“I will accept the divorce.”

Am I the only one who had a faint smile on my lips when I said those words?

Sovieshu looked down at me with a half-relieved, half-regretful expression. Was it a charade, or was it sincere?

Until now I had been a good colleague and a perfect empress. We had never fought — that is, until he brought her along. He cast me aside for his lover, but until the last moment he’ll want to be a good man and a good emperor.

Then there was my family and the great church which had approved of our marriage, who insisted that I not step down from the position of empress. He would certainly dislike the idea of going through a tedious divorce trial against both of these groups.

He was that sort of man, and that sort of emperor.

“Your Majesty! This can’t be!”

Marquis Farang cried out and tried to run towards me, but he was caught by the Emperor’s guards and barred from taking a step further…

Marquis Farang and Countess Eliza, my defenders. I am thankful to all of you.

I cast them a grateful glance then turned to the court minister.

“Empress Navier. Do you really agree to this divorce document without any objection?”

The court minister had a slightly angry voice. He wanted me to fight and challenge the reason for divorce.

While the odds of winning the trial were none, it would cause a scandal for the Emperor and his concubine as the people heard the news. That was what the minister, my family and my friends wanted.

I shook my head. A divorce trial may hurt Sovieshu’s reputation, but my name may be scarred as well. It’s not that I had a moral problem, but I might not be able to leverage the situation if it became too complicated.

“I accept the divorce.”

The minister closed his eyes gravely as murmuring broke out into the room.

“And ask for permission to remarry.”

The moment I finished speaking, the mood changed completely. The air stilled into a shocked silence and the minister’s eyes flew open. Everyone glanced at each other, unsure of what they heard.

Sovieshu looked at me confusedly, a frown furrowing his brow. The minister was in a daze.

“Empress Navier…remarry?”

Instead of answering, I stretched out my hand and pointed to one place. As if on cue, a man wearing an embroidered veil that obscured his face burst into pleasant laughter.

“Do I come up now?”

The silence was broken by the murmuring of the crowd again. The man walked through the court and stood next to me. When he took off the veil, Sovieshu lept to his feet.

“Navier! That man–”

“Is the one I will marry.”

The minister’s eyes looked hollow. I smiled and turned the man beside me. He looked at me as if to say, “You expected this reaction, didn’t you?”

Somehow I had a pleasant feeling.

Even though it wasn’t revenge I desired.

*

*

*

The Troby family which I come from had already produced several empresses. Among the imperial family and nobility, arranged marriages were common. Marriage was for politics and romance was for their lovers, and it was common for male or female nobility to have a beloved on the side.

Ossis III, the previous emperor, spotted me as a match for the Crown Prince, and from an early age I was educated by the Empress on etiquette and the workings of the imperial court. Fortunately, the Crown Prince Sovieshu and I took to each other, and we got along like good friends.

We didn’t see each other as lovers, but it was still something. It was the kind of relationship where even when we fought at home, we walked into the wedding hall with a smile.

A lot about us worked well together, and we were quite fortunate. The nobility saw Sovieshu and I as a only pair of cubs, and we put our heads together and discussed the country we would build for the next generation. As an adult, Sovieshu inherited the throne from the late Emperor, and after the coronation ceremony we were on good terms.

…For about three years.

*

*

*

It was a bad day to plan for the new year.

After consulting with the officials all day, I returned to my room to find my ladies-in-waiting with nervous expressions on their faces.

“What’s going on?”

I looked around worriedly, and one of the ladies replied in a sharp voice.

“The Emperor went hunting and brought back a tramp.”

“Then he called us and ordered us to wash the dirty thing.”

All of the ladies-in-waiting were the concubines and wives of high-ranking noble families, and they bathed only me. For ladies that did not even use their own hands to bathe themselves, it must have been a bolt from blue. But it was quite strange. The emperor knew the pride of the ladies-in-waiting better than anyone else, yet he ordered them to wash a woman he brought back after hunting?

“What woman?”

“We don’t know if she’s a prisoner or a slave.”

“Her leg was trapped.”

“Leg?”

“Yes. The emperor found her caught in a trap and saved her…”

The ladies-in-waiting exchanged glances among themselves. There seemed to want to say more, but didn’t want to do it in front of me.

“It’s alright. Tell me.”

After some slight pressure, one of them reluctantly opened her mouth.

“Even when she was filthy she seemed beautiful. I thought I imagined it even before I washed her, but she really was stunning when I was finished.”

“Her beauty was comparable to the Duchess Tuania, the most beautiful woman in the world.”

When they thought I was feeling uncomfortable, the ladies added their own chorus.

