Episode 19

"My empress, of course. The lives of everyone here rest in your hands. Even mine, but it would pain me to see even a speck of blood stain your exquisite gown. You look far too stunning to be marred by the blood of the unworthy. So, why not see what I have arranged for you first? If it fails to satisfy, we'll do as you command," the instigator suggested.

"Lock the doors. If more people leave, there will be none left to amuse me," I declared, gesturing toward the door. The knights shut the massive door and erected a blockade to prevent their exit. "Your Majesty, I trust your gift won't disappoint, or it might be your head that meets the ground today. I am not jesting."

"I shall do my utmost. Bring forth what I had prepared for the empress," Icaro bellowed. A chest filled with gold, jewels, and precious stones was placed before me soon after.

"He is giving all that to the empress? But it's worth the entire northern kingdom," someone remarked.

"I am bored," I said, yawning as the treasure was brought in. "Was this all that you had ready? You know such things fail to impress me."

"This is madness! She desires more than this? She is belittling our Emperor?" People sure did love to gossip.

"No, of course not. This is merely the appetizer. The main event is now," Icaro signaled. A colossal blood-red stone that shone bright enough to blind someone was then brought in.

"I thought that stone was a myth. Does it truly exist? I've only ever read about it in books," a guest exclaimed, aghast.

But it didn't end there; it was a veritable parade of jewels that came in next. Necklaces, crowns, even a sculpture carved out of diamond. Surely, half the GDP was within this hall.

"Impossible! The Emperor is bestowing all of the kingdom's treasures upon the empress? This makes no sense," a subject observed in shock.

"Your Majesty! Here is the special item you requested," a man entered, holding a cushion with a ring set with a green gemstone, causing an even greater stir.

"Unthinkable! The emperor must not give that to anyone. That is the ring of the kingdom's first emperor," the man shouted. "This jewel is beyond value. It is the only piece remaining from the first Emperor due to persistent wars, much of that era's treasure was looted, leaving only this ring which was given by the king after the peace treaty between realms."

"She must indeed be a witch, enchanting the heart of His Majesty," a woman alleged.

"She's unnerving. We must be cautious," the ladies whispered in terror. Am I not too beautiful to be likened to a witch?

"Empress, from the moment I beheld you, I couldn't believe such beauty existed in this world. Your eyes reminded me of this stone, but upon closer inspection, this gem pales in comparison to your eyes. Even so, I would like to offer this ring as a token of our commitment," the emperor said as he slid the ring onto my finger.

I won't lie. The ring was exquisite, unlike anything I had seen before. The hall fell silent as they digested what had just occurred. They expected a bloodbath but witnessed an emperor indulging his wife instead. I looked at the ring a moment longer, smiled, and then flung it away with such force it ricocheted off the edges of the room before landing in a jug. Onlookers turned pale at the sight of the kingdom's most priceless jewel treated so.

"Oh? Forgive me. The gem was so tiny the wind must have carried it off. Don't you have anything larger? I thought this was a wealthy kingdom. I must have been misled," I struggled to keep from laughing. Was I being wicked enough as we had practiced? One thing was certain, the subjects were pallid as parchment. At the very least, I had made a striking impression on them.