Tomorrow Giselle would marry her lover, her rival.
Today, the emperor died.
Her poor father. He spent his life running after a woman who never loved him, wanting nothing but her in his arms and when he finally caught her, she took her own life. She was born that night, her first wails mingling with her mother's dying breath. They say her father's cries could be heard all the way to the capital. Some believed the emperor's love for the rebel queen to be an inspiration. Giselle thought it humiliating. How long had she wished for her father's love, wanting only for him to look at her, his daughter, his heir? It no longer mattered, she decided.
Giselle remembered the first time she saw Etienne. A small, shaking boy cowering behind his twin sister. She sneered at the sight of him. Thought he was weak, pathetic. The fear in his dark eyes was so palpable no one would believe he was a descendant of a goddess if they didn't already know. Her father bent over to whisper that he belongs to her, has since he won a war. A gift he said, for her birth since he couldn't be there. Giselle had never believed in her father's good intentions, but she believed Etienne had belonged to her.
Etienne must have seen through her, at that time. Seen her contempt and anger. He started working hard after their meeting, to be a good swordsman, a diplomat, a scholar. It made her nervous, she told her father as much. Why would he allow a traitor's son to learn all those things? It made him dangerous. Her father patted her head and said that perhaps, he wanted to be a good husband for her. The old fool. Giselle would have been happier if he'd simply been a pretty idiot for her to pamper but it is what it is. Etienne would have his own plans, she would be prepared for that. Not for nothing was he called "Son of the Goddess" by some. Once they were married, she'd have to crush any notions of his ever going against her.
Her father must have thought it neat and tidy. He had a daughter and the woman he loved had a son, a boy she designated her heir. They could marry and all threats to his realm would be gone. What a nice thought, forgetting that his own father had thought the same. Was he not supposed to marry Etienne's mother? Did she not run away from him in order to start a rebellion? Giselle would not let the same happen to her. When they were wed, Etienne would know his place beside her.
Today, she sat in the suite reserved for the consorts in Lusine. The rooms she was given were nowhere near as fine as the ones she had in Karom, but it was clear that Etienne had taken great pains to decorate it to her liking. She wasn't certain she would spend much time here, but she appreciated the effort. It was at least, warm and not as cold and drafty as she'd expected. The furniture were new and handmade by the finest artisans in Lusine. Embossed in the woodwork was her deer crest, and not the dove of Lusine.
Giselle took another look at her reflection in the mirror. She'd often been told she was the most beautiful woman in the empire. She shouldn't have any problems. Giselle knew the other noble ladies close to their age weren't as lovely as she was. Isla was his sister and interested only in women. Her husband's eyes would never stray from her, they'd say. He better not, she thought, gritting her teeth. Giselle refused to end up like her father, obsessing over someone he loved but didn't love him. Her father was handsome too, in his youth. Etienne and Isla's father was plain in comparison to him. Of course, beauty wasn't the reason the rebel queen married. Power, alliances, love, the babies. There were so many rumors Giselle didn't know what to believe.
Her Etienne wouldn't have married someone else. Maybe he could have, weeks ago, before she arrived in Lusine, but not now. The wedding was tomorrow. Tomorrow, she would be secure that he belonged to her. Etienne would love her, she'd make sure of it. He was already halfway there. Once they were wed, she'd have all the time she needed to make him love her. She had planned it all. The announcement of her father's death would come during the wedding banquet. Earlier than the ceremony and the wedding might be postponed out of decorum and respect for the late emperor.
Decorum and respect. Two things unfamiliar to Giselle who was raised to be the most powerful woman on this side of the world.
Giselle wouldn't have the wedding postponed for anything. Even if they announced her father's death during her wedding, she wouldn't have wanted to postpone it. Why would she? She ordered her father's death. Still, the nobles would have gotten and annoying to deal with.
"All the preparations are done, Your Highness. Your wedding will be talked about for decades." Her aide, Katya came up behind her, holding a paper envelope which she handed to her. "The information you requested about the priestesses."
Giselle took the envelope and scanned the documents inside. "This says they've been quiet since the rebel queen died. Are we sure there were no movements on their side?"
"What can the priestesses do? Their ritual failed and the heir was a man."
