Chapter 100: Ch. 100: 50 Gold Coins

I rush down the stairs in a flurry of skirts, the sweat on my skin quickly turning into ice. In the reflection of the gold enameled banister, I can see my mouth set in a straight line that I work to curve into a polite smile.

I can hear Marie’s heavy breathing behind me and a bead of sweat snakes down the maid’s neck into the collar of her dress. Hearing the emperor’s decree in other eras may have once been a good thing, but with my father on the throne, such expectations have naturally faded away. It has gone to the point that if the person in question who receives my father’s decree is condemned alone without their entire family taken away for interrogation and torture, they praise the emperor for his benevolence.

In the sitting room that the entrance to the Rose Palace opens up to, my father’s loyal man, Harold, stands with a scroll in his hand. Upon seeing my presence, he wastes no time in unrolling it reading.

“His Majesty, Emperor Helio decrees that Her Highness, Imperial Princess Winter, is to move her residence from the Rose Palace to the main palace while the day is still young.”

“Today?”

“Yes, your highness. Right now, actually. I have brought men to take any personal effects you’d like to bring along with you.”

And just like that, among the many changes that had come with my new abilities came another: a new residence.

.....

There was very little that I wished to bring with me to the central palace. It was actually Marie who insisted on a few things she deemed sentimental. A particular dress here and there. A few of the hair ribbons she enjoyed tying into my hair. A stuffed animal that she insisted was my favorite when I was younger.

The Rose Palace was built for a beloved woman, anyone could tell that at first glance. According to what I’ve heard, whenever my father was off on his battles and wars, the first empress had complained that the large palace was far too lonely to stay in alone. As such, the Rose Palace, whose gentle pinks and rose garden softened the stiff, imperialistic style the palace was known for. She always had remained in the Rose Palace when the emperor was away, even on the night she’d died in the fire. But after that night, the official west wing of the crown prince’s late mother had been sealed shut permanently until today.

I watch as the last manservants under Harold’s direction unload the last of my items with an expressionless face, the only sign of my displeasure.

historical

First the late empress’ private palace, now the late empress’ official residence. The west wing of the central palace was where empresses of the Erudian Empire historically resided. It was considered a slight to Empress Katya and the Duvernay family when my father never bequeathed that location to her after their marriage. She had been forced to stay in the dowager empress’ apartments in the east wing before eventually erecting her own Sunrise Palace to bear and give birth to Prince Julian.

These apartments are truly fit for an empress, let alone a princess. While the Rose Palace had a slightly more cozy feel compared to the rest of the palace, the west wing showcases the full glamour worthy of the wife to the most powerful man in the empire. Everything under my eye sparkles in gold: the chandelier, the paneling on the wall, the intricate artwork decorating the ceiling, the chamber pot.

I let out a low whistle once Harold and the servants say their goodbyes. Only Marie lingers in the room, although I can tell she is holding back to gauge my reaction.

“Are you... displeased with the room, your highness? I can call Harold back in to see if there are any adjustments that can be made,” Marie asks me in a tentative manner.

I turn from the window I’m looking out of, the tall trees of the Eastern province within my view. They are a memento of my father’s past, but I realize I don’t have anything I’m truly fond of in this world. Only people.

“Where’s Emma? Did they bring my people from the Rose Palace?” I reply to Marie with a question instead.

“I shall go see to it that she is either here or brought in,” Marie tells me. She hasn’t stopped wringing her hands nervously since we arrived at the west wing.

I can hardly blame her. This move from my father has effectively put the entire capital’s eyes on me. Whether it was intentional or not, I assume it’s the former while staring at the shiny walls around me. However, not all that glitters is gold. I can only begin to guess how many empresses and imperial family members have suffered quietly in this opulent dream.

From neglected princess to the promised child who helped turn the tide in the recent war, only a fool wouldn’t be curious about the sudden elevation in status.

But with this elevated status solely occurring on paper as opposed to within my father’s heart, I might be in more danger. House Duvernay has promised a stalemate in return for working with the Holy Church, however, I can sense that the empress in Sunrise Palace might not let me go so easily.

I’ve escaped from her grasp one too many times. I’m the direct cause of her losing one of her ladies-in-waiting and soiling her spotless reputation. And now, I am quite literally living in the traditional residence of the empress consort and figuratively spitting in her face.

I don’t believe that my father didn’t know what he was doing when he put me here. Is he trying to piss his wife off to death or get some sort of revenge on her? Either way, I’m the punching bag who is going to be taking all the hits.

