They turned down a hallway and entered a large courtyard with a French country design. The smell of lavender, lemon, and mint entered his senses and filled him with a sense of tranquility. The hall on this side was outside and several topiaries lined the wall while one side was open to the courtyard garden. A guard stood at the end of the hall. When he saw Shaugn approach, he stood straighter and bowed.
"Greetings, your majesty."
Shaugn nodded in response. "Greetings. How are things in the harem?"
"They are quiet, majesty. The consorts are having tea in the back garden."
"I'll go take a look."
"Yes, your majesty." The guard took a wooden tube the length of a pinky and as thin as a pencil and blew into one end. A moment later, a stern-looking woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun approached them. She was dressed in a light blue gown tied with a white obi-style belt. She looked at Shaugn with dark beady eyes.
"Your majesty." She bowed.
Shaugn channeled his experience with tv dramas and historical movies into an aloof and arrogant demeanor. "I'm here to check on the harem. Please inform the kitchen I will be joining them for tea."
"Yes, your majesty. " She waved her hand at a young servant following behind her. Then she turned back to Shaugn. "Follow me this way."
They took a short walk and entered a covered courtyard surrounded by a low hedge and peonies. Three women and two men were seated at the table. They all stood up as Shaugn entered. These were the consorts that had the highest status within the harem. The women had given birth to children and the men were of high birth. As Shaugn passed by, he made sure to give them all an assessing gaze.
A woman wearing a yellow dress with red flowers embroidered on it, spoke. "We were told his majesty wanted us to go to his place for lunch tomorrow. Why did you come here today?"
Arching his brow at her tone, Shaugn stood at the head of the table and clasped his hands behind his back. No one else spoke. The people with him were frowning at the woman who spoke. Nirik stepped forward to speak but Shaugn's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
This woman was the ambitious maid who became the third consort. Her name was Shilian. She had given birth to a son and a daughter for the emperor. But her son was not the first son. That honor belonged to the second consort -Sieh. Shilian's son would have been the second son had she not played her games.
During Sieh's second pregnancy, she'd been poisoned and her son was born a month early. Had that not happened, Shilian's son would have been the second born and one step closer to the throne. He was now the third in line. If nothing happened to the other two princes, he'd probably never be the emperor. The third consort had been bitter since.
Shaugn looked her up and down. There was no doubt in his mind who it was that enjoyed using poison to achieve their ends. He was sure two of these present, if not more, were responsible for OG's misery and the death of his father and first child.
He smiled. "It is considered standard practice to greet someone with a 'hello' or 'good morning' first."
There were a few chuckles. Shilian's cheeks burned. She stuck her nose in the air and snorted as if she was the empress. "Hello. Why are you here?"
"Even I know a 'your majesty' should be attached on there somewhere," Nirik chastised. A man at the end of the table snorted.
Annoyance was beginning to show on Shilian's face. She grit her teeth and clenched her hand into a fist. "Your majesty. Why are you here?" she ground out.
With a shrug, Shaugn sat in the empty seat. "I wanted to come. Do I need your permission?" His brown eyes sparkled with ridicule. "I thought I was the empress and so on."
The muscle in her jaw twitched and she flopped into her chair.
One of the male consorts had a long scar that cut diagonally from the top right of his face to the bottom left. He gave Shaugn a warm smile. "Majesty, I see you've recovered."
His name was Dane and he was the third son of the general in charge of the western army still under his father's rule. Dane had been taken hostage along with several other soldiers during a battle. During the ten days they were held, Dane and the others were tortured mercilessly. The emperor's policy at the time was not to negotiate with the enemies and so they had ignored requests to surrender.
Twelve-year-old Xoan had led a team of highly trained men behind enemy lines to rescue the prisoners and burn down the enemies' stables and granaries. Disgraced by the appearance of his once handsome and strong son, the general disowned him. After all, who would want to marry a disfigured soldier. He kicked him out of his home and left him penniless on the streets.
Xoan was never a fan of such archaic practices. He took Dane as a consort in name and the others he found them work around the palace. Dane was in charge of the guards' training and got along well with Shaugn.
Shaugn nodded. "Indeed. Thank you for asking, Dane." Akechi and Kazim set down dishes in front of him and Radagar tested his food. He looked at Nirik. "Did you eat?"
"I did, majesty."
"Very well. You may take Daga and roam but stay away from the private quarters and stay out of trouble."
"Thank you, majesty."