"I see." Giselle frowned. Her sources had told her that the ritual to awaken the goddess of war would only succeed if the person doing it- the ruler of Lusine- was a woman. Involuntarily, her hand went to her stomach. If the baby inside was a girl, would she be able to do it?
"Still, keep an eye on them and watch out for potential double agents."
"Of course, Your Highness."
"And Etienne? What has he been doing recently? It's been hard to keep track of him since the imperial envoys died shortly after their arrival." The death of the envoys sent with Etienne a few weeks ago had struck her as suspicious but she couldn't act on it. There were far more pressing things on her plate, such as her father's assassination. The deaths of a couple of weak nobles in the infamously harsh land of Lusine didn't require her notice as much.
"The imperial envoys had a weak constitution that made it difficult to adapt to Lusine's climate. Still, our spies report he's been touring the territory then holed himself up in the castle to wait for Your Highness."
"Is that so? Well, I couldn't blame him for wanting to see more of his country."
"Will he be staying here or with you in the capital after the wedding?"
Giselle didn't know how to answer that question. Of course, she'd want him to stay with her in the capital. It would make it easy for her to keep an eye on him that way. However, it would be a good thing to be seen as magnanimous in the first days of her rule.
"I'll allow him to split his time between the capital and Lusine."
"And the child?"
"I don't know yet." Somehow, Giselle felt uneasy. She knew the stress wasn't good for her child but she couldn't help it. The silence of the priestesses, something about it had felt ominous.
"It would be better to keep your child close, Your Highness. Especially a daughter."
"I know, Katya. Those priestesses must be planning something." There was surprisingly little resistance to her marriage to Etienne in Lusine, from what she gathered. Giselle thought there'd be riots at the very least but there were none.
The blood of the goddess of war and peace was special. It confered blessings upon her descendants, making them skilled in warfare and diplomacy. Even if she hadn't loved Etienne, marrying him would have been worth it for the benefits his blood would bring her heirs. A daughter with the blood of Lusine would undoubtedly be the perfect heir. Giselle stroked her stomach again, wondering at the little life contained within. Her and Etienne's child. A child not created by love, but necessity. Because of this child, Etienne wouldn't be able to leave her and he'd think twice before crossing her.
"Forgive me for saying so, but having a child with the duke is a gamble, Your Highness." Katya spoke again, disturbing her chain of thought.
"I know it's a risk and I might end up overestimating myself, but I consider it a worthwhile risk."
"I hope it's not a gamble you end up regretting, princess."
"A child is a blessing Katya," Giselle chided. "As empress, I'd need a heir and this child would do well."
"A descendant of the goddess on the throne would be a blessing for the empire, Your Highness."
"Has anyone outside our camp found out about father yet?"
"No, all the guards outside His Majesty's rooms belong to our ranks. We are still keeping the pretense that the emperor is ill and would receive no visitors."
Giselle hummed. There was still much to do. She was her father's only child so it shouldn't be too difficult for her to secure her position. She had no cousins to speak of either. It all felt too easy. After her birth, her father had dissolved the imperial harem and she had no plans for one- something she had long made clear. One less headache to think of, she supposed.
"Katya, make sure you monitor those priestesses in Lusine carefully. I'm certain they've been putting certain...ideas in Etienne's head."
"Of course, Your Highness."
Giselle's thoughts went back to her father. She wondered if he knew it was her who had him killed. Did he know how much she hated him? How did he feel knowing she would succeed where he failed? She walked over to where a mannequin was dressed in her wedding gown. Giselle ran her hands over the lace and diamonds sewn in, feeling the details of the dress. It was beautiful, made of pure silk. A little loose around the stomach, but her belly wouldn't be showing yet. Looking at it gave her a sense of security.
The wedding was tomorrow, she reminded herself. Most of the great nobles of the empire were here with her to celebrate. Outside her windows, she could hear the servants bustling to prepare. A great feast would be expected and entertainments would be prepared. The castle would have been cleaned weeks ago and decorations hung. She'd heard Yulran castle had been a bleak and dreary place before Etienne came back, as if in mourning for their dead queen. Today, it seemed so alive. Giselle wondered if they felt any hatred for her who was the daughter of the emperor who conquered their kingdom. They must have. She didn't car.
If Giselle had one regret, it's that she couldn't see her father's face as she triumphed.
Long live the empress.
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