Remaried Empress

Rashta looked at the jewel box with a deadened expression. It had once brimmed with jewels from the Emperor, but now she could see to the bottom of the box. Rashta covered her face with her hands and sighed.

'It's all Viscount Roteschu's fault.'

Had it been more than a month since she became concubine? There were still some remaining gifts from Sovieshu and foreign nobles. She heard that an allowance was paid by the imperial family to maintain her standard of living, but nothing had come into her hands yet. All her jewels were lost to Viscount Roteschu, and she couldn't ask the Emperor for more. Slaves only owned personal items if it was given to them by their masters or lovers, but the nobles that Rashta saw did not like to be openly asked for gifts, no matter how wealthy they were. While they used their power to approach Rashta, she wanted to be immune to their riches. It was a double-edged sword, and she thought the Emperor wouldn't be any different.

'If I can only figure out if the baby Viscount Roteschu has isn't mine, I won't have to be dragged around like this.'

Rashta sighed and set the lid back on the old jewelry box. Then, she heard the door to the parlor room click open, and she hastily shoved the jewelry box back into the drawer and closed it. As soon as she straightened up, someone knocked on her bedroom door.

"Yes."

Rashta quickly strode over to open the door.

"Your Majesty!"

It was Sovieshu. Rashta leapt at him and nuzzled him with her cheek in greeting. However, instead of hugging her back as he usually did, he pushed her away.

"Your Majesty?"

Her heart sank as she saw the dark expression on his face. Did she say something wrong?

"Rashta, I need to ask you something."

"Wh-what? "

Rashta stamped down on her nervousness and smiled at him cutely.

"It's about the ring."

"Ring..."

"The ring with the red jewel."

"!"

"Didn't you say you gave it to a maid?"

"Why are you asking all of a sudden...?"

"I have a question."

Rashta's heart hammered in her chest as she looked at Sovieshu's face. He didn't look angry, but he wasn't smiling either. If he already thought that she gave the ring to the maid, why was he asking about it now? Did he find out something? Did he discover that she gave it to the viscount? Perhaps he wanted to ask the maid to return the ring. In any case, all options were disastrous.

If he was going to ask, this was her last chance—her last chance to tell a lie. Rashta decided it would be better to be somewhat truthful.

"Well...actually, I didn't only give a ring to a maid, Your Majesty."

His eyes widened.

"You gave rings to several people?"

"Two people. One was a maid, and...well, the other was Viscount Roteschu."

Sovieshu's forehead creased. Seeing his expression, Rashta knew that she had made the right choice. She didn't know how, but Sovieshu had come here knowing that Viscount Roteschu had the ring.

She sighed deeply and clasped her hands together.

"All the rings looked similar to me...In truth, I don't know if the person who took the ring you're talking about is Viscount Roteschu or the maid."

"Why did you say you gave it only to the maid?"

"I...I think you would be upset if I told you I gave a ring to Viscount Roteschu."

"Indeed. I don't like that at all."

Sovieshu's face was stern, and Rashta quickly grabbed his forearm and hugged it.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. But I really wanted to repay him for lying for me."

"He didn't lie for you. He was only taking responsibility for what he said."

"Really?"

"Yes. There's no need to thank him."

He cast a doubtful eye on Rashta.

"You didn't just give it out of gratitude, did you? Were you threatened?"

"Oh no. What could Rashta be threatened with?"

"..."

"The rumors about slavery had already spread. It's not really like that, Your Majesty."

She wished she could tell him she was being threatened, but desperation forced her to lie. If Sovieshu knew that Viscount Roteschu was blackmailing her, Sovieshu would surely punish the viscount, who in turn would tell Sovieshu about the baby and drag Rashta down with him.

"If you say so, then I believe you..."

Sovieshu lowered his eyes and gently placed his hand on Rashta's cheek.

"If he's threatening you, Rashta, don't give him anything and let me know. Do you understand?"

Rashta nodded quickly.

"I will."

However, Sovieshu still looked apprehensive.

