Before the evening, even though they keep saying that I should just stay in my room. I'm here walking through the hallway of the second floor.
"What are you thinking?" Ariel asked. She's currently eating while following me. As of now, only me and Eryx can communicate with her. Other people won't hear that she's actually speaking. I wonder why Eryx can hear her too.
"Nothing much. It's just that, this is a completely different life from what I had before." I answered, and we stopped at the veranda. "I wonder if this is a castle?"
This place is so huge. I feel like I'm gonna be lost once I wander here alone. Everything feels like Romanian, from the color of the walls, floor, decorations and ambiance.
"This is the Imperial Palace, if you like it here. You will like the ballroom, the place where the Emperor sits during the Imperial Decree. I saw it yesterday. " she said. "It has two golden chairs, it's for the Emperor and the Empress."
I didn't react to that. I'm just acting as an Empress after all. My life has been decided by the Emperor and my father for now. After this, I want to live freely even with no husband or anything. I just want to live by my own will.
"Who's this beautiful woman in blue?"
Ariel and I stopped when we heard a deep voice of a woman. As we turned around we see a middle age woman wearing a grand pink dress with a long silver hair. She has a mole on her left cheecks but doesn't really ruin her looks. It's highlights her good angle and features. But her make up is a little, darker than her skin tone. She has three female servant on her back, wearing a plain puple clothes, with same style of hair.
I don't know who is she.
Ariel and I bows to her but still no idea who she is. Upon standing, I saw her looking at me.
"What's your name, lady." she asked.
"I'm Valeraine Thornfield, your grace."
I saw her eyes changed from fierce to soft. "You're my son's bride."
Son???
I didn't have time to react when she walk towards me then hold my hands. She's smiling. "You are so gorgeous. Lord Arzael is right. No wonder my son chose you to be his Empress."
I secretly glance to Ariel, she's also shock by this sudden energy.
"I am flattered, your grace. But I'm more amaze by your beauty."
She laughed and that suprise me again. "You sure know how to flatter me. Come and join me in my cookie time."
_________
"So, tell me Lady Valeraine, what do you like about my son, The Emperor?" the Imperial Consort asked. She's smiling while holding the most expensive cup of tea in this era. I have no idea that she's the Imperial Noble Consort of the late Emperor, and the mother of the Emperor. Ariel informed me about it after hearing it from the maids who's starting to spread the news that the Imperial Noble Consort asked me to join her.
I heard Ariel's voice inside my head. Is this normal? She's laughing.
"Emperor Eryx is the kind of man that every woman in this nation wants. I just want to know your heart, after all we love the same man," she added. Imperial Noble Consort Mia is gentle, warm, and a true epitome of what Empress should be.
How should I tell her about what I like to his son? I don't even know what it is.
"You don't know what to say?" Ariel asked, her voice echoing in my head. "Follow me, Valeraine.
"Emperor Eryx has a gentle heart. He may seem ruthless from his physical attributes but he's actually caring." I started, following Ariel's voice in my head. "From his looks, I can tell that he had a happy carefree childhood, but growing up as the Crown Prince changed him to be tough. To be ready for this huge power that is assigned to him by heaven."
Noble Consort Mia looks at me as if I said something that is really true. Her face says it all. She even put down the cup of tea while looking at me intently. Probably judging if I'm really sincere about my answer.
Should I tell her what I really think about the Emperor?
"My son, the Emperor, was indeed carefree in his childhood days. But—"
"Emperor Eryx is still a child." I said, out of nowhere. But I can't stop. "He's a child forced to be an adult because heaven and people assigned him to lead a nation. But I can tell that he's kind and gentle."
I should really tell her what I think about her son, at least someone should know that the Emperor isn't really cold blooded at all.
"Few days ago, the Grand Duke of Sollaine's son told me that he will divorce me after our years of marriage to marry the woman he really likes. Probably to humiliate me and my family," I started. Ariel also stopped talking inside my head.
"That's just so —"
"The Emperor heard about it and confessed to me that he loves me and wants to marry me, he told me to marry him instead of that bad man." Half of what I said here is true and not. But who's gonna know?
The Imperial Noble Consort put her hands on her mouth because of shock. But I can tell that she's happy and excited about my story.
"My son already loves you and decided to steal you from another man?" she asked, she sounded so happy. "That's my son!"
If she just knows that her son only wants me here because he wants to eliminate someone from the Imperial palace.
"Imperial Noble Consort, the Emperor is outside." Noble Consort Maid announced at the entrance.
Instead of panicking, I saw her smiling from ear to ear then holding my hand. "Look at him panicking because of the news that I asked you to join me."
After she nodded to her maid, I saw a figure rushing towards our direction. The moment he opened the curtain, I saw his angry look not on me, but her mother.
"What brings you here, Your Majesty?" Noble Consort Mia asked.
The Emperor Eryx bows to her before speaking. "May I take Lady Valeraine with me now?"
"We are just enjoying my cookie and tea time, Your Majesty. You don't need to rush her." she replied.
"Mother, people outside are starting to spread news about her. "
"Let them, she will be the future Empress after all. It's good for them to gossip about how beautiful your bride is."
He looks at me. He looks sleepless, worried, and angry. Is he angry because people will spread news about me being the future Empress? Of course, of course he will be angry because I'm not really the future Empress. I'm just pretending for the sake of our plans, their plans.
"I enjoyed my time with you, Imperial Noble Consort Mia," I said. I stood up and bowed to her once again. "I believe that his majesty wants to spend time with me now after his duty. I will come back here some other time."
She smiled at me and then held my right hand. "I will wait for you, have a great time together."
I didn't look at him. I just need to do what I have to do as the pawn for their plan. I acted as if we were really in love with each other until we reached his villa.
I saw Ariel at the door of my room and before she could even ask me about what I told to the Noble Consort earlier, I told her I wanted to be alone.