Chapter 4: The Second Encounter

Two years later,

"Blessing to the emperor!!!" they had a very lively parade for celebrating the victory of the war they won against the Rashidun Empire.

It was the two years anniversary festival.

"The usual."

"Yes, ma'am."

The Rashidun Empire no longer appeared on the map of the world, all of the lands were taken by the winner. And the people and soldiers who survived became a slave, or even sold to the black market.

"Our Empire still hasn't had an empress, our emperor is a genius and yet he had no interest in the woman."

"He must be searching for someone who could stand equal him."

The royalty and the nobles of the Rashidun empire became a commoner in Geyotor Empire after selling their pride and wealth.

"I still can't believe the three years war finally ended. It all thanks to our wise emperor who took out all of those enemies."

"He was so smart, he got in the enemy camp and even killed the magician and the commander by himself.

The women who survived, a part of them were taken to the royal palace to serve as a maid, some were taken to be a prostitute for the noble.

The men who protest were executed, and the leftover became the training dummy for those knights who took an exam to kill.

"I heard the magician kissed our emperor!!"

"Oh my...so stupid of her."

Hmm...those voices are so annoying, but what could I do??

I'm just a maid now. It's been two years, I became the maid of the palace after they captured me. I'm just a weak and innocent maid.

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"Someone help!!!!!"

"What happened???" I turned back to those people who gossiped in the daylight, one collapsed on the ground after drinking coffee.

"The coffee must be poisoned!!!!"

I touched his pulse and tried my hardest to hide my smirk, "I know a little about the medical, please give me water."

They did as I said, I poured water all over the guy's face. He regained his consciousness back just a second after that.

"Miss, he only got a heat stroke."

I lied.

"Thank you so much...thank you so much for saving my husband."

"Don't mind it. I just did what everyone would do."

"Please take this money. It's a little bit of my gratitude."

"No, no, I can't accept that." even though my lip say that, my hands did otherwise. I took the money from that woman and a little money from the owner of the shop since I saved its image.

I got quite a lot of money today with just one poison bottle.

I should return to the royal palace now.

"Da-Yun, what took you so long?? You're always gone during the festival, last year too."

"Sorry, Rose."

"Don't apologize, it must have been hard for you too. So did you visit your friend's grave??"

"...yes..." I used the excuse as my friend's death anniversary to escape from the palace once a year.

"Tomorrow will be the hunting event, we need to work hard!!!" she was as enthusiastic as ever. We were like friends at the same age even though I was older than her for many years.

Ever since I came back from the dead, my body didn't change at all. I still looked young even though two years had already passed.

"Thank you for covering for me, Rose."

"We're from the same hometown, so this is the least I could do." I gave her the dumpling I bought. She was such a girl with hope and dream unlike me.

"...yeah...hometown..." our hometown we wished to return to now turned to a wasteland, we are like an animal in the cage.

Our wing had been cut off, our claw was ripped off, we couldn't do anything.

"I'll go to the west palace now, you can go back to the dorm first."

"Again?? Why did you always go there??? It's dangerous, that place was forbidden for us to enter."

"I want to feed a stray cat there."

She sighed, "Go on."

She was so kind and easy as always. I rushed to the west palace immediately with the dumpling I bought at the festival, that cat must love it.

The west palace was the palace built after the victory of the war, there stood a tall tower. And that very tower was where a little girl from the Rashidun empire that the emperor picked up stayed the whole time.

That little girl was none other than Lavinia, she became the adopted daughter of the emperor.

Only the emperor was allowed to go there for the past two years.

He always missed her breakfast and lunch, I only found out about it half of the year after I came to the palace. I snuck to that palace without missing a day after finding out about it.

"Meow, meow." I only whispered in a low voice then I put the food in the basket which attached to the rope from the top of the tower. It was a cramped place between the tower and the wall of the empire, so no one noticed the rope.

Seeing the basket being lift up to the top of the tower, I was glad. She didn't accept food from anyone at first even me.

