The Remarried Empress — Chapter 4

YES, SHE IS YOUR LADY-IN-WAITING. BUT, SHE IS ALSO A CITIZEN OF MY EMPIRE.

LOCK HER UP FOR THREE DAYS.

YOUR MAJESTY, THAT'S QUITE EXCESSIVE!

EXCESSIVE?

THIS GIRL IS INJURED AND UNDER MY CARE. YET YOUR LADY-IN-WAITING CALLED HER A "FILTHY WENCH."

BUT YOU STILL THINK MY PUNISHMENT EXCESSIVE?

NO, YOUR MAJESTY!

I-IT'S NOT EXCESSIVE AT ALL!

LAURA...!

IT SEEMS WE'RE FINISHED HERE THEN. YOU MAY TAKE YOUR LEAVE.

3 DAYS LATER

I PERSONALLY WENT UP TO THE TOWER LAURA HAD BEEN LOCKED AWAY IN AND BROUGHT HER BACK.

I THEN HAD HER BATHED IN MY ROOM...

...AND HAD JUST FINISHED PREPARING HER FAVORITE DESSERTS...

...WHEN...

HIS MAJESTY WANTS TO SEE ME?

PARDON ME FOR INTERRUPTING, BUT YES... HIS ORDER WAS TO TAKE YOU TO HIM IMMEDIATELY.

FINE.

LET'S GO.

HER MAJESTY IS HERE TO SEE YOU, YOUR MAJESTY.

YOU CALLED?

AH, YES. EMPRESS.

I HEARD YOU INSISTED ON PERSONALLY ESCORTING THE GIRL I'D LOCKED UP.

DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO?

ARE YOU ASKING WHY I HAD TO PERSONALLY ATTEND TO HER WHEN YOU EXPRESSLY HAD HER PUNISHED?

SO YOU KNOW.

AND YOU STILL TENDED TO HER...

WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD HER THROWN OUT INSTEAD.

IT'S UNJUST TO THROW OUT A SERVANT PUNISHED FOR BEING DEVOTED TO ME.

MOREOVER, HER ACTIONS WERE WELL WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF COMMON SENSE.

SO.

YOU INSIST ON KEEPING HER BY YOUR SIDE?

SHE'LL ALREADY BE A LAUGHINGSTOCK FOR BEING PUNISHED FOR HAVING A SHARP WORD WITH A MERE RUNAWAY SLAVE WHO'S YET TO EVEN BE A MISTRESS.

WHO I APPOINT AS MY LADY-IN-WAITING IS MY PREROGATIVE.

BUT IF I ALSO HAVE HER EXILED FROM THE COURT, SHE'LL BE OSTRACIZED FROM SOCIETY.

LAURA GOT PUNISHED BECAUSE I'D BEEN OUTDONE BY RASHTA THAT TIME, BUT THIS IS AS FAR AS IT GOES.

THIS QUIBBLE WITH YOU TIRES ME.

WHY CAN'T YOU JUST OBEDIENTLY DO AS I SAY FOR ONCE?

WHAT?

OBEDIENTLY DO AS YOU SAY?

THE EMPRESS...

...IS NOT SOMEONE WHO IS HERE TO BE AT YOUR BECK AND COMMAND, YOUR MAJESTY.

THAT'S WHY I CAN'T HELP BUT COMPARE YOU TWO!

COMPARE ME?

...WITH WHOM?

I'M TIRED. YOU MAY GO.

I'M THIRSTY...

SIGH...

HAVE YOU CALLED...

HMM?

...YOUR MAJESTY♡?

RASHTA?

SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU WORKED AS AN ATTENDANT?

WELL,

I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY RIGHT THAT I DO MY FAIR SHARE TO HELP!

SO YOU WILL BE MY ATTENDANT?

YES!

WHAT AN AMUSING GIRL YOU ARE.

YOU STRUGGLE TO EVEN WALK. HOW COULD YOU DO AN ATTENDANT'S JOB?

IT'S QUITE ALL RIGHT FOR YOU TO REST. HERE. HAVE SOME PUMPKIN PIE INSTEAD.

WOW!

PUMPKIN PIE!

ARE YOU THIS EXCITED OVER A SIMPLE PIE?

IT'S NOT JUST ANY PIE!

I GIVE THE EMPRESS EXPENSIVE JEWELS AND HER REACTION IS SO FRIGID.

BUT IT TAKES SO LITTLE TO MOVE YOU TO JOY. HOW FASCINATING.

IS THE EMPRESS NOT PLEASED WITH YOUR GIFTS?

SHE IS. AND I KNOW SHE IS GRATEFUL, BUT SHE'S QUITE RESERVED AND ONLY SHOWS THE BAREST FLICKERS OF EMOTION.

IT MUST BE BECAUSE... SHE GREW UP WITHOUT KNOWING A DAY OF HARDSHIP. SHE DOESN'T KNOW HOW HARSH THE WORLD IS.

SHE PROBABLY TAKES HER GIFTS OF PRECIOUS GEMS FOR GRANTED.

HMM?

I-I DON'T MEAN TO SPEAK ILL OF HER!

I-I JUST MEAN IT'S LIKE THAT FOR ANYONE WHO'S BEEN RAISED WITH PLENTY.

IT WOULD BE THE SAME FOR YOU IF YOU WERE GIVEN LARGE GEMS AS GIFTS. I'M SURE YOU WOULD FEEL INDIFFERENT...

I SEE.

MY PREY IS CLEVERER THAN SHE SEEMS.

OH, POOH...

YOU'RE ALWAYS CALLING ME YOUR PREY.

UM, BUT YOUR MAJESTY...

...YOU SAID YOU WOULD MAKE ME YOUR MISTRESS.

THAT'S RIGHT.

IT SEEMED LIKE THE EMPRESS DIDN'T KNOW...

IT'S NO MATTER. THERE'S NO RUSH, IS THERE? WE'LL TAKE IT SLOW.

DON'T WORRY YOUR PRETTY LITTLE HEAD. I HAVE A PLAN IN MIND.