Remarried Empress

鈥?I wish you were the queen. It鈥檚 not easy when McKenna is trying to rush it. How good would it be to be queen of the Western Kingdom鈥?/p>

The blue bird鈥檚 head tilted as he peered at Prince Heinley鈥檚 letter, then he suddenly stretch his wings wide and trembled. I thought he must have been injured, but when I looked at him he seemed鈥ngry, in fact. Of course it wasn鈥檛 clear because it was a bird鈥檚 face, but at least it appeared that way to me.

鈥淎re you alright?鈥?/p>

I looked at him carefully, and the bird folded his wings and suddenly became very quiet.

鈥淨ueen is great, but you鈥檙e amazing too.鈥?/p>

鈥??

鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like you鈥檙e a person.鈥?/p>

鈥?!

鈥淧rince Heinley keeps very smart birds.鈥?/p>

Ah, wait. He鈥檚 not a prince anymore. However, it seemed strange to call him King Heinley now.

I tapped the bird鈥檚 beak with my finger, but the bird hopped backwards away from my touch.

鈥楬e鈥檚 smart, but he鈥檚 certainly different from Queen.鈥?/p>

鈥淚 won鈥檛 touch you.鈥?/p>

After smiling and apologizing to the bird, I returned to the letter.

鈥?Coronation day is not far away. There will be a delegation from the Eastern Empire. Will you come as the head delegate?

Coronation day鈥?/p>

I checked the date on the letter and looked at the calendar. There were no major events during that time, and it was customary for the members of the Imperial Family to attend coronations anyway. However, I didn鈥檛 want to promise my appearance and then suddenly be unable to go due to unforeseen circumstances.

鈥?I鈥檒l check my schedule.

I wrote a non-committal answer and tied it to the bird鈥檚 leg.

鈥淧lease deliver this to him.鈥?/p>

I reflexively lifted my hand to pat him like I did with Queen, but the blue bird dodged me again. I sheepishly set down my hand, and the bird flapped his wings several times and then flew out the window. I watched him until he was out of sight.

What would it be like to exchange letters with Heinley again after so long? The events of the past several months came to me like a hazy dream. It wasn鈥檛 long after Rashta arrived, but back then my friends were close鈥?/p>

A chilly draft blew, and I made to close the window when I was suddenly interrupted.

鈥淵our Majesty!鈥?/p>

There was a commotion in the parlor room and my name was called out. After signalling that they could come in, Countess Eliza and the ladies-in-waiting burst into the room. Everyone鈥檚 eyes were feverish.

鈥淚s something wrong?鈥?/p>

I looked at them in bewilderment, and Laura puffed her nostrils.

鈥淪omeone put abortive drugs in Rashta鈥檚 food!鈥?/p>

鈥淢iss Rashta? Are you sure?鈥?/p>

鈥淵es! I heard that the Emperor recognized it.鈥?/p>

I had no idea how he did, but if this were true, no wonder the ladies came running. The eastern palace would be in even more of an uproar.

鈥淒id Miss Rashta ingest any of the drug?鈥?/p>

It didn鈥檛 sound like she did, but still鈥?/p>

鈥淚t was discovered in advance this time.鈥?/p>

Countess Eliza鈥檚 words seemed meaningful.

鈥溾€楾his time鈥?鈥?/p>

鈥淭he Emperor called the palace doctor, and he said that Miss Rashta had already eaten a small amount several times before.鈥?/p>

Who did this? On second thought, I realized that I hadn鈥檛 asked the most important question yet.

鈥淎re Miss Rashta and the baby safe?鈥?/p>

鈥淭he drug itself does little harm to the parent, so Rashta herself is fine.鈥?/p>

鈥淎nd the baby?鈥?/p>

It suddenly occurred to me that whoever poisoned Rashta would be someone around me. Who else would benefit from killing her baby?

鈥淚 suppose it鈥檚 weak, but it鈥檚 still fine.鈥?/p>

I worried that Sovieshu would think, 鈥業f the baby disappears, what will the empress gain?鈥?I remembered all the other times Sovieshu summoned me whenever there was any perceived slight against Rashta. There was no indication that this would not repeat itself.

鈥淵our Majesty, can I get you a warm cup of tea?鈥?/p>

鈥淚鈥檓 fine. I just want to be alone鈥︹€?/p>

After Countess Eliza and the other ladies-in-waiting left the room, I pledged to myself that I would not be hurt if Sovieshu called me again.

But Sovieshu and I did not speak.

Not until the day we ate our meal together.

***

Full chapters and artwork at WordExcerpt and Crystal Crater鈥檚 Patreon.

Sovieshu didn鈥檛 inform me if he didn鈥檛 want to eat, or didn鈥檛 want to meet, or if he was too busy today, so I crossed into the eastern palace at dinnertime.

鈥淚nform the Emperor that I am here.鈥?/p>

I gave my instructions to the servant at the door of Sovieshu鈥檚 bedroom, and he quickly went inside.

When he came out, however, his expression was dark. What was going on in there? The servant approached me and spoke.

鈥淵our鈥our Majesty. His Majesty said that鈥ell, he didn鈥檛 say anything.鈥?/p>

The servant looked embarrassed, and I raised my eyebrows.

鈥淗e didn鈥檛 say anything?鈥?/p>

鈥淣o.鈥?/p>

The servant looked at me almost as if he were sorry. He didn鈥檛 alter his words, so it must be true.

鈥淕o in one more time and tell him.鈥?/p>

I repeated my order again, and the servant entered the room. After several moments, he came out again.

鈥淭he Emperor still says nothing.鈥?/p>

He looked ready to cry, and the knights stationed at the door glanced at each other. I narrowed my eyes at Sovieshu鈥檚 door. Somehow I had been suffering under the illusion that he wasn鈥檛 placing blame on me.

鈥楤ut he already was.鈥?/p>

Instead of arguing with me, this time he was giving me a silent condemnation.

A sigh escaped my mouth. Why did he always find me at fault for anything that had to do with Rashta?

***

鈥淚 blame the Empress.鈥?/p>

The chief secretary, Marquis Karl, squeezed the handle of his coffee cup in surprise. He was simply here to discuss the matter of the Western King鈥檚 coronation, but somehow the psychological warfare between the Emperor and Empress erupted again. It was better done face-to-face, but Sovieshu would not allow the Empress to be sent in his room鈥?/p>

鈥淢arquis Farang bought the abortive drugs, but that doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean it鈥檚 connected to the Empress鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淢arquis Farang is Koshar鈥檚 best friend, and Koshar is a hot-tempered man. You don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 connected?鈥?/p>

鈥淓ven the Empress would not resort to this.鈥?/p>

鈥淵es. I know that too.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hat?鈥?/p>

鈥淏ut she is committed to disliking Rashta.鈥?/p>

Sovieshu stared coldly at the floor.

鈥淲ouldn鈥檛 the Empress, as intelligent as she is, have been able to imagine how Koshar would react with just one word from Rashta?鈥?/p>

鈥淚鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淚鈥檓 already being quite tolerant by refraining from dragging Koshar away and torturing him, am I not?鈥?/p>