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"Your Imperial Majesty."
"Hmm?" Urduja halts from writing in her journal and turns her head, seeing Gertrude, who pops her head to her door. "Come in," she ushers.
Gertrude nods her head and welcomes herself to Empress Urduja's bedchamber.
"Is something the matter?" Urduja asks as she settles her quill pen to the quill pen holder, twisting her body to focus her attention on her.
Gertrude shakes her head and smiles. "I have come to announce Camila's arrival, Your Imperial Majesty."
Urduja gasps, wide-eyed. "Really?" She clasps her hands in excitement. "Finally! Where is she then?"
"She just arrived at her quarters and will come to visit you later."
"Yey!" She claps her hands like a kid. "I will be waiting for her," she says as she can't hide her excitement.
'Finally! She must have brought the magical item that I need.'
"Would you like some tea before you go to sleep later?"
Urduja nods her head. "Yes, please! And some sweets! I am craving for them!" She chuckles. 'Monthly period is coming,' she teases herself.
"As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty." Gertrude bows her head before deciding to leave.
She waves her hand at her. As soon as Gertrude left, she turned her attention to her journal. She changes her expression, seeing some of the things she wrote in Morse Code, and some are in cursive writing. She takes the quill pen and dips the tip of it in the ink holder.
'Today, the real Urduja's one of the ladies-in-waiting, Camila, has arrived from Lewis, Camila's hometown, to borrow a magical item from her brother, which will benefit me for enhancing my aura element. Maybe, with that item, I can finally unleash my magic armament without interruption.'
She pauses, sighing. She has written those words using Morse Code. Urduja finds out that the Lucelence Empire is not using Morse Code as a method of secret communication in this era.
She uses this method to hide her hidden agenda in the journal, like how she has mana, practices to control her lightning element, and she is trying to unleash her magic armament. She writes those things so that no one can decipher them. That is why she is confident in writing it down using Morse Code. She takes it as her edge to secretly write everything that is all about her having mana.
She is not using Morse Code if related to state affairs she is dealing with as an empress.
'If only this is not an essential thing to do...'
Urduja twitches her lips into the corner of her lips, slightly frowning. She is thinking about the journal she is writing. Her writing style has changed ever since she is the one who takes over the real Urduja's body. She worries if she dies in the future, will the historian identify the sudden change of her writing style from the real Urduja?
'Probably they would.'
It was of great importance in the past that an emperor and an empress must have a journal to write down their everyday happenings to themselves. They must be truthful to their writings because their journals will be used and added to the collection of the history of the Lucelence Empire.
"I am not even an empress… The real Urduja Croimont is the real empress here, not me. I am Corinne Fallen, living on a different body." She sighs after murmuring those words.
A knock startled her. "Your Imperial Majesty, this is Camila."
Urduja's face brightens upon hearing Camila's voice. "Come in! Come in!" She immediately gets up from her seat and opens the door for her. "Come in!" she says excitedly.
Camila softly chuckles before she curtseys before Her Imperial Majesty. She is a bit taken aback when she raises her head, seeing small patches of bruises on Empress Urduja's cheeks. Camila quickly grasps the situation and understands that this must be the result of the abusive act of their emperor.
She clears her throat, distracting herself not to look at the bruises of Her Imperial Majesty. "This is the item you need, Empress Urduja." Camila takes Urduja's hand and bestows her a small wooden box.
"Huh?" Urduja blinks, perplexed, seeing the small box in her hand. "What is this? This will help me?" She tilts her head in confusion. She feels a little discouraged but silently scans the box. She sees some bizarre writings on the wooden box that she hasn't seen before. 'What language is this?' She wonders.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. My older brother called it a 'Parasol Dome.'"
"Parasol Dome?"
Camila nods her head. "This is his prototype magic item that can manifest and replicate an environment once you place it in an environment you wish to copy. You can even use it for training within a narrow room or here in your room, Your Imperial Majesty."
"I am still confused." She frowns a little. It is a bit too much for her to bear the information, but she can still grasp the thought.
Camila draws out a soft snicker. "Allow me to demonstrate it, Empress. May I?" Camila's eyes darted on the small wooden box Urduja was holding.
Urduja nods her head and bestows the small box back to Camila. Camila slightly bows her head before she tosses the box to the floor.
Urduja gasps. "Why did you throw it?"
