Chapter 7: A simple scheme

With the Imperial Moon's order, the guards could only drag the desperately resisting maid away

The others felt lucky that they weren't the first ones to insult the Princess. If not, it would be them that will have such a cruel fate bestowed upon them

While the maid tried to plea for mercy, a familiar voice entered Keon's ears. It was a voice that he would never forget no matter what happens

"What is with this commotion?" The man asked in a cold manner

Hearing that voice, Keon's body shuddered and his mind replayed tons of negative memories he has

He clenched his fist hard before turning his head behind him with a bright smile on his face

"Greetings to the Dazzling Great Moon of the Empire, His Majesty the Empress" Keon greeted with a graceful bow. Every movement of his was done in accordance with the Royal Etiquette

Keon is not only a great beauty, but he was also a Princess that can perform proper etiquette perfectly

Despite encountering his own mother, Keon still acted too formally. Even in the Royal Family, not all Imperial Child would treat their parents like this except for the unloved ones like Keon

The Empress can feel how different his son is today and a frown appeared on his aged yet still elegant face

Keon inherited most of the Empress' features rather than the Emperor. It ranges from the hair and eye color to their facial features

The 1st Imperial Moon looks like the younger version of the Empress but instead of receiving love, all he got was deep hatred

"I ask what is happening here" the Empress - Navi Morningstar repeated his question and before Keon could even answer, the maid already spoke

"Your Majesty, please help this servant! The Princess is unreasonably punishing me. Please have mercy in this servant!" The maid pleaded desperately as he saw someone that could be his savior

With how much the Empress hated his own son, he might really save the maid just to antagonize Keon

"Is this true? How could an Imperial Moon do such a thing, have I not taught you anything?"

Despite not knowing the full story, the Empress already deemed Keon as the one at fault

'Haaaa... My dear mother really never changes' Keon thought in amusement

"Your Majesty, you 'taught' me tons of 'great things', please don't think like that" Keon spoke calmly while emphasizing some words. "With how great of a 'teacher' the Empress is, this Princess knows that he could never let a lowly maid insult a person of Royal Blood. Mother, you wouldn't punish me 'again' just because I taught a maid a lesson, right?"

Keon knows how much the Empress hates him whenever he called him mother and he deliberately uses that word

In the next second, Keon was not the least bit surprised at the treatment that he had received

Pak!

The 'crispy' sound of the Empress' slap on Keon's cheeks reverberated. This slap was by no means light at all and Keon felt like his whole world has spun

His dear mother really doesn't hold back when it comes to hurting him. What a great parent he is

"You dare speak to me in that way?!"

A touch of red appeared in the Empress' cheeks due to his anger. The maids once again witnessed how Navi is hurting his own son and this made them happy

How dare Keon, this unloved Imperial Moon tried to teach them a lesson? With how the Empress is acting, Keon would return back to normal, right? After all, they enjoy mistreating someone of high status like him

Unfortunately for the maids, Keon would never return to how he was originally. When he recovered from the slap he had received, he turned his head back to his mother while holding his cheek

"I see, mother. You didn't tell me that a maid could insult a Royal as they see fit" Keon was still smiling but his smile as always didn't reach his eyes

"I'm sorry!" Keon apologizes while bowing his head deeply to the maid and loud gasping sounds ring around

"What are you doing?!" The Empress asked angrily and Keon continued bowing his head to a maid, that is simply a great shock

An Imperial Moon, bowing to a mere maid? What is happening in this country?

"Mother, thank you for your guidance. I have always thought that as an Imperial Moon, I could punish any maid that insulted a Royalty. But now, thanks to mother, I learned that a maid is someone that I could not touch. Isn't this what mother meant when you slap me after learning I punish a maid that insulted a royal? " Keon answered while still bowing, making the Empress angrier

"Y-you...!" The Empress was angered so much to the point that he stumbled and he has to be helped by his attendants to continue standing

"Your Majesty!" The servants called out worriedly to the Empress that received too great of a shock and stress

"What is happening here?!" Another enraged voice rang around and all the servants greeted the newly arrived person except for Keon as he continued bowing his head to the maid

"1st Princess, what do you think you are doing?" The Emperor - Javier Morningstar asked darkly and only then did Keon raise his head

His plan was working perfectly. Walking in this path and receiving the Empress' slap was worth all worth it

This path is the way to enter the Imperial Garden. In the past, before the Emperor and Empress had Keon, they deeply loved each other

Javier don't have any concubines at that time but after Keon was born and Navi lose the ability to have another child, things have greatly changed

The couple starts to drift apart but even then, the two of them would still constantly meet in the garden

Their relationship was not as harmonious as it was before but the great love they have for each other is not something that would immediately vanish

"Greetings to the Bright Great Sun of the Empire - His Majesty the Emperor" Keon gave another courteous bow as he meet his own father before raising his head

The red mark in his cheeks was still visible and the Emperor can't help but frown

"Your Majesty, I am simply apologizing to the maid just like what mother wanted me to do. The maid has insulted me and I thought that as a member of the Royal Family, I could punish him. But worry not, Your Majesty. Mother has already slapped my cheeks to bring me back to my senses. I was being silly to think that I couldn't punish a maid that done me wrong" Keon explained what happened while still having a smile on his face and the Emperor immediately gave his wife a look

"Y-Your Majesty..." the Empress called out fearfully. How could he not know how great of importance the Emperor put into the Royal Family and its prestige?

Isn't that also the reason why he decided to marry concubines even though he and his wife had a promise to be faithful to each other?

An Emperor without a proper successor is seen as a disgrace in the Empire. To protect the Imperial Family's prestige, the Emperor brought in Queens to make successors for the Throne

"Empress! What sort of things are you teaching the 1st Imperial Moon?!" The Emperor asked angrily

If his wife abused their son on his own, the Emperor could still accept it. However, for the Empress to push a Royalty into bowing and apologizing to a mere maid, how utterly disgraceful!

Just who would respect the Royal Family if the 1st Princess has to bow to a maid? The Empress is damaging the Imperial Prestige!

"Y-Your Majesty t-this is just a m-misunderstanding!" The Empress tried to explain himself but the Emperor has decided to keep his ears shut

The two of them still has a love for each other but their relationship isn't exactly a harmonious one in the past years after Keon was born

It was easy for one of them to be irritated with the other. With just a simple scheme of Keon, he had managed to put his mother, the Empress in a tight spot

"Escort the Empress back to his own Palace. I don't wish to see him for the time being" the Emperor ordered and the servants could only obey him

Even if it was the Empress, his standing is still below that of the Emperor

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please listen to me first! Don't listen to that snake bastard!" The Empress turned hysterical and even addressed his own child as a snake bastard in public

Instead of gaining the Emperor's pity, that just put him in an even worst position

"Make haste!" Javier shouted to the servants and they could only use more force to drag the Empress away

"As for you, Princess, you are already old enough to know right from wrong. Why are you being sarcastic to the Empress?"