Rise of the Unfavored Princess

Chapter 120: Ch. 119: Outmaneuvered

Empress Katya Duvernay set down the papers she’d received from her spies without expression, causing her personal maid to wring her hands together with worry.

“The matter is done?” she half-asked, half-stated. The contents of the secret correspondence had been very clear.

Linette’s head bobbed up and down so vigorously her snow-colored cap nearly tumbled off.

“Yes. The village was burnt to the ground. The Duvernay secret soldiers made sure to take care of any survivors as well.”

For Katya, burning down the village too small to even bear a name in the D’Anjou Mountains was a small victory that would pay larger dividends in the future. If one wished to uproot a tree, Katya understood that rather than hacking at the trunk it was better to gnaw at the roots. A thin smile finally took hold of her face, for the empress knew well that her husband’s bastard daughter could not even be compared to a tree yet.

“Tell Leif to comfort the nursemaid well. Ensure that she understands that he is her last remaining blood relative in the world,” she instructed from her writing desk.

Linette, although dedicated, had always been a little slower. “But he’s not even her real relative, Your Majesty?” she blurted out before the far more clever Kora could elbow her.

.....

Katya didn’t pay Linette any mind, extending more leeway than she usually would in the wake of allowing Winter to beat Linette. Beating a dog before feeding them a treat created a more loyal beast at the end of the day. And Linette was a crucial part of some of the uglier matters Katya engaged in underneath the glittering opulence Katya existed within.

“Are there any more important letters?” Katya had just begun to ask before there was a frantic knock on the door.

“His Majesty is here!” a maid called from outside, her excitement bleeding into her tone. It was natural for the girl to feel that way, as the emperor rarely set foot in Sunrise Palace.

Katya faintly felt the natural fluster all women felt when the person they desired was near and she mentally took inventory of her appearance while gesturing for Kora to bring her the rouge she never kept too far from her person.

Her hair was unbound, spilling down the sleek silk lounge dress that was at odds with the weather outdoors. But Katya was an empress and the heating in her palace was second to none. The was a gold brazier beside her desk and the fire was roaring in her sitting room, leaving the temperature more reminiscent of the ones they’d encountered during the summer.

She was a vision that perhaps could leave any other man in the empire slack-jawed, Katya’s eyes fluttering up in a tantalizing manner as her husband walked into the room. He had a commanding presence, even without his killing aura that he rarely bothered to restrain he could’ve sent all the maids in her quarters scurrying away. But considering how the emperor had come to see her, it meant that he had put a leash on his aura and that they were all safe- for now.

Katya rose from her seat in one smooth motion, dropping into a curtsey that belied years of etiquette training. “Your Majesty,” she murmured softly, her gaze cast downward in a picture of submission that would arouse the dominating desires of any warm-blooded male.

But Emperor Helio’s blood ran cold, for his stern mask did not slip as he entered for the first time in years, the abode of his wife. His empress.

Katya’s face did not shift, but she bit the inside of her cheek. Everyone in the palace and high society honored her as the empress save for the very man who had honored her with the position.

Curious to see if she could move him, Katya allowed for a look of faint pity and neglect to appear, as if she were hurt by his ease in ignoring her. Pretending to be pitiful was a difficult task for the empress, but a familiar face came to mind when she gave it a try. For this was a look she had seen many times on her nominal daughter, Winter.

Despite the many thoughts going through Katya’s head, the emperor was impervious to them all as he stalked to the seat furthest from where Katya stood and sat. It was clear from his posture and bearing that he had not come to reconcile with her or better yet, spend the evening with her. It had been years since she’d had the boon that could tame even the emperor. But it had run out after she’d used it a second time to bear Julia.

“You may all go,” Katya told her staff, the remaining few who hadn’t discreetly fled once the emperor arrived. Soon it was just herself, the emperor, and the crackling fire. Almost 15 years of marriage and Katya could still count on one hand the number of times they’d sat together outside of royal obligations, ceremonies, and affairs.

“Your Majesty,” she called, breaking the silence first. “Would you like to pass dinner here?”

Emperor Helio looked up at her, his golden eyes that she saw every day in her children flashing in an unfriendly manner. “I am not here for pleasure.”

He never had been too. Every time Katya had managed to use her precious gift on the emperor, it had been on his turf. Sunrise Palace was more like a lady’s apartments than a wedded woman’s.

