Chapter 4: The Empress’s Gift To The Concubine

"The Emperor is going to take the woman as a concubine!"

It was a typical morning. It was neither cloudy nor rainy, nor warmer or colder. Today was just like yesterday and the day before yesterday.

Unusual news came out of nowhere on this ordinary day.

"So the Empress is busy with the New Year's preparations while Emperor takes in a concubine."

"That's too much."

"He should at least have waited until New Year's was over."

The ladies-in-waiting were complaining darkly among themselves.

"…"

I stared silently at myself in the mirror. I was prepared for Sovieshu to make her his concubine…but I didn't realize it would happen so soon. Judging by the timing, the ceremony might officially happen just before New Year's Day.

"Haaa…"

A sigh emerged from deep inside me, and I felt nauseous at the thought of everyone coming up to me on New Year's Day to talk about it. And even if they did not speak about it to my face, I was sure to hear them whispering from behind. However, I could not ignore the fact that the Emperor was taking in a concubine no matter how much I disliked it.

"When is the ceremony?"

The ladies-in-waiting glanced at each other, and eventually, it was Countess Eliza who answered.

"Rumor has it that he wants it to happen as soon as possible. He'll want it done before the New Year."

* * *

Around noontime, Sovieshu's secretary came up to me again to deliver a message. It was about the concubine, and the other officials kept an eye on us in an effort to catch some gossip.

"The Emperor wants it to be simple, as there are other large events scheduled and time is tight."

"Simple?"

The Emperor's concubines were not recognized as part of the Imperial Family, and her children were not recognized as prince or princess. The best that could happen was to earn favor and take the title of duke, but with no claim of succession.

Even so, it was possible for a concubine to carry the emperor's child, and it was customary to hold a banquet. It was no wedding ceremony, however. The concubine would be the center of the attention of the banquet, and would later sign a contract notarized by the chancellor.

"Is the Emperor saying to hold a simple banquet or omit it altogether?"

"It's impossible to invite a large number of guests at such short notice, so we'll skip the banquet."

"Is there anything I need to handle if there isn't going to be a banquet?"

"There isn't. His Majesty said you needn't worry about it at all."

As far as I knew, omitting the banquet was not unusual. The inside of the hall would still be decorated in honor of the concubine that day, but instead, it would be a smaller affair to dine with the Emperor, invite the people that were close to them, and sign the contract documents.

But I needn't worry about it? Was it out of Sovieshu's pride or his consideration?

"Tell him I received his message."

There was no harm to me. The secretary bowed and left. The other officials were staring at me, and when I glanced up, they hurriedly lowered their heads and pretended to go back to work.

'Do not tremble in front of them.'

They would whisper if I showed any signs of hurt. Even though the concubine was nipping away at my life, I didn't want them to think it was over just because my husband loved another woman.

Placing on an indifferent expression, I reviewed the plan again and advised them on the necessary revisions.

* * *

"The Emperor will sign the contract first. Then you sign on the thin black line below his name."

Baron Lant, one of the Emperor's secretaries, was put in charge of educating Rashta. When the Baron finished explaining the basic outline of the documents, Rashta's eyes widened and she let out a small wail.

That was not usually a sound made by an aristocrat. Baron Lant stared at her for a moment, flustered, while tears streamed from Rashta's eyes.

"I understand what you mean, but…Rashta has no signature."

"You can make one."

Rashta's face turned red at the casual way he answered.

"Ah…"

Baron Lant finally realized why Rashta was struggling.

"You don't know how to write?"

When Baron Lant was assigned to Rashta, the Emperor had told him she was a commoner, and so he assumed that she had basic education. Perhaps the rumors were true that this beautiful prey the Emperor favored was indeed a runaway slave. There wasn't much investment in teaching slaves how to read or write.

"I suppose you don't know."

He wanted to ask her if she was a slave, but he smiled, pretending not to know, and set down a blank sheet of paper in front of her. It would not be easy to teach her to write in a few days, but she could quickly learn how to draw her name.

"If you don't know how to spell your name, I'll write down several versions that sound like 'Rashta,' and you can choose one and memorize it."

Fortunately, Rashta quickly mastered spelling. It should've been a frustrating task for someone who came from slavery, and Baron Lant was astonished.

"Am I doing alright?"

"You're doing excellently."

After praising her and receiving a smile in return, Baron Lant explained what she could expect from the signing ceremony.

"There will be a big banquet and all the nobles will be there. Miss Rashta can invite as many friends as she wants."

"Wow."

"When the chancellor comes up to you and unfolds the government documents, you sign it."

"The documents–"

"The chancellor will keep it safe."

Rashta stamped her feet in delight and let out a small squeal. Baron Lant watched her for a moment before adding another thing.

"This is not an obligation, but…"

"?"

"Sometimes the empress sends a gift to the emperor's concubine when she signs the contract."

"A gift?"

"The Empress is the owner of the palace."

"…"

"From the viewpoint of the owner, a concubine is one that will live with them in the future. This means the concubine not only receives the emperor's respect and acknowledgment but the empress's as well if she is given a gift. If there are several concubines, the ones that receive a gift from the empress are regarded as the top concubines."

Rashta suddenly looked insecure.

"So Rashta will receive a gift from the Empress?"

* * *

"I'm not sending one."

The ladies-in-waiting exchanged relieved glances among themselves.

"Thank God."

