Chapter 46

Ch. 46: Morning Beauty Routine

Empress Katya maintains a strict morning routine. It creates a sense of order in her busy days and provides her the stability that is her backbone. Her father had long drilled into her the importance of discipline. With such a rigid schedule in place of her daily life, Katya can easily devote her energy towards whatever situation arises from the pit of domesticated snakes she interacts with every day.

Around 7 am in the morning, Kora knocks on the door, inquiring whether the empress is awake. She always is awake by then, the light filtering in from her open window waking her up naturally. As befitting of her status, Katya’s bedroom is one of a kind, the spacious room dominated by a large chamber bed with deep red curtains, like blood. The decor is minimal but clearly states her status with gold filigree and fancy carvings.

Following her permission, a row of maids led by Kora enter the room with their heads bowed. One provides her with a bowl of spring water to rinse her face and mouth with, another with a sprig of fresh mint for her to chew on. As she towels her face and a team of maids bring out various dresses and jewelry for her to choose, Katya listens to whatever news Kora brings. Be it small or large, all palace matters flow into the empress’ ears at this time.

“Any news?” Katya asked out of habit as she pointed a slender, red-tipped finger at a sapphire necklace.

“Your majesty, by chance when I left for a drink of water, I saw that maid leave in the night with your personal drink. Since you requested for us to surveil her, I made the personal decision to not call any guards for her insubordination and let her go.” Kora replied with her head bowed.

Katya frowned slightly, the expression not marring her face in the slightest. The beauty products she used daily came from far and wide, costing thousands of coins every month. Her youthful appearance that had been her pride and joy since she was a child still maintained its peak beauty. But whenever she thought of that damn maid, Janice, a hateful current ran through her heart. If that maid didn’t have her uses, she would’ve done away with that wench the moment she laid eyes on her.

Katya preferred her maids to be pleasant in appearance, but not too dazzling. Take Kora and Linette for example, the empress’ two personal maids, otherwise known to others as her left and right hand. They would easily be considered beauties in the capital. But Kora’s brow was a tad too heavy and low, making her appear as if she squinted. And Linette, her shrewish personality was carved into her face, leaving her with a perpetual frown. With such people standing by her side, Katya felt even more stunning when she moved around the imperial palace.

Katya slowly moved to the vanity, her eyes meeting Kora’s in the mirror.

.....

“Who gave you the discretion to make decisions on my behalf?” she asked calmly as two maids began to brush her golden locks. Her voice was gentle, like a spring breeze ruffling a few leaves. But the implications underneath were far heavier and deadly.

Kora immediately dropped into a low bow, her white maid cap nearly tumbling from her head.

“My sincere apologies, your majesty. I did not intend to override your authority. However, her visit last night has yielded fruit,” the personal maid explained quickly in an even tone. She was accustomed to such situations.

“Oh?”

“Janice took one of the stronger alcohols, moonshine, and she headed towards the royal guard. She has yet to report back to Sunrise Palace,” Kora finishes.

Katya nods, thousands of calculations running through her head. “That maid, Janice, is very greedy,” Katya eventually concluded with a smile. “For now, leave her be, let someone pick up her slack. I would like to see what show she will give us.”

The empress’ eyes then flicked mercilessly to Kora. “However, I haven’t forgotten this slight. Report to Linette to kneel for an hour.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Kora replied obediently. There was no purpose in complaining or begging. The empress was all too fond of invisible punishments. Pain that was felt, but not seen. Heard, but unwitnessed. Kneeling was the epitome of these concepts, as Katya had arranged for a smithy to design a few hollow kneeling platforms of hard, cold metal.

The metal was thin as a sheet of paper, allowing the kneeler to feel burning hot coals within that would burn the victim but not leave a trace of the punishment. It was one of Katya’s points of pride as an empress who exerted absolute control on all the palaces affairs the way no other ruling consort has done before.

As Kora was preparing to depart, a maid hurried into the room, one Katya vaguely recognized as one of the many intelligence gatherers she had long installed in the imperial palace. The girl’s whispers were short and hurried, followed by a speedy curtsey as she rushed out. Katya looked at Kora expectantly.

Kora lowered her head deferentially. “Lord Bromley secretly entered the capital just past midnight.”

Katya’s lip curled with distaste. That old dog was supposed to be in retirement and far, far away from her domain. What brought him sniffing back to his old haunts?

“Where is the old man lodged?” Katya spat out gracefully. Even in anger, she never lost her bearing as an empress.

“An old inn within a league of Winifred Plaza.”

“He’s close,” Katya murmured, delving into her thoughts. She pondered what strange events could have brought the old badger out of his hidey-hole, her delicate hands clenching as she thought of the recent sore before her eyes, Princess Winter. The culprit who stole the precious birthright she had created for her legitimate daughter.

“What are you playing at old man?” Katya wondered. The maids behind her began twisting strands of hair to form an intricate updo and delicate rouge was dusted on her cheeks. Kora, who was acquainted with Empress Katya’s mood, took the chance to slip away for her punishment after holding the door for maids carrying in her dress.