"To activate the magic inside the box, Your Imperial Majesty," Camila states. "You need to say the name of the box after you toss it on the floor or in the ground." She takes a deep breath. "Parasol Dome," Camila utters the name of the wooden box.
Urduja blinks. Suddenly, the two of them are in a space with a mirror as a floor and a bit of a cloudy sky. She can see her face like she is just facing a mirror. She steps back in surprise and awe when Camila thumps her foot and water splashes from the floor.
"Clement calls this dimension a mirror lake."
"Oh." Urduja roams her eyes around. 'Mirror lake is a proper name. But it is weird to see this.' She can't help but exclaim it to herself. "Then how can it manifest a different surrounding?" she asks, turning her head at Camila, who is waiting for her to say something.
"Good question, Your Imperial Majesty." She smiles. "Show me the training ground of the Perez Mansion," Camila orders the Parasol Dome.
Urduja hears a faint drop of water that causes a ripple effect. With the ripple effect, the mirror lake suddenly transitions into the Perez Household's training ground. Wide-eyed, she can't help herself to get awed by the beautiful surroundings.
"Clement calls it the Parasol Dome because, on the outside, it looks like a parasol with the same shape of a dome, but it remains invisible to the eyes of the people who are not subject to this place. While the inside of this place has infinite space, Your Imperial Majesty." Camila raises her hand and uses her aura element, nature, to grow a tree. "He has adjusted the Parasol Dome as per Your Imperial Majesty's request. One cannot tell that someone has unleashed their aura element inside this space. No one can detect it."
"Impressive. As expected from a genius magic artisan... Clement nailed it!" Urduja winks at Camila and shows a thumbs-up as approval.
Camila smiles gently and bows her head. "I am glad that we have met your expectation, Your Imperial Majesty." Camila is squealing inside because Empress Urduja is impressed. Thanks to her older brother, Clement!
'Something is strange.' Urduja wonders and turns her head at Camila. "I am quite surprised that Clement has agreed to adjust his magical item as per my request," she emphasizes. "I don't think he will just agree on something that will ruin his masterpiece." Then she timidly smiles at Camila. "You are not telling me anything, Camila."
Urduja surmises that Camila is hiding something from her.
Camila softly gasps from being a keen observer of Empress Urduja. 'She quickly grasps the situation...' She cannot believe it, but she is impressed by how perceptive Her Imperial Majesty is. But even so, she makes a mistake, so she apologetically bows her head. "I have to tell him that you already have mana, Your Imperial Majesty. I had to tell him that you are going to use it for training..." Camila explains. She told Clement that Empress Urduja got her mana when the lightning dragon struck her and that Empress Urduja plans to keep on practicing until she can unleash her magic armament. "Do forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty, for not telling you this immediately. I wouldn't want you to worry so—"
Camila halts when she hears Empress Urduja's snicker. When she raises her head, she notices the mirthful smile plastered on her lips.
"It is fine. But please do not repeat this in the near future. Clement is already enough that he knows my condition. And since you lent me something crucial so I can enhance my element, and this is Clement's masterpiece, I will let this slide. I am hoping I can trust Clement more."
"Perez Household is at your service, Empress Urduja. Brother Clement knows how to keep his word."
Urduja is about to say a word when she and Camila flinch when they hear Gertrude's voice and her knocks.
"Quick!" Urduja almost panics.
"Parasol Compact." The moment Camila utters those words, Parasol Dome immediately returns into a small wooden box. Camila picks it up and bestows it to her. "You will be the third person who will be fortunate to use this, Your Imperial Majesty."
"Third person?" Urduja creases her forehead in confusion. 'Maybe Clement is the first person who used it. And the second one is Camila.'
She wants confirmation, but Gertrude enters her room with a concerned expression written on her face.
"Does everything seem alright, Your Imperial Majesty?" She brings a tray of tea and some sweets Empress Urduja craves. "You did not answer when I knocked. Please forgive me for barging in, Your Imperial Majesty."
Urduja chuckles. "It's fine. I am alright. Please put the tray on my study table."
"As you wish."
"I must wait for Lady Gertrude, Your Imperial Majesty," Camila says politely. "We must return to our quarters. I know you want to take a rest now."
Gertrude agrees. "Once you are finished, Your Imperial Majesty, you can leave the tray outside of your bedchamber. I am very sure a maidservant can handle it."