“Of course,” she said, gracefully bowing her neck.

“Make Janice one of your ladies-in-waiting,” the emperor ordered the empress without any warning or ceremony.

One corner of the empress’ red pout quirked downward, the only sign of displeasure before she hid it with a delicate cough.

“Janice? You do not speak of...?”

“Yes. That Janice.”

Empress Katya had read of these cases before, where an emperor would bid his wife take his lover as a lady-in-waiting so that they could be in close proximity. There were many days where the empress would invite her ladies-in-waiting to serve her within the palace and aid her with official duties, aiding in the emperor’s proximity to his unofficial concubine.

The pure anger that flooded Katya’s system helped keep her from displaying her displeasure this time as she thought of Janice’s beauty. The empress was not an insecure woman. Insecurity, as her father and tutors had always taught her, was for the poor and powerless. She was the daughter of a powerful House, with beauty comparable to few and a wit that could compare to the sharpest minds in court. Being insecure would be to give herself a pointless weakness.

And yet, she’d never forgotten the way that pointless weakness had clogged her throat and made it hard for her to breath when the lowly daughter of a Master of Coin married the newly enthroned emperor. The pitiful looks people had given were bad enough, but even worse was the bewilderment in some gazes. How could the emperor overlook such a beautiful and powerful wife who could ensure all the nobility fell behind him for a weak dodder flower who would be more of a hindrance? Was there something wrong with Emperor Helio or Katya Duvernay?

It was obvious which one people would be more willing to believe. The marriage proposals to their estate, the praises heaped on by senior noblewomen who wished she was theirs, it all had dried up overnight. She had become tainted, someone no one wanted to associate with. And for someone with as high aspirations as hers, such an outcome was unacceptable to Katya.

There was thankfully one countermeasure to Emperor Helio’s sudden request, one grace that ancient law had afforded the empress in the face of such humiliation. The acceptance of a lady-in-waiting was purely the decision of the empress. While the emperor could make such requests of her, it was always up to his wife whether she would accept.

Many did, with the promise that their child would be guaranteed the throne upon his death or to attain the hand of a notable noble’s daughter for their son. But Katya had long known of this rule and worked around it, providing the emperor with willing women employed by her family so that she could always keep an eye on them.

Yet some still managed to slip from her grasp. The first had been a mere military slave, the kind of lowly thing that would’ve spent the rest of her life rutting in a filthy brothel if it hadn’t been for the kindness of House Duvernay. But that thing had the gall to slip from Katya’s grasp and bear a daughter that Katya couldn’t kill fast enough before she was confirmed to bear royal blood. A daughter who, Katya could grudgingly admit, was nearly as clever as she had been as a girl.

And now there was Janice. The beautiful, cocky, stupid maid who Katya had been more than happy to discard in a Red House for the remainder of her days. It seemed she was losing her touch.

Katya maintained a peaceful expression on her face, asking the emperor, “Is she someone the emperor cares for?” Her voice was soft as her nails cut half crescents into her palm. She was full of so much rage she knew it would take more than one maid to release the fury inside of her.

She was level-headed on all matters save for the ones of the emperor. It was part of why Katya’s father was always disappointed in her, for not only failing to seduce the emperor but also for entangling her emotions in her marriage.

The emperor grimaced faintly as if his opinion of Janice were contrary to that. “Just take her in as your lady-in-waiting.”

Katya sucked in a deep breath, her hopes long dashed. “And if I don’t?”

Emperor Helio straightened on the chair he sat on. “Your greed,” he said instead. “Do you think I don’t know of it? You wanted to be an empress and have an imperial heir. Is it not enough for you?”

No, Katya wished to say. I want your heart. But she was old enough to know was something she knew she would never get. He’d given it away years ago to that dodder flower she’d greatly enjoyed burning to death.

His face was stoic and hard, as it often was. Katya wondered just how much emotion she’d be able to witness for the first time if she told the emperor that she was secretly the reason why he’d lost his first love.

“I am grateful for your favor, Your Majesty,” she whispered demurely, the sound carrying across the silent sitting room.

“Katya, you know well I do not favor you. I do not trust you. But I will grant you some news which may sway your mind.” Knives would hurt less than the words Emperor Helio had told Katya.

