Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Compare With Whom?
The Emperor witnessed Laura insulting the woman he was in love with. It was quite a scene.
Laura and other ladies-in-waiting quickly lifted their skirts to bow to him, but he gave them a hellish glare. I had already seen Sovieshu a few times earlier in the palace, and I stared at him quietly instead of greeting him again. Sovieshu looked at Laura then turned to Rashta.
"Goodness."
Sovieshu sighed. Rashta's eyes were wet, probably out of surprise, and the wide look she gave him made her look like a poor frightened animal.
"Don't cry."
Despite his attempt to soothe her, tears began to drip down her face.
"I said don't cry."
Despite the unsympathetic tone in his voice, Rashta did not stop. She seemed unafraid of his infamous cold attitude. I kept staring at her. When Rashta continued to cry, to my surprise, Sovieshu pulled out a gold embroidered handkerchief and held it out to her. Her tears didn't cease even when offered the handkerchief, and he sighed and wiped her face himself.
"You're a handful."
There was a note of worry in his tone, and the corner of my heart throbbed again. No, it was natural…it was natural. I reminded myself of Countess Eliza's words, and turned around and instructed my ladies-in-waiting to follow.
"Let's go. My legs ache."
I wouldn't be able to stop Sovieshu from having a concubine, but I was free to avert my eyes from it. The ladies quickly followed after me.
"Wait. Stop."
Sovieshu called out to me before we had even taken a few steps. First Rashta, and now him? Sovieshu glared at Laura and pointed to her.
"Leave that lady-in-waiting behind, Empress."
"What for?"
"Leave her."
"She is my lady-in-waiting. You need to tell me first."
Laura's complexion turned pale. I also felt an ominous wind blowing through my thoughts.
Surely he wouldn't punish Laura for what she said to Rashta, would he? While Laura's behavior was not exactly exemplary, she was still a lady-in-waiting of the Empress. Rashta, on the other hand, was not yet a concubine, nor was she even lower nobility. She was even likely a runaway slave. For Sovieshu to punish Laura would publicly disgrace her in society.
As well as myself, the Empress.
I stared at him, and he turned his gaze back to Laura.
"She is a lady-in-waiting of the Empress, but she is also my subject. How dare she speak like that."
"Then I will scold her."
"You think a scolding will fix someone who calls another person filthy? Surely not."
Sovieshu barked an order to a nearby guard, pointing his chin towards Laura.
"Lock her up for three days and give her only water and hard bread."
Laura's face whitened, and the other ladies let out a small scream of distress.
"That is too far, Your Majesty."
I stepped forward, but Sovieshu directed his icy glare towards me.
"She called a woman in a wheelchair who can't even properly walk filthy. Don't you think that is too far?"
"!"
"Well, you only watched. You probably thought that was not too far."
"My ladies-in-waiting only stopped her because she pulled my dress."
The look on Sovieshu's face only turned darker.
"You were walking away from her."
"Your Majesty."
"And what is wrong with holding a dress? Is the Empress' dress more noble than a human hand?"
"Then I will have your servant pull at the hem of your cloak. Even if your cloak is not as noble as a human hand, is that still acceptable?"
Sovieshu raised his eyebrows and smirked.
"Your words are meaningless. Do you really think it is the same situation?"
"Is it different?"
"It is."
"Then what is the difference?"
"Rashta is not a servant."
I wanted to ask him if I should change my example, and what he would do if a concubine pulled on the hem of his clothes.
"Lock up the Empress' lady-in-waiting for five days."
Before I could say anything else, Sovieshu increased Laura's punishment. The more I opposed him, the more he severe he became.
I saw Rashta sitting behind Sovieshu with her eyes wide open, staring at him as if he was some sort of hero. The words I wanted to say threatened to leap from my mouth, but even the empress could not overturn the emperor's orders. I could call a trial to challenge Laura's punishment, but by the time the trial would be opened she would already be released.
"I accept the punishment, Your Majesty."
As I was agonizing about losing to Sovieshu, Laura quickly stepped forward. My face turned red with shame and anger.
"Go."
Rather than asking why the girl was near the main palace, Sovieshu complimented me for working hard all day.
Sovieshu and I weren't passionate lovers, but we were good friends. Now we were neither. I gritted my teeth and turned away. Now I understood why my mother advised me not to get involved with the concubines.
* ♡ *
The Imperial Palace was buzzing over the news of Laura's confinement.
The gossip was that the Emperor's punishment for the Empress' lady-in-waiting was an outright expression of his love for Rashta. It was her first unofficial competition with me, and she had won. I didn't hear this with my own ears, but my ladies-in-waiting were furious and told me about it.
"I should have been there!"
A lady-in-waiting who had bathed Rashta exclaimed that were she present, she would have kept me away from the slave.
"But I think the Emperor really likes her."
"I used to have admiration for him, but this time he didn't even listen to the Empress' words."
Despite their anger, the ladies-in-waiting were worried about the future.
"It's only been a few days since the Emperor met her. I'm worried."
There was nothing I could do in this situation.
Sovieshu and I acted like nothing had happened when we ran into each other at the central palace. I focused on my work and tried to forget what had happened that day. When I was alone in my room, I remembered Sovieshu's cold gaze and felt the bruise in my heart, but it ached less when I kept myself busy.
When Laura's imprisonment finally ended after five days, I went up to the tower to retrieve her myself. I asked the other ladies-in-waiting to bathe Laura in my bathroom and bring her some soup. I also ordered Laura's favorite cake.
A secretary sent by Sovieshu came to me to deliver a message.
"His Majesty the Emperor wants to see you."
"Me?"
"Yes."
What could it be? I nodded and turned to Countess Eliza.
"When the cake is finished, tell Laura to come here and eat. Then let her know she can rest for a few days before she comes back."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I turned and nodded at the secretary, and he quickly led the way. The atmosphere changed as we went east, even though it was surrounded by the same wall. Perhaps it was because the palace was styled in completely different ways.
I was concerned that I might encounter Rashta again, but she was nowhere to be seen in Sovieshu's bedroom.
The Emperor was sitting by a small round table.
"You called me."
Sovieshu stared at me silently as I approached him. His eyes seemed full of things to say.
"What can I do for you?"
I spoke first, and Sovieshu seemed to hesitate for a moment and pressed his lips.
"Your lady-in-waiting, the one who was imprisoned–"
"Laura. The daughter of Marquis Tarital."
"I heard you took her back her from her prison."
"She's my lady-in-waiting. She suffered for five days."
Sovieshu looked even more displeased.
"Did you have to?"
"Are you asking me if I had to take care of a woman that was punished?"
Sovieshu could clearly hear the mockery in my voice.
"You know what I'm trying to say. In other words, you retrieved the lady-in-waiting yourself, even though you knew I would be offended. No?"
Partially. I suspected that Sovieshu might be offended…but I also thought he might have already cooled down after five days. Perhaps after everything had settled, I could let him know that his punishment was far too much.
Maybe not.
"I suspected you might be displeased."
"But now you're taking care of her? If you had any thought for me, you would have sent her away. What is the emperor if the empress cares for the people he punishes?"
"It is not right to send someone away after they already received their punishment. Besides, what she did was not out of line."
"Calling people filthy?"
"She was trying to stop someone from pulling on my clothes. A scolding would be enough."
The more I spoke, the stonier his expression became.
"So, you will keep the lady-in-waiting?"
"It is entirely up to me to decide who is my lady-in-waiting."
Although Laura may want to quit working in the Imperial Palace, I was going to keep her for a while. Being punished because of a runaway slave was enough to make her an outcast of high society. If I let her go, she would have no protection, let alone against Sovieshu. As empress, I would use my name to safeguard her.
Sovieshu sighed and turned away.
"I am tired of arguing with you. Can't you just be obedient to me for once?"
"The empress does not have to bend to the emperor's will."
"Continue on like this, and you won't even be able to compare."
Compare? …With whom?
He stared right at me, then he put on a wry face.
"I see that you're tired. Please retire for the day. Go back to and take care of that misbehaving filly."
* * *
After Empress Navier left, Sovieshu sighed and rang a small bell on the table. The door opened, but it was not a servant who walked in the room.
"Since when do you work?"
At Sovieshu's puzzled expression, Rashta smiled sheepishly.
"I feel like I'm a burden when I'm not doing anything."
"So you're going to be working now?"
Rashta spread out her arms joyfully, and Sovieshu grinned.
"You can't even go around by yourself."
Serving the Emperor was regarded as a great honor among nobles, and was a position that even those without titles coveted. But Rashta wanted to work for the Emperor because she felt like a burden… She had no idea that the nobles would strangle each other over this position.
"What an unusual person."
Sovieshu chuckled at her oddity. For Sovieshu, there had only been two significant women in his life so far. One was his mother, a great empress, and the other was Navier, the current empress. He was familiar with the empress' imperial education and even studied together with Navier, but he thought the clumsy Rashta was incredible no matter what she did.
"Come here and have a snack."
Sovieshu rang the bell again, and the servant who had been waiting impatiently at the door came in.
"Pumpkin pie. Very sweet. And bring wine. A light one."
The servant left to fulfill the orders, and Rashta clapped her hands and exclaimed "Pumpkin pie!"
"Do you like food that much?"
"Not just any food. How many people have never eaten a bite of a pumpkin pie in their life?"
She smiled innocently like a child, and Sovieshu found he couldn't pull his eyes away from her.
"The Empress doesn't even respond to jewelry, no matter how expensive it is. But you're still happy even with the little things."
"Doesn't she like jewelry?"
"She does. But she doesn't have a lot of emotional ups and downs. She only expresses herself in small portions."
Rasta frowned and gave a sigh.
"She grew up beautifully and doesn't know the harsh world. Anyone would take jewelry for granted."
"Hmm?"
"It's not that the Empress is wrong, it's just that she has a lot of wealth. Even if you got her a big gem, it's not a surprise…"
"That's true. Oh my god. My prey is smarter than I thought."
Rashta didn't know whether he was making fun of her or not, and she blushed and puffed out her lips.
"Tch, you always call me prey."
"Because you're the prey I caught in my trap."
"So…Your Majesty."
Rasta laughed at his light joke, then settled to speak to him again. She twisted her fingers together and ventured forward carefully.
"You said you'd make me your concubine…"
"Yes."
"The Empress doesn't seem to know that yet…"
Sovieshu nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.
"We're in no hurry, so let's take our time. Your legs haven't completely healed yet."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
agatharoza
agatharoza This is a free-to-read book. Not to be monetized in any form. Original work was published by Alphatart. This is the English translation of it. My Korean is rather poorly thus forgive any false translation. I just love this book so much that I hope more people will enjoy it and support the author. The English version is being turned into a comic series in Webtoon.