CAMILLE'S POV
"And because of what happened to her grace before, the dame has given us an order to find you the best guardsmen in the Capital. Here we have a few candidates for her grace to choose from." Why is it that the first thing I have to do after given permission to leave my bedroom was to find guardsmen?
"But, I don't need them, princess Andromeda. I have the imperial knights available for me." The princess suddenly placed her hands on my shoulder.
"Please, your grace. Do me a favor and choose one or two of these martial artists to be your guard. It will do me a great favor if the dame inquires me about the seduction process." I see it now. Isadora forces her to find me, suitable guardsmen.
The moment I turned my attention to the candidates standing in front of me, I immediately noticed something that even the imperial knights doesn't have. These group of people possessed such a high level of confidence and will. Just where did the princess also find these people?
"Is it possible to pick them all?" I asked the princess.
"If that's what the archduchess wishes to come, it shall be done." The princess finally smiled from ear to ear.
"Assigned each of them to protect the future queen regnant. And that means you too, princess Andromeda. You need someone to protect you. Also, I want that woman to protect my children. Will you be able to do that, young girl?" The female martial artist kneels in front of me.
"Yes, your grace." I smiled before leaving Andromeda to deal with the new guardsmen. It is such a lovely today to have a stroll around the palace garden. I wonder what is happening back in my duchy. Cassiopeia and Aphrodite left the Capital 2 days ago. I reckon they will arrive not later than this afternoon.
"Oh, you're here. What brings you here to the garden?" I smiled when the imperial mother appeared from the garden together with the rest of the empress mother's concubines.
"It's good to see you, Lady Mirabel, Lady Blanca, Lady France, Lady Ravinia, Lady Celestia, and Lady Delphine. I hope that you had a pleasant morning." The concubines each smiled at me.
Usually, they should be the ones bowing at me, but since they belong to empress mother, I have no choice but to show my respect to the ladies of Galatea. These groups of women were once the beckon of hope for the Empire. They protected the Empire with their life alongside the imperial consort and the shadow empress.
"Raise your head, child. After all, you're carrying the future of the Empire within you." Lady Mirabel chuckled.
"Since you're here, I would go inform you that I have instructed these ladies to be your children's tutor. I hope you won't find them unworthy. Your children need proper education; only these group of ladies knows what to do with their future. Once your children old enough to think for themselves, then we shall accommodate their interest with proper teachers." Was that the reason why my children seem happy for no reason?
I never knew that my children had been learning from the concubines.
"If imperial mother thinks that it was the best, then it is the best for me too." Imperial mother smiled.
"Beware of the rocky path while you're in the garden. If you need anything, just waved for the servant to assist you." I bow when the imperial consort and the concubines excuse themselves.
"Eh. Your grace, it's a pleasure to see you here." Sophia, the former courtesan of the tower of Camellia, suddenly appeared from the bush together with a knight.
"You may go." I waved for the knight to leave us alone.
"So, was that one of your former customers?" Sophia nodded while wiping her mouth with a piece of cloth.
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"What kind of information you manage to gather? That knight; he came back with Isadora from the West." Sophia then dropped the cloth on the ground.
"The high priest has made a major move on the Capital. From what the shadow empress had planned together with the dame, they're going to proceed to attack the enemy base with all their might. This battle will not only risk the shadow empress position as the shadow ruler but also the shadow empress capabilities in ruling the Empire. It is too risky to sacrifice that many knights and soldiers of the Empire. The high priest wishes to be the emperor of the world, and by killing the shadow empress and wipe out the whole monarch, he will take over the Empire." Sophia turned to face me.
"In this battle, the dame has agreed to be the centerpiece of the battle. The shadow empress planned to use the 'bloody devil knight' to destroy the enemy with her life on the stakes." I was not even surprised about this at all.
Having the empress mother as your mother is not all fun and games. That woman is the devil reincarnate herself! My enemies called me the monster duchess was because of her teaching. I'm becoming that woman who ruled the Empire with an iron fist as I grew older.
