A colorful atmosphere greeted her as tall green trees extended out throughout the vast field. The familiar scent of hyacinths filled her sense of smell while the young lady relaxed under the large beaming sun above her.
The sun's bright rays reflected on her long wavy blonde locks that cascaded down her back, giving it the illusion of having golden shimmers surrounding the young noble like a halo. Aquamarine hues tinted her iridescent eyes, resembling the color of ocean waves as it clashes amongst each other.
As she took a sip from her teacup, one of her ladies-in-waiting approached her in a swift manner.
"My lady, a big rumor is going around the Imperial Palace." She started, making the noble lady lift her eyebrow ever so slightly at the sudden news.
'A rumor? How serious could it be for Ophelia to come rushing to my side so quickly.' She thought.
"Continue." The Lady said, urging the woman to carry on with her words.
"It seems that the Emperor arrived from his hunting trip with a lowly female that got caught on one of this traps. His Majesty commanded the servants to bathe and take care of the injured girl and is currently residing there as we speak. A rumor had spread throughout the palace that the said female is a runaway slave and will become his mistress after her recovery." The brunette explained as the other ladies-in-waiting that accompanied the young lady gasped at the revelation.
"A runaway slave? That is preposterous!"
"Outrageous! Why should a mere slave be treated like of high status?!"
"This is highly absurd, it is an insult to Her Majesty!"
Aria frowned at the story, letting her ladies-in-waiting talk to each other in exasperated tones about the rumor.
"Cordelia, send Her Majesty a letter requesting an audience. I must visit the Empress after such a long while." She ordered as a brunette with shoulder length hair, a contrast to Ophelia's which reached her waist, nodded before leaving.
Meanwhile, inside the palace walls where the Imperial Empress of the Eastern Empire resided, two ladies-in-waiting were conversing about the same ongoing rumor.
"Gosh! I can't believe His Majesty!" The redhead exclaimed as she waved her arms around to further express her point.
"I agree.. We should only have to wait upon Her Majesty." The other lady agreed, her dark brown hair pulled into a neat bun as an ivory towel was laid on her arms.
"It's so obvious that she's a runaway slave– oh!" The red headed lady halted at the sight of the Empress. The two immediately attended to her aid, purposely avoiding to mention anything about the rumor.
Navier, who noticed their awfully quiet demeanor, asked. "Did something happen while I was away?"
In a millisecond, Laura blurted out. "Yes! And it's a very big deal!"
She then filled the unaware Empress in about the recent events and the so-called runaway slave the Emperor had apparently taken quite a liking to. After a while of explaining, she decided to inquire the Emperor about it later in the evening during their dinner together.
As her two loyal ladies-in-waiting prepared her for supper, an attendant came with a letter in his hands.
"Your Majesty, you have a letter from the House of Valea."
"It looks like the news have reached Lady Aria's ears as well." Navier concluded, accepting the letter as the attendant left to continue doing his other duties.
"Lady Aria? Does that mean she has finally returned?" Countess Eliza queried as Lady Laura vigorously nodded in excitement.
"Yes! I heard she just arrived a few days ago and is resting in the Valea Duchy after a long journey." Laura exclaimed.
"Clear my schedule tomorrow evening and inform Lady Aria to arrive." The two ladies-in-waiting nodded and did the last finishing touches of her hairdo.
***
"Greetings Your Majesty, it's been a while since we've last met." Aria curtsied as soon as she entered the Empress' bedchamber.
"Indeed it is. Lady Aria, I presume you want to confirm the validity of the rumor you heard?" She asked with a knowing look, making Aria lightheartedly chuckle at how Navier saw right through her.
"That is half true, but what I truly wish is to spend the evening with my dear friend." She admitted, taking a seat in front of Navier as the ladies-in-waiting served them desserts of their liking.
"How is your trip to the Southern Empire?"
"Spectacular, the sunset view from the beach is one that I will always remember. You should visit it someday when you have the time." Aria answered with a delighted smile, reminiscing of her time on the foreign land.
"I shall keep that in mind." Navier replied as a smile reached her face, ecstatic at the presence of her close friend that just arrived a few days ago.
The young lady's vacation had lasted several months. Her hair had grown much more longer than the last time they have met, one of the signs of her long absence.