“Of course there is no comparison with you, Your Majesty.”

My face was rather attractive. However, as a young princess and a empress, everyone tended to flatter me, so it was unclear exactly how beautiful I was. As a result I would exclude myself from such comparisons.

However, Duchess Tuania was known as the most beautiful woman in society. She debuted at the age of seventeen, and she was still an immaculate butterfly at the age of forty.

And now this mysterious woman was equivalent to Duchess Tuania? And even these high-nosed ladies thought so?

Perhaps the Emperor really did save a great beauty from the hunting ground. There was no reason for my ladies-in-waiting to notice if she was merely pretty.

“You can tell me anything. I can see you all have more to say.”

When I prodded them again, another lady finally gathered up her courage and revealed everything.

“The truth is…the Emperor seems to be fond of her.”

The lady’s face whitened as if she were terrified to let the words leave her mouth.

“The Emperor?”

“After washing her, I dressed her with clothing from someone with a similar size, and when His Majesty saw her he seemed concerned. ‘How did you get hurt? Why are you so thin? You look pale…’”

“That sounds reasonable.”

At my remark the ladies exchanged awkward glances between themselves.

“You have not been in adulthood long and may not have experienced a romantic relationship but…”

“There is a certain nuance and atmosphere, Your Majesty.”

“We are on your side, even if it’s difficult to hear about this.”

“And if it turns out to be nothing then it will be fine.”

Among the ladies-in-waiting, the only one my age was Lady Laura, and the rest were older than me. Their wisdom was richer than mine when it came to human affairs.

“I see…”

I murmured in my embarrassment. Even if what the ladies said was true and that the Emperor was interested in another woman he saved, what should I do? Should I go to the Emperor’s room and ask him if he was interested in his captive, or drive her out, or have her work in the imperial palace? I didn’t know how to react.

Countess Eliza approached carefully.

“How about you try your luck and say that you heard he found an injured woman?”

Everyone agreed and said I should ask in passing.

“Maybe say you heard it from one of the palace maids…”

“Just in case.”

I nodded and smiled, praying it would not be a large issue.

“I will. Thank you all. His Majesty the Emperor is a compassionate man, so he must have brought her here out of pity.”

*

*

*

When would it be a good time to ask the Emperor about the woman he found at the hunting ground? After much consideration, I decided to ask him at dinner tomorrow. Although we were husband and wife, our bedrooms were at the eastern and western ends of the palace. It was said that the rooms were placed to show that the monarchy symbolically supported each side of the country. That meaning had now faded, and now it was a perfect arrangement for the emperor and empress to live without having to touch each other.

Although Sovieshu did not yet have a concubine, we ate and slept separately due to our busy schedules and different lifestyles. However, we had dinner twice a week, and that was tomorrow.

Yes. It would be too meddlesome for me to visit today and ask about the woman from hunting ground. I will wait a day. I hadn’t forgotten what my mother said to me before I was married.

“Do not interfere with Sovieshu even if he takes a concubine later.”

“Is that really alright?”

“Look at history. Were there any emperors without concubines? Even Ossis II, who is known as a great military leader, has had twenty of them. Do not waste your anger on it.”

“…”

“Navier. All you have to be for Sovieshu is be young and beautiful…and healthy. Do you understand my words? You can find a man like that and make him your lover.”

A commoner would widen their eyes at this kind of drama, but this was natural in noble society where political marriages were the norm.

Of course, the right of inheritance would go to the children of the married couple, but problems arose when a spouse was in love with their partner and couldn’t tolerate other lovers. Political conflicts happened that way. This must have been part of my mother’s concern. And so, on her advice, I was not going to go see Sovieshu today. I would ask him tomorrow evening instead.

And even if he took the woman as his concubine…I should pretend to ignore it.

“…”

I was not in love with him. I knew other people lived like me.

Still, when I thought about my husband taking another woman as his lover, there was a lonesome feeling in the corner of my heart. Strange.

I lifted my hand and placed it on my ******. My heart beat neither slow nor fast.

*

*

*

The next day, rumors of the “hunting ground girl” spread even faster. The only ones who spoke openly about it to me were my ladies-in-waiting, but even when sitting in a quiet place I could hear the gossip among the palace.

During lunch, the ladies-in-waiting complained throughout the meal.

“I heard that filthy tramp is a runaway slave. She must have gotten onto the hunting ground while fleeing.”

“The hunting ground is connected to Viscount Roteschu’s estate, so she must have escaped from there.”

“If she’s a runaway slave, she should be sent back immediately. I can’t believe the Emperor took pity on her and made us take care of her.”

