"It's not going to bite you." Her voice pierced the confines of my mind as I stared at the weird pasta-like item that she made as I weighed my choices. I didn't want to appear rude, so I ignored my misgivings, pierced the outer shell with my fork, and brought it to my lips. The smell wafted off up to my nose and gently caressed it, further loosening the last bits of my doubt.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself as I brought it closer to my lips. I pushed it into my mouth, tired of teasing myself. The heat radiated off of it in tantalizing waves and tickled my lips. The first wave was the taste of butter, thick with herbs as it flooded into my mouth, which quickly matched the pasta's light, fluffy taste. The flavors quickly melted together into one as I bit into it. "This is fantastic."
A low chuckle emanated from under her mask as she regarded me with her emerald orbs. "I'm glad you think so. Feel free to take a few more. I don't really have a way to keep them right now if you like." She waved her hand as she walked over to a table, pulled a chair out, and sat down.
I wandered over to the container and grabbed a few more of whatever she called it, and hurried to the table that she sat at. The palatines stood behind her and stared at me with an icy gaze. "Empress, where is Alessia?" I glanced nervously once more than I sat across from her.
"She's training with Nyx right now." She settled into her chair, interlaced her fingers, and regarded me with a guarded gaze.
Ah, yes, the princess. I was still shocked to see that she had a daughter. I was even more shocked to see that she looked to be only ten years of age. Even though she looked to be mostly human, it was still clear that she wasn't. Scales as black as night adorned her neck and faded into pale alabaster flesh. The most striking appearance, however, was her eyes. They looked just like the ones that were gazing at me now. "I'm far too aware of how that goes," I replied to her, but it was more for me in all reality.
"Do tell." She leaned forward in her seat and interlaced her fingers.
"I grew up in a noble house, so I was forced to do many things, some of which I never wished to know." I felt the start of a sad smile slowly cross my face as a mixture of regret and nostalgia found its way into my heart.
"Ah, well, I will only teach her what she needs to know in her case. Nobility has always had such strange customs. Some of which I'm not fond of." She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"That they do. But it's the way of the world." Saying those words made me feel weak. I wanted to change the world, but I still lacked the influence and power. It would take me a long time to get in a place where I could openly defy the norms without losing my head.
"That may be so. Where I come from, the nobility is all but extinct. Perhaps it's for the best." She nodded slowly as the words came in a whisper.
"What could have possibly happened that could ruin that?" The words that left my mouth were clad in astonishment.
"Cultural shifts mostly. Everyone saw that nobility had no merit. Though titles changed, so in a way, they evolved with the times. Not that they are totally extinct, mind you."
I tried to wrap my head around the fact that nobility didn't exist for her. Everything has always been split into those who serve and those who rule for all my life. To consider anything other than that really hurts my head a bit. "Tell me about where you come from, then." I tried to steer the conversation into an area that I felt a little more comfortable for me, all while trying to gather more information.
"Really, there isn't much to say. Though I feel that you aren't yet ready to learn about all of that just yet. Besides, you are here for the inauguration, no?" She sat forward again and interlaced her fingers. The black of her gloves seemed to drink the light from the various torches that lined the room. For the briefest of seconds, her eyes seemed to flicker as if they were a shifting pool of water.
"Ah, yes, it reminds me of something that I wanted to talk to you about." I was slightly annoyed that she said I wasn't ready, but I would drop it for now. After all, I came here for something important. "Kharon tells me that the inauguration is for a hero of some sort for Asteria."
"Ah yes! It's for Octavian. I've already held the private ceremony, so now it's just for formalities."
"I see, well, from what I heard from Kharon, I have a cause of concern. Empress, are you a necro..." As the words left my mouth, a gust of wind slammed into me, threatening to throw me from my chair. My plate of food was torn away and slammed into the ground with a heavy clatter.
"That's enough." The Empress' voice ripped through the air like an explosion, and I felt the cold tip of a spear pressed against my throat quiver slightly.
The two palatine guards that stood behind the Empress closed the distance in the time it took to blink and had their weapons drawn. The male had its spear pressed to my neck, and the female drew a long knife and pressed it into my chest. My heart strummed quickly as slivers of white-hot pain danced across my flesh.
At the command of the Empress, the two took a step back and quietly sheathed their weapons. But the fury that they restrained earlier was now roaring fire. "Please forgive them. No one here likes that word." She gestured for the two to come to join her once more.
I quickly smoothed out my shirt and wiped away some of the blood that had come to the surface of my flesh. "I suppose I should watch my words. Forgive me." The incident did wonders to restore humility within me and a healthy amount of fear. They moved faster than anything I've ever seen.
She cleared her throat and adjusted her cloak. "It's alright. I just didn't expect them to react how they did." She cleared her throat and sat back. "But to touch on what you said, no. While the dead may listen to my commands, I do not treat them like slaves. Everyone in my empire has a choice, and I will not punish them for it. In the case of Octavian, he came back to life of his own accord and will lead my legions once more, as he did in life."
"I understand that; I do. The issue is that the outside world may not see things as such. Many are already wary of you and the undead that inhabit your domain. So I suggest that you tread carefully for a time, at least until the world warms up to you." I rubbed the spear's spot and found the flesh warm and still wet with blood.
"I wouldn't worry about that. Just let me take care of it." Her emerald eyes glittered with wisdom as the words left her mouth with such self-assurance that I couldn't help but agree with her. Yet, I still wondered, what did she have planned?