9 Rosamund

After a long journey of three days we have finally reached the palace. In these three days we only had taken break at night.

My body was too stiff and tired. Thank goodness, Charles was considerate enough to give me a separate room for resting or else I would not have been able to rest this much too.

He held my hand as we walked down the carriage.

"Welcome to your new home, Katherine." he smiled lovingly as he held my hand and we walked in.

The palace was beautiful. It was greater than ours. The towers were almost touching the sky and with large corridors and gardens surrounding the palace it was making me remember home.

"Welcome your majesty.'' A staff of more than hundred stopped our way as we reached the entrance.

"This is your new empress. Welcome her and serve her well. She is the new owner of all the duties of the empress." they all bowed further as they turned to me.

"Welcome, your majesty." I heard the footsteps behind me and my father in law joined us.

"Show her, her chamber and let her rest. She had never done such a long journey before.`` She looked at me and I nodded and bowed my head a bit.

"And Charles, you come with me. We need to see all the details of what happened this week." he nodded at him with a grave face.

"Yes father." the man nodded back and left with a group of servants following him.

"You should rest. I will ask the maids to serve you a good meal." he moved and kissed my forehead with an affectionate gaze and I felt all my face turned to the tip of my ears.

"Then I will see you later." I nodded and then he looked at the maids.

"This way your majesty." They showed me the way and I followed them. The room was large enough but its decoration was simplistic. I think Charles did not like bright colors and flowers too much.

"Would you like to bathe first or have your meal, your majesty." they asked as I looked at the room.

"I will have a bath first, thank you."

"Yes, your majesty. This way please." It felt so good to bathe in a relaxed way after three days. I took all my time in refreshing myself. They dressed me up again in a heavy dress with a lot of jewels. I thought that it was because we were in the open that I was dressed like that, but I think the jewels have only increased today. Could I just not stay simple even when I was at home?

I was just looking around the room when I heard footsteps.

"We shall go and bring your meal, your majesty." Surprisingly all of them bowed and left as if demons were chasing them.

I looked at the woman who was wearing more jewels than mine. Even her hair was filled with diamonds. There was a proud smirk on her face.

I did not need someone to introduce her to me. The way she was walking freely in my room was the best introduction she could have, yet I felt surprised by the way she was looking straight into my eyes.

Should she not bow like others? Even if she was the lover of my husband. She was still too low to me in her status.

I feigned ignorance when she came closer to me.

"Who are you?" i asked coldly, and the proud smile on her face turned stiff yet she concealed it in a few seconds.

"Your majesty must have heard about me from her husband." she replied in a proud voice but i shook my head.

"If you are talking about Charles, then no. We have not talked about insignificant topics yet." I replied nonchalantly as my eyes continued to look at her coldly.

Now she was looking at a loss of words. What was she expecting? I would hug her and call her sister if she would trample over my image. Even Rubina, my father's lover, never had the courage to look at me like that!

"I am asking again, who are you? And what are you doing in my chamber?" I felt her face turning sour and a glare forming on her face, but it was only met by my cold eyes.

How could she be so unbridled? And what was she even thinking entering like that?

"I am Rosamund, the first wife of his majesty." she introduced me finally, when she realized that i found out about her.

I chuckled at her absurdness.

"There is only a wife to the emperor, so there is no need to add first or second, and that is me. You are a mistress only, you can call herself his lover if you want to personify it beautifully.`` I replied calmly though I was feeling agitated. There was something wrong in the way she was behaving. Her level of confidence and the way of presenting herself was completely wrong.

"I have been here for the past twelve years, your majesty. And I have always been treated as his wife." she added with a cold tone making me frown.

"No matter how you are treated here. It will not change the fact that you are not the empress and even if you are the queen I wonder what you are doing in my chamber without being called or taking permission to enter.

I am trying to be polite as it is our first meeting but it does not mean that I have a lot of patience to deal with you. So, I am asking once again why are you here?" This time all the patience in my eyes was worn out and I was looking at her with utter annoyance.

"Your majesty has asked me to take care of you. So, as a host it is my responsibility to check if you have settled well. That is why I am here to look after you."

"......."