𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐊'𝐒 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 .°* | wmmap.

━━ chapter XLIV.

" the battlefield isn't a kind place for women "

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A BLAZING GUST OF WIND - and a scorching sun taunting them above their heads , welcomed the entourage of the empress at the borders of doth . it was a good decision she'd refused emily to accompany her - penelope thought to herself - she wouldn't have been able to withstand this heat . the borders , as warned by magus , are not a kind place , not just to women , but about everyone . it was a vast , unending desert . sand covered the area for as far as her sight carried itself , eyes squinting reflexively under the heat of the sun .

suddenly penelope was very glad she had shut down any efforts of the maids packing dresses for this trip . moving aside , she wouldn't have been able to breathe in that monstrosity here . the soldiers - she noticed - were wearing similar , east inspired clothing around the border .

" aren't these made in the similar pattern as the clothing his majesty prefers ? " one of her maids commented , watching the scenario curiously . and she was right , they were made with the similar , free flowing fabric . although they were much more modest , and the quality of cloth wasn't as intricate as claude's ; well .. of course , she thought . he was the emperor , after all .

" it's the traditional attire from doth , " the general , standing beside penelope , informed on noticing the empress' interest . " the clothing his majesty wears is meant for doth nobility , the soldiers here wear it because the borders of obelia are heavily inspired from doth culture . " penelope nodded , eyeing the tent that was nearly completed . " then why does his majesty wear it ? isn't doth a supposed enemy of obelia since last three decades ? "

the commander hesitated , his voice a tad unsure as if he did not expect her to not know . " ah , it's to honour the late consort yisa - his mother . " there was a surprised pause that followed , with the summon of the guards informing that penelope's tend had been made . " we will start our inspections from tomorrow , your highness . please get some rest and adjust yourself to the surroundings , until then . " general greeted , taking his leave .

" your highness , we've prepared a bath for you . " some time later , the maid informed . penelope nodded in reply , moving to the bathhouse to strip out of her clothes that were now tarnished with sweat and dust and step inside the wooden tub , into the cold water that for once , felt near close to heaven . two maids helped her with her hair , washing them with what smelled like rose water while penelope was lost in her own thoughts .

" is something bothering her highness ? " the older woman questioned , wiping penelope's arms with a washing rag . snapping out of her reverie , penelope turned to the maid and shook her head , offering her other arm silently , to which the maid complied . after a pause , she questioned back , " do you know about late consort yisa ? "

the older maid didn't look up from her task , but there was a knowing smile on her face as she continued with her work . " ah , yes . i was only a young girl , not older than yourself when she was brought into the palace . " brought ? - the word irked her , but penelope let the maid continue .

" she was brought in as a spoil of war between the emperor's father , ambrosius , and the khan of doth . she was the only daughter of the khan , who had six other sons . five of his sons died in the war , his only daughter was abducted and taken in as a concubine to his majesty ambrosius . however she was disliked by the empress , who was the daughter of the archduke of obelia , hence ultimately not accepted in the noble circle either . "

penelope listened intently , asking the maid to continue . " as a result , his highness the emperor was often cast aside and was not given a royal name . " and he had to snatch the crown with his own hands - thought penelope -by kin-slaying . the tale of claude's ascension to throne was well known across the kingdoms , even in inca . but there could be a history like this behind it , she did not know . " so the khan of doth - " wide eyes , turned to the maid as she approached the empress with a bathrobe in hand .

" is his majesty's uncle , from his mother's family . yes . "

penelope slipped into the robe , dismissing the maids as she strode over to the old mirror hoisted in front of her . she released her now cleaned hair from the knot above her hair , reaching out to braid it like she usually did .

leave it be , i like when your hair left loose better - claude's voice came back to her , and for some odd reason , she let her hair loose , brushing through them before turning to get dressed for dinner .

on the other hand , there was a suffocating silence in the emperor's palace as he watched the sky from the window of his chambers . in his hand was the letter she'd left for the governess with instructions written down on it for her to follow . meticulous as she was , penelope had made sure to write something for everyone , even athanasia , explaining the reason for her visit and how long she will take . everyone but him - he mused bitterly , crumpling the paper in his hands .

he still remembered the disappointed look on felix's face when he had asked the royal guard to stop the empress' entourage at the gates of the city in his rage . felix had calmly reminded him that she had imperial seal and hence there was no legitimate reason for stopping her , before disappearing from claude's sight . even he was disgusted by his behaviour .

she must've felt the same - he thought -that is why she left , didn't she ? she was getting sick of dealing with his unbearable self . good for her ; let her go if she wants to , it wasn't as if this was the first time .

he didn't care . he reminded himself over and over , she can take care of herself full well , and she doesn't desire his protection . so why should he ? he shouldn't , and thus he absolutely did not care . at all . however no matter how many times he repeated the same thing to his own mind , he found himself unable to sleep . just as a certain empress lay in her own tent , staring out of the slit in the curtains and up at the desert sky .

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I have too much fun making these two fight,, it's not good.

hello hello ! ^^ sorry for the late update ― as a compensation, i will release two chapters today .

Also i kind of improvised Claude's mother's story , since it was stated in canon too that Claude was an illegitimate son of the emperor , i felt like adding an archenemy of the obelian empire with a good back story linked with the consort ( also because let's be real , Claude's dad was low-key an asshole ) would be a nice idea. what do you guys think of it??