints the Leal Hall in a panicking manner. She is looking for her masters, but they are not in the Leal Hall. Beads of sweat are forming on the maidservant's forehead as she continues looking for them.
"Her Highness Tatiana! Lady Odette! Lady Eleanore!" she calls in a hurried tone.
The concubines are in the Mogu Garden, which is located on the Northside of the Leal Palace. The Mogu Garden is where they hang around when unwinding to have a cup of tea or take their time to watch the beautiful scenery of the garden. Some of the maidservants are fanning the three concubines with a large fan in such a gentle manner.
"Her Highness Tatiana! Lady Odette! Lady Eleanore!"
Tatiana grits her teeth that a lowly servant has dared to call her name. It gets to her nerves already.
"What is with such irritating calling of my name today?" she asks her fellow concubines, Odette and Eleanore.
Eleanore sips her tea and glances at Tatiana, who already has an annoyed expression. "I agree. I shall punish that maidservant for being an irritating low peasant."
Odette giggles. "Don't be such a cruel one, Consort Eleanore. With that kind of tone, there must be a commotion happening at the Clair de Lune Palace." She unfolds her fan and covers the lower half of her face, can't hold the amusing smile creeping on her lips.
Eleanore huffs and ignores Odette. As they wait for the maidservant, who is dashing towards their direction, they focus on their tea drink to calm their nerves.
"Her Highness Tatiana... Lady Odette... Lady Eleanore..." the maidservants say, catching her breath. She even kneels, hands on the ground.
The annoyed Tatiana looks down on her with a dull look. She is closed to punish this maidservant for attempting to ruin her day today.
"In hopes, you have the reason for being such a loud wench today," she says with a hiss. She magically appears her sword fan and points the blade of it at the maidservant.
The maid servant's face has gone color when she realizes her life is on the brink of death. Her heart almost ceases if she hasn't made a bow before them.
"I-I have heard a t-terrible n-news, m-my ladies..."
"What news?" Odette asks out of curiosity. 'Seeing how this maidservant reacts, it can mean something must have gone in the main palace.' Odette says in her mind.
The maidservant turns her head to Odette as soon as Tatiana disappears her weapon out of their sight. She makes a slight bow before she speaks.
"S-Sir Maximus is i-investigating the p-pond incident. All the w-witnesses on that time shall be brought for q-questioning." Her lips were quivering as soon as she said the words she had been longing to speak ever since she heard that news.
Odette, Tatiana, and Eleanore exchange a glance at each other. Each of them excretes meaningful stares, communicating to each other silently.
Eleanore scoffs after a moment. "Aren't the witnesses of the pond incident from the Leal Palace? Our ladies-in-waiting and some maidservants, correct? They must know who their masters are if they dare to speak the truth." There is an evil smile plastered on her lips which made the maidservant shivered in fear.
"B-But L-Lady Eleanore, H-Her Imperial Majesty has summoned Lady Gertrude to aid Sir Maximus for the investigation. As I have heard, Empress Urduja admitted who are the culprits b-behind the pond incident."
"Sure, do not tell me she dared to mention our names, does she?" Odette asks, looking down on her.
The maidservant bows her head and closes her eyes. "E-Empress Urduja did mention your names. T-The culprits behind the pond incident are Her Highness T-Tatiana, Lady O-Odette, and Lady E-Eleanore..."
"What?" The three concubines say in unison.
"How dare she! She has the nerve to mention us!" Tatiana utters in annoyance as she gnashed her teeth.
The ladies-in-waiting and the maidservants are startled when Tatiana slams the table. They all exchange glances in anxiety as they lower their heads. The concubines are furious today, so they want to keep themselves away from their wrath.
"The Emperor's Knight will bring us in for questioning about what she did!" Eleanore is irritated. "The audacity of that stupid Empress..." She cusses under her breath.
"What should we do, Your Highness?" Odette asks Tatiana, panicking.
Tatiana clenches her hand. Her annoyance to the Empress is immeasurable right now. Urduja has the nerve to utter their names when they are at fault. She realizes that the Empress never did this before. If they ever oppressed her, the Empress never told anyone that they were at fault when His Imperial Majesty had asked Sir Maximus for investigation.