Katya actually did not know much about Lord Bromley. By the time she had come into the picture, the man had retired for a few years. However, even in her youth, she had heard whispers of the genius who was behind the major conquest of Belhelm by the late emperor. All the empress knew for certain was that once Lord Bromley became the personal tutor of Emperor Helio, he had risen from one of the forgotten bastards of the licentious emperor to the ruler of the Erudian Empire within a few years. And that alone, coupled with the fact her father spoke of him with a dark expression, put him on her watch list.

Could he have possibly come to see Winter? He had visited the emperor once before, after Helio had taken the throne and shortly after Julian was born. The man had looked at the crying welp and murmured a few words to Helio, prompting a dark expression from her hateful husband. From then on, he hadn’t bothered visiting Julian again, only later dragging the boy along his victorious conquests as an afterthought.

That brat, Winter, bore a striking resemblance to Helio, one that only Crown Prince Augustus could match. Katya’s sole regret was that both of her children strongly bore the Duvernay traits of yellow hair and a straight nose with a slight bump on the bridge. If it weren’t for their golden eyes, the nobles would have a field day pondering whether or not they were truly Helio and Katya’s children. Should Lord Bromley meet Winter and decide to take her under his wing, would she too rise to the highest branch and usurp her children?

The thought alone filled Katya with intense hatred and loathing for Winter. In her mind’s eye, the brat’s golden eyes mocked her, forever serving as a reminder of her husband’s infidelity at the one place her talons couldn’t reach, the military camps.

“Linette!” Katya called impatiently, certain that her head maid had finished arranging Kora’s punishment.

As prompt as usual, the familiar presence emerged, a footman opening the door to let her in.

“Your Majesty,” Linette replied.

“Arrange for someone to find out what Janice did last night. I want any and every detail that can be uncovered.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Linette moved to leave, but Katya wasn’t finished, an unfriendly glint flashing through her eye that sent chills through every maid in the room.

“Also tell the staff to prepare for an outing today.”

Linette’s brows quirked up in interest. “To where?”

“Rose Palace,” Katya announced in a severe tone. She turned and smiled at her pleasing reflection, now dolled up with makeup and her everyday headpiece, the Gavenport Tiara. The piece had a unique, fabled story, one that had attracted the newly enthroned empress to it a few years ago.

The eye-catching, but demure jewelry composed of delicate diamond arches, each with a fat pearl swinging within. It was famously won in a bet by the then famous Lady Helene from the Empress. During a royal hunt, the Empress had proposed that anyone who could get their arrow the further than 200 paces would win a ticket worth 2,000 gold coins. Eager to prove their worth, several virile young men had fought to prove their worth, but even the strongest royal guard couldn’t get it past 100 paces.

At that point, a delicate young noblewoman who had not even debuted stepped forward and bravely announced that she could do the impossible task. The notion had caused quite a stir. Everyone had a good laugh at the thought the tiny woman could do what dozens of strong men could not. The empress was similarly incredulous, going so far as to bet her tiara the emperor had gifted as a wedding present in addition to the gold coins.

Lady Helene took it all within stride, her confidence never wavering. Calling forward a personal servant holding a birdcage, the young girl tied an arrow to her pet hawk’s leg and sent it flying. 50 paces, 100, 200, the bird kept going until it disappeared into the horizon.

Then with a line that became famous throughout the empire though not many know from where it originated, the lady turned around and said proudly, “You never said we had to shoot it from a bow!”

Eventually, the tiara did become the property of the crown once more when Lady Helene married the Crown Prince and eventually became the Empress herself, the tale all but forgotten in the current era until Katya had inquired about the tiara herself.

Katya was quite fond of it, especially when she connected the famous saying to the forgotten headpiece. She did not want to be the foolish Empress who had doubted her opponent and been utterly humiliated. Katya fancied herself a clever woman, one who was resourceful enough to shoot an arrow without a bow. But today, she sought to crush the arrow before it could set out on its path.

Like the empress in the story, the empress knew that one can never be too unassuming of others. Winter may just be a girl today, but tomorrow bloom into a woman who can hold a fight with her. Today, Katya sought to crush the unseasoned wings of the Helene in her life and ground Winter permanently.

Better safe than sorry, that was her firm life motto. Her youthful confidence had made Katya believe she would be chosen as Empress Consort until that bitch somehow became Helio’s first wife and bore that rotten Crown Prince. She was older and wiser now, unkeen on making the same mistake twice.

In the past few days, distasteful rumors had flowed from the streets to her royal ears, murmurs that the empress hated Winter and mistreated her behind closed doors. Perhaps one of her father’s enemies had purposely spread the news to weaken her benevolent image among the common people.

Katya did not care in the slightest.

Commoners were like grass, going any direction the wind blows. The nobility, who largely stood behind her, remained unswayed which is what mattered most in this world. Thus she felt little qualm about what she was going to do next. Any competition for Julia and children must be eliminated swiftly, as all the others were.