A half grin tugs at my lips, the same madness that drove me to hold a letter opener to my neck filling me suddenly. This isn’t a setback. This just means I have to make it hurt too much for either of them to consider taking a swing.

I eventually get my bath and meal, the maids perplexed and perhaps a little frightened at the occasional chuckles I emitted within the bubbly steamy space. The bathing quarters are a definite upgrade, a room full of roman pillars and a perfumed bath the size of a small pool set into the floor. I run around a bit too once I come out, causing frenzied attendants and maids to chase after my naked self with plushy towels.

“Tell me, Marie,” I drawl slowly on the beauty lounge I’ve been seated on for the better part of the evening. “How does my brother Julian fare?”

Marie, who stood quietly in the corner, perks up at my voice. “The prince is still asleep, but his body is in good condition. The empress has been by his side ever since he returned.”

“Has she?” I muse in the half darkness. The many candles in the room have run low long ago, but I told Marie not to replenish them. “Then shall I pay a visit?”

“Your highness?” Marie startles. I understand her shock. A voluntary visit to somewhere the empress is known to prowl is the exact opposite of what I would have done before I ran away.

I put on a pout and turn to Marie. “My poor brother, who knows when he shall wake? I must visit and see with my own eyes how he is doing.”

It’s too bad sharpies don’t exist in this world otherwise I would definitely draw a mustache on his unconscious face. I’m barely worried about that little twerp anyways. With the kind of blessed life Prince Julian has lived so far, I’m almost certain that he will be waking up sooner rather than later.

Marie’s eyes turn red and I see her covertly turn away to wipe away a tear or two. “You are so kind, your highness,” she warbles out.

“I’m kind to those who deserve it,” I murmur out a quiet truth of mine. “Prince Julian helped take such good care of me when I was away at the military front. It would be a crime if I did not go see him while he is unwell.”

Marie nods firmly in agreement. “Back in my village, we had an old tale about a trapper who saved a wolf from his trap out of pity, only for the wolf’s pack to massacre his entire family while he was away. Being kind to those who don’t deserve it does not always end well.”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t,” In my mind’s eye, the wolf is not Empress Katya, but Janice instead.

Thinking back to my old maid who set the final nail in my coffin regarding the poisoning case, I truly don’t care if she’s begging on the streets or dead in a ditch. I suppose I was technically never kind to Janice to begin with, but something about the unabashed ambition in her eye had made my younger, untested self react sharply during the situation. However, if I were to encounter another maid like her again, the jaws of the trap would not miss their target.

“My stipend!” I exclaim, a thought occurring to me suddenly. “Has it changed any? Call in Nina so I can ask her.”

The (former?) spy who now sits comfortably in grasp for me to toy with at will, Nina enters with her eyes cast low and none of the former bravado of former days. The head attendant is under constant observation by Emma and a few other maids who I’ve managed to turn to my side. I still treat her with all the courtesy of a head attendant. The running of my wing is in her hands and she has command over all the servants other than Emma and Marie. She even seems truly repentant about her actions from before.

All I have to do is confirm whether the story Nina told me back in my tent was true and hope someone will take the tantalizing bait she represents. Because if I continue to play my cards right, Nina will become the fake mole I can use to feed false information and catch other real moles with.

I smile brightly at Nina and her eyes redden with sorrow and guilt. She must be feeling true fear right now, perhaps assuming that now that I’ve returned to the palace I will punish her.

“Fret not, Nina. I am not calling you here to punish you now that we have returned to the palace. I simply have a question.”

“A... question, your highness?” she asks dumbly.

“Yes. My stipend. My allowance. How much is it?” I rub my hands together in anticipation, certain that the number has greatly multiplied alongside my new living situation.

Nina’s head ducks lower into her chest and I generously beckon, hoping my inviting appearance will get her to spit out an answer.

“Come now, just say it! It must be at least 200 gold. No, no. I’m thinking too small. 500 gold?” My nightgown pools at my knees as I get into a sitting position on the beauty lounge.

“50,” Nina whispers. I can barely hear her voice.

“You’ll have to be a bit louder, I’m afraid. Although I heard an f, just now. Did you say 500?” I squeal. I can barely keep myself from clapping my hands in glee.

After years of paying all my stipend to Emma and making chump change selling flowers, I can finally kick back and enjoy the proper wealth of a real princess. The dreams of a future with all the funds I need to bribe servants, pay Emma, and buy a house for Clever Jack finally seem within reach.

Nina clears her throat and shuffles her feet. “The stipend is 50 gold coins, your highness,” she says a little louder, shattering all my dreams into itty bitty pieces.