The Emperor's Concubine

B.2 Chapter Four

I sit in a quiet cafe, reviewing papers.
I admire the aromatic fragrance of the steaming coffee, rising from my cup before I take a sip.
The bitter and mildly sour taste fills my mouth with a robust flavour of roasted beans. The charred aroma hitting the tip of my tongue as the coffee spreads in my mouth.
"It's delicious." I whisper, writing down store name.
The owner walks out from the back, speaking with an employee; the same cafe owner who I interviewed about the flooding.
I remember the smile on his face as he spoke about coffee.
I stand, tucking my notepad into a pocket, approaching the man.
"Excuse me?" I call out.
He turns to me and smiles.
"Yes, is everything to your liking?" He asks.
"It is, I had a few questions I wanted to ask you though."
"I'm all ears!"
He gestures for me to follow, and sit with him in a booth.
I sit across him, glancing at the empty cafe.
"Do you take pride in your coffee beans?" I ask.
"Of course! The empire is popular with tea, so any other kind of coffee that's sold is disgusting. I thrive to have the best coffee in the empire, since it's my favourite beverage. My coffee beans are harvested, grown, and roasted by my family. It's the best coffee around in this wretched tea empire." The man sighs.
"I see you take a lot of pride in it. Business must not be as good since this is a tea empire though, isn't it?"
"Sadly no. We do however sell our beans in bags, but that's still not making enough money. Most people will buy cheaper quality beans to keep in their homes for fragrance. I might have to move to a different location since this one is becoming too much to pay."
"I see... What's your name?"
"Theas Jones. What are all these questions for? Interested in cutting into my turf?" He heartily laughs.
"Not at all. I have a proposition for you." I smile, sliding out a document.

"Sir Quintan!" I run into the office, swerving through the other advisors.
"Calm down Lady Luna, I ain't running away. What is it?" He laughs, stepping closer.
"I found two eligible candidates to expand their businesses." I take out two documented sheets, "They agreed to background checks, and quality testing. I haven't explained we'd expand their businesses to Xiao though."
"Excellent. What are their products?" Sir Quintan glances at the paperwork.
I take out items from a bag I hold, pulling out two small bags of coffee beans, and a box filled with small bottles of oils.
"Theas Jones's family grows, roasts, and grinds their own beans. It's true that our empire is tea based, so most shops that have coffee don't have the same rich robust flavour his has. I believe their coffee could become popular on a wide scale if they were to be branched out."
"I see. These are his beans?" Sir Quintan sniffs one of the bags.
"One of them is. The other I entered a small shop and asked for a sample of beans, but their beans will lack quality and flavour compared to Theas'."
He sniffs one of the bags and sniffs the other.
His eyes widen as he nods.
"Wow, is this one his?"
"Yes. His is rich and earthy. The other one isn't as rich, it's more mild but when made into coffee, the mild coffee tastes too sour. It's not roasted well compared to Theas' beans."
"Good job. We'll set up an interview of taste testing. What about these oils?"
"These are aromatic oils. Each of these are oils extracted from flowers, plants, and natural things to create a room to smell wonderful. Most ladies would love this, but people tend to believe oils are meant to be used in cooking. However, instead of cutting flowers to make rooms or homes smell nicer, oils last longer and give a more concentrated smell. I believe this could become popular in our empire and other kingdoms."
Sir Quintan and I review each oils, testing them.
I smile brightly, enjoying the work.

"Maggie!" I call out, waving as I walk down the palace hall.
Magnolia turns around holding folded blankets, giving a large sweet smile.
"My lady! You've returned early today!" She happily approaches me.
"I finished all of my work for today, so they let me go early. I have a gift for you."
"Gift? My lady, I don't need gifts!" She shakes her head, surprised.
"Nonsense! Here." I take out a box and a few bottles of aroma oil, "It's aromatic oils. You pour it into this bottle and insert the straw, the straw will soak up the oils and make your room smell nice."
"You didn't need to go through the trouble my lady! I can't possibly accept this!"
"It wasn't trouble! I'm also trying to test it out, so use it and let me know how you like it."
She takes the box and bottles of oil, smiling.
"Thank you, my lady! I promise to give a thorough review of it if it's to help you!"
"You don't need to work that hard, it's a gift so I hope you like it. They're sweet fresh scents so hopefully you'll enjoy it." I giggle, happy with her reaction.
"My lady, are you heading back to your room? I'm still cleaning it."
"It's okay, take your time. I'll spend the afternoon in the library or with his highness."
"Yes, my lady!" Magnolia smiles, bowing her head.
I wave as I walk down a separate hallway, heading for the library.

I wander down the bookcases, looking for an interesting book to read.
I pick up two books looking around more.
A deep pulse vibrates through the air. The vibrations are sharp and piercing; the aura of a manic soul.
The sound of a smashing window rips through the air as I twist my body, the books in my hand pierced through with an arrow.
I narrowly dodge it, staring at the open window across from me.

"My lady?"
A man shouts.
The librarian runs up the stairs, panicked.
"My lady, what happened are you alright?" He exclaims, shocked.
I hold my hand up, stopping him from stepping off the staircase.
The open window in front view of the stairs.
"Reginald, leave this library, now." I calmly state, keeping my back to the bookcases.
"You must come with me!"
"No, you could be killed if I leave with you or if you stay. Just get help." I shoot him a glance, nodding my head to reassure him.
He runs down the stairs frantically.
I take a deep breath, the pulsing aura vibrating through the air as I sense people nearby.
Another window beside me smashes as a masked man jumps through.
He spins trying to stab me with a dagger.
I swiftly dodge, careful to not get in the way of any window.