Chapter 48
“Come in!”
Ahāmy voice slipped out too brightly, unable to control the tone because of how glad I was.
The door opened, and I quickly feigned indifference, lifting my head from the book.
A man in a violet velvet top, his hair streaked with gray, stepped in and bowed to me.
“Lady, I am Rachel, an attendant of the Empress’s Palace.”
“Yes, Sir Rachel. What brings you here?”
I asked even though I already knew.
Rachel paused, looked at me quietly, then smiled.
“You truly love books, Lady. You’re reading again.”
“Ahā¦ thereās nothing better than reading to pass the boredom.”
“A fine pastime, Lady.”
I closed the book and looked at Rachel.
“So, what has brought you here from the Empressās Palace?”
“Yes, Her Majesty the Empress has finished reading the book you lent her, and asked if I could escort you to her, if you have the time.”
“I have the time.”
I answered right away and stood, taking the book I had been reading.
Rachelās eyes widened in surprise, but then he grinned and nodded.
“Very well, letās go at once.”
When he came to the Crown Princeās Palace, Rachel had walked, but for the Empressās Palace, he boarded the carriage with me.
The distance was long, yet he carried himself with surprising vigor for his age.
Iāve been lounging around too much since I came here. Maybe I should start exercising again.
As such idle thoughts drifted by, we soon arrived at the Empressās Palace.
After getting down from the carriage and going inside, I asked Rachel,
“Is Her Majesty doing better these days?”
Rachel only curved his lips into a meaningful smile.
“You should see for yourself once inside.”
“Ahā¦”
Still, if she had called for me, it must mean her condition wasnāt worse than when I had last come with Vincent.
And if that foresight was truly correctā¦
Rachel guided me up to the entrance, where a maid came to receive me.
It wasnāt Rizel, the maid I had seen before when I came with Vincent.
Unlike last time, when I had been led to the parlor adjoining the Empressās bedchamber, this time I was taken to the reception room on the first floor.
“Wow.”
The walls and ceiling were entirely glass, directly connected to the garden, making it a glasshouse in itself.
Along the floor ran a path lined with small purple violets, while long-stemmed pothos vines hung down from the walls in place of curtains.
The fresh scents of soil, plants, fruits, and blossoms lingered in the air, refreshing my mood.
The maid guided me to a white tea table.
“Please wait a moment. Her Majesty the Empress will arrive soon.”
“Thank you. Butā¦ may I ask, where has Rizel gone?”
“Ah, wellā¦”
At the mention of Rizel, the maid grew flustered, unable to find words.
I hadnāt meant to trouble her, so I quickly changed the subject.
“Would you happen to have a tea without caffeine? I havenāt been sleeping well.”
She caught on right away.
“Would peppermint tea suit you?”
“That would be perfect.”
“Very well, I shall bring you peppermint tea shortly.”
When she left, I entertained myself by admiring the glasshouse, fiddling with the broad leaves of a plant by the table.
Soon, I heard footsteps at the entrance and turned.
The Empress entered with a few of her maids.
I stood immediately, watching the maids one by one.
As expected, Rizel was not among them.
When the Empress came before me, I stepped aside from my chair, preparing to kneel in formal greeting.
“To Her Majesty, Empress of the Empireā¦”
“No need. Stand. I didnāt summon you for stiff courtesies.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Empress gave me a light glance and took the chair opposite mine.
With a small motion, she bade me sit.
I obeyed, studying her closely.
Her walk, complexion, gaze, and voiceāall seemed far healthier than before.
A slight tension and silence lingered until the tea arrived.
Cups were set before us.
I noticed the Empressās cup held no color at all.
Peppermint tea was pale, but that was utterly transparent.
What kind of tea is that?
The Empress, catching me staring, lifted her cup with a smile.
“This is water.”
“Ah, I thought so! But why water?”
“I find I canāt drink tea that others prepare anymore.”
Gracefully, she took a sip.
“If you ask me whyā¦”
She only smiled, then signaled to a maid.
The maid set a book on the tableāthe very one I had lent her, The Silent Handmaidens.
“I read it well. It was most useful.”
Her tone was calm, but her eyes had lost their laughter.
“How did you know?”
“Knowā¦ what, Your Majesty?”
“Did you not lend me this book as a warning against Rizel?”
I glanced at the book, then back at her.
I needed to play this carefully.
“While reading, I thoughtā¦ perhaps it might be so.
It was only a guess. Your Majesty, then it was trulyā¦?”
I looked around, as if seeking someone, and the Empress sighed.
“Yes. It was Rizel. She had been by my side so long, and yetā¦”
Her voice carried bitterness.
“For something that even you, whom I had just met, and my son could see, I was blind all this time.”
Thankfully, she didnāt press further about how I knew.
It reminded me of Vincent too, and the way he had once hinted that I shouldnāt trust those around me.
The Empress simply blamed her own blindness.
I held back any words of comfort and waited.
“All that time, while I trusted her, she was serving anotherās will. And for so longā¦”
Her voice trailed.
She seemed unwilling to explain more, and I didnāt pry.
No doubt Rizel had been poisoning her food little by littleātoo little to kill outright, but enough to wither her slowly.
The Empress had trusted her too deeply to suspect her, even while growing sicker.
“Iām relieved to see you stronger than before, Your Majesty.”
“Even as I questioned her, I couldnāt let go of the doubt that perhaps I was mistaken.
But the very day after Rizel was confined, when I stopped eating what she had given me, my condition improved so quickly.
Imagine my shock.”
Her voice was flat, without highs or lows.
I only watched her.
What must she have truly felt?
Sorrow at betrayal?
Or relief to finally see the cause of her pain?
“At any rate, it is true that your book gave me the clue. I wish to repay you for that.”
“Did the book suit your taste?”
“Yes, I found it very engaging.”
“Iām glad. I hope the next one suits you as well.”
I didnāt refuse her offer of repayment.
I needed it.
After all, this was something only the Empress herself could grant in this Empire.
From my belongings, I placed The Paradox of Neutrality atop The Silent Handmaidens.
The Empress glanced at it, then at me.
“Your Majesty, this is what Iāve been enjoying lately.”
Silently, she reached for the new book.
The fl is so smart. I like her! I like ameliaaaa