"Speaking of which, I brought chamomile tea with me. Its main ingredient, well, chamomile, are specially farmed on Avonlea which gives it a much more greater taste than the ones harvested from other fields. It tastes especially sweet." Aria described, beckoning one of her ladies-in-waiting to show the souvenir she brought for the Empress.
"Thank you, Lady Aria. I can truly see that you enjoyed the entirety of your vacation." Navier pointed out, taking note of the much more lively aura that surrounded the young lady ever since she arrived from her trip.
She signaled Ophelia to prepare the tea she came with as they continued conversing. After hours had passed, the sun had finally set and the moon appeared to replace its empty spot along with many shimmering stars that covered the dark sky. The two women finally decided to retire for the night, with a promise from Lady Aria who will visit her once again in a few days.
***
The sight of the various flowers planted around the garden made Aria's smile widen as she continued to admire them. Her and Navier were strolling through the pathway having a nice conversation about the upcoming New Year's Ceremony when their peaceful walk was suddenly disrupted.
"Is that her?" A woman with long ivory locks asked, making the pair look around at what the ruckus was about.
"Shh! No, Lady Rashta!" The servant hushed but the young girl did not listen, attempting to approach them only to fall from her wheelchair. Still, the girl remain just as eager to talk with the two nobles.
"Oh! Hello!" She greeted them innocently.
Navier looked in mild confusion whilst Aria's expression remained indifferent. Just from her demeanor, Aria can tell that the girl had no prestigious status of the sorts. After a moment, they decided to continue walking the other way till a voice shouted.
"Oh! H-hey!"
'She's the Empress of the Eastern Empire and yet this mere commoner, speaks so casually as if she is close to her?' Aria thought as she frowned at the girl, disapproving for her lack of manner.
"We should just leave."
"You mustn't, Lady Rashta."
The two servants that were assisting her said in hushed tones, alarmed at the presence of the Empress and Lady, both whom held a higher status compared to the girl they are in charge of taking care of.
"Hi, I'm Rashta." She introduced herself to the surprise of both figures.
"Hello, Rashta." Navier replied, making Aria turn to her in confusion as to why she would entertain this rude girl. But she stayed silent, knowing that the chances of them meeting again would be slim anyways.
Giving each other a meaningful look, they both turned away once again only to be abruptly stopped. Rashta hastily held on to fabric of Navier's dress only to accidentally pull Aria's lavender dress when she lost balance, which lead for the exquisite material to tear apart. The incident caused several gasps from the servants, looking at the two nobles in fright for their expected reaction.
"My Lady!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Oops." The ivory haired girl said timidly, tears starting to fall from her eyes.
"How insolent!" Countess Eliza exclaimed, pulling away Rashta's hands away from the two highly respectable nobles.
"Oh, I-I..." She stuttered. "I'm sorry... I wanted to call out to you, but I didn't know what to call you."
She directly looked at the Empress, completely ignoring Lady Aria whose dress she created a huge tear. This made the Lady in question fume in anger, clenching her hands together while glaring at the girl.
As a member of the House of Valea, the family that ruled the largest dukedom of the Empire, they produce the finest of fabrics that are often used by the Imperial family and families of high status because of its high quality. She, herself, was not too bothered by the tear because she can easily replace it with one of her many other dresses. But what made the Lady of Valea particularly enraged was the reason that lead to the tear.
Seeing that same woman outrightly disrespect the Empress of the Empire she lives in made her furious. She was originally planning to remain neutral to the awkward situation, not until the mere commoner dared pull her clothing with no hesitation.
"You dare treat the Empress and I in such a manner? Have you no shame?" Aria retorted with a cold gaze. Although her tone was calm and steady and her facial expression remained stoic, everyone knew that it was far from what the lady was truly feeling at the moment.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Rashta apologized as tears continued to pour down her cheeks. The girl's action only made her even more enraged than she already was.
Because how dare she act like the victim? When she was the one who initiated this entire commotion.
"Her Majesty is the Empress of the Eastern Empire! And Lady Aria is the daughter of the Duke of Valea, one of the most prestigious Dukedom of the Eastern Empire! Watch your behavior!" Laura exclaimed with a deep scowl.
"Pardon? I-I mean, I know she's the Empress." Rashta's statement made the servants' eyes widen at their lady's lack of acknowledgement to the other Lady.
If it were any other noble, they would have made a huge fit. However, Lady Aria only continued to look at the white haired girl with no emotion with no intention of speaking.
