The Remarried Empress — Chapter 7

DO YOU THINK THE BIRD WILL COME VISIT AGAIN?

I DO HOPE IT RETURNS, AND WITH ANOTHER LETTER!

I SHOULD THINK IT WILL BE BACK, AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T LOSE ITS WAY.

AHH! MY HEART IS ALL AFLUTTER FROM THE EXCITEMENT!

I WONDER WHOSE BIRD IT IS!

... YOUR MAJESTY?

AH, YOU'VE FINALLY RETURNED, EMPRESS.

WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE... ?

I BELIEVE RASHTA WILL NEED HER VERY OWN LADY-IN-WAITING.

BUT FINDING A WILLING NOBLE HAS BEEN DIFFICULT.

OH.

...AND I'D BEEN HAVING SUCH A PLEASANT DAY.

IT'S OBVIOUS THEY'RE ALL BEING CAUTIOUS BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T JOINED IN ON THE SEARCH. SO!

I WANT YOU TO LEAD THE SEARCH IN FINDING RASHTA HER LADY-IN-WAITING.

MY CHEST FEELS STRANGELY HEAVY.

VERY WELL.

GOOD. I'M COUNTING ON YOU.

YOUR MAJESTY!

MUST YOU REALLY BE THE ONE TO FIND THAT WOMAN'S LADY-IN-WAITING?

WHY, I HEARD EVEN HIS MAJESTY'S SECRETARIES HAVE GIVEN UP.

HONESTLY, I DON'T WANT TO...

WHY MUST THE EMPRESS PERSONALLY FIND A LADY-IN-WAITING FOR A MERE MISTRESS?!

OH, MY ACHING HEAD.

MY WORD...

BUT WITH HOW INSISTENT HE WAS...

LADIES-IN-WAITING ARE CHOSEN FROM NOBLES OF THE SAME RANK OR AT MOST A RUNG OR TWO LOWER.

BUT RASHTA IS NOT FROM A NOBLE FAMILY, SO IT IS A BREACH OF ETIQUETTE TO ASK A NOBLEWOMAN TO TAKE ON THIS ROLE.

THIS WILL BE DIFFICULT...

...WHAT COULD I DO BUT AGREE?

PLEASE SEND INVITATIONS TO ALL THE NOBLEWOMEN AND THEIR DAUGHTERS FOR A TEA PARTY.

THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION. IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE MET, AND YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS ALWAYS, YOUR MAJESTY.

AGREED! AND TO WHAT DO WE OWE THE PLEASURE OF YOUR INVITATION TO THIS MAGNIFICENT TEA PARTY?

YOU ARE ALL MUCH TOO KIND. I'VE INVITED YOU ALL HERE BECAUSE I NEED YOUR HELP.

OH, MY. OUR HELP?

ANYTHING FOR YOU, YOUR MAJESTY!

IF IT'S FOR YOU...

OF COURSE, WE'LL HELP!

HIS MAJESTY IS SEARCHING FOR A LADY-IN-WAITING TO ATTEND TO HIS SOON-TO-BE MISTRESS.

NOBLES TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THEIR STATUS IN SOCIETY.

SO I MUSTN'T MENTION HER BIRTH.

WOULD ANY OF YOU BE WILLING TO BECOME HER LADY-IN-WAITING?

WHY... ...DO THEY ALL LOOK SO UNCOMFORTABLE?

UM...

DO YOU MEAN LADY RASHTA?

TO BE HONEST, SHE'S ALL ANYONE'S BEEN TALKING ABOUT LATELY. HER AND HER STATUS AS A RUNAWAY SLAVE.

I'D FIND IT DIFFICULT ENOUGH TO AGREE TO BECOME A COMMONER'S LADY-IN-WAITING, LET ALONE A RUNAWAY SLAVE...

I'D DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT IF I HAD TO BECOME A RUNAWAY SLAVE'S LADY-IN-WAITING.

I'M SO TIRED...

SHALL I PREPARE A BATH FOR YOU SO YOU CAN RELAX?

OR WOULD YOU PREFER GOING ON A WALK? PERHAPS WE CAN MEET THE BIRD WE SAW LAST TIM-- OH?

IT'S REALLY COME BACK.

THE BIRD! IT'S REALLY HERE!

THE BIRD?

IT MUST BE HERE TO SEE YOU, YOUR MAJESTY! IT EVEN HAS A LETTER TIED TO ITS LEG!

OH, MY...

I'd like to think I'm a bit more intelligent than a bird. I've woken up from my drunken stupor now.

LAURA, GET ME A PEN AND PAPER, WILL YOU?

It see haven't awoken complete What is the bird's name?

It seems as if you haven't awoken completely. What is the bird's name?

IT'S FUN FOR YOU TOO, ISN'T IT, YOUR MAJESTY?

A BIT...?

HERE.

MAKE SURE NOT TO LOSE YOUR WAY THIS TIME, TOO.

COME VISIT AGAIN.

WILL I GET ANOTHER LETTER?

I HOPE I DO...

YOUR MAJESTY, THE EMPEROR IS HERE.

AGAIN?

GOOD DAY, YOUR MAJESTY.

YOU'RE VISITING OFTEN LATELY, YOUR MAJESTY. WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE TODAY--

HOW GOES THE SEARCH FOR RASHTA'S LADY-IN-WAITING?

AGAIN, WITH THIS RASHTA GIRL...

I INVITED AND ASKED ALL THE NOBLEWOMEN AND THEIR DAUGHTERS, BUT NONE WOULD STEP FORTH.

IS THAT ALL?

PARDON?

THERE MUST BE A REASON WHY THEY DECLINED.

DID YOU PERHAPS...

...SPOUT SOME NONSENSE TO THEM?

HOW COULD I WHEN I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HER?

PEOPLE CAN STILL TALK EVEN IF THEY KNOW NOTHING.

YOU'RE RIGHT. JUST AS THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SUSPECT OTHERS WITHOUT REASON.

WHY DON'T I REPHRASE THAT?

ARE YOU THE ONE WHO SPREAD THE RUMORS ABOUT RASHTA BEING A RUNAWAY SLAVE?