That Time of the Month

Later that night, as I was getting ready to sleep, there was a knock on my door. "20, are you there?" It was Monsieur Di Almarati's voice. I hurriedly got out of bed and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around myself like an oversized, makeshift shawl. I hardly saw Monsieur Di Almarati these days since all my chores were assigned by Madame Leone. Recently, he came to find me only to personally deliver the evening gown I had used at the ball. 'What could he possibly want this time?' I wondered.

"Get dressed and put on your uniform again," Monsieur Di Almarati instructed when he saw me huddled at the door with my blanket. "Concubine Number 1 would like to see you." He didn't need to explain why the princess wanted to meet with me – we both knew the reason why.

And as I got into my work clothes, I remembered 19's clear warning. It was as if I could practically hear sirens going off inside my head. I had only seen dramatic confrontations between the villainess and the heroine in the dramas I had binge watched on, and the webtoons I had closely followed.

I had never been on the spotlight enough to have a confrontation of any sort with anybody, let alone a dramatic one.

But if Concubine Number 1 was really a villainess, then she should spend her time more productively by finding the heroine in the story – not waste it on a nobody like me.

"Remember to always keep your head down," Monsieur Di Almarati lectured as he led the way to the concubine palace. "Just answer the questions you're asked about."

I nodded as I followed him, thankful for the reminder. I had never applied those protocols with Caio, and I doubt I will do that with 1, either – at least not when we were alone.

"And whatever you do, do not agitate the princess," he imparted his final words of advice. We had already arrived at the private quarters of Concubine Number 1. A maid opened the door and ushered us in, showing us to an elaborate sitting room.

"I brought Concubine Number 20, Your Highness," Monsieur Di Almarati bowed.

"You may leave," Lucrezia replied, dismissing the chief steward promptly. She wanted to see for herself the woman who had snagged the emperor's first ever dinner invitation. What could a scullery maid like her possibly have that would interest Alessandro in the slightest?

Monsieur bowed again. "You can walk back to your room when you're done talking to the princess," he addressed me as he left the room.

"So," Lucrezia said, eyeing her speculatively from the couch. "You're Concubine Number 20."

The princess's eyes were sharp and analytical, her voice sultry and oozing with confidence. At that moment, I felt like a gazelle in front of a tigress. 'Yes, Your Highness,' I answered, showing her my writing slate.

Lucrezia arched an eyebrow. "You can't talk?" She didn't expect that. To her knowledge, all the servants in the palace had no disability, but clearly this girl was different. She didn't know Alessandro was prone to taking on charity cases now.

I bit my lower lip to keep my expression neutral. I was tempted to tell her that was what the writing slate was obviously for, because I couldn't speak. Instead, I gave her an immediate confirmation. 'Yes, Your Highness,' I replied again.

Lucrezia nodded, acknowledging the fact. Reading the girl's responses through a slate was an inconvenience, but she could work with that. What was important was to move on to more pressing matters. "Why did the emperor invite you to dinner?"

'He just wanted to have a casual meal, Your Highness.' Lucrezia had never heard of Alessandro wanting a casual meal before. Born into the imperial family, his rank had always afforded him the best of everything. Why would he suddenly develop a curiosity to try commoner's dishes?

"Why didn't you decline the invitation?" she asked.

I stared at the princess. I thought the answer to that question was obvious, but perhaps it didn't occur to her. She was a princess, after all, and almost on an equal standing with the emperor. That wasn't the case for me. 'I have no right to decline an imperial invitation, Your Highness.'

"Fair enough," Lucrezia conceded. "But you should know you have no right to be in his company, either."

I almost rolled my eyes at the remark. It was haughty and condescending, but it was the truth. And I was more aware of that than anyone else. I kept my head down.

"Consider this my first and last warning," Lucrezia continued. "I won't repeat myself."

*****

I woke up the next morning feeling groggy and exhausted, with a telltale pain in my stomach. I dashed to the bathroom and confirmed what I was already halfway expecting – I was indeed in my period. I sighed. Sometimes the cramps were bearable, but other times they were far worse. This was one of those other times, and I braced myself for a long day ahead as I got dressed for work.

My brief standoff with Princess Lucrezia seemed like an unpleasant dream from the night before. I had to conserve my energy, and I didn't have nearly enough to waste it dwelling on her cryptic words.

"Good morning, 20. Are you there?" 1 greeted me, and his cheerful voice didn't improve my mood. If anything, it made me feel like a grouchy old lady.

'Yes, I'm here,' I replied as I tied my hair. The cramp was intensifying with each passing minute, and I had to practically crawl just to get from the bed to the dresser table. I wondered how I was going to fare with all my chores for the day.

"Would you like to have dinner with me again tonight?" Alessandro invited her, getting up from bed and opening the windows so he could enjoy the early morning breeze. Now that 20 was fairly comfortable with his identity, he wanted to build on that momentum and get to know her better. He was so curious about her, and he made a mental list of the things he wanted to ask her for starters.

'No,' I replied, rejecting the idea outright. I would be barely alive by then; I didn't think I could manage to trudge all the way to 1's quarters – which I had estimated to be more than 10 kilometers away from my room. When I had major cramps, they lasted practically all day, and I wanted nothing more than to get back to bed and just sleep off the pain.

"Why not?" Alessandro asked. He couldn't think of anything he did last night that might have offended her.

'I'm not feeling well,' I told him in a nutshell. That was all he needed to know.

Alessandro frowned worriedly. "Do you need a doctor?"

I smiled weakly, hearing the concern in his voice. 'No, I don't,' I answered.

"What happened?" Alessandro insisted. "Do you have a fever? Did you catch a cold?"

'No, I'm just not feeling well,' I tried to explain again. 'I'll be better tomorrow.'

"What about today?" Alessandro asked.

Oh, for crying out loud. 'I'm on a period,' I said dryly, my patience vanishing like mist under the hot sun. 'And I feel like hell, so give me a break.' I angrily stashed the handkerchief in my apron pocket and headed out of my room. I supposed I should have been embarrassed to say something like that to the emperor, but maybe now he would finally stop asking me questions and just talk to me tomorrow. That would be doing both of us a favor.

Alessandro remained standing by his window, at a loss what to do. That was the first time a woman had told him she was on her menstrual cycle. He had never thought of it before. He didn't need to, because his bed partners took care of such things by themselves. He didn't think that he – or any man, for that matter – should bother himself with trivial concerns like that.

He was vaguely aware that it may cause some discomfort to a woman, of course, but he didn't know it would be painful. He frowned again, thinking of his sketchy conversation with 20 just now. She sounded so tired, and her work day hadn't even started yet. He had to do something.

"Bring me the imperial doctor right away," he ordered Rocco as her sat down for breakfast.

"Are you not feeling well, Your Majesty?" Rocco asked as he poured coffee for the emperor.

"No," Alessandro replied, "but I need to ask him something."

When the doctor arrived, Alessandro had just finished his meal. "What can be done to relieve a woman's menstrual pain?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

The doctor gaped at him, and Rocco froze in the middle of clearing the plates. "A woman's menstrual pain, Your Majesty?" the doctor wanted to clarify, clearing his throat when he had partially recovered from shock.

"Yes," Alessandro confirmed. "What can I do to help her?"

"It is a natural matter that runs its course, Your Majesty," the doctor answered. "It can be painful for some women, but that's how it is."

Alessandro fixed a penetrating gaze on the doctor. "Are you saying you don't know how to alleviate the pain?" he asked, his voice taking on a clear warning tone.

"That's not what I meant, Sire," the doctor rushed to explain. "There are some methods that can help."

"Then tell me," Alessandro said.