Before dinnertime, the ladies dressed me more methodically than usual. They clothed me in a glittering dress and adorned me with silver jewelry and simple pearl earrings, showering me with praise throughout. They always cared for me, but today they seemed especially adamant.

“No matter how beautiful the slave is, you are our Empress.”

“The Emperor will have to wash his eyes after he sees you.”

Their efforts felt empty and passed through my ears. If Sovieshu was going to fall in love with me for dressing beautifully, shouldn’t he have already done so before?

All I had in my head were useless thoughts. However, even though I considered the efforts of the handmaids to be futile, I entrusted myself to them.

After all the preparations were finished, I went to the eastern wing where the Emperor stayed, and sat at a dining table that was far too large for two people. At first we only talked about recent political issues, such as the preparations for New Year’s Day. I waited for Sovieshu to bring up the story about the hunting ground girl, but no matter how long I waited, he didn’t mention her.

It was when he was cutting his steak that I finally brought it up.

“I heard that you found a runaway slave at the hunting grounds. Is that true?”

There was a clack as his knife hit the plate, and his hands stopped. He looked up and stared at me for a moment.

“Who told you that?”

His tone wasn’t pleasant. In fact, he seemed rather tense.

Seeing the wrinkle between his eyebrows, I deliberately covered up the source of the story.

“Everyone was talking. It was hard to miss.”

“It must been your ladies-in-waiting.”

“It doesn’t matter who told me. Again, is it true?”

Sovieshu looked noticeably uncomfortable when I repeated my question.

“Your Majesty?”

“Don’t rush me.”

“…”

“I don’t know what you heard, but what happened was that I found a woman who was badly hurt and I helped her.”

He called her a woman, not a runaway slave…

“I see. So where is she now?”

“Empress.”

“…Please tell me.”

“We have two meals a week together. We have so many other things to talk about, don’t you think?”

The iciness in his voice was clear to me.

Do not get involved in this in any way.

“Other things to talk about? Your Majesty, I did not suggest anything unusual. As the owner of the Imperial Palace, I am only asking if you brought in an injured woman. It’s never happened before.”

Was I overdoing it? I had my usual tone and gentle smile on my lips. I spoke casually in order not to appear overbearing, as if discussing the New Year’s Day preparations.

Sovieshu looked markedly uneasy, however. He seemed to want to avoid the topic as much as possible, and the atmosphere became increasingly uncomfortable.

“Are you asking because you’re only curious?”

Sovieshu looked at me suspiciously, and I blinked at him.

“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t curious.”

“She was accidentally caught in one of my traps, and I brought her here so she could be treated. She’s not too injured, so I’ve had her put in a room with a maid to look after her.”

“…I see.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t call your ladies-in-waiting again.”

Sovieshu resumed cutting his steak, the knife cracking like a woodpecker and echoing in the dining room. He usually had so much to talk about, but this time he remained silent.

*

*

“What did His Majesty say?

When I returned to the west palace after dinner, a group of my ladies-in-waiting who were gathered in my room anxiously approached me.

“He…he didn’t say much.”

Countess Eliza’s eyebrows lifted at my lukewarm answer. She didn’t seem to believe me.

“Then you would not be so sullen.”

“…”

“It’s alright. Talk to us, Your Majesty. That way we can be prepared.”

“He said the woman was accidentally caught in one of his traps. There was no mention of her being a runaway slave or anything like that…”

Come to think of it, I didn’t even get a name.

“He said he was taking care of her, and he seemed unhappy to keep talking about it.”

As soon as I finished, Laura stamped her foot with a resounding thud. The other more genteel ladies gave her a look, but Laura was already pouting and not paying attention to them.

“Your Majesty, do you know that’s exactly what my father was doing at the beginning of his affair?”

Laura raised her voice and Countess Eliza said her name in warning. Laura, however, had already gone this far and wouldn’t stop.

“That’s what it looks like. Those are exactly the early signs of an affair. Why wouldn’t he want to talk about it?”

The ladies scolded Laura for talking too bluntly, but they did not deny her words.

Countess Eliza finally took it upon herself to shoo the ladies out when I was looking depressed, then sat me in front of the dressing table and started combing my hair.

“The Emperor is a man who likes to hunt. He is doing this because it must seem like a miracle to him to find a beautiful woman caught in his trap.”

“Countess.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Before…my mother told me. Even if the Emperor takes another woman as his lover, I should not let myself be hurt. There are so many cases like that, and I shouldn’t expect it to be any different.”

