~Backing~
The doors opened with the softest of squeaks but that didn't stop Oris' heart from trying to claw its way up her throat. She pressed a hand to her chest when she glanced up and saw that it was only Mayree. I'm being ridiculous.
She offered the maid a weak smile. "You scared me."
"Oh, Mistress," Mayree returned the smile and rushed to her side, setting the tray she carried down on the table as she began fussing at the mess, "when Andrea said I should come as soon as I could, I didn't expect... Well, I didn't expect this."
Oris almost laughed at the irritated frown the girl wore. "It's not as bad as it looks."
"Not as bad as it looks?" Mayree was beyond aghast. "Mistress. This... This material costs at least five pieces of gold per roll. It isn't like the clothes you we snuck you from the servants' quarters."
"Ah, I know. But I've already explained to Andrea. It'll be as good as new, I promise." Oris took her by the hand, staining both their skins purple. "She said you were cooking a feast. What exactly did you cook?"
Mayree knelt beside her and started dabbing the spots of wine with her handkerchief. "Nevermind what I cooked. We have to get you out of this dress."
"That's a good idea." Oris got to her feet as casually as she could. "While I take a bath please prepare my night wear so that I'm refreshed while I eat my first meal."
Mayree rushed towards the drawers and wardrobes on hearing her mistress' words and only remembered herself when Oris was halfway through the bathroom door.
"But Mistress, what is that thing in your hand?"
She paused and held up her clenched fist. "This? I used it to clean up the wine that soaked my letter. I'll get rid of it now."
"Mistress? You haven't taken the medicine!"
"I can't wait to eat what you've cooked, Mayree!" Oris shut the door and slumped against it.
A sigh slipped out of her as she stared at Bren's message. It was rumpled now, from being squeezed in her fist. "It's not that I don't trust them," she explained to herself and slid down until she sat on the floor.
She leaned her head against the door. "It's just..."
Treason... Saving my people is treason. She didn't want Andrea and them to have anything to do with it. If she was ever caught, she didn't want them dragged down with her. The less they knew, the better the general situation would end up being. If it all came crashing down, it would be easy to say that she had used their loyalty to her for her own purposes. They'd still be able to live their own lives afterwards. She wouldn't have them die needlessly, because of her.
Hermes' visage flashed through her mind. Have his children? She shut her eyes.
The promise he had made to her seemed so fickle now. Will he let me go if I'm leaving with his children?
She smoothened the letter on the floor and stared at it. It had been silly of her not to think of this before. Sleeping with the enemy had never crossed her mind and it would take a miracle for Hermes to trust her enough to let her get that close.
Getting him to trust her, it was a necessary condition of being a spy. Getting him to lust for her, on the other hand...
Oris shivered at the thought. Him? Just two hours with him and he already wanted her dead. If not for the fact that he needed her, he would have definitely interrogated her. How in the gods' names was she supposed to handle that?
And even if she somehow managed to get pregnant, somehow managed to leave the palace... Orse and the rest of the empire would be at war, and her child... How can I tell them that their father is the enemy? That I created them out of my duty to the people?
At least with the others, she could pretend. She could pretend to at least care for them if she didn't, but Hermes? They had too many secrets between them.
What if I actually fall in love with him... Or he falls in love with me? Then... Then— She smacked her head to cut the thought off. Stupid. Stupid. That won't happen. That can't happen.
Just thinking of Wei Wei rolling in her grave made Oris feel better. If I end up being Empress, even my parents will roll in their graves.
It was ancestral betrayal at its finest. The vast lands under his feet didn't tempt her, but the man himself...
They were the same kind of people. Oris liked to think that if Inae was in danger of imploding on itself and the only solution was hidden in her castle, Hermes would definitely pull up his britches and apply for a position in her harem.
When the laughs that escaped her, degenerated into coughs that scraped at the linings of her lungs, she went on to read the rest of the letter, ignoring the metal she tasted on her tongue.
Innkeeper Ducan has been taken care of and our property has been recovered—the old miser hoarded it religiously without spending a penny. Ownership of the inn has been transferred back to the alias 'King' and is now a primary transaction point along the border. It is there where I received the latest news from Orse.
Two of your cousins, and your maternal uncle, died one after the other after being enthroned by the ministers over the course of these few months. Your cousins died of unexplained sickness while your uncle fell off his horse during a hunting expedition with his youngest son, your cousin Orsam. That makes six members of your family that have lost their lives after the capital was taken over by Hermes. Flooding of the northern bank of the Yongsyn River has refugees heading towards the capital and locals officials in the south have been misappropriating funds designated for disaster relief... The victims have joined the various bandit groups and crime is on the rise.
Oris, I am afraid that we are running out of time to find a suitable heir.
Of the four, the King of Muddah is the most eager to meet you but he has a legal wife and many concubines. The Earl and the Grandduke are lukewarm when it comes to their opinions about the rebellion, and the Crown Prince...
You have met the Crown Prince, you must already have an opinion of him.
Yes, if not for his army, he would not have been on the list, regardless of how suitable his bloodline was. He was calculating and shrewd. He didn't want to be a Duke under Hermes' rule so he supported the rebellion, at the same time he didn't want be implicated so nothing could be traced back to him. It was said that he willingly surrendered to Hermes and they shared a certain 'friendship'.
Whatever decision you end up making, know that you will always have my unconditional support.
I regret not being able to take you back with me but I have done everything in my power to ensure that you are able to act freely in the palace, without fear. As you must have suspected, I enlisted the help of Sister Eve and Father Jones to fill in the discrepancies regarding your identity. They were eager to repay the debt they owed you and there is now detailed documentation of you being a part of the convent.
Though there exists no evidence of your ties to the royal family, everything else has been kept as it was. Bujasku remains our hometown. Our family house is our new base of operations and everyone who knew you has been relocated. Mother, father and the rest of the family are safe. And I... I am still your adopted brother.
Do not destroy this message after reading it. After the wine dries, write your reply to Sister Eve's message over it but do not send it.
You should not attempt to contact me until we meet again, for your own safety.
Your Faithful Knight,
Rodholf
Oris took in a deep breath. It wasn't often that she thought about her adopted family. She hadn't seen them since she left for Orse but she had always kept track of them. When she and Bren learnt that Orse was being maintained by a deadline, they arranged to relocate those who were willing far away from the State, just to keep them safe in case she failed.
Bren knew where they were; she didn't. She couldn't afford the temptation of slipping back into obscurity when the fate of millions depended on her.
"It's safer this way." Oris pulled her knees to her chest. The message had said a lot. With her in the palace, it was obvious that Bren would focus their resources on getting her support. That meant that it was only a matter of time now before she had reliable backing.
Their people could slowly infiltrate the palace and cooperate with her to have Wei Wei deposed.
But after that, Nian Fey and Mikeal were still there. Hermes' support; pillars of the nation.
She needed to get rid of them too to weaken the empire to the point where Orse would be able to break free and isolate itself from the coming chaos.
~
I'm owing you guys a chapter and I'm working on it! Promise!