Chapter 14: The Summon

"My lady! My lady!"

Calista bobbed her head to the side, glaring at her maid, who came in a rush while she was enjoying the silence by the window in her room.

"What is it this time, Lola?" Her crisp voice had a hint of annoyance as she asked. "Better be sure it's something worth my time turning to look at you," Calista added.

She was dying of boredom in her room and when she finally had something to do—staring outside her window, a maid was disturbing her.

"I'm sorry, but there is no time to nitpick on me," Lola said, shoving an envelope in front of her lady. "The Emperor has summoned you to the palace!"

Calista's eyes widened. She was never this excited to receive an invitation from the palace. If not for her parents telling her to stay put until the real culprit behind Lady Zara's death was found, she wouldn't find delight in getting ordered around by the Emperor.

"Well, if that's what the Emperor wanted, then I guess mother couldn't stop me, huh?" Excitement filled her eyes as she stood and rushed to the door leading to her closet.

"Hurry up, Lola! We can't let the Emperor wait any longer," Calista said while picking a dress to wear.

A black dress caught her attention as she skimmed through her wardrobe.

"This should work. Yeah, it has to be black," Calista mumbled to herself.

"My lady, how about this one?" Lola showed her a gorgeous pink dress.

Calista shook her head. If she was going out for a date, she'd wear it.

"Nah. It's not going to work," she told her maid. "It has to be this one, Lola. Did you forget? Everyone is mourning for Lady Zara's death. I can't wear flashy clothes, especially when the Emperor calls me to discuss that tragedy," Calista explained.

Lola grinned. "Yes, my lady. Then, please let me take care of your hair. Would you like me to braid them?"

Nodding, Calista handed the dress she picked to her maid. "That would be nice. Also, get me something to cover half of my face that goes well with this one," she instructed.

"I'll go bathe myself first," Calista said and went straight to the bathroom.

"Hold on, my lady! At least let me prepare the bath water for you." Lola pursed her lips when Calista simply waved her hand, telling her she didn't need to.

It took Calista almost two hours to prepare. Despite wearing black from head to toe, the lady was undeniably gorgeous. Even the shade of black was not enough to cover up her beauty.

"Lola, do I look as if I've suffered from pain?" Calista asked her maid nonchalantly. She kept staring at her reflection in the mirror for minutes in the hope that she could achieve the perfect 'face' she wanted but failed.

"No, my lady. You look pretty much comfortable and happy," Lola replied bluntly.

"Exactly! I can't go meet the Emperor looking like this," Calista mumbled. She knew the Emperor would question her about the crime she was involved in. And for someone who was the prime suspect in the said crime, Calista looked fine.

"But you're not the murderer, my lady. I think it's reasonable enough that you're unbothered," Lola said. "Isn't it important to show the Emperor that you have nothing to do with the murder case? That's why you look…Um, okay?"

"Nah, Lola. It would have the opposite effect on the other nobles. Unlike you and the few who know me, they would assume I'm distressed. If the person they believed as the Saintess suddenly shows up with care about what's happening, they're going to push all the blame on me," Calista muttered.

People would always have something to say, no matter how evil or kind a person was. Calista realized it as a child and the fear of getting abandoned by the people who 'loved' her was the reason she couldn't be herself. She had to be perfect for the role they gave her—a Saintess.

"Anyway, this is exhausting," Calista sighed. "I'm going."

Lola nodded her head and followed her lady to the front door.

A carriage was waiting and next to it was Sir Troy, who had been waiting the whole time since the summon arrived.

"Nice cloak, Troy. It's a shame you won't be able to show it off to the ladies in the palace," Calista commented before hopping inside the carriage. She threw a glance at Lola and let out a sigh.

"You're not coming with me."

Lola halted in shock. She couldn't believe what she heard. "B-But…Is it my clothes?" The maid asked wearily. "I can change, my lady. I promise I'll be quick," she added.

Calista shook her head. "You dressed nicely this time. Good job," she complimented. "But you have to stay," Calista continued as she turned to her knight. "Same goes for you too, Troy."

"My lady! That cannot be. I need to stay by your side to guard you," Troy reasoned out only to get rejected twice.

"I don't need a guard this time, Troy. The emperor wouldn't mind, but the other nobles will have something to say about it," Calista said. She then closed the carriage door after telling the coachman to go.

Meanwhile, a group of men gathered in front of the Emperor.

"Where is she? It's been hours since the summon was sent!" Count Zara raised his voice as he impatiently waited for Lady La Forte.

"Settle down. Are you forgetting that you're in front of the Emperor?" Duke Pazelle responded, giving a meaningful gaze toward the Count.

Count Zara didn't hide his disappointment as he tried to calm down. It took him days of begging to get the Emperor's approval to summon the prime suspect in the murder of his daughter Evangeline Zara.

The Count had no reason to doubt Calista La Forte as the suspect. He knew how spoiled the lady was and considering her personality, she could most likely commit atrocities without a second thought, believing she'd get away with it.

"This delay, I wonder if the Duke has something to say about this," Count Zara once again spoke after several minutes of silence. He glared at Duke La Forte, who was anxiously tapping fingers on his arm.

"If you want to start another argument, all I could say is that my daughter killed no one," Duke La Forte said. "Think about it. Calista may be stubborn, but she ain't evil to commit such a crime."

"You're just saying that because she's your daughter!" Count Zara yelled at the Duke's face.

"Enough!" The Emperor's voice filled the room.

Emperor Jacques Cortesi, the 76th ruler of the empire, was known as the luckiest emperor in history. He was the only son of the previous emperor and thanks to it; he had nobody to fight against for the throne. But that wasn't the only reason he was lucky.

Just after he was crowned as the next ruler of the empire, Emperor Jacques found and married the love of his life. It was a rare occasion for the previous rulers of the empire, but it was not impossible.

It was said that because of the empress; the empire had gotten so much better compared to the previous reigns.

"We are talking about Lady Calista La Forte, and just like any other ladies, they take time prepping themselves. Let's remain calm as we wait for her presence," the emperor said with a straight face.

He must be trying to hide it but everyone in the room knew how much he favored the lady, not only because she was a 'Saintess' but because Lady La Forte was the only one who was not afraid of him except for his wife and children.

"His Majesty is right," Count Hayes agreed. He refused to open his mouth unless the emperor said something in which he could agree to curry favor.

"Hm. Now that you've spoken, Count Hayes. I remember that your son was the victim's lover, isn't that right?"

Count Hayes immediately regretted joining the conversation when the emperor mentioned his son. He was glad when the rumor about Calista being the culprit spread in the capital, diverting everyone's attention away from his son and even making him the other victim.

It was a relief for Count Hayes to put all the blame on the lady instead of people pointing fingers at his son, who had a secret relationship with the deceased Lady Zara.

"If we're looking for the suspect, shouldn't be considered Edmund Hayes as one? Aside from Lady La Forte, who claimed to meet the victim once, your son has admitted to meeting Lady Zara multiple times in secret," Duke Pazelle, the head of the investigation team who was handling the case of Evangeline Zara, said.

As the head of Pazelle Duchy, known as The Peace Keeper of the Khortel Empire, Duke Emanuel Pazelle was ultimately giving Calista La Forte the benefit of the doubt before putting her on trial.