"Of course. Thank you for your hospitality, Gertrude, Camila. Have a good night."
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After jogging at her training ground, Urduja tries to use the Parasol Dome and tells the magic item to replicate her training ground. The Parasol Dome gladly obliges the order.
"Parasol Compact," Urduja utters the word to close the portal of the dome finally. She mimicked Camila's words from last night when she closed the dimension.
She picks up the small wooden box and hides it in her pocket. She looks up in the sky, still seeing an eminent dark sky.
'A few hours before the sun rises...' Urduja thought.
She can't sleep properly, which is why she decided to go to her training ground at 3 AM. She decides to return to the palace after a moment of contemplating.
"Is there a possibility I can do the lightning speed?" Urduja asks herself.
She thinks that lightning speed may speed up her running if she uses it properly. It may turn out she is running at the speed of light, releasing an electric charge.
Even while she falls asleep and wakes up, that is her thought. Even while Ingrid and Polly are bathing her, she still thinks about it.
'I haven't tried it, though.'
Urduja closes her eyes when water is poured over her head. Polly just poured her the water from a pitcher while she was soaking in the tub.
As soon as she is done taking a bath, Camila and Gertrude help her to dress up. Urduja groans loudly when Gertrude pulls the strings of her corset.
'Fuck! I think I'm going to die from being out of breath!' Urduja frowns mentally. "Gertrude, I can't breathe properly." She smiles wryly. She settles her eyes on the vanity mirror, seeing her breasts being pushed up. She sees her expression change into different ones every time Gertrude keeps on pulling strings.
"I'm sorry, Your Imperial Majesty. One more pull. We will be finished here."
Urduja shrieks, eyes widened, when Gertrude tightens the corset.
"Do I really have to wear this?" She wants to cry. 'We don't even have this in the 21st century!' She wants to shout at Gertrude, but she cannot say those words.
"It is essential, Your Imperial Majesty," Gertrude says with finality.
Urduja frowns and sighs. But her spirit lifts when Camila picks a burgundy and black steampunk jacket. She feels satisfied as soon as she wears it despite the discomfort from wearing the corset.
As soon as they are finished tidying her up, she takes a stride to go to her study room. Viscount Isaac is already at the door, waiting for her. Viscount Isaac hands her the report from the last month. The information comes from Emperor Alistair.
"Viscount Isaac," she calls him.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?"
"Summon Maximus. Also, please clear up my schedule for this afternoon."
Isaac nods and bows his head. "Your wish is my command, Your Imperial Majesty."
Urduja sighs and glances up to the ceiling. She wishes to go to the capital later. She hasn't gone there and is always detained here in the palace. She plans to seek some bookstores there, if there are any. She wishes to see more about the lightning element and its usage. She can't just sit around without enhancing her aura element.
She glances down to the door when she hears knocks. "Come in," she says.
Maximus emerges into her study room. "You wish to see me, Your Imperial Majesty?" he asks after paying respect to her by bowing his head before Empress Urduja.
"Yes." A pleasing smile smears on her lips. "I am going to the capital later this afternoon for a stroll. I wish to have you arrange me a knight who will escort me there if possible."
Maximus looks surprised upon hearing the empress wishes to go to the capital. But he seems surprised when he sees small patches of bruises on Her Imperial Majesty's cheeks. Maximus immediately lowers his head. 'It must be from His Imperial Majesty's doing...' He sighs and clears his throat.
"Very well. I must check the availability of the captains of the Imperial Knights and ask one of them to escort you. I will also arrange your imperial coach. Consider it done, Your Imperial Majesty."
"Wait, about the coach." Urduja halts him.
"Yes?" Maximus tilts his head a little.
"I wish not to accentuate the crowds if they see the imperial coach. If there is any plain coach that I can use, please have it prepared. I am only coming there and remain incognito if you understand what I mean." Urduja smiles wryly, clasping her hands as she settles her elbows on her desk.
Maximus quickly grasps what she means. "I understand, Your Imperial Majesty. I shall make your request as a command."
"Thank you. You must head back now to Alistair."
Maximus nods and bows before her. "At your service, Your Imperial Majesty."
Urduja waits for him to leave. She leans on her seat as soon as Maximus is out of her sight. Urduja doesn't want to borrow him for too long.
"That Emperor Asshole might get jealous if I keep Maximus here for too long." She snickers and curls up a grin from that ridiculous thought.