His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 25

“l humbly greet the Empress, Mother of the Empire! May you have good health and a prosperous life, Your Majesty!” Raena said in a respectful tone, curtsying as low as she could without toppling to the ground. She noticed Kara bending at the waist behind her, her shoulders tense.

She had been pretty collected when meeting with the third prince, so Raena had expected she’d keep her composure effortlessly, but meeting the Empress inside the Imperial Palace must have been too much, even for her. Raena would have probably been the same if she didn’t know so much about the Imperial family from the book. It almost felt like she knew them all already, even though they kept surprising her every once in a while. Especially Kassian.

A short silence followed, then the Empress’s voice rang through the room.

“Rise, Raena, and be at ease. We are family now after all.” Raena got up slowly, looking at the woman sitting in front of her.

In the book, Empress Tassia was a robust, beautiful woman that had risen from the position of a concubine into her current title after the previous Empress, the first and third prince’s mother, died.

Staring at her now, Raena realized that the author didn’t like her character very much. For a woman nearing her fifties, the Empress was gorgeous. Her chocolate skin was smooth and lustrous, her hair was long and full of life; she wore a tight golden dress with a bronze undertone that complimented her complexion and hugged her body in all the right places. Her diamond-shaped face held a soft and jovial expression, but even then there was a certain edge to her features that suggested behind that warm, gentle exterior hid a woman sharp as a blade.

“Sit, sit.” The Empress urged, motioning toward the couch across from her, Raena lowered herself in it, smiling at Miriam, who poured her a cup of tea. Raena allowed herself a look around the reception room as she took a sip out of her cup the place was decorated in soft, dark tones that complimented the Empress, making her look like she was shining no matter where she stood. Every move she made was like she was posing for a picture, and her expression was always beautiful, no matter what she did and how she turned. Raena wondered how much effort all of that cost her or if she was so used to doing it that it had turned into a second nature.

The silence dragged on and with every passing minute, the tension squeezing Raena’s chest grew.

She knew the Empress would try to intimidate her from the start and make her uncomfortable, but she thought she was prepared for it.

Still, this was too intense. Even Miriam looked uneasy.

“So, how’s married life treating you, Raena?” The Empress finally spoke. “Has Kassian been good to you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have no complaints,” Raena replied, setting down the cup and letting her hands fall into her lap. She looked into the Empress’s eyes, trying not to blink as the two stared at each other. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Miriam shooting the Empress cautious glance, but Tassia just smiled.

“You’re not what I expected,” the Empress said, raising her hand and patting her lower l*p with her finger. Her nails were long and perfectly maintained, painted in a gold color that matched the rings and bracelets dangling from her wrists. “I thought you’d be more… meek.”

“Does that disappoint you, Your Majesty?” Raena asked.

“That remains to be seen.” The Empress smiled, tilting her head as if to have a better look her. “I heard the Prime Minister’s daughter w: special, in a way. The rumors seem to be false, though. How interesting.”

“l am special, Your Majesty,” Raena said boldly, ignoring Miriam, who let out a quiet gasp. “But probably not in the way you have heard.” The Empress raised an eyebrow and chuckled again. “I allowed myself the liberty of bringing you a few gifts if you’re so kind as to accept them. May I present them to you?”

“Sure, why not?” The Empress shrugged, straightening in her seat despite her aloof reply. “I wonder if your gifts are going to be.. special too?”

Raena turned around and nodded to Kara, who disappeared for a second before returning with the boxes. She placed them on the table between them, and Miriam silently got up to help her open them.

As Kara started taking out the carefully packaged desserts from inside, the Empress’s face twitched in momentary surprise.

The Empress leaned forward, her eyes studying the dozen different desserts Raena had spent all morning making. Next to the sweets and refreshments that had waited for them when she arrived, her gifts stood out like sore thumbs with their colors and shapes.

And tastes, she hoped.

“What is this?” the Empress asked, looking at the plate with cannoli that was right in front of her.

Her eyes examined the other dishes with curiosity, but her face remained perfectly neutral.

Raena quickly named them, pointing at each and explaining what it was inside of them. Once she finished, the Empress was staring at her like she was just seeing her for the first time.

“Who made this? I’ve never seen such dishes before” Tassia said, leaning back in her seat without touching any of them.

