Fake Empress

The room was cold and silent.

For a moment, Evelyn could hear nothing but the sound of her own ragged breath and the beat of her heart that she so desperately wish she could stop. She tried to focus her attention to the sharp pain in her palms as her nails drew blood but it was no use. She simply couldn't see anything but the face-slapping scene of her newlywed husband in bed with another woman on their wedding night.

She stumbled for words, "Emperor Markos, what is the meaning of this?"

Markos was a naturally smug man and now he was even more so upon the sight of his jilted bride. He used his arm to bring the bashful other woman into his chest and used the other to prop himself up into a sitting position.

"What does it look like my lovely wife?" His tone was full of mockery. "Clearly I'm enjoying our wedding night."

"Preposterous! I am your bride!"

"Ah," Markos' face lit up and he snapped his fingers as if a great revelation had set upon him. "I can see where your confusion may be coming from, my dear wife. Surely you don't believe that you, a mere slave, would truly be regarded as my Empress do you? You weren't even worth much as a Princess in your own country, don't overstep your bounds." His voice chilled considerably at the end.

Evelyn's face burned hot and so did the tears in her eyes that she refused to spill.

He hadn't lied. It was true that as a Princess, she really wasn't worth much to her uncle, the current King of Glanndor after her own father's recent passing. She was nothing more than a thorn in his eye as she still had rights to inherit the throne as long as she remained unmarried to a foreign ruler. As soon as she was of age, she was practically sold to the highest bidder.

Her groom ended up being the charismatic Emperor of Tor, Markos Tor. Markos was a man revered throughout the world, to his people he was the perfect ruler. He was caring, emphatic, and extremely easy on the eyes. For all the upper aristocrats and young, unmarried royal women, he was the perfect suitor. For Evelyn, he was her knight in shining armor.

As soon as she had learned that she would be his bride she had dreamt of their wedding night for ages, allowing herself to completely forget the ongoing torment of her disdainful uncle and greedy cousins. She figured that her life would be much better, much more secure as the Empress of Tor rather than fighting to be the Queen of Glanndor and attempting to survive the bloody palace schemes she hailed from.

And now, watching the man she had only just married take another woman into his arms, she felt that she had been far too naive in putting her happiness in another's hands.

"The poor girl must be in shock now, Your Majesty." A softly spoken but silvery voice suddenly arose and for the first time, Evelyn took the opportunity to take in the woman in her husband's arms.

She was absolutely stunning, truly a beauty that could cause the fall of entire kingdoms. The mystery woman's hair was long and dark red, giving a sharp contrast to her fair skin and forest-green eyes. Freckles dotted along her nose and cheeks and she gave off a delicate and charming aura. She was tracing the Emperor's bare chest leisurely, seemly enjoying the bride's humiliation even more than the groom.

She was everything that Evelyn felt she lacked. In contrast to her knotted raven-black hair, dark brown eyes, and olive skin. Evelyn could never pass as delicate and soft, instead, she seemed more mysterious and mature and the definition of her arms gave away her training. In front of the other woman, she somehow couldn't feel feminine enough.

Markos laughed. "So it seems. But it's alright, since it's our wedding night I suppose I can be a bit lenient. My dear Empress, tonight I will generously grant you the opportunity to watch Freya and I. Maybe you'll learn something useful."

Evelyn's head shot up, "Your Majesty that's ridiculous! Regardless of how you may feel I am still your wife. I am still the Empress of Tor!"

She quickly turned on her heels. Regardless of everything else, she couldn't take this level of disrespect. She may have been thrown to the wolves by her own family but she was still raised as a proper princess and above everything else, she was still a woman. What type of woman could stand by and watch the man she believed she loved to indulge another woman right in front of her?

She no longer even cared about his status as Emperor - she just wanted out.

The Emperor himself didn't care whether she stayed or she left. He was too absorbed in the cunning little woman in his arms to give her much attention but there was one person that refused to let her off so easily.

Freya's voice filled the room once again, "Your Majesty, isn't this just stepping all over your face? What would the others say when your bride storms out before the night is up? I couldn't bear the thought of people spreading nasty rumors about your performance…" Her fingers trailed down to his lower regions while she spoke, her head nestled in his chest.

Like a charm, Markos' face turned black. He immediately bellowed, "If I ordered to stay, who would dare to go? If you dare to step an inch out that door I will confine you to your chambers for a month. Do you want to test how long you'll survive without food or drink?"

"Then confine me!" Evelyn shot back. "I may not be worth anything to you but I still have my dignity. I'd rather bite my tongue than have you disrespect me like this!"

