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Chapter 82 - My Lord Husband

[Flashback Continued.]

Lina wasn\'t fazed. She held her head high and kept her face composed. The Empress hated all of the concubine\'s children, instead of blaming the Emperor for having that many affairs. This was her way of keeping everyone in line—through a disposable handmaiden.

"I might be in the wrong, but are handmaidens allowed to disrespect royal blood?" Lina innocently asked, tilting her head to show it was a harmless question.

It certainly provoked the Empress who\'s blank expression faltered. She narrowed her eyes.

"Say, Miah, isn\'t insolence towards a Princess punishable with death by whipping?" Lina added on, placing a finger on her chin. She pretended to be lost in thought.

The head handmaiden stiffened at the audacious questions. She lowered her eyes and was shaken up by these queries. There were other maidservants present here. Everyone was watching them.

In the eye of the people, Lina wasn\'t provoking the Empress. She was being a curious cat. What could be the harm in that?

"That is enough," the Empress finally asserted, grabbing her handmaiden and shoving her behind.

"My handmaiden was out of line, she shall be punished," the Empress sneered, casting the Fourth Princess a forced smile.

Just then, the horns blew and the tents flapped.

"Announcing the entrance of his Benevolent Majesty, the Great Emperor of Teran!" The eunuch loudly pronounced, his voice traveling in and out of the tent.

"Lord Husband," the Empress greeted, quickly coming forward to lower herself into a curtsy. She offered him a smile as well, in hope that he hadn\'t overheard the conversation.

He did.

"Father," Lina addressed, her eyes widening at the sight of her royal father.

The Emperor was dressed in white and golden robes that made him look regal and fierce. His hair was pulled back, a shimmering golden crown securely resting on his head.

Whenever his mouth moved, his black mustache would follow. Behind him were multiple guards, eunuchs, and maidservants. They were the cream of the crop, the best of the best.

"There\'s my beautiful daughter!" The Emperor\'s voice boomed in the tent.

The Emperor proudly laughed at the sight of her, placing an affectionate hand on her upper back.

"Did you eat yet, my darling girl?" The Emperor questioned, offering her a rare smile of his.

No one was surprised by the Emperor\'s behavior. Everyone in here knew Lina was his favorite. Whether it was her beauty and grace mixed with deadly swordplay and martial arts or her striking resemblance to her mother, the Fourth Princess was the most favored across all of Teran. Enough so, that the Emperor didn\'t even greet his first, lawful wife.

"I was preparing to eat with mother," Lina slowly said.

Lina\'s shoulders dropping a bit. She glanced to the ground and let out a small sigh.

"But my appetite…" Lina trailed off.

Lina raised her eyes to peer at the Empress, then quickly, looked away and flinched back. She was the epitome of a small dove, in her white clothes, and apologetic expression.

"What happened, darling girl?" The Emperor demanded, his cheery face growing serious. Who in the world dared to disrespect what he doted on?

The Empress shot Lina a warning stare. She dared this brat to speak about the incident. Did the Princess truly want to make a public enemy out of the great Empress?!

Lina could feel the threatening glare drilling a hole on her face. She could slander the Empress and no one would dare to object. After all, everyone here was her witness.

"W-well…" Lina stammered out, tightening her fingers together. She nibbled nervously on her bottom lip.

"My impolite behavior for greeting mother first led to a scolding," Lina whispered, her eyes trembling. She held onto her father\'s sleeves and peered up at him, like a wounded puppy.

"Who\'d dare to lecture the great Fourth Princess of Teran?!" The Emperor growled, grabbing her hands and tightening his grip.

"It was the head handmaiden, Your Benevolent Majesty!" Miah accused, pointing a finger towards the woman hiding behind the Empress.

Miah knew the Princess could never say it, for she was bound to the castle.

Miah, who was a simple servant, could utter the truth. The Empress could kill Miah with the flick of a wrist. However, Miah placed her trust in the Princess. She knew the Princess would never let her be in harm\'s way.

"GUARDS!" The Emperor bellowed.