The emperor stood, tucking his hands in the casual pants he wore that day. It was clear he had engaged in physical exercise before coming, honeyed skin from the recent summer peeking through the linen shirt he wore. But with his undeniable presence, Emperor Helio had the bearing of a ruler, even in casual clothing.

“As we speak, my men have already kept the news of your uncle’s death out of the papers and public knowledge. But you will have to give me this in return.”

Katya’s brow scrunched up, a minor reaction for some but the equivalent of jumping and yelling “WHAT?” for herself. She could demand that the emperor tell the truth, but while Emperor Helio was a murderer, conqueror, and terrible husband, one thing he was not was a liar.

She quickly analyzed the emperor’s words, taking note of the key information that could be inferred. First of all, one of her father’s two brothers was dead. Second, a narrative had been created that she, the empress, had been the one to do it.

It was always Katya setting traps for others, but without her knowledge or any warning, she had been caught in one herself.

“It was not I, Your Majesty,” Katya pleaded in a calm manner. But her palms had begun to sweat.

The list of those who may wish harm upon her was long, but the list of those who would dare do it was laughably short. And unlike the times when she set traps for others, this time she, the victim, did not even have the luxury of who was preying upon her.

Emperor Helio looked unconvinced, but intent on finishing his message as soon as possible rather than arguing. “Whatever the case may be, the evidence is undeniable so blame will most likely fall on you. Have the future Countess within your service before the week is over.”

His voice seemed ready to leave the room before he did, becoming shorter as he stood and prepared to leave. Katya understood that his arrival was merely a formality, a slight nod of respect considering he was making a request of her that historically required the emperor to grovel and make concessions before his wife. She had never thought she would see such a thing while she was still young and beautiful, even if the emperor claimed that he did not wish to lay with the social-climbing former maid.

“Won’t you?” The words exploded from the empress’ mouth, jaggedly cutting through the stiff silence between them as the emperor prepared to depart. Such a gaffe was uncommon for Katya, but she recovered in a short time and cleared her throat.

“Won’t you... stay?” she repeated. There was a faint vulnerability in her tone. She softened her eyes as much as she could, giving Emperor Helio a bashful look like she was a blushing debutante speaking to a man with her chaperone for the first time.

An ugly smile wrested her husband’s lips from the unfriendly grimace it was always in. He had pulled open the door, but now he stopped where he stood to stare back at his wife.

“What? Are you in need of another child? Sick of the ones you took from me already?” He spoke slowly, but there was no mistaking the rage beneath his tone. The first day that Katya had used the gift she’d received from the mysterious stranger on Emperor Helio, she knew she’d sacrificed any possible chance of crafting a happy marriage between the two.

But even so, the deep hatred in the emperor’s golden gaze still shook the besotted teenager in her heart to the core. She’d done something wrong, yes. But it was only because she had to. It was the only way she could become a real empress and hold real power amongst the nobility instead of being regarded as a placeholder wife.

“I-” Everything was slipping from her grasp. The damn bastard girl. The respect she’d painfully earned from her father. The fear she’d once instilled in her enemies so they wouldn’t dare touch her. She was losing it all.

“Good day.” The rage was back under wraps, but the empress could still feel the heat as the door to the sitting room slammed shut behind him.

Empress Katya let out a long breath, letting her head fall into her hands. But she did not cry. She never cried. Sometimes, she wasn’t even sure if she could.

Outside the door, a maid whom Katya wouldn’t have recognized from her usual staff crept away with the last tidbit of the conversation she’d just heard. Prince Julian had been planting maids in Sunrise Palace since he could talk. It had almost become a game between the mother and son, one she encouraged so he could practice his skills of espionage and information gathering.

He’d plant a maid and they’d make a game out of seeing how long he or she would last before Katya rooted them out of hiding. Usually, the maids would come away with inconsequential bits of information that Julian would playfully tell Katya as proof. He’d come to her with quotes from her setting up the menu for a formal dinner or repairs to the fountains in the gardens. When it came to more useful information however, only the closed doors and her personal maids were privy to those, until today.

And so, by the end of the day the young Prince Julian, who was not really so young on the inside but still too trusting of the wrong people, came to a powerful conclusion that could bode ill for the empress someday:

Winnie had been right after all about his mother.