A grand carriage with the emblem of the eldest prince arrived at the palace. Even though the atmosphere in the carriage had been silent when they arrived at the palace, with a graceful demeanor, Nicholas extended his hand to Luciana, guiding her gently down the carriage steps. Together, they strolled toward the magnificent palace of the Empress Dowager, the air filled with anticipation and the promise of new beginnings.
The palace guards stood tall, offering their firm greetings to Prince Nicholas with pride as they upheld their duty. The palace maids, passing by, also showed their respect, each bowing respectfully as they navigated the halls of the grand palace.
Prince Nicholas had always been favored by the emperor, maybe because he wanted to make up for his shortcomings towards the empress, Prince Nicholas's mother.
There had even been talks of the king appointing him as the crown prince before the vile rumors surrounding the empress' mental health began to spread. People had then begun to link the prince's ruthless nature to being a psychopath, something he must have inherited from his crazy mother. It wasn't a surprise, however; the man killed with a smile on his face, and his deathly glares could make men wet their pants from fear.
As Luciana stepped onto the pathway that led to the Empress Dowager's welcoming room, she couldn't help but feel slightly nervous as she remembered events of the past. She hoped she could change her fate this time around.
Nicholas saw the slight pause in her steps and realized she was nervous. Even though it was something he would usually not do, he took her hand, gave her a light pat on the back of her hand, and said,
"Don't be afraid; I'm here with you." He couldn't help it; he realized she was bound to be scared since everything was new to her, and this might be the first time she experienced something like this. She was going to be introduced to the elders as his princess consort and pay her respects.
But Luciana knew if things followed in the same pattern as her previous life, she was going to meet the empress dowager alone. Prince Nicholas had just finished speaking when a eunuch came to summon him.
"Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence."
Luciana nodded to him. "Go ahead; I can take care of myself."
"Okay," Prince Nicholas curtly responded and left with the eunuch.
The Empress Dowager still looked beautiful despite her age. She sat on a luxurious couch with Noble Consort Margaret sitting beside her and dressed to the nines in a spot where the empress was supposed to be sitting. They sat in the upper floor area.
The other ladies of the court, concubines, and women in the harem sat in a lower region with a few princesses.
"The Princess Consort, Princess Luciana of Florendel, has arrived," a eunuch announced, and everyone's gaze turned towards the gates to watch the princess.
As Luciana stepped into the room, she could feel countless gazes on her. With Noble Consort, Margaret's gaze filled with hostility. She was surprised she hadn't noticed this fact in her previous life; her eyes subconsciously moved to a corner of the room where she felt a piercing gaze on her and saw Princess Agatha, Noble Consort Margaret's daughter, also looking at her with something she couldn't quite describe in her eyes. She acted oblivious to everything and paid her respects.
"Princess Luciana greets the Empress Dowager of Gloryland," she said and bowed at the right angle, not too low and not too high. She could feel Noble Consort Margaret's displeased gaze on her since Luciana had not addressed her in her greeting.
"Rise, Princess Luciana," the Empress Dowager said simply.
"Did Her Highness sleep well?" Luciana asked the Empress Dowager, her posture straight but showing a respectful demeanor.
The Empress Dowager looked at the girl with interest; she had not paid her respect to the other women and was asking if she had slept well.
She took in her beautiful face and her clear and bright eyes and realized she might bring some light into Prince Nicholas' bleak and dark life full of bloodshed.
"I slept well, princess," she said in a neutral tone, not showing any hints of what she thought.
Turning towards the Noble Consort, Luciana pretended as if she was just seeing the woman,
"The Empress Dowager's beauty is so blinding that she looks as if she had not aged even a day over 30, causing me to be in a daze that I forgot to do the needful," Luciana said absentmindedly, making it look like she had unknowingly spoken out her thoughts.
The Empress Dowager laughed at Luciana's words, liking her more and more. All women liked to be called beautiful and complimented; the Empress Dowager was no exception.
"Greetings to the Empress… Sorry, I mean Noble Consort," Luciana said and saw how the woman's eyes narrowed with a look of dissatisfaction on her face.