The middle of Countess Eliza’s forehead creased. Countess Eliza had a rare marriage of love to her husband, and to such a person, my mother’s advice might sound ridiculous.

I continued.

“I didn’t say this in front of the other ladies, but I am a little prepared. Even if the Emperor welcomes a slave woman as his concubine.”

“Your Majesty…”

“But when he doesn’t speak to me…I feel a little down.”

Countess Eliza set the comb down on the dresser. I looked up at her and asked her honestly.

“Whether he has ten or a hundred concubines, they’re still concubines and I’m the empress. He and I never loved each other to the point that we would die for each other…so theoretically, we should still be fine. Yet why do I feel so empty?”

Countess Eliza reached out to embrace my head and shoulders. She held me still for a moment, then withdrew before speaking.

“Even though yours is a political marriage, you’ve been together since you were children up until marriage. It’s no surprise that you’re upset. I would feel the same if my child were to bring someone else in as their foster parent. I would feel upset if my parents took another child and favored them because they were more beautiful. And I would feel upset if my best friend brought someone else in and was more friendly to them. It’s a natural emotion.”

“Then would the Emperor feel that way if I had another man next to me?”

Countess Eliza picked up the comb and started brushing my hair again, and I took her silence as a “no.” After a moment, she finally spoke.

“To be honest, I don’t know, Your Majesty. The more powerful your love is, the harder it is to look around.”

So I had no choice but to deal with my heartbreak by myself. I forced myself to smile.

“I see. I’m sure I’ll feel better soon. She and I won’t have to meet each other…”

“Yes. Even if the slave becomes a concubine, she still cannot enter into high society.”

Being a slave didn’t mean one couldn’t rise in status. It was also the case for the innocent who became slaves due to collective punishment caused by their family members. Every year, the country restored a certain number of slaves to commoner status, but it was never the case for a runaway slave.

Being a slave meant that one had a life sentence for some crime they committed. Because a runaway slave escaped without paying the price, they were considered the same as an escaped prisoner. An extra charge of guilt was added, and a runaway slave was considered the dregs of society to aristocrats. No matter how much Sovieshu lavished the woman, there was no opportunity for her to debut in high society or for me to run into her. I nodded my head and gathered myself.

Yes, Countess Eliza. It was natural that I felt empty when someone who had been my husband for a long time had a sudden interest in another lover.

But I couldn’t get more emotional now. No matter if he had another woman, he couldn’t cut me off. There was only one Empress in this empire after all.

*

*

*

“The Emperor goes to see the slave day after day?”

“I heard he even brings her food himself.”

“He’s acting so calm too. The audacity.”

“He even called a court doctor to treat her leg.”

There were voices whispering between the bushes. Although the Imperial Palace gardens had flowering walls higher than one’s head, I could still hear the gossip that filtered through. I designed this garden myself, and deliberately placed a nest-shaped swing chair in an area not frequented by many. It was like my secret place. I didn’t bring my ladies-in-waiting here, and so people said things aloud without them noticing me.

‘About a week has passed…’

I closed my book and placed it on my lap. As Sovieshu’s interest in the slave woman grew, so did the stories. Everyone’s attention was on the woman who managed to capture the Emperor’s interest. Wasn’t it fortunate that she and I never ran into each other?

The next time I had dinner with Sovieshu, I didn’t ask about her. I instead I acted as if nothing had happened, and brought up the New Year’s preparations.

I decided to compromise at this point in time. Ignorance. Pretend I didn’t know.

But coincidence came out of nowhere and confronted me.

It was the day all the officials and I gathered in the conference room to discuss the preparations for the upcoming New Year.

My throat felt clogged after speaking for so long, and after drinking a glass of warm water, I took a walk in the central palace garden to relax. Artina, the deputy commander of the knights, accompanied me, along with my ladies-in-waiting. As I discussed with Artina about whom to recommend for the ceremony, I heard a whisper from somewhere saying, “Is that her?”

I looked around, and saw a woman sitting in a wheelchair with two other women who appeared to be maids beside her. Our eyes met, and the woman in the wheelchair struggled stand. The two maids tried to stop her, but they dropped their hands when they saw my gaze.

The woman shakily gripped the handles of the wheelchair as she stood up to bow in greeting. I wasn’t sure who she was. I thought she might be the slave the Emperor found, but we were near the central palace, and this was no place for a mistress to come. I didn’t think there were any cases of one even working at a high position at the central palace.

Still, she greeted me even when her legs were hurt, and so I gave her a nod of acknowledgment. I turned to walk away when I heard a voice from behind me saying, “Hey.”