But it looked like she finally knew how reality worked.

Eat, survive, Lavinia!!!

We'll meet each other soon, I promise.

We'll...

+++

On the top of the tower,

Lavinia turned five years old this year, she got the dumpling just like her last birthday. She sat on the corner of the tower to eat the food the stranger gave to her.

The place was empty, there was only small rocks she could use to mark the wall of how many days she was trapped in that palace.

She was already afraid of the light, it traumatized her of the fire that year. She always sealed her window without letting any light in except the time that stranger came.

"Mama...I want to meet you..." she wiped her tears immediately when her inner feeling took control of her. She promised herself she won't cry, for her dead mother and the old man, she will take revenge for them. She will kill the emperor--

Speaking of the devil, the emperor arrived without any presence noticed. She threw the dumpling off the tower when seeing him.

"Lavinia, come to papa." he tapped his thigh commanding her with the hand on his cheek and the lip smirking at her.

"Yes...papa."

"Oh?? Not stubborn anymore, huh?? You really take after your mother, such a quick wit." he showed the bite mark which was left by Damia to Lavinia to warn her to not do the same foolish thing.

If she ever grows the wing behind her back, he will cut her wing off.

"Papa, I want to go outside."

"Then behave, Lavinia."

"...yes...papa." she sat on the emperor's thigh glaring at the book he read for a five-year-old kid, the history book about how her empire lost to his.

"Do you see, Lavinia...no one should be treated as your ally. Think of everyone as your enemy, kill them if they're in your way."

"Everyone...?"

"Except me, of course." he chuckled and continued murmuring to her, "I will always be your ally and savior...remember our promise...?? Your mother is alive out there thanks to me...so...don't ever grow wing on me, Lavinia."

Her eyes shook in fear, she twitched her finger to calm down her rage, then smiled with the eyes turned cresent at the emperor, "I'll always stand on your side, papa."

"Good, good." he patted her hair and put her back on the floor. He walked down the stairs after locking up the entrance.

She gritted her teeth ripping out the history book glaring in anger toward the doorway.

"...pa...paaa...huh...? The old man was the only one I acknowledge as my father. You insolent bastard!!!"

+++

The sun rose up shining the light above the empire, the empire really invested a lot of money for the hunting event this year.

There were many golden seats for the bigshot of the empire and I won't miss the opportunity.

Last year I missed it because I got a fever, but this year, I won't let such failure interfere with my plan.

"Da-Yun!!! Hurry, we need to serve the guest."

Ah, right, I forget I'm a maid.

I ran to Rose and grabbed the tray of a teapot from her. I will be serving all the nobles today.

"Huh...?? I thought you're Da-Yun."

Of course Rose, I'm indeed Da-Yun except for a little bit of makeup. I changed my face completely for the hunting event.

I will serve those people the tea they deserved, I wonder...who will get the tea and who will get the poison from me this lovely morning???

With the poison in three of the cups, I put them in front of three main factors of the empire. One was for the grand duke Callisto, the emperor's twin brother, seeing his face made my heart boil. One was for the head priest and one was for the saintess.

I won't be able to poison the emperor since he will have that annoying food taster beside him. I already poisoned three of his food tasters in the past.

"You there!!!"

Ack...

"Did you..." it was the grand duke Callisto I was bowing to with the cold sweat dripping behind my back.

"...ye...e...es, your excellency."

"You know...I happened to not have a food taster, will you help me with that?"

"It's my honor, your excellency."

Each step toward him felt like I was walking off the cliff, I'll die, I'll die if I drank that poison even with my high resistance to poison.

He gave me the seat beside him, I sat down with cold sweat in fear with my eyes kept glancing at his teacup.

"His majesty, the emperor is entering!!!" all attention went toward the emperor, even the duke was turning his head to the big doorway.

It's my opportunity, I need to switch...switch...switch...

"What're you doing???!!!" a big hand grabbed me from doing what I wanted with the red bloody eyes glaring straight into my green eyes.

I'm doomed.

To be continued...!