"That is an order, Rashta. No, I'd better check every day for now."

"What?"

"When your allowance payments come in, I'll leave it to Baron Lant to manage it until you are able to do it yourself."

Rashta paled. She could not give Viscount Roteschu money or jewelry if Sovieshu was watching her finances. And when it came to that...

'No! He'll spread the story about the baby!'

*

*

*

Wirwol was known as a magical city, but despite its prestige, it was located deep in a mountain valley. It was surrounded on all sides by mountains, and there were two magnificent buildings on the eastern and western parts of the city. The magical academy on the eastern side was my stop for today. I was here to honor the first student admitted from the orphanage I sponsored.

"Congratulations."

I hugged the girl I met at the dean's office, and the red-faced child replied in a scarcely audible voice.

"Thank you..."

I was worried because she wouldn't be able to socialize with her friends when she left the orphanage, but I was proud that she came this far, and hugged and patted her on the back. She completely froze. Finally, the girl bowed and left, and the dean of the academy gave a chuckle.

"She is a good girl and has many talents."

"Yes. I look forward to it."

After discussing the child's sponsorship in more detail, the dean offered to give me a tour of the school. Wirwol was near the border, but it was still territory of the great Eastern Empire, and so he gave special consideration to me.

"I'm worried because the number of mages these days keeps decreasing."

"We received a similar report. Do you know the cause yet?"

"No. I've been researching everywhere, but the rate of magical expression has been going down."

"The more mages there are, the more can that be recruited into our national defense."

As we walked along a long stone corridor, I saw a freestanding wall that was not connected to the others. Hanging on the wall were several portraits.

"These are..."

I walked closed and looked at it, and the dean explained.

"Portraits of the academy's top graduates."

Ah, yes. The most recent portrait was that of Duke Kapmen. On closer examination, there was also a portrait of the current dean as a young man as well.

But there was something strange.

"Why is this frame empty?"

One portrait bore no image. I looked at it curiously, and the dean was somewhat flustered as he replied.

"It was left blank because someone who came through the exchange program took the top spot for a while. They weren't a regular student."

"They weren't from the academy, but they were at the top? That's fantastic. Who was it?"

I was surprised to have not heard this achievement. The dean replied in a quiet voice.

"Prince Heinley of the Western Kingdom."

I looked back at him in astonishment. The prince, who was already famous for his handsome face and flirty personality, had become the highest ranked student? If that was the case, then rumors should have spread...

"I've never heard this before."

"It's not something the academy is proud of."

"Ah."

Well, that was a shame.

"Prince Heinley had made a special request, as a matter of fact."

"What did he ask for?"

"He said not to tell other people."

"..."

But the dean just revealed it to me? Was that alright? He quickly noticed my puzzled expression.

"But it's fine. Prince Heinley visited just yesterday."

"Prince Heinley?"

I was sure he was still in the palace when I left yesterday...although I couldn't have known when he would have left.

"Yes, he arrived here out of the blue. He came here to enjoy himself, and he said if a guest came by and asked about the empty frame, it was alright to answer."

"I see."

The timing was too coincidental, but I passed it over. Rather, the discovery that I found more concerning was that Prince Heinley could use magic.

Prince Heinley...according to Duke Elgy, he had been planning something for years. If he really could use magic, there was a possibility I wouldn't be able to find out what it was, as mages were so rare that the field hadn't been studied extensively.

After finishing the tour around the academy, the dean saw me off at the main gates. To my surprise, I saw Prince Heinley walking this way with his blue-haired knight. The prince's expression turned surprise as he spotted me, and he turned to my direction.

"Queen? Oh my goodness. You're here."

Prince Heinley approached me with a radiant smile. The prince's knight, in contrast, looked very unhappy. It seemed directed towards Prince Heinley, as if he had heard something unpleasant from him. The knight shook his head, only to replace his expression with professional solemnity when he saw me. Meanwhile, Prince Heinley kept smiling.

"Isn't it a coincidence, Queen?"

"It is. I didn't expect to meet you here, Prince Heinley."

