Chapter 4
Somewhere deep within the vast imperial palace, a faint rustling announced the arrival of a woman cloaked in black.
Clearly she meant to avoid notice, hiding her figure beneath the heavy garment, yet the gown beneath was a low-cut scarlet dress so revealing it made one’s brows knit. It was enough to make one doubt whether she truly wished to conceal herself at all.
Lowering her hood, the woman revealed a cascade of luxuriant blonde hair and approached the man before her with a dazzling smile.
It was Wilhelm, Emperor of the Elhyde Empire.
“Madam Augustine– no, Clara. I told you to come as inconspicuously as possible.”
“Oh, Your Majesty. That is why I wore the cloak. I simply wanted to show you as soon as possible that I suit this dress far better than the Empress ever could.”
Wilhelm did not dispute her claim, only gave a slight nod.
Though the gown was not her own, it was an opulent evening dress that anyone could see suited Clara perfectly.
“So, Your Majesty, where is this imperial treasure you wished to show me?”
“We must go a little farther in. It is kept well hidden.”
“How remarkable can it be? More astonishing than Empress Henriette returning from the dead?”
Only after a long walk did Wilhelm and Clara arrive before a great doorway.
It soared high above them, so ornate and intricate that even Clara, who had not batted an eye when accepting the Empress’s personal effects, found herself holding her breath.
When Wilhelm stepped onto the stone platform before it, beams of light traced across the door in an instant.
The seal, which only a member of the imperial family of Elhyde could break, released, and the heavy door opened with a deep, grating sound.
As the door swung wide, the mist within slowly dispersed, revealing the treasure hidden inside.
In the silence of the chamber, upon a pedestal in the center, rested an egg like a fragment of the night sky.
Its dark blue shell was speckled with shimmering points of light like a sky thick with stars, more beautiful and mysterious than any crafted ornament.
Wilhelm lifted the glass case that protected it and held it out for Clara to see, almost as if displaying a prize.
Her eyes gleamed with avarice as she gazed upon it.
“This is the treasure and spoil of the imperial family.”
“I never imagined the tales of the dragon’s egg were true, Your Majesty.”
“And with good reason. Emperor Conrad himself decreed that only the imperial family should know of it.”
Catching the meaning in his even tone, Clara narrowed her eyes and smirked.
“Well then, since the day I take the Empress’s place is not far off, it does no harm to know in advance. But tell me… is this egg still alive? I can hardly believe a dragon will hatch from it.”
“It will awaken, without doubt.”
The Emperor placed his gloved hand upon the great egg.
Beneath his palm, a faint heartbeat seemed to pulse.
“If I can imprint the dragon that hatches from this egg upon myself and claim the power of the black dragon Zakhar, I can reclaim my full imperial authority. There is only one matter to deal with first.”
“The method you used last time will not work again.”
“You need not worry over that. The Empress has already been disgraced once with scandal. It will not be hard to drag her down again.”
Yes, all because of the princess who had died in an accident a year ago. Clara stifled a low, knowing laugh.
“The Empress has always wanted too much. Next time, I will drive the blade into her heart myself. In her place, Clara, I will seat you.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I will devote all my heart to ensuring she never again defiles your empire.”
At her words, Clara stepped into his embrace with a radiant smile.
When she lifted her face to kiss his cheek, Wilhelm’s eyes glinted and his lips curved faintly.
Amid their exchange of dreadful schemes, the star-speckled egg continued to pulse without rest.
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In a quiet corner of the palace gardens, an outdoor table was set for afternoon tea.
Beneath the shade of a cozy gazebo, Henriette and Charlotte enjoyed specially ordered fine tea and light conversation.
Everything was perfect, except that the conversation was decidedly one-sided.
Charlotte, still worried after Henriette’s day-long indisposition, was fussing over her without pause.
Henriette admitted to herself that she had been reckless, but the flood of concern-tinged scolding was enough to stir a sense of unfairness in her.
“To Charlotte, nothing matters more than Your Majesty. Of course, it is no one’s fault that you were unwell. But truly, I was so frightened! And then…”
Glancing about, Charlotte lowered her voice to a whisper.
