I went back to polishing the windows as soon as the general – Caio – left, and I had been on the task no more than a few minutes when 19 when came striding to my side.
"How did you know the archduke?" she demanded, hands on her hips.
Ah, yes. I vaguely recalled Monsieur Di Almarati referring to him as the archduke – whatever the title meant – when I had unintentionally thrown the rug at his face. But given how we first met in a battlefield, and that he was in his military uniform on the two occasions I saw him, I felt that he exuded the aura of a military officer better than a high ranking nobleman.
'He rescued me at the war,' I told truthfully. 'But why are you here?' 19 was stationed at the southwest wing, and she couldn't have seen me with Caio.
"I came as soon as I heard," she replied.
'You heard? Who did you hear it from?' I asked, shocked. That happened literally just a few minutes ago, and it wasn't an earth-shattering news by any stretch of the imagination. Caio came over to talk briefly – just talk.
"News travels exceptionally fast in the palace," 19 said. "But that's not what's important."
She grabbed me by the shoulders. "Do you know who you just talked to?"
'Caio.' I was baffled by her strong reaction, and I seriously couldn't understand what the big deal was in all of this. Me being transported here out of the blue – now that was a big deal. But of course nobody else knew that, and I doubt they would believe me even if they did. As far as I could tell, at least for now, magic didn't exist at all in Luxentfort Empire, which would make my strange arrival even more of a mystery.
"Caio?! That was Archduke Caio Enzo Rinaldi!" She declared, looking at me like I had completely lost my mind.
I smiled. Wow, the rest of his name sounded even grander. I didn't think I could remember all of that easily; good thing he only asked me to call him by his first name. 'So?'
"So? He's the second most important person in the empire after the emperor, that is so!' 19 answered incredulously. "I can't believe you had the audacity to call him so casually."
I stared at 19, the weight of what she said slowly sinking in. 'Why would someone that important bother to talk to me?'
"Exactly my point!" 19 held my hands and looked at me with genuine concern. "You've just started working in the palace. You haven't even properly gotten used to all the chores here."
I nodded with a grimace. That was definitely true. It was still quite hard for me to get out of bed in the morning after a previous day's work.
"The last thing you need is to get on the bad side of any noble, especially someone as powerful as the archduke."
I nodded again and gave 19 a reassuring smile. I knew that she only had the best intentions. But then I remembered Caio's last words to me before he left. "Tell me if you need any help," he had said. Somehow I felt that I could bank on those words.
*****
Alessandro was finally in back in his bedroom after a long day of government meetings and administrative tasks. It was the first time he kept a full day's schedule after recovering from his injury. The chest wound still bothered him enough to keep him from his regular sword practices, but he found it bearable when he was only presiding in meetings and pouring over paperwork.
"Here's the wine, Your Majesty," Rocco said as he entered the room, putting the tray with a wine glass and a bottle of his favorite red wine vintage on the coffee table.
"Do you require anything else?"
"Yes. Bring over Concubine Number 1 here." He had never gone so long without a woman before. He was a physically active man, and that meant being in the frontline during wars, engaging in a wide variety of sports and leisure activities, and being involved in sexual pursuits. The thought that he didn't even a call for a woman to his bed for half a month – a month! – appalled him. What was the use of having 10 official bed partners when he didn't see a glimpse of even one of them for weeks, much less have the pleasure of having a concubine in his bed at his whim?
He sighed. It couldn't be helped. After his murder attempt, he didn't want to risk someone finding out about his injury any more than they absolutely had to. It would give his enemies more unfair advantage over him, and would lead to unnecessary disturbance among both the palace officials and servants. That's why he ordered only two of his most trusted guards to escort him back to his quarters well after midnight, and used the back entrance instead of the main entryway.
"Right away, Sire." Rocco bowed and left as Alessandro poured himself a glass.
"His Majesty requests your presence in his bedchambers, Your Highness," Rocco relayed the emperor's order as he was shown to a spacious sitting room adorned in dark hues of purple. The woman before him, lounging on the couch, smiled knowingly at the message.
"Tell His Majesty I will be there," she said, discarding the pillow to the side and standing up.
Lucrezia Gabriela Fernandez de Garcia, or simply Concubine Number 1 as she was known throughout Luxentfort Empire, had a voluptuous figure accentuated with a sultry demeanor. With wavy auburn hair that fell past her hips and red eyes the shade of sparkling diamonds, she knew she was a sensually attractive woman, and she took full advantage of that.
Her looks almost always got her what she wanted. And whatever else her looks lacked – although there would not be a lot, she haughtily supposed – her title definitely made up for it. As the youngest child and only daughter of the Minedore Kingdom monarchs, she brought with her immense richness and a wide circle of influence.
That's why she easily caught the attention of Alessandro, long before he became the emperor. And he had declared her his first concubine as soon as he ascended the throne. They matched each other well, and she was sure it was only a matter of time before he realized that there's no woman better suited to be his empress than her. She'll make sure of that.
"Help me get ready for my night with the emperor," she ordered her maids, already walking to the bathroom.
"Yes, Your Highness," they bowed.