"I have some business here."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And while we didn't plan this encounter at all, our meeting seemed to have been fated."

His talk about fate seemed a bit exaggerated, but I smiled as I enjoyed his unexpected appearance as well.

"May I ask you what you're here for?"

"The dean wanted to see me."

"..."

The dean told me that Prince Heinley visited unexpectedly. However, I couldn't bring myself to contradict and embarrass the smiling prince. Oh...was this part of Prince Heinley's plan?

While I contemplated this, Prince Heinley spoke in a careful voice.

"This was meant to be. Would you like to have dinner with me, Queen?"

I didn't have anything else on my schedule, and so I agreed.

"Yes."

*

*

*

"It's a drink made from apples and honey. Do you like sweets?"

"In moderation."

"Then it will suit you."

Prince Heinley had brought me to what he said was his favorite restaurant, and he recommended me various food and drinks from the menu.

"Have you ever had soup made with beer?"

"Once?"

"This is a specialty here. It's the best. I recommend it."

"What if it's not to my taste?"

"Then you can hit me."

He smiled and pretended to strike himself on the forehead, then called the waiter to order our food. The knights that accompanied Prince Heinley and I were seated a few tables away.

The waiter quickly set down an appetizer of fried bread. I delicately tore the bread with my fingers, then looked up to see Prince Heinley smiling at me instead of eating. However, I didn't feel uncomfortable by his gaze. I wondered if he was planning anything that was harmful to the Eastern Empire, although I was doubtful.

"I've always had this thought."

"Say it, Queen."

"Prince Heinley looks a lot like 'Queen.'"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, with the blond hair and purple eyes."

Both man and bird were very handsome as well, but I wouldn't say that. Prince Heinley's mouth tipped into a smile, and he leaned over towards me.

"Take a close look. Is is true? Do I look like a bird?"

I looked into his deep purple eyes, and realized why his stare did not make me feel uncomfortable. It was because his eyes were so mesmerizingly beautiful.

"Your eyes are very beautiful. Did you know that?"

Meanwhile, Prince Heinley expressed a thought similar to my own. He smiled and murmured, "They truly are" before leaning back into his seat.

"Do you always compliment women like this?"

"Does the Queen always bewitch people like this? With your eyes?"

"That's an exaggeration."

"I know. It was a difficult question, so I just said whatever came to mind."

A moment later, the waiter brought a small cart loaded with our plates of food. I nervously brushed the skirt of my dressed as the waiter set the plates on the table, and as soon as he stepped away, I addressed Prince Heinley again.

"I hear you are very good at magic."

I wanted to ask him before, but I feared of appearing too straightforward.

Prince Heinley smiled sheepishly as he pushed an amber drink in front of me.

"You must have heard from the dean. Yes, a little."

"You were a top student."

"What, did he tell you that?"

"I don't know much about magic, but I do know that each mage has different skills. Is that right?"

"I may never be able to do the magic my opponents do, but my opponents would never able to do my magic either."

I asked my next question as casually as I could.

"What is your specialty, Prince Heinley?"

Some liked to boast about their magic in excess, while others hid it completely. It was not a question I expected Prince Heinley to answer, but if he did, it would be easier to guess whether his plan involved magical power. In addition, depending on what his magical ability was, I might have to stop Sir Artina from investigating him in case of discovery.

Prince Heinley hummed and then softly chuckled.

"I'll just say—flying in the sky."

"Flying? That's wonderful! Can you take someone else with you?"

"It depends on who it is."

"How about me? Can you take me?"

I said it half-jokingly, but I wanted to find out more about his abilities. I didn't expect him to take me and fly away, but I wanted to know what he was capable of.

"Oh...."

Prince Heinley mumbled and avoided my eyes.

"You're kind of, uh, heavy for me to carry, Queen."

"!"

"Oh, please don't misunderstand. I don't mean that you're heavy, I mean that you're heavy if I have to carry you in the sky."

"Alright."

"Are you angry?"

"No."

"You're not saying much. You look upset..."

"No."