His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 51

“This subject greets His Imperial Majesty. This subject greets Her Imperial Majesty, and wishes her a happy birthday. May you both live long and rule wisely our great Empire!” Raena said as calmly as she could after Kassian spoke his greetings first.

For a moment, there was no reply, then the Emperor’s laugh made her relax a little.

“What a well-spoken girl!” he said in a weak, hoarse voice that sounded like it belonged to a person smoking three packs of cigarettes a day. “Rise, both of you.”

Raena got to her feet, politely avoiding his eyes. The Emperor and Empress sat on a platform in two beautifully crafted chairs with gilded backs and armrests featuring the Empire’s colors – black, red, and golden. The Emperor’s seat was slightly larger, but in his case, it only served to show how much smaller he was next to the Empress. While Tassia looked robust and healthy, he was almost only skin and bones, with a taut, angular face that had a grayish tint. His hair was still dark brown, but gray had taken over his temples and his short, well-groomed beard, while his eyes sunk into his skull like he was slowly imploding.

Yulien perched by the Emperor’s side dressed in black, with his golden sash making him stand out even more. His hair was combed back and tied low with a ribbon, revealing his handsome face fully. He smiled at Raena as their eyes met, and she hurriedly looked away. Rissen was standing by his mother’s chair with hands playing with his red sash, his chin raised almost arrogantly while a pleased smile danced on his l!ps. The Empress was as stunning as ever, her skin positively glowing in her flattering red dress. A beautifully inlaid tail rested on her head, even though the Emperor himself didn’t wear a crown.

“Kassian, I haven’t seen you around lately. Is your new wife keeping you that busy?” the Emperor asked with a cold smile. Kassian returned the look, his back visibly tensing. Raena watched their awkward interaction with the corner of her eyes, trying to remember why they weren’t on the best of terms. She was pretty sure it had something to do with Kassian’s mother, but the details were escaping her.

“In more ways than one. Thank you for your interest, Your Majesty” Kassian finally said in a perfectly polite tone. “How is your health?”

“I’m stil alive, aren’t 1?” the Emperor snorted with a hint of bitterness in his voice. His eyes shifted to Raena, and she gingerly looked down to avoid his gaze. She couldn’t allow a mistake right now, not in front of the entire Imperial family. She had given her greetings, she just had to get out of there as soon as possible. Her goal was to make connections with the nobles who could be of use to her. She didn’t need to put herself in such dangerous situations. Especially when they were all gathered, and their fake courtesy was making her skin itch. “Bring your second wife next time. I would like to see what kind of woman can keep you that busy.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty” Kassian replied with resignation and Raena felt those piercing eyes on her again. She waited impatiently for the Emperor to say something- to dismiss her already but the silence dragged and dragged while the music and the laughter of the quests carried in the background.

“So this is the woman everyone has been talking about these days,” the Emperor spoke.

Raise your eyes, child.” Raena did as she was told, staring back at him. There was curiosity in the way he studied her, mixed with something else that made her uneasy. “What was your name again?

“Please call me Lydia, Your Majesty” she replied quietly.

“Your Majesty, this is the woman I was telling you about. Her cooks are the ones that prepared the delicious food for tonight,” the Empress spoke in a sweet voice, turning her body toward the Emperor’s chair. “She is a genius when it comes to food. We met for the first time today face to face, but she was kind enough to fulfill all of my wishes for the evening. I would like to reward her, if you would allow it.”

“Very well.” He nodded, leaning back in his seat. “What would you like to reward her?”

“I would want to give her the title of Special Chef and have her and her crew prepare the food for all of our future celebrations.” The Empress smiled, showing her brilliantly white teeth. “If His Majesty does not oppose it.”

“Is she that good?” the Emperor asked, raising an eyebrow. Raena’s eyes kept switching between the two as she wondered what was going on. The Empress was actually praising her and nothing she had said so far put her as Madam Lydia in a bad light. Was it possible that Raena was overthinking everything and the Empress was actually abiding by their agreement?

“Yes, she is.” The Empress nodded, motioning with her hand. One of the attendants rushed to her side with a tray in hand. The attendant fell on one knee in front of the Imperial couple, raising the hand that held the tray. Raena locked her eyes on the food on it- this one had finger food appetizers with different assortments of meat, vegetables, and fish on them, some adorned with sauces and some with sesame or other seeds. She knew that those were delicious, but if the Emperor was allergic to even one of those things, he could die and she could be blamed for his death and executed for treason. Was that the Empress’s plan?

The Emperor raised his hand and a short, plump man stepped forward, taking one of the bites and eating it. He took another, different kind, and also ate it. He waited, looking down at the tray, before nodding at the Emperor. The Emperor rolled the sleeves of his robe and picked up one of the appetizers.

Raena stared at him with her stomach tied in a knot, her eyes darting between the rest of his family, who silently watched. As the Emperor chewed loudly on the food, his eyes didn’t bulge and his face didn’t start swelling, so Raena let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Very good,” the Emperor said even though his expression barely changed. “l approve of your decision. You shall receive the title of a Special Chef, Lydia,” he said, turning to Raena.

“You honor me, Your Majesty!” she bowed her head, her anxiety lingering.

He dusted his hands from the crumbs and adjusted in his seat.

“l am curious, though. Why are you hiding your face?”

