“Good morning, Your Majesty. It is honestly rare to see you at the inner court this early in the morning. Did you not leave the inner court last night?”
“Uhm.”
I never expected to run into the one person I least wanted to see when I exited. Castell looked at me with a weird smile, reminding me of what transpired last night. Thus, I was worried that Castell realised what happened. I was worried until I eventually calmed down and realised what I just did. The realisation frightened me and left me looking pale.
Mommy Elizabeth didn’t have any issues, though. She behaved normally then slept without a word. Thanks to that, I enjoyed a comfortable night in Mommy Elizabeth’s arms. Only when I woke up did I realise I might be on the receiving end of Nier’s cold violence when I got back. After all, she was hugging her husband and enjoying a cosy sleep, only to wake up and discover that he left her and went somewhere she didn’t know. Surely any wife would be angered… Most importantly, I really did go and have a tryst with another woman. As a result, I felt guilty. Nevertheless, I enjoyed last night. I felt a little bad about it before I did it, but I couldn’t resist Mom’s body. Furthermore, logically speaking, it was unlike anybody noticed it. Nobody would ever find out.
Castell quietly chuckled: “Did you want to have breakfast? I have prepared your breakfast. I am sure Her Majesty would be happy to have breakfast with you.”
I shook my head with a smile: “Ah, no, I’m heading back to the outer court. If I’m in luck, I’ll be able to avoid misfortune…”
Castell revealed an understanding smile. He bowed then made way. When I passed by him, he whispered, “Be careful, Your Majesty. There are many, many eyes in the Royal Palace.”
I froze. I turned back to look at him, but he didn’t look at me. Instead, he gently knocked on the door. He picked up the tray of breakfast on the ground. On it was Mom’s breakfast.
“Good morning, Your Majesty. You appear to be in a fantastic mood today.”
On that rare occasion, the window in the room at the inner court was open. Elizabeth sat by the window dressed in a simple undershirt and peered outside with a smile on her face. She extended her hand out of the window to feel the cool air. Elizabeth usually refused to open her window. The inner court was always enveloped in darkness since she only returned to the inner court at night most of the time. For the first time, she was the one who opened the window to take in everything outside, including the flowers.
Castell looked at Elizabeth’s black hair dancing in the breeze. Smiling, he placed the breakfast aside. Perhaps it was due to a psychological factor that he felt Elizabeth was prettier than usual. Castell walked up behind her and quietly asked, “Did His Majesty spend the night here last night?”
Elizabeth nodded without hesitance. With a smile, she justified, “He is my son, after all. It’s normal for a son to want to be spoiled.”
Castell smiled helplessly: “The King of the North, the man who led an army and conquered an entire region, the lord of Troy City and the one who suggested the alliance between the three nations, is far from an ordinary child. He may be just a child who likes to be spoilt, but, in reality, we see him as a formidable concern that we cannot control. We also see him as someone who can turn the empire’s military upside down. While he may be your own kin, he is a threat to us. Furthermore, what makes us most wary of him is he… does not seem to have a fixed bottom line that we can gauge. He can make compromises in many aspects. In the same vein, there are some things that he refuses to compromise. Most importantly, however, is that we have no clue what matters he will never back down on. I must admit that Miss Freya is also an outstanding individual. To be honest, with her by his side, it is truly difficult for us to do anything.”
Elizabeth turned her head around aggressively. In a livid tone, she asked, “In other words, you’re all conspiring against my son? When I told you to be my eyes and ears, claws and fangs, that wasn’t what I meant. He’s my son. What do you all want to do? Revolt?”
Castell shook his head: “No, they have only thought about it; they have not chosen what to do, as he is your son. It is just that he is not our monarch.”
“Forget it. Bring me my breakfast. Thanks to my son, I was able to have a soothing night, and I slept very well. Had it not been for the work to come today, I really wouldn’t have wanted to wake up.”
“It is not a big deal if you do not attend a conference once in a while, Your Majesty. I am sure you have the right to enjoy some rest as the Empress, as well.”
“I cannot do that. I absolutely cannot do that. If I skip for one day, those below will definitely speak ill of me and laze about. Part of what I do is to avoid having to listen to their boring complaints. I don’t have many things I want to enjoy, after all. Nevertheless, I must set an example. For as long as I appear daily, they won’t laze around for a single day. Additionally, if I take a day off, I will miss the second and third day. Though my son is nice, I still can’t accept abandoning the entire world for him. I must rely on this entire empire to be able to protect him, admittedly.”
Castell smiled: “I see… I am glad to hear that you have not forgotten to be a competent Empress in the process of favouring your son.”
“Isn’t using the term ‘favouring’ for your own child going too far?”
“No, it would be… mm… the feeling you give off in the way you treat Prince Troy seems to be favouring.”
“I give off that feeling?!”
“Mm… It is not an issue, since it is just your attitude. You must be careful, nonetheless. I am your personal attendant and, therefore should not interfere with your personal life. In saying that, there are lots of eyes and ears in the Royal Palace. You must be very careful.”
“It was just once or twice. Besides, nobody in the inner court will see. Castell, I don’t want to hear you speak about this. I’m going to go see them now and listen to some boring stuff. While I’m at it, I need to ensure that Hilles City is safe.”
Glossary
*’Favouring’ here when Castell and Elizabeth discuss the term refers to the Chinese term of favouring/doting when used either for emperors doting on concubines or between seniors and juniors. If such a term exists in English, please do tell me.
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