"I was so worried that Her Majesty might send her a gift."

There were many reasons not to send one. After Sovieshu's secretary left, I researched any precedents, just in case. Even if there was a banquet, there was no obligation to give a gift. If there were multiple concubines, one could withhold gifts to prevent certain ones from building too much power or influence with the empress' close relatives.

But the situation with Rashta was neither. In any case, I had no desire to give one at all, and Sovieshu had sent his secretary to tell me not to worry about it. Why couldn't I just say "Please take care of my husband"?

"Don't worry. I don't know if there's a reason to send one, but I won't."

A satisfied look came over the ladies' faces.

"Laura would have been happy if she were here… I was thinking of going out of the palace today, so I'll tell Laura about it, Your Majesty."

"How is Laura?"

"When I saw her the other day, she spoke angrily about 'that woman.'"

"Marchioness Tarithal is also furious and tells the story every time she has a tea party."

I thought it better that they were on my side. Sovieshu and his aides would take good care of Rashta anyway, and I didn't think those close to me needed to be supportive of her.

"By the way, Your Majesty…may I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Rumor has it that the prince of Western Kingdom is coming for New Year's Day. Is that true?"

The other ladies-in-waiting stopped talking and fixed their eyes on me. I nodded, and they squealed as they covered their faces or fanned themselves. I strained my lips to keep myself from smiling. The ladies-in-waiting had every reason to look forward to his appearance. The "Prince of the West" was the lone younger brother of the king, who was renowned for many things.

"He's so handsome, isn't he?"

"They say eye contact is enough to put you under his spell."

"But I hear he's quite stubborn. I wonder if even the current king of the Western Kingdom has given up on trying to get him married."

"Are the rumors of him being a seedless watermelon are true?"

"I don't know. But it's a bit suspicious that the king hasn't had any children, and neither the prince when he's been with many women too."

I nodded discreetly as I listened to the whispers of the ladies-in-waiting.

The Western Kingdom was a country of great military power, virtually equal to that of our Eastern Empire. In terms of wealth, it was the richest in the world. The prince, who was said to be the first in line to the throne of such a place, had many rumors swirling about him.

I left my thoughts of Sovieshu and his concubine behind and indulged in the sugary conversation of the ladies.

* * *

"There's no banquet?"

When Rashta asked Emperor Sovieshu how big the banquet would be and whether she could invite her friends, she was not prepared for this blow.

"But the Baron said we were going to have a big party…"

"Didn't I tell you that it would be New Year's Day soon? I didn't want to rush this, but you were the one that wanted the signing ceremony as soon as possible."

"?"

Despite his explanation, Rashta only looked on in puzzlement. Sovieshu realized he was thinking too highly of her level of common sense. She seemed smarter than she appeared, but he had forgotten that she knew nothing about the nobility.

"It's my mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"It is not easy to arrange a large banquet. There are other things I am busy preparing. Time is tight, and it's rude to have one large feast after another."

"Ah…! But is there another banquet on the same day as Rashta's signing ceremony?"

"New Year's Day will be soon."

Rashta turned crestfallen as her dreams of being congratulated by nobles at a lavish, grand banquet turned to dust. She had always wanted to see people flocking to her, and so she persuaded Sovieshu to have the ceremony as soon as possible. It was clear that the Emperor would be annoyed by this, and so Rashta did not show any signs of unhappiness and remained silent.

However, her disappointment only increased on the day of the ceremony. Even if there wasn't a grand banquet, she still expected one of some sort. And when that didn't happen, she expected the Emperor to shower her with apologies and a promise of gifts. There was neither a word of congratulations nor a gift from the Empress either. She felt sad as Baron Lant had told her that the palace's great halls were under the domain of the Empress.

Rashta had diligently practiced her signature, but after signing the document she felt empty. When she finished, the chancellor immediately left, saying he had work to do. There was no cheering, applause, or the feeling of ecstasy as if she had everything in the world.

Sovieshu also left with a "There's work I have to finish," and "I'll see you later." When Rashta returned to her room, she buried her face in her hands.

"Why is it like this?"

Rashta's maids approached and asked her what was wrong, and the hurt that she had been holding inside her finally burst.

"The Empress must hate me, otherwise we wouldn't have skipped the banquet or the gift. Even if she doesn't give me a present, couldn't she show her face?"

"Don't cry, Rashta. Why are you crying on such a good day…"

"Don't worry, you'll rarely see her anyway."

However, Rashta's hurt did not fade. When Sovieshu finally hurried to see her after he finished his work, he noticed she was in a somber mood.

"Why does my prey look so down on this meaningful day?"

"What do you mean, a meaningful day? I haven't been congratulated by anyone…"

"Not congratulated by anyone? The chancellor congratulated you. He bowed to you, and the servants as well."

But what Rashta wanted was the congratulations of the nobles, not the servants. She wanted to be recognized by those who lifted their chins as if they were the best in the world.

"The Empress must loathe Rashta…"

As Rasta's face grew gloomier, Sovieshu was forced to confess something.

"The Empress didn't prepare a banquet or a gift because she hates you. I told her not to because it wasn't a good time."

Rashta nodded but was clear that she didn't believe him. In this atmosphere, it was impossible for Sovieshu to relax and enjoy himself with his concubine.

The next day, Sovieshu gave his secretary a gift, who in turn gave it to Rashta in the name of the Empress.