Shaugn sipped on the aromatic tea and tasted one of the snacks. The others watched him for a moment not daring to speak. He smiled and motioned to their unattended plates.
"Please, eat. Don't mind me."
The man at the end of the table took a bite of his fruit and smirked. "I'm glad to see you about, majesty. For a while, I thought you've become brain dead."
"You mean he wasn't before?" A woman with wheat colored hair spoke. Sieh.
Akechi started forward. Shaugn held his hand up to stop her and smiled. Now wasn't the time to get even with any of these...amateurs. He had other things to take care of first. "As you can see I have not."
"We must thank the gods," she snarked.
Shaugn smiled. He couldn't wait to start dealing with these people. "At any rate, I came to personally ensure that you all received the invitation. Everyone is expected to attend."
"What if we're ill, majesty?"
Shaugn couldn't help but smirk. "Then have someone drag your half-dead ass to the dining table."
Heads whipped in his direction and eyes widened. Dane and another consort had large smiles on their faces. Shaugn gave a small shrug then took a sip of his tea. "If you don't show, it will be noticed by his majesty who will be in attendance. You don't show him respect by attending, I dock your allowance."
The other male raised his brows. "I was under the impression he was leaving the kingdom today."
Shaugn raised a brow. That information had been fed to the members of the court so Xoan could lounge at home a few days before he left. How did word reach the harem? Seems there were some loose lips running about. "As far as I'm aware, he will be joining us tomorrow."
"Then we shall see you both there," Dane replied.
Shaugn looked around the table. "Be sure to inform the others who aren't here." He took another sip of his tea then dabbed the corners of his mouth. "I need to be going. Excuse me."
The others stood as well.
"Until tomorrow, your majesty."
"Be well."
Shaugn leisurely made his way back to his room. The weather matched his mood, sunny and bright. Those consorts were nothing compared to the people of the 21st century. Shaugn had four sisters and watched plenty of tv. He could throw shade with the best of them. But he wouldn't let himself get too cocky. After all, these people were used to bullying OG Shaugn who had been worn down over time. He didn't need them to suspect something by his sudden shift in personality.
He went to the desk in the room and took out a sheet of paper and pencil. He wanted to list every movie he had seen about the past and royalty. Then he wanted to write every dastardly thing characters had done. Before he could scratch the first word, Kazim cleared his throat.
Shaugn looked up to see the four people he brought to the harem looking at him. "What's up?"
They all looked up at the ceiling s if expecting to see something. Shaugn facepalmed. He had to remind himself they weren't up on phrases and words from his time.
"The sky is up," Kazim replied.
Nirik pointed. "As is the ceiling."
"That light is also up," Akechi said.
Radagar was looking up with a frown. "Are we looking for anything specific, majesty?"
"It's an expression," Shaugn muttered.
They looked at him and frowned.
"I don't mean what's up as in over our heads," Shaugn explained. "I mean what's up as in what is happening – what is on your mind."
"Ooooohhhhh."
Shaugn shook his head. He needed to be more careful with his words in the future.
Akechi rushed forward and touched his shoulder. "Majesty, those people were horrid towards you."
"I agree. You should have allowed me to teach them some manners," Radagar put his hand on the handle of the whip hanging on his right hip. Akechi, Kazim, and Nirik nodded.
Nirik crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his nose in the air. "They were too disrespectful. Do they think you beneath them? You're the empress of the whole land. Some shabby consort isn't fit to lick the ground before you walk on it."
Shaugn covered his mouth and chuckled. "I thank you all for your feelings but I am not in the least bit perturbed by them and their antics."
"But-"
"Your majesty-"
"Brother-in-law-"
He held his hand up silencing their protests. Nirik huffed and stomped his foot. The veins in Radagar's neck bulged. Akechi gripped the sides of her skirt as if to tear it apart.
Shaugn smiled. At least these four he knew he could rely upon and trust. "I'm not concerned because I have plans for them."
"Oh?"
The tip of the pen tapped against the desk as Shaugn stared off to the side. "I've been slack since the death of Po-my poor father."
Their faces changed.
"I've been keeping a mental record of every wrong deed done to me and those close to me." He stroked a hand over his belly. "Before this little one is born, I will take my pound of flesh from every one of them that should pay."
Nirki clapped with excitement. "It's about time."
Kazim and Akechi smiled at each other. "What do you need us to do, your majesty?"
He smiled mischievously. "You'll know when the time is right."