“When that strange man carried you in through the window, I thought my heart would stop! Had I not learned he was a distant relative of Duke Godrick a moment later, I would have driven him out with a chair!”
The thought of Charlotte swinging a chair at the lord of dragons nearly made Henriette scald her tongue on hot tea.
Thankfully, Charlotte asked nothing more about Zakhar’s identity, as if choosing not to know what even Henriette could not tell her.
If she told Charlotte she meant to take that man as her consort, the poor woman would surely faint.
Henriette hid a smile at the thought.
Letting Charlotte’s endless tales wash over her, Henriette caught sight of a familiar silhouette.
The gown was an excessively revealing red evening dress, one Henriette had worn only once, never again.
The blonde-haired woman wore her hair in an elaborate updo adorned with glittering jewels, drawing every gaze as if she desired the world’s attention.
Charlotte recognized her at once.
“Why, it’s the Marchioness Augustine. To dare wear that here… Oh!”
Realizing too late what she had said, Charlotte clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced nervously at Henriette.
“The Marchioness Augustine… you mean His Majesty’s mistress?”
“Yes… When Your Majesty returned to life, we returned your personal effects, but it seems she kept that dress. Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
“It is nothing. I had no intention of wearing it again. Let it be a gift from the Empress’s generosity.”
Henriette sipped her tea as if it were of no consequence.
“But I have a man I wish to introduce to you.”
At her next words about Zakhar, Charlotte nearly leapt from her seat. She could only gape, speechless, while Henriette rose with graceful composure.
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Milk, fresh bread, delicate soup, salad dressed with balsamic vinegar, lightly cooked lamb and chicken, the morning table was filled with a feast enough to awaken even the dullest appetite.
Though neither Henriette nor Wilhelm liked to be served more than they could eat, the news that the Empress herself had requested to dine with the Emperor had clearly excited the staff.
For the first time in a long while, Emperor and Empress sat across from one another at table.
Yet contrary to the hopes of those watching, Wilhelm began eating without so much as an exchange of pleasantries.
Henriette showed no sign of offense, but the attendants fidgeted at the strained atmosphere.
Soon, Wilhelm cast her a sidelong glance.
He had not always treated her so coldly. Once, he had thought her beauty a divine creation made for him alone.
But over time, weary of her constant opposition, his feelings had soured into baseless hatred.
“Empress, I see you are well again,” he remarked after wiping his mouth.
“Yes, thanks to Your Majesty’s concern, I am quite recovered.”
Their conversation was sparse, formal, and soon fell back into oppressive silence, until Henriette herself broke it.
“I heard a most impious rumor, that the Marchioness Clara Augustine may soon become the next Empress.”
Wilhelm’s brows drew together sharply, not at the rumor itself but at her daring to mention it.
“It is no rumor, but at one time a fact. No one expected you to return alive.”
“I understand it was a decision you felt necessary.”
Even in the face of what might be called reproach, Henriette’s tone was calm.
To replace the Empress with his mistress without even investigating her death was improper to say the least.
“There is a matter I wish to tell you. Though it is not of great importance, I deemed it proper to inform you with due formality.”
“Speak, Empress.”
Henriette met his indifferent gaze.
“I have taken a consort. He was to be placed in the Second Company of the knights under Duke Godrick, but when I encountered him by chance during an inspection, I found his nature as bold and free as his appearance is striking. I would have him close, not as a knight but as my consort.”
Wilhelm’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She wished she could preserve the look on his face forever. He had surely expected some mention of her daily routine, not this.
After a moment of stunned silence, he managed to reply.
“There is nothing in the laws of Elhyde forbidding it. If you wish it, so be it.”
Both of them knew the law held no such prohibition.
“I am humbled by Your Majesty’s generosity.”
Henriette accepted the inevitable answer with a serene smile.
When the meal ended, she rose gracefully.
“It was a pleasant breakfast, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave.”
As she left, Wilhelm saw for himself the man she had spoken of tall, broad-shouldered, with long black hair tied with a white ribbon and eyes the color of deep blue steel. He stood waiting for her, the very image of boldness.
Henriette took his arm without hesitation, and together they departed.
A frown creased Wilhelm’s brow.
What he felt toward them was an uneasy mix of dissonance and foreboding.