‘Hey?’

Was she calling me? This was the first time I heard someone say that to me in the palace after becoming empress. I turned back, flustered, and saw the woman in the wheelchair wheeling herself towards me. The maids were bewildered and called out “Rashta, don’t,” but she ignored them.

Did she have something to do with me? If she did, then surely she would know I was the empress. And yet she said “Hey” to me?

I stared at her with a perplexed expression on my face, and the woman named Rashta drew near and greeted me again.

“I’m Rashta.”

What was I supposed to do?

“Yes…Rashta.”

She smiled, as if pleased that I called her by her first name. Did she really want me to address her like that? I was struck by curiosity, but not enough to ask why.

The audience time had ended, and my brain was rotted having listened to the stories of strangers for three hours. If there was an emergency, then she would have pleaded for help as soon as she saw me. However, she was smiling cheerfully, so it didn’t seem like she needed my urgent attention.

I turned around again, thinking there was nothing more to see. But as I did so, she reached out and grabbed the skirt of my dress. My ladies-in-waiting who were standing beside me were alarmed and beat away her hand as if she were a zoo monkey.

“How rude!”

“Do you not recognize this noble!”

Rashta flinched back in surprise, stammering.

“I-I’m sorry, I should’ve called out to you but I don’t know your name…”

She really didn’t know I was the empress? Didn’t I hear her whisper to the maid “Is that her?”

Laura glared at Rashta and yelled at her.

“This is Her Majesty the Empress. Be careful of your actions!”

Rashta’s eyes widened.

“What? I…I know the Empress.”

She knows the Empress?

I frowned at her strange words, and she looked into my eyes and spoke softly.

“I…I’m Rashta.”

Who was Rashta? My ladies-in-waiting and I were terribly confused. Did we know each other enough to share our names? In my mind I tried to recall the women of her age that visited this country with foreign dignitaries. I did not meet with every single guest. There were the guests that were welcomed by me, guests that were welcomed by the foreign ministers, guests that met with Sovieshu directly…

She had never been one of my mine. Had the foreign minister ever met a Rashta? It couldn’t be. If she were from a great noble family, even the ladies-in-waiting would know about her even if I didn’t.

“Do you know me?”

I decided to be straightforward with her, and she looked surprised.

“You don’t know me?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Ah…”

Rashta looked at a loss, and she whispered to the maids, “What do I do?” I could hear her, of course.

But I was tired. I didn’t even know who she was. I was about to ignore her and leave, when Rashta called out again.

“I am living in the eastern palace by the kindness of His Majesty the Emperor.”

The kindness of Sovieshu?

The eastern palace. The wounded legs. The woman. Ah.

“The slave?”

Then why was she near the central palace? Before I could ask, Rashta’s face paled.

“Your Majesty, forgive me for my rudeness. Miss Rashta is not a slave.”

A maid beside Rasta came forward and corrected me. Not a slave? But my ladies-in-waiting told me she was a runaway slave. If they were false rumors, then they would have informed me it was not a credible story, but there was no such statement.

The slave…was more than what I expected. I didn’t expect to meet her this way. I didn’t care about the gossip, but she was as beautiful as the rumors suggested. Her kind of beauty wasn’t like the glamour and elegance of a noble like Duchess Tuania, rather, Rashta’s image was soft and ethereal. Her large, dark eyes stirred one’s protective instincts, and her hair was a light silver that made her pure and innocent charm even more mysterious.

Wait. My ladies-in-waiting bathed her, so why didn’t they recognize her? I glanced around and saw some weren’t with me. Unfortunately, the missing ladies were the ones that washed Rashta.

“Yes. Now I know who you are.”

I nodded, and Rashta beamed.

“Thank goodness. Actually, I’ve been wondering when we’d meet each other.”

“Meet?”

“I asked the Emperor, but he kept telling me that I didn’t have to bother…but I thought we should still do so.”

Meet each other? Why?

“What should I call you, Your Majesty?”

“…Just call me ‘Your Majesty.’”

“Huh?”

“That’s it.”

I didn’t know why I was having such a friendly conversation with this girl of all people.

Rashta seemed to feel tired and wanted to turn around, and she grunted in exertion as she moved her wheelchair.

Sensing that my mood was spoiled, my ladies-in-waiting grabbed onto the handles of the wheelchair and pulled her slightly backwards.

“Stay away.”

“Just who are you to act so friendly towards her?”

Laura’s hands were trembling in anger as she pulled the other woman back.

“Filthy.”

It was then.

“What do you mean, filthy?”

Sovieshu appeared, his voice like shards of ice.