'How come she has the confidence to mention our names...' Tatiana says annoyingly in her mind. She thinks about what to do next. Then she calms herself. "Worry not, my fellow sisters. Remember that we have witnesses who would side with us. I am very sure the Empress's statement would be neglected by our dearest His Imperial Majesty." She snickers and curls her lips into a smirk. "Remember that he doesn't favor her anymore."
Odette and Eleanore exchange an amusing glance at each other. They grin as they realize that Tatiana is right. Their ladies-in-waiting and some maidservants will be brought by questioning. They already planned this in case an unexpected event may happen. They are confident that their statements will be the same. They make sure that they will not slip from revealing the truth. If they even dare to speak the truth, punishments shall wait for their arrival to the Leal Palace.
"Even if the ladies-in-waiting of the Empress contradict our statements, for sure, Sir Maximus must side with us. Because the majority of the evidence would be coming from us." Tatiana secretly smiles with a hidden agenda under it.
"You are right." It is Lady Eleanore.
"It makes sense now." It is Lady Odette. "But I hate that the Empress has become daring since the lightning dragon healed her tongue-tied condition." Odette rolls her eyes, half-annoyed.
"I'm afraid she will have herself avenged after what we did in the past, don't you think?" Eleanore says with a sip on her teacup. "Considering how she behaved these past few weeks, she is not the same Empress we had known before the pond incident."
Tatiana grins. "Just because the lightning dragon healed her condition, it does not mean that she will be favored again by His Imperial Majesty."
Odette nods her head. "I agree with you, Your Highness. She may act and change to a calm and confident one. It doesn't change the fact that she is still the incompetent Empress the empire knows." She chuckles, thinking the Empress has low mana. "She can't even unleash her magic armament no matter how hard she tries it."
They had known that Empress Urduja had come to visit her training ground weeks ago to practice unleashing her magic armament. The Empress has become a laughing stock because the Empress continues visiting it to train herself even now.
"How pointless." Tatiana has a condescending smile, amused by the Empress's futile attempts when she already has no chance to have her armament.
"Indeed." Odette laughs, and so did Eleanore.
"Rise and go back to where you belong," Tatiana orders to the maidservant, who is still bowing her head to the ground.
"A-As you wish, Lady Tatiana." She rises and leaves the Mogu Garden.
The moment she leaves, a palace guard approaches them. "Greetings, Noble Consort Tatiana, Consort Eleanore, and Consort Odette." He bows before them. "Sir Maximus and Lady Gertrude have arrived to see the concubines of the emperor."
The three of them glared at each other as Maximus and Gertrude arrived and greeted them.
❈⋇⋆✦⋆⋇❈
As soon as Maximus and Gertrude are done questioning the emperor's concubines, they head back to the emperor's study room. Maximus knocks on the door thrice before they enter.
"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty," they both said in unison as Maximus bows his head while Gertrude curtseys before Alistair.
Alistair, whose emotion is void of emotions, looks at them with his elbow on his desk while the back of his palm supports his jaw. His dull eyes pin to Gertrude as he arches his eyebrow. "I believe I have only ordered you, Maximus, to conduct the investigation. Then why is there a pest with you today?" he asks in a menacing voice that made Gertrude shiver down her spine.
Gertrude immediately kneels, lowering her head. "I-I beg your pardon, Your Imperial Majesty. I have come forth under the orders of the Empress. I am one of the witnesses as to how Her Imperial Majesty fell in the pond and struck by the lightning of the lightning dragon," she says politely, slightly trembling from the presence of the emperor.
"Heh?" Alistair says mockingly, smiling smugly. "That's interesting." He turns at Maximus and ignores Gertrude, who is still kneeling. "Hand me the report," he ordered.