"You know who I am?" Navier questioned.
"I'm indebted to His Majesty for letting me stay in the Eastern Palace." The girl answered as the two nobles had began to put the pieces together.
'So this is the filthy slave that the Emperor took under his wing. How pathetic.' Lady Aria bitterly thought as her two ladies-in-waiting, Ophelia and Cordelia, came to her aid.
Cordelia examined the large tear with a disappointed sigh while Ophelia joined Laura in glaring at the unwanted girl.
"Ah yes. The slave?" Navier queried.
"I-I.." Rashta stuttered at the Empress' answer as one of her servants came rushing to her side. "Your Majesty! Please excuse her insolence, but Lady Rashta is not a slave."
Lady Aria lifted one of her eyebrows at the servant's words. 'Even a child of a commoner would have better etiquette than her.'
"I see."
"But I'm so glad to have met you! I've been meaning to go say hello but wasn't sure when I should." The girl's words surprised the both of them.
"Say hello?" Navier questioned.
"Well, we'll be seeing more of each other, so it's only right that I introduce myself."
The Lady Valea was genuinely surprised at the amount of audacity that ivory haired girl contained within herself. Especially of her ability to say all of those things so easily. "So what should I call you?"
"Call her, Her Majesty The Empress." Aria answered for the Empress, maintaining her composure as much as possible.
"...Pardon?" Rashta said but it was only ignored as they turned their back on her and began to leave.
"Oh...Wait–" As she attempted to reach out to them once again, Ophelia slapped her hand from coming closer to them.
"You insolent brat! How dare you act so familiar!" She scoffed with fury. Laura, who went to her side as well, shouted.
"You filthy wench!"
"Who are you calling a 'filthy wench'?" A voice from behind them spoke. Turning around, they saw the Emperor Sovieshu with two guards on his two sides approaching the crowd of people.
"Y-Your Majesty...!" All of the servants and ladies-in-waiting immediately curtsied in respect to the Emperor. Lady Aria curtsied as well, side glancing him as he came closer.
For a moment, the Emperor and Empress made eye contact before Sovieshu went pass the two nobles in order to aid the pitiful looking girl that was still laying on the ground.
"Rashta!" He kneeled next to the girl and put his coat around her as he continued to comfort her. "Oh dear... Don't cry..."
The scene extremely disgusted Aria, but she maintained a neutral expression because of the Emperor's presence. It would only cause trouble to her family if His Majesty saw her sour look towards his precious soon-to-be mistress.
"Didn't I just told you to stop crying? I really can't take my eyes off you for a moment."
"We shall take our leave as my feet are aching." Navier stated as Aria followed suite, walking alongside her as they take their leave.
"Wait. Stop, Empress." Because of the Emperor's statement, she turned to look at him with a questioning gaze.
'When can we finally leave? This filthy commoner's presence is irritating me.' Aria thought, not making a move to turn back for she deem it to be a waste of energy.
"What is it, Your Majesty?" Navier asked.
"That lady-in-waiting." He pointed at the red headed girl who flinched at the mention.
"Leave her here with me, Empress." Sovieshu said which made Aria furrow her eyebrows.
'Don't tell me he wants to scold her for what she said...'
"If you tell me what for, first." Navier opposed firmly.
"She is my lady-in-waiting."
"Yes, she is your lady-in-waiting. But she is also a citizen of my Empire."
The tense atmosphere suddenly became even more tense than it had previously been.
Beckoning a guard to come closer, Sovieshu deckared. "Lock her up for three days."
His order made Aria turned to look at him in surprise. She didn't expect for the Emperor to go this far, was that filth really that important to him?
"Your Majesty that's quite excessive!" Navier exclaimed.
"Excessive? This girl is injured and under my care. Yet your lady-in-waiting called her a 'filthy wench.'" He furiously said as the girl clutched to him like a poor damsel in distress. "But you still think my punishment is excessive?"
"No, Your Majesty! It's not excessive at all!" Laura proclaimed which made Navier looked at her in surprise. "Laura..!"
"It seems we're finished here then. You may take you leave." Sovieshu said before turning to leave, the ivory haired girl still in his embrace.
Aria went to Navier's side with a frown on her face. The girl had just arrived in the Imperial Palace a few days ago yet there has already been this much damage, what more trouble is awaiting for them in the future?