Instantly, royal soldiers dressed in yellow and steel swarmed into the tent, armed with swords and chains, ready to take anyone and everyone away.

"M-my Lord Husband," the Empress quickly said.

The Empress knew her other maidservants were watching her. If she allowed the head handmaiden to be punished, then they\'d be too frightened to ever speak up.

"When a child is wrong, you must lecture them for them to learn, my Lord Husband!" the Empress defended, her voice rising from slight panic.

Lina pretended to not see the Empress shooting her a glare. She knew the Empress was asking her to restrain Miah. Lina was the better actress.

"Father, I didn\'t know handmaidens were allowed to lecture Princesses… I was in the wrong," Lina softly admitted, tugging at his sleeve.

"Nonsense!" The Emperor barked, shooting an accusing finger towards the head handmaiden.

"No one gets to reprimand the Princesses but me, myself, and I! Guards, drag out this brazen wench and toss her into the prison. Have the highest security around this slippery weasel," the Emperor seethed.

Who in the world would dare to harm his precious Princess? Lina was the only daughter he cared for with all of his being. She was the child sullied from the one and only woman the Emperor had given his heart to.

"Your Majesty, I was wrong!" The head handmaiden pleaded, dropping to her knees and begging for mercy. "Your Majesty, please, I was wrong. It was a misunderstanding, Your Majesty—"

"My Lord Husband…" the Second Concubine heaved out, her eyes glassy and blurry.

The Second Concubine couldn\'t even turn her head to look to the side. Her body felt weak from the sickness that had consumed her body.

"Everyone, out!" The Emperor roared, waving his hand at the Empress like she was an irritating dog who wouldn\'t leave.

The Empress glared at the ground, let out a small "hmph" and pushed past the Fourth Princess. Her face was twisted like she had eaten a sour lemon. Her eyes were set ablaze, but she had no power to let out the anger.

"My Lord Husband, is that you…?" the Second Concubine whispered. "Have you come?"

"My Lady Wife," the Emperor softly said. "Of course, I\'ve come."

"But, why…?" the Second Concubine lightly coughed.

"Because love is love. My darling wife is sick, I must come," the Emperor responded.

The Emperor, in all of his glory, ran to his wife\'s side of the bed. He took a seat and worriedly peered down at her. He swept away the hair that clung to her forehead.

"Your Majesty!" the head handmaiden sobbed, but it was too late.

Guards had roughly grabbed her by the arms and dragged her outside. In front of many other aristocratic families\' servants, the woman was yanked to the prison. It was a mortifying and embarrassing sight. The woman was never going to be in anyone\'s saving grace. Soon, she\'d be the laugh of the town.

"My darling Lina is young…" the Second Concubine mumbled, blindly reaching into the air for him.

The Emperor grabbed her hand with two of his. He pulled it close to his heart and leaned down to hear her better.

"Of course, my Lady Wife," the Emperor let out a soft sigh. "She is young, but I always watch over her well. We both do."

The Second Concubine blissfully smiled. Despite having a daughter who was already seventeen years old, she was as youthful as ever. There wasn\'t a single wrinkle on her tight skin, and she was as beautiful as the days they\'d run through the grass fields.

"Look at you," the Emperor complained. "You already have a sickly body from birthing our darling girl, but you still pushed yourself to come here."

Lina softly frowned in agreement. She was hoping for her mother to stay in the castle.

The tournament was a day\'s ride away from the comfortable palace, but her mother insisted on coming.

On the way, the Second Concubine caught a cold from the bitter wind in the carriage ride. The raddling of the uneven road worsened her condition.

"I had to come," the Second Concubine stated. "Our darling girl is participating in sword fighting and poetry. I must see her succeed in what we both excel in."

The Emperor sighed. "Your tenacity is what I love the most about you, my Lady Wife. Because you are here, I am certain our darling Lina will perform the best in poetry."

Lina stiffened at the poetry part. Her parents thought she was great at it, but she had a horrible time memorizing those lines. Regardless, she was going to try her best today, no matter the price.