"By the way, Sophia. Did you have to seduce the guard? Can't they just tell you the information without you showing your breast?" I was referring to the nip slips that she failed to realize. Sophia smiled at me before fixing her dress properly.
"All I did was showing my breast. Lucky for us that none of the concubines saw what were we're doing in the bush." Sophia laughed it off.
"You're going to be the queen regnant as soon as we impale the high priest head on a pile an exhibit it for all to see. Please control yourself from being seen with a man. You're now Isadora's concubine. Not just a beautiful courtesan that came from the Tower of Camellia." Sophia smiled before bowing her head for the archduchess.
"I will make sure to keep myself at bay, your grace. Please do quell your anger after seeing the state I am in." That is good. This woman knows how to please me.
"Good, now follow me. Tonight, it is your turn to please the dame. Let my servant clean your body through and through. We don't want the dame to smell another man's scent on you." Sophia nodded.
***
"Monster! You're a complete monster! How could you ordered your men to do such atrocity! Your grace, impaling the head of a noble family in front of their family, is not the way to make a fair judgment! You force Aphrodite to witness something as cruel as impalement! The holy princess doesn't have the same guts as you, the monster duchess!" Octavia needs to know her place. As of now, the way she speaks to me is quite rude.
"Only God will know what will that child in you be when he or she is all grown up." I smiled while rubbing my bump.
"Octavia, do you have a problem with the way I ruled my duchy? Cassiopeia was the one who volunteered herself to go in my stead, and Aphrodite agreed to accompany her. Death is something I, the archduchess, have to face every single time. If we don't make a statement, the nobles who think they're better than us will continue to think of a way to walk all over our heads. Do I need to remind you of your kingdom, princess Octavia of Tribia Kingdom?" Octavia finally realized that she's been rude to me.
"Also, before you barging in, acting as if you never made any difficult choices in your life; do remember that you're in Galatea Palace. This place will never tolerate anyone who speaks without thinking of its consequences. You're lucky that I am with my butler. What if I was with the imperial consort or worse, the high consort?! Those two individuals don't like being interrupted while they were in the middle of working on something." The princess bow before apologizing to me.
For Octavia to bow her head to me must've hurt her pride as the princess of Tribia Kingdom. I've known her since we're just children trying to learn how to survive this harsh world. Now that we're both adults, it is apparent that she has grown up to be someone who values strength and righteousness.
"Camille, why are you doing? Just tell me, what are you planning to do with your duchy." I shrugged my shoulder.
"I am simply taking out the trash. Cassiopeia should know the moment she volunteered; she should have warned Aphrodite that I always end things with blood. Besides, the nobles back in my duchy thought that since I'm not physically there, they could do anything. But they are wrong. Their impalement was simply to show the rest of the nobles than I have no means to play around." Octavia suddenly turned around when someone opens the door from the other side.
"Oh, you're here as well, Octavia?" Andromeda smiled before she bows upon seeing me.
"Your grace, I have come bearing good news. The shadow empress's entourage has sent us a letter using an owl, and it stated that the empress agrees with your condition. As long as the dame agrees, it shall be done." Octavia turned to face the archduchess.
"What did you do?" I smiled since empress mother listened to my plan.
"As a wife, I want to make sure that the dame survives this battle. Since the shadow empress wishes to use Isadora in this upcoming battle against the high priest knights, I just want that mother of mine to ensure that Isadora will come back alive. Even if she has to sacrifice herself to save her, Isadora must come back in one piece." Octavia couldn't believe what she heard coming from my mouth.
"You demand the shadow empress to hear your bidding? Have you lost your mind? Even if you're the daughter of the imperial consort, that doesn't mean you have the right to question the shadow ruler about her way of using her subject. That could occur as treason against the Empire. What if that vile woman decided to destroy you, your wife, and the concubines?" Once again, I glared at the princess.
"That woman you speak off will never dare to go against the imperial consort. I asked for imperial mother's help before sending the letter. The shadow ruler has no choice but to comply. Now, all you concubines have to do is support the dame in battle. Normally I would join you, but as you can see, I am not fit to wear my armor and wield my duchy's sword." Andromeda's chuckled.
"Of course, your grace. We wouