I stopped our walk sharply at the news. Scarlet?
“Scarlet?” I repeated out loud. “How’s that even possible?”
Before answering, Marigold grabbed the sleeve of my dress and dragged me behind her quickly to a hidden alcove. She took a quick look around the other side to make sure that no one was around at whispered quickly,
“The Royal Physician went to her room early this morning. Next thing I saw him speak to the Head Maid and she looked way to happy for whatever he told her. Then, she ordered more maids to attend to Scarlet from now on and for new baby clothes to be sown at once.”
A pregnancy in the palace was a massive deal. It was the only true way for a concubine to be promoted to the status of Royal Consort, where the emperor would bestow a special title that best represented her importance to him. This…odd revelation meant that Scarlet would be moving into her own palace soon but there was one thing that troubled me.
“How did Rowan react?”
“Who do you think called the Royal Physician in the first place?”
This was making my head spin. It made no sense at all.
Rowan and Scarlet were pretty close in the harem. Just like Marigold and I, they were rarely ever seen apart, with a small group of admiring concubines following them who hoped to remain in their favour in case any one of them were to ascend to the Dragon Consort.
They had been summoned to attend the emperor more times than anyone in the last four years and it was only in the last month when rumours flew around that Rowan had not been invited to the emperor’s bed at all, while Scarlet continued to be blessed with his favour. Anyone who had met the two would immediately be able to tell who held more power over the other; Scarlet was practically following Rowan’s every move like a dog on a bejeweled leash. Did she give up her power? Was it true that she was taking contraceptive tea to avoid-
“Do you think Rowan planned this?” I asked the question
“Of course she did! What I wanna know is why she let her pet get pregnant with a prince-“
“She’s having a prince?”
Marigold laughed bitterly at my panicked question. She knew as well as I why her giving birth to a prince would be terrible for the harem.
“Those are the clothes the Head Maid requested. Apparently she’s showing signs of a royal heir. She’s already a few weeks in.”
“They hid the pregnancy”, I realised. “Rowan wanted to be sure it was a prince.”
The abortions that lower concubines had were an open secret in the Pavilion. Having a daughter was nice in theory but one only received larger accommodations with the singular shared title of Honorable Consort. The emperor’s usually gave up trying to have another child with his honorable consorts because they were written off as only being able to produce female children and they often lived the rest of their lives being bullied by the higher ranking consorts who lord their princes over their heads.
For the number of times that Scarlet and Rowan warmed the emperor’s bed, it must have been odd that neither one fell pregnant until now. Of course it was due to the sweet smelling tea that they often drank a few days after their coupling, effectively getting rid of any disappointing descendents that had been forming in their wombs.
It was the same with a lot of girls in the harem. Some, like me, feared even falling pregnant in the first place so they often drank a small cup of contraceptive tea every morning to ever prevent it from happening.
Everyone had to keep quiet about these acts of…treason. Bribing the maids and eunuchs for their silence was extremely important for the sake of one’s life and it wasn’t uncommon to suddenly find one of them dead if they got too bold with threatening the guilty concubines.
“This is…bad,” What a lame way to describe it but it was the only thing I could think to say. “Is his majesty coming to see her?”
My question was answered by a loud chorus of bells and trumpets coming from the entrance of the Pavilion. We were quite far from the entrance but the sounds of His Majesty’s joyous arrival travelled like a storm towards us.
“We need to go,” Marigold said softly.
Breaking into a light run to reach Scarlet’s courters before the emperor’s entourage, my steps felt like lead pulling me down with each step. I was not scared to see the emperor. We saw him often enough during banquets, ceremonies and festivals. No…I was scared of him seeing me…
Scarlet’s residence was a mess of my fellow concubines trying to find an advantageous spot to kneel for when the emperor arrived. Like all of us, she had a fairly large private garden with a decorated path leading up to her door. The paths were lined with thick rose bushes, which made it uncomfortable as I plopped down near her elegant seating area just at the foot of her door.
Marigold tugged my sleeve sharply to call my attention to the blessed concubine herself.
The sun paled in comparison to the glow that Scarlet was emitting as she sat on a lavish palanquin, draped in silk curtains and golden jewels. Her smile was blinding; perfect teeth on display under her favourite blood-red lipstick. Her cheeks were flushed prettily as her gaze was fixed on the entrance. Her bright, red hair hung loose, framing her face and curling at the ends, with a modest crown made of gold and emerald jewels.
She wore an off-shoulder, soft peach-coloured dress with shear sleeves down to her wrist. I knew her feet were bare, as was the custom for all pregnant women in the palace in order to keep them off their feet as much as possible. Her hands sat clasped in her lap and she didn’t as much as glance down at us from her position.
While she did make for an admirable sight, there was another knelt just to the right of her that was far more…interesting, to say the least.
Rowan Kytalian was a goddess compared to Scarlet. Being the only daughter of the General of the Kytalian Clan (a clan that the empress hailed from as well), she often presented an image of power and beauty that was impossible to ignore. Her ebony skin (a few shades darker than mine) was free of any blemishes or marks, smooth like butter on warm, freshly baked bread. Her high cheek bones, thick eyelashes, pouty lips and delicate nose made her the standard for all nobility and peasant alike. There were even rumours that poems had already been written about her; official records that would be passes down in history for generations to come.