"Certainly, Your Imperial Majesty," Maximus states formally. He bestows His Imperial Majesty the report Gertrude and him had gathered. Alistair reads it with a dull look. "There is a contradiction between the concubines' side and Her Imperial Majesty's side," he starts. "According to the ladies-in-waiting of the concubines, they saw how Empress Urduja carelessly made a ruckus to Her Highness, Noble Consort Tatiana in the moon bridge. The Empress tried to hurt Her Highness. On Her Highness's defense, she used her magic armament to hurl the Empress from her, which is why Her Imperial Majesty ended up landing in the pond. The Empress's ladies-in-waiting are her accomplices at that time."
Gertrude gnashes her teeth from what she heard. Her blood already boiled when she listened to the explanation of the concubines in person. She witnessed how they cried in front of Sir Maximus earlier as she looked at them with a despised look.
"That is not true at all, Your Imperial Majesty! Empress Urduja wouldn't hurt a fly, so it is impossible what they accused happened at that time! I can assure you!" She glances up to meet the blank expression of the emperor, looking at her.
Alistair chuckles shortly after a moment, turning at her. "Have I ever said a word that you can speak?" His voice masks with a dangerous tone.
Gertrude bows her head. "F-Forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty." Her voice is trembling in fear.
Alistair huffs and turns at Maximus. "Continue." He lays the report on his desk and clasps his hands, waiting for Maximus's oral information.
Maximus clears his throat. "As for the Empress Urduja's side," he pauses and glances at Gertrude. "According to Lady Gertrude, one of the ladies-in-waiting of the empress, Empress Urduja had made her way to the moon bridge after having a tea in the pavilion of the Empress's Garden. She happened to meet the concubines as she passed through. The four of them exchanged fiery words before Her Highness Noble Consort Tatiana used her magic armament, sword fan, to toss the Empress to the pond. That was the time the lightning dragon struck Her Imperial Majesty."
Gertrude dares to raise her head to see the reaction of Emperor Alistair. His expression is emotionless. She can't tell what may be the reaction of the emperor about the case. She is hoping that this time, Emperor Alistair will take sides with his Empress Urduja.
Alistair silenced, processing the two sides after listening to them. He thinks which side must have a heavyweight. He wants this to get over with, so he can take his rest.
"Let this investigation slide. I don't want to know about this anymore." Alistair takes Maximus's report and crumples it. Then he threw it aside as he rose from his seat.
"As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty."
That makes Gertrude's jaw drop in shock from what she heard. 'He dismissed it just like that? Isn't he going to do justice to Empress Urduja?' She slowly rises from kneeling. "B-But Your I-Imperial Majesty..."
The cold exterior of Alistair drops to Gertrude. "Are you deaf? Didn't I already make my decision?" he asks dangerously.
All of a sudden, the room temperature suddenly drops dramatically. It is caused by the aura element of Alistair, which is an ice element.
She bites her lower lip, lowering her head. "P-Pardon me..." She hisses silently. 'The Emperor doesn't protect Her Imperial Majesty! Again!' Gertrude is quite furious with it.
"I am going to retire, Maximus."
Maximus nods his head. "As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty. Have a good night."
Alistair nods his head and emerges out from his office, leaving the two of them. He didn't even lay his eyes on the lady-in-waiting of his empress and just passed by her.
As soon as the emperor left, Gertrude sighed in defeat. But even so, she composes herself and faces Maximus, who has a blank expression. What happened today makes her want to retire to her quarters and waits for the morning to come so she can bring this news to Empress Urduja.
"I shall take my leave as well." She curtseys before him. "I shall deliver His Imperial Majesty's decision tomorrow to Empress Urduja."
Maximus nods. "Very well." He wanted to utter some words, but he remained silent. He wants to say that what their efforts did was concluded beforehand that it is already futile. "I shall escort you to your quarters, Lady Gertrude."
"I appreciate the offer but thank you. I can manage to go to my quarters." Gertrude curtseys one more time before she leaves the emperor's study room.
Maximus is left alone and returns to the desk of His Imperial Majesty. He needs to clean Alistair's desk before he can also retire from his work. He picks up the crumpled report he made and straightens the pages. He set it aside to the very last drawer to His Imperial Majesty's desk.
"He might need it soon," he murmurs, sighing.