But knowing it would be petty to call out the princess consort on her little slip, she unwillingly let it go.
"You may rise," she said curtly, expecting Luciana to ask her if she had slept well, but she didn't expect Luciana to say nonchalantly,
"I'm glad to know all the respectable and great women of the palace slept well."
This time, Noble Consort Margaret couldn't keep her anger in and opened her mouth, about to chastise the girl, when a voice as gentle as a breeze that spoke with a hint of fear and hesitation as if she didn't want to provoke people by talking too loud or saying the wrong thing reached their ears.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager and Noble Consort. Lady Evelyn apologizes for her tardiness due to her feeling of dizziness and nausea this morning," she said. Luciana didn't need to turn to see who it was, her rage already boiling as she recalled the words of the vile woman in her past life.
Murmurs and whispers of Lady Evelyn being pregnant and having morning sickness reached her ears.
"Hmmm, your skin looks pale. You should have a seat first," the empress dowager said.
Luciana remembered why she had been angry in her past life. She felt that the Empress Dowager was treating Lady Evelyn better than her; why would she be allowed to sit down while she was still standing? Besides, after the murmurs of Lady Evelyn being pregnant, her already bad mood had worsened at the time. She didn't even realize the empress dowager was just being considerate towards a pregnant woman.
So when the Empress Dowager asked her the next question, she said her mind without any filter. But from her memories, this time, she had come to greet the elders on her own accord and had not been late. Could it be that Lady Evelyn had purposely attended the event after she had arrived each time just so she could make Luciana know she was already carrying the prince's seed? The realization caused her to smirk inwardly.
"The princess consort looks petite and dainty; I hope it won't be difficult to bear heirs for the eldest prince," Noble Consort Margaret remarked in an offhanded manner, causing Luciana's eye to twitch.
In her previous life, Noble Consort Margaret's words had been,
"I hope with the princess consort's petite frame, she would be able to bear lovely heirs for the eldest prince."
Luciana had been displeased since it would mean Lady Evelyn was more of a woman than her. Lady Evelyn was already carrying a seed by then, so could it be that she was looking down on her? But she had later brushed it off, thinking she had misconstrued the Noble Consort's words when she had later called her aside and showered her with love and treated her like a daughter-in-law. But it was already late since she had already disrespected the Empress Dowager then due to her anger.
"I understand Florendel does not practice harems like Gloryland; the eldest prince already has three concubines. You are the Princess Consort and would be the main wife of the prince; how would you coexist with your fellow women in harmony, or are you unwilling to share your husband with other women?"
This was the question that broke the camel's back in her previous life; even though she told the prince she would never be his, she was unwilling to admit that she was jealous about the prince having several women in his manor while he tried to woo her in Serenevale.
She felt as if the prince had been planning to make her his secret woman and had just wanted to have fun with her. But she wasn't going to let history repeat itself.
With the calmness and poise of a woman who was mature beyond her age, she began to speak.
"I think a woman's worth shouldn't be based only on her ability to bear children. Nothing in life is to be feared; life is either a daring adventure or nothing. I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples. At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can."
"Good, good," the Empress Dowager praised.
"The emperor has arrived," a eunuch loudly announced, causing everyone to bow in respect, excluding the Empress Dowager. Even noble Consort Margaret gracefully bowed to show her respect.
The Emperor walked into the large hall and paused in front of Luciana,
"Princess Luciana of Florendel, let me look at you. You are as beautiful as they say, but how come I don't see any resemblance of the king and queen in you?"
Luciana stiffened at his words; the king of Florendel had made her promise never to disclose to anyone the fact that she wasn't his real daughter; it was a secret they were supposed to carry unto death. Lying to the emperor was a crime akin to treason.
A chill ran down her spine as the haunting memories flooded back—memories of the moment everyone learned she wasn't truly the princess of Florendel in her past life. It was even worse when the shocking truth emerged: she had once plotted to kill Prince Nicholas, in this life, she vowed, she must never let them find out.