She had short, silver hair that curled like ringlets atop her head. Children of noble birth were forbidden from cutting their hair until marriage, as it was believed that it was their partner’s right and honour to be the first to carry out such an intimate task. When Rowan had entered into the Purity Courtyard, many had audibly gasped at this bold and unconventional break in tradition. And as our hair weighed down on our delicate shoulders and backs from the torrential rain, Rowan’s merely clung to the sides of her face and stretched down the expanse of her neck.
Her confidence showed in the manner of her dress too. She often wore dresses with plunging necklines, tight belts to synch in her waist, and high slits that revealed her long, soft legs. However, her most impressive feature was her eyes. Underneath the thick, silver eyelashes lay a mesmerising pair of mismatched eye; the left one a brilliant blue and the right one a honey brown. Such eyes were extremely rare in our kingdom and they were prophesised as a sign of great fortune and blessings by our Oracles.
Currently, Rowan wore a cerulean dress with patterns of white snow tracing up the skirt and a simple sapphire hairpin on the side of her head. She had a pleasant smile on her face, almost looking bored as her eyes drooped slightly, but we all knew this was an act. While Scarlet was spitfire with no filter, often displaying her distaste openly, Rowan was more cunning and dangerously misleading about her intentions. Her cool and calm visage has led to many foolish concubines believing that she was obtuse to their plotting against her and it was no secret that she had disposed of them viciously and efficiently for it.
I avoided her at all costs when we were all housed in the Pavilion together. My mother drilled in the warning signs to look for in the palace and Rowan’s alpha female presence on that first day was more than enough for me. We had only been caught in a conversation once when Scarlet recognised me when I ran into them during one of my quests to find a quiet spot away from the Emperor’s eyes.
Scarlet prattled on about her excitement for being summoned to the Emperor’s bed so early on since our arrival, but Rowan remained quiet through it all, piercing me with her heavy, scrutinising gaze. It was only when I made and excuse to leave that her silky voice said from behind me,
“I hope to see you again soon, Kiva.”
I shuddered at the memory of that chillingly sweet voice travelling through me like a spear made of ice. It was simple, quite possible friendly too, but the feeling it gave me was hallow and I felt those beautifully cold eyes locked onto my back as I continued to walk away from them.
“His Majesty has arrived!”
My attention was pulled by the entourage that had arrived through the elaborate, decorative archway. Everyone straightened as much as they could from where they were kneeling when His Majesty stepped out from behind his guards. To honour the pregnancy of one of his concubines, his Majesty must walk The Divine Steps from the Palace to the concubine or consort’s residence. The distance between the Palace and the Pavilion of Purity was fairly long and I’m almost certain that they used a palanquin until they got to the entrance.
The eunuchs and maids bowed deeply, while the guards knelt down on one knee, their armor clinking and scrapping on the ground. His Majesty's shoes clicked at a steady rhythm as he walked towards his beaming concubine. His grand, gold robes swished as they dragged behind him. They had a gorgeous embroidery consisting of chrysanthemums that tapered off as they rose higher towards his shoulders. His royal pendant dangled from his silver belt; a delicate piece made of white jade that was fashioned into the shaped of a dragon.
The emperor himself was a handsome man, though his pale complexion looked sickly under his royal garb. His sunken eyes seemed larger than normal above the dark under-eyes that must now reside permanently on his face. He had a stern, focused look and his presence still managed to command attention and respect, but anyone who looked closely enough could see the way his body shook slightly with each step. The smell of rose water and jasmine flooded my nostrils when he strode by and I ducked my head to bow, praying silently that that he wouldn’t stop in front of me.
None of us knew what illness had befallen His Majesty but many speculated that it may have come from an attempt on his life by one of his brothers. The Princes of The Gold Empire serve as His Majesty’s personal advisors and generals. They all hold important positions in his court and, in theory, they are his most loyal and faithful protectors. However, because each Prince is normally bestowed their own land, palaces and citizens to rule over, it is not uncommon for some of them to covert more power by building up their own armies and wealth.
His Majesty was not old enough for the illness to be considered natural, and hundreds of physicians from distance lands were brought in to figure out what it was. None of them succeeded and his condition deteriorated to the point where he ordered the Empress to tend to his court in his place.
The Empress.
She didn’t accompany His Majesty to see Scarlet today. It was not strictly required of her and once His Majesty promotes Scarlet to the position of a Consort, they would see one another almost everyday anyway. Scarlet bragged for months about being a cousin to the Empress and the thought of her receiving an official title-
I could already feel a headache coming on.
“Welcome, your Majesty!” Scarlet beamed. She jumped up, clasped her hands elegantly to her chest and gave a shallow bow that was normally reserved for high-ranking Consorts. From my vantage point, her midsection appeared flat and normal, no apparent trace of her pregnancy yet.
Rowen rose up slower than Scarlet had and offered a more appropriate bow, linking her fingers and stretching her arms out further in front of her as she gave a waist-high bow.
“Welcome, your Majesty,” we chorused. “May your blessings overflow.”
The Emperor stepped up the short, stone steps on shaky legs and reached out his right hand for Scarlet. She squeaked and grabbed it excitedly. I heard Marigold cough out a laugh behind me and I slapped her thigh. She hit me back and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
His Majesty waved his left hand to dismiss us without turning back, and led Scarlet through the open doors of her rooms. She tripped over her long skirts to match in step with him and nodded at Rowen, who reciprocated in kind before following them in a few steps behind. The soldiers marched between us to stand outside the door and around the Scarlet’s residence, while the eunuchs shuffled in after Rowen and the maids.
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