“I did.” Raena smiled, watching the Empress struggle to keep a straight face. “Would you do me the honor of trying them, Your Majesty?”

The Empress stiffened, narrowing her eyes at her. Raena knew it was taboo to ask someone from the Imperial family to eat something that wasn’t prepared by their own cooks, but she had to make the Empress taste them, since their appearance didn’t seem enough to impress her. She was just about to offer to try them first when the Empress raised her hand and a woman stepped by her side, bowing.

The woman kneeled, taking one of the silver forks on the table and pulling the plate with cheesecake toward her. She dug her fork in it, taking a small bite and putting it in her mouth without hesitation. Almost immediately after her lips closed around the food, she froze, eyes widening. The Empress straightened up, tension filling the room as she watched her tester. The tester turned toward Raena, staring at her with an unreadable expression.

“What is it? Is it poisoned?” the Empress asked impatiently, and the woman quickly faced her mistress.

“My apologies, Your Majesty!” she muttered in a trembling voice. “That dish is not poisoned, Your Majesty.”

“Why did you hesitate, then?” Tassia asked, her perfect eyebrows creasing.

“I was startled, Your Majesty. In my humble opinion, this is the most delicious dessert I have ever tasted. It’s sweet and sour at the same time and it melts in your mouth. Shall I test the rest, Your Majesty?”

Raena smiled at the eagerness of the woman, barely holding back her smug expression. The tester offered the plate with the cheesecake to the Empress, returning to sampling the rest of the dishes. She did so with her eyes closed most of the time, moving back with reluctance after she deemed all of them safe. The Empress had waited impatiently, but when the tester retreated to the shadows, she looked down at the cheesecake with suspicion. She eventually tasted it and Raena couldn’t hide her smirk as she noticed the Empress’s eyes growing wide. Tassia turned aside to hide it, but it was already too late. As she put the empty plate down, she leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms.

“Why gift me this?” she asked suddenly. “What’s the point of impressing me with your cooking? Do you want to come here and work as a cook for me?”

“Your Majesty is very sharp.” Raena smiled, picking up her teacup. “I might have done it with an ulterior motive. Still, hearing my humble desserts impressed you is the biggest praise I could hope for.”

The Empress’s smile faded, giving place to a serious expression. Raena kept hers up, despite the galloping of her heart. This was it. If she wavered even a little now, it was all over.

“So, what is your ulterior motive?” the Empress asked.

Raena took her time to answer, adjusting herself in her seat.

“In a feW weeks’ time, my restaurant on Ruby Street is going to officially open,” Raena started with a calm voice, holding The Empress’s gaze. ” I would like your support. What I mean by that is that I would like you to order the food for your parties exclusively from us. And I’d like Prince Rissen to come to the opening of the restaurant.”

The Empress blinked a few times, then she leaned back.

“How imprudent!” she scoffed, disbelief distorting her beautifully controlled features. “Why would ever support some uncertain endeavor one controlled by a wife of that disrespectful brute at that? If you came here thinking that there is any chance of me saying yes to your outrageous request, then you really are as idiotic as they say you are! It just takes longer for you to show your true colors.”

“My business would have nothing to do with my husband. Moreover, my connection to the restaurant will be known only by a few trusted employees, the woman who will be managing the place and now you, Your Majesty.” Raena continued, trying to ignore the rising indignation on the Empress’s face. She could feel the tension in the room growing and the fear on Miriam’s face confirmed just how thin the ice she was walking on was. But she was already in the middle of the lake, so there was no going back. “If Her Majesty agrees to give me her support, I am willing to support Prince Rissen as the heir to the throne in return.”

The Empress’s eyes widened and her body grew entirely still. The annoyance in her eyes disappeared, replaced by caution.

“You do realize that what you just said is treason, don’t you?” she eventually said, her voice laced with threat. “I think I had enough of this nonsense!” She added, rising to her feet. She gave Raena another spiteful look, spinning around and preparing to leave.

“Ivis Seiren,” Raena said and the Empress froze mid-step. “Bael Craith. Rhuno Dumas.” The Empress turned slowly, staring at her with wide eyes. Raena held her murderous gaze, trying her best to keep her smile up and her voice stable.

Raena pushed one of the plates toward where the Empress used to sit. “Why don’t you try more of the dishes, Your Majesty? You haven’t heard the rest of my proposition.”