His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 39

“Kara, I think I have a slight problem.” Raena sighed from her seat behind her desk, pushing away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face. They had quickly finished with work for the day -there hadn’t been that much to sign or go over since she had been diligently forced to do it every single day for the last week – and now Kara was preparing tea for them to enjoy before she had to go back to her maid duties.

“Oh, really? What is it now?” Kara asked as she took a seat on one of the couches by the table, pouring tea into two of the cups and then picking up one of them. Raena pushed herself up and strode to the couch opposite of her, sliding down until she was half-lying, half-sitting in her seat.

Kara lifted an eyebrow, taking a sip out of her tea.

“I think I like my husband,” Raena murmured, staring at the ceiling. Elene’s words wouldn’t leave her alone and with nothing else to do all day, she had been going over their conversation over and over again.

A choked sound came from where Kara sat, and Raena focused her gaze on the maid just in time to see her spitting her tea and coughing. Kara put down the cup, taking one of the napkins to dry her face and her dress while her teary eyes turned to Raena. Kara opened her mouth to say something, out started coughing again, hitting her chest.

“Come on, it’s not like I said I’m going to have his babies,” Raena laughed, picking up her own cup while waiting for the other woman to get a hold of herself. “It just occurred to me – well, not exactly, but anyway. I’ve been acting a bit too cute these past weeks. It’s one thing to act like a child, but some people are into young, innocent faces. I don’t think Kassian is one of those, but you never know. I feel like he was definitely checking me out a few times. And I don’t need that kind of attention from him.”

“Wait, wait, stop!” Kara said when she finally got back to breathing. “You can’t just skip over something like that! What do you mean, you like him? Isn’t your entire plan relying on the idea that you’d be divorcing him? If you like him, you have to tell him the truth and if you do that you. no, we will be in a lot of trouble! Lying and deceiving a member of the Imperial family is no small transgression! They might even.”

“Calm down, the plan remains the same,” Raena said with a sigh, putting her tea down. “The fact that I realized I liked him doesn’t mean I will stay married to him. It just means that now I can watch myself better and not say or do something stupid. Besides, it’s kinda hard not to like him, isn’t I? He is strong, tall, handsome, and he is really bad at scheming. I hate scheming people and ones that only look out for themselves. I think that’s why l started liking hịm..”

“That’s funny, considering you’re such a schemer,” Kara murmured.

“Hey! None of my plans are hurting anybody, alright?” Raena frowned, pointing a finger at her. “We are just trying to make a living here! Nobody is going to get hurt from me running a restaurant!

“So.. what are you saying, then?” Kara frowned, confusion taking over her face.

“l’m saying that I’ll have to speed up the timeline. I can’t wait for half a year for them to fall in love. I’ve already meddled enough, I should fix what I broke! If it’s possible at all. If not, well, I’ll think of something else,” Raena replied, meeting Kara’s eyes which were overflowing with confusion.

“Basically, I’ll make him divorce me faster before either of us catches some troublesome feelings. I have to distance myself from all those troublesome characters before we get hurt.”

“l swear, sometimes it feels like you’re speaking a different language.” Kara shook her head.

“Never mind that, you already have a lot on your plate!” Raena smiled, straightening in her seat. “I’ll take care of it. I need you to do something for me. Actually, two things.” Kara sighed heavily, her eyelids fluttering as if she was trying not to roll her eyes. “First, find a girl about my size and with blonde hair and have her stay in my room when I’m not here. Pay her well to keep her mouth shut.” Kara frowned, but nodded. “Second, add a new name to the servant’s registry for a girl my size, black hair, no relatives. You can figure out her background.”

“How many more identities do you need?” Kara asked, eyes widening. “And why do you need this? Just sneak out like the last time! Or even better – don’t sneak out! We have a lot of eyes on us.”

“Exactly!” Raena nodded. “Last time I was out, before we ran into Lara and Kassian, Zen said we were followed by four people. Even if Kass… What? What’s with that weird look?”

“It’s nothing.” Kara shook her head. “It’s just strange how you’re using the prince’s name so casually, as if you’ve been close for years.”

“It’s just a name, go with it.” Raena sighed. “So even if Kassian is thorough, he wouldn’t assign four different people to tail me. This means more than one person is watching me. The Empress is definitely watching me. Maybe someone who wants to know Madam Lydia’s identity or how the restaurant is doing so well. Until l am sure, I have to be extra careful. Going out as Raena and changing along the way is too risky already. So Raena must stay home like a good girl while a servant” she paused, pointing at herself, “can go basically unnoticed wherever her mistress sends her. So as long as I have a solid backstory to rely on, they can’t make the connection. Unless, you know, I take off my wig.”

“How do you even come up with these plans of yours?” Kara sighed, shaking her head. “Well, if that’s what you want. It’s a good plan. But are you going to go out alone? Princess or a maid, a lone woman is… especially at night. Zen isn’t..”

“I’m not taking him,” Raena said quickly. “Currently, he is a liability. Everyone in the third prince’s palace knows him or of him and if he goes out with me, even if l am in a servant’s uniform, will raise unnecessary questions. So far he has been glued to Raena, so to have him suddenly escort someone else… it will blow my cover. Also, he is well known around the restaurant as Madam Lydia’s bodyguard, so that’s no good either.”

Raena bit her l*p, tapping with her finger on the armrest of the sofa. “I’ll take Davin. He hasn’t been to the restaurant and we have previously sent him out on errands for the North Palace, so it wouldn’t raise suspicion. I can have him help me with the ledgers at the restaurant. Who knew running a business requires so much math?” Raena shook herself out of her distraction, looking back at Kara. “How fast can you do it?”