Raena swallowed. What answer could she give that could justify hiding her face in front of the Emperor? If she said she was ugly or disfigured and her face was uncovered, she would have lied to the Emperor and could be severely punished. If she said she didn’t want her identity known, that would make her look suspicious. Saying it was a fashion statement was going to sound disrespectful. She hadn’t expected to meet with the actual Emperor today, barely any of the nobles got to meet him personally even on the grandest of occasions.

“Madam Lydia is just the secretive type, Your Majesty.” The Empress laughed. “I’ve heard she never takes off her veil, so out of respect for the great job she has done, I allowed her to wear it. I’m sure she has a good reason to keep her identity a secret”

The Emperor’s face changed in an instant, his previous smile and amused look vanishing. Raena got startled by the sudden shift, so she glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed it. The first prince had pursed his l!ps together, looking down in exasperation. The third prince shot her a warning glance, as if trying to tell her something.

Finally, she looked back at the Empress and her son, both of whom were staring at her with smiles which, for a normal person, would have passed for friendly. Yet they made Raena’s b***d boil.

“Secrets can be deadly” the Emperor finally said, narrowing his eyes. “Are you a loyal subject to the Empire, girl?” he continued, his tone almost threatening.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Raena replied at once, lowering her eyes obediently.

“Then take off your veil.”

So that was what that viper was after. She acted all sweet and in favor of Madam Lydia, praising her and even awarding her a special title, and pushing the Emperor’s buttons to have him ask her to reveal her face. No wonder she stressed so much about her identity being a secret.

“Why are you hesitating?” the Emperor asked, his frown deepening. “Do you have something to hide from the Emperor himself?”

“Of course not!” Raena said quickly, l!cking his l!ps. “My apologies for my tardiness.”

She raised her hands to her head, searching for the ties of her veil hidden in her hairdo. Her eyes flashed to the Empress, then to the crown prince, and finally to Kassian.

This was not how it was supposed to go. This was the worst possible way to reveal her identity not only was it suspicious, considering that everybody knew about Raena’s condition, but by doing it in public, she’d humiliate Kassian, showing everybody that he had been fooled by his own wife.

There was no way he would be able to hide his surprise. There was also the option of being accused of working with him in secret to gain access to the Emperor through the food she’d prepare in the future and harm him. No doubt the Empress could twist her words in every way she wanted.

Raena found the strands and unfastened them, taking a deep breath.

She was just about to let the veil fall when a loud, terrifying scream echoed through the hall, followed by panicked voices and whispers. The guards on duty around the Emperor and Empress reacted immediately, moving in formation around them and placing themselves between Raena, Kassian, and the throne. Raena stepped back, holding the veil against her face, and turned to face the hall.

“What is going on?” the Emperor’s voice shouted from behind the wall of tall, muscled bodies in full armor. “What was that scream?”

Raena glanced at Kassian, who was just taking a step toward where everyone had gathered when a familiar face separated from the crowd, flustered and pale and with tilted glasses which he fixed in a hurry. Blaine hesitated whether he should bow or speak, and at the end did both.

“Please forgive my intrusion!” he said, rising quickly and locking his eyes on Kassian. “Please come with me, Your Highness. Your wife has collapsed, and she isn’t breathing.”

Kassian’s face lost its color in an instant and he cursed under his breath, bolting in the direction Blaine had come from. Blaine followed after him.

Raena glanced at the wall of soldiers that was still blocking her from the Emperor’s sight and decided this was her only chance of slipping out.

Still holding the veil to her face, she mixed with the crowd. Her eyes darted to where Kassian was kneeling next to a body, then Raena turned her back on them and went to find Marden. He was standing where she left him, nursing a glass of wine while craning his neck in mild curiosity, trying to see what was going on.

He didn’t even notice her until she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward one of the hall’s exits.

He tried to snatch his hand back, but then recognized her and quickened his pace to match hers, glancing nervously over his shoulder.

“Why are we running? What did you do?” he hissed just loud enough for her to hear.

“Nothing! But if we stay, my identity might be compromised and that is not something I can currently afford,” she replied, pressing the veil harder against her face. It was hard to breathe, especially with the speed they were moving, but anyone could see her face if she let the stupid veil fall. Even showing it to Marden was too big of a risk, considering his hate for nobles. The last thing she needed was him turning on her. “Can we leave?

“Oh, yes! I hate this place!” He nodded, his expression turning serious.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, slowing down just enough so they wouldn’t look suspicious. Nobody tried to stop them as they exited the palace or climbed into their carriage, and once they put that place behind them, Raena let out a loud sigh of relief. Marden glanced at her while she adjusted the veil on her face.

“Are you alright? Did anyone do something to you?” he asked with a frown, his eyes looking her up and down as if searching for traces of a fight. “I’ve never seen you this shaken up.”

“I’m fine,” Raena mumbled, glancing impatiently out of the window. Marden didn’t press, but instead, he started talking about the nobles he was forced to converse with while cursing and making disgusted faces. Surprisingly, his nonsense banter helped her calm down. By the time they reached the rendezvous point where another carriage was waiting, Raena’s racing heart settled and her head cleared.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said, waving at him as she stepped out of the carriage. She felt Marden’s eyes on her back, but she strode to the other carriage without turning. The door opened even before she touched the handle, and Zen stared at her for a second before helping her in. Raena dropped into the empty seat, yanking her veil off.

“We need to go back quickly. The third prince’s residence is going to fall in turmoil and we shouldn’t be caught sneaking in,” she said. Zen stared at her with a frown, but then nodded and banged on the wooden panel behind him three times, signaling for the driver to get moving.