"You dare-"

"And how ominous would it be for your bride to end up dead on your wedding night? The people of Tor are notorious for being extremely superstitious. I wonder how long it would take you to find another woman willing to marry you when they label you a cursed man."

Markos' chest heaved up and down with heavy, angry breaths. His face flushed red and his eyes were wide in disbelief, much like a man who had never had someone go against him before- especially someone he considered such a thorn in his eye.

"Engrave this in your heart, Evelyn Glanndor. You will never see a day of peace within these walls!"

Evelyn didn't care nor did she dare to stay any longer in this room that suffocated her. Her eyes caught Freya's briefly. She would remember this humiliation from both of them for as long as she lived.

She took the first opportunity she had to leave the room.

Two older women dressed in maid's attire stood in the hall speaking in hushed whispers and they immediately scurried away when they saw the new Empress. They were the two women who had led her here to the bridal chamber and had obviously known that Freya, the Emperor's lover had replaced her in the bedroom. Yet they hadn't informed her of anything, clearly marking their side.

She had no idea who this Freya woman was but it was clear that she had not only the Emperor's love but the servant's loyalty as well. She, as an outsider, had nothing at all. The thought made her heart twist.

Her fingers curled into her hands, into the fresh fingernail wounds she had recently obtained. "Of course," she muttered bitterly. "Why would things change? Even here there is no one on my side."

She thought her life would be better here as long as she didn't have to constantly protect her life as the Princess of Glanndor. At least Markos was hailed as a great man with no blemishes, who wouldn't have a great life as his wife?

How laughable that was. How laughable was it all?

Evelyn continued down the corridor, the silent winding halls until she finally caught up to one of the maids from before. There was no way she wanted to ask her for help but unless she planned on sleeping on one of these hallway benches because her current room was occupied then she needed help.

"Stop." Being raised as a Princess her entire life her voice carried a certain authority with it.

The maid, who wanted to run away at first, begrudgingly turned around. She was an older woman riddled with wrinkles and salt-and-pepper hair. She was short and stout and carried herself with a bit of a hunch.

"What is it?"

Evelyn frowned immediately. What a haughty tone for a maidservant to take. "Is everyone here as rude as you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I have to repeat myself?" Her voice was sharp and icy, "I asked if everyone here is as rude as you. Are the qualifications of the servants here that poor? Or is it that you no longer feel the need to put the imperial family of Tor in your eyes?"

As soon as the maidservant heard those death sentence-like words, her face went pale white and her eyes wide. She dropped to her knees and earnestly apologized. It was smart to deliberately mention the rya family as a whole. Had the maid continued being rude, she wouldn't just be offending the Empress but also the other members of the imperial family. That wasn't a situation easy to get out of with all limbs intact.

Besides, the sooner she started baring her teeth, the sooner she would be able to protect a little more than just her dignity here.

"Your Majesty the Empress, please spare me," she pleaded desperately, her forehead kissing the palace tile. "I'm just an old mule and my head was muddled. Please forgive me!"

Evelyn rubbed her temples in annoyance. Wouldn't this look like bullying to anyone who came across this scene?

"Enough," she said with a wave of her hand, " Stand up. I'm not that black-hearted to punish an old woman. You simply made a brief error in judgment. I'm sure that a misunderstanding like this won't repeat itself in the future."

"Of course not Your Majesty." The maid shook her head feverishly as if she was shaking a bag of marbles. "Is there anything I could assist you with?"

The obvious change in tone was to be expected. Anyone would show respect when threatened enough. It just so happened that servants were considerably easier to straighten up.

"Find me an empty room for the night. Oh, and fetch some nightwear for me to change into."

It had only just occurred to her that she was still in her bridal night dress. It was a simple white dress that she had changed into after the wedding. It was a bit flimsy and easy to remove since it was made specifically with a bride's first night in mind. She remembered picking it out back in Glanndor, high with expectations that had come to a bitter halt.

She felt too disgusted to continue wearing it any longer.

The maidservant did as she was told and soon, Evelyn was in an empty guest room, sprawled across the gigantic bed. Her heart was in pain but she could ignore it. What she was more worried about was her survival. In a palace where she wasn't respected or favored, not even tomorrow was a guarantee.

She needed allies.

Perhaps it was due to the exhausting turn of events she had just gone through but she could no longer force her eyes to remain open. She drifted off to sleep in such an unfamiliar place almost instantly.

She was completely unaware that a pair of eyes had been watching her this entire time.