“I’ll need at least a day or two to submit the documents for two new employees and find a girl,” Kara said, rising to her feet. “Stay put until then. Be the good girl everyone expects you to be for at least a few days. Can you do that?”

“0f course l can. I have an intervention to plot.” Raena grinned.

“I have no idea what that means, but as long as it makes you happy and it doesn’t get me killed, do what you want.” Kara sighed, heading to the door.

She stopped at the threshold, looking at Raena over her shoulder. “Oh, by the way. The first wife sent a gown for you to wear to the banquet. Your presence is mandatory.”

“Gotcha.” Raena smiled, saluting her in a mocking gesture. Kara narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but then just shook her head and walked out.

“You can go,” the quard said after inspecting them from head to toe. Davin gave him a slight bow. turning around and joining Raena, who stood a few steps away while waiting. The two guards at the gate gave her a long look, but neither of them said anything or asked her questions. She turned her back on them, following Davin down the path that led away from the third prince’s manor.

“l’m sorry we had to walk, Mistress, but there was no way two servants could ride in a carriage,” Davin said quietly, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. Their cover was that they were sent to buy some specific products the second wife wanted, and it worked like a charm since she made Kara often send servants out for that when Raena was trying to cook a new dish.

“It’s fine” Raena smiled. “And don’t call me Mistress. Right now, I am also a servant. Call me… what’s my name again?”

“Roza,” he said with an amused expression. “Don’t you have too many names already, Mis.. Roza? The more you add, the heavier the load gets. Eventually, you’ll get tired and you might put on the Wrong one.” Raena stared at him with surprise before forcing a laugh.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” she said, turning forward instead. “Let’s hurry up. The city was as lively as always, with people crowding the streets and advertising their things by yelling out at the top of their voices. Carriages forced their way through the sea of bodies, with their drivers shouting angrily and even using their whips when somebody wouldn’t move fast enough.

When the two of them finally reached Ruby. Street, Raena’s feet were pulsating. They were just a few feet away from the restaurant when her eyes stopped on the brothel’s front door. Marden was standing at the entrance with his back to the street, talking to somebody inside.

“Hurry up, hurry up!” Raena whispered just loud enough for Davin to hear, and the two of them started walking faster. Raena lowered her head, turning slightly to the side as she noticed Marden finally walking down the stairs with a mild frown on his face. He passed right by her, but fortunately, he didn’t even glance at her. He continued with a heavy step down the street, disappearing around the Corner.

Raena let out a sigh of relief, then puled Davin toward the alley between the restaurant and the brothel. The place was empty and quiet, the lamps stood cold and dark in their brackets.

“Go inside and call the manager. Tell him The hen is in the coop'” she told Davin, pushing him gently toward the door. “Hurry!”

Davin gave her a strange look, but did as he was told, disappearing through the door. Soon after, the door opened again and Jaehe, the man she hired as a manager and one of the two people who knew her face, stuck his head outside. When he noticed her, his eyes widened, and he opened the door, making her a sign to go in. He glanced over his shoulder for a second, raising his hand to stop her from proceeding, and waited. A few seconds later, he caught her shoulder and guided her through the back of the kitchen and into the corridor leading to her office. Davin was already waiting there, looking around awkwardly. The manager glanced at her hair, then his eyes returned to hers.

“Is everything alright?”

“All good,” she nodded. “I’m going to change, and then you can brief me.”

“Do it quickly.” Jaehe said, licking his lips nervously. “There is someone from the Imperial Palace here to see Madam Lydia. They have been waiting for a while. I tried sending you a message through that bird earlier when they arrived, but no answer came. Thank god you are here now or l had to tell an lImperial messenger to come back another time “

“Alright, I’ll be right out!” Raena nodded. “I’ll receive them in the main hall. I want everyone to hear.”

Jaehe grimaced, his nervousness turning to suspicion.

“Did you expect him to come?” Raena just gave him a smile, then hurried to her office, undressing even before she closed the door.

She grabbed the dress easiest to put on by herself and changed into it, taking her time to put her veil on properly since that was her most important accessory. When she stepped out of the office, the manager looked even more impatient. He turned around and walked toward the kitchen without a word and she followed, giving a sign to Davin to stay there. As she stepped into the kitchen, a few heads turned to look at her in surprise, and most of them greeted her happily before returning to their work.

The hall on the first floor was almost full of both commoners and nobles, who threw them curious glances as she and Jaehe passed by them. Raena spotted the messenger almost immediately – he was sitting alone at one of the tables, nursing a glass of coffee with an empty place in front of him. He looked mildly bored, but not unhappy. He continued to look around until he spotted her, and then he jumped to his feet.

“l apologize for making you wait, sir!” she said as she stopped in front of him. “I heard you have a message for me?” She added, a bit louder than before.

“Uh, yes,” he said, clearing his throat. He searched his jacket gingerly before taking out a small scroll with the Empire’s seal on top of it. “l am carrying a decree from Her Majesty, the Empress,” the messenger said, raising the scroll for Raena to take. “Her Majesty bestows you and your establishment the great honor of preparing the dinner for her birthday banquet.”

A few gasps escaped from the people sitting closest to them and in just a few seconds, the hall was buzzing with whispers. Raena tried to keep her smile contained as she took the scroll.

“Her Majesty honors us,” she said, her heart beating so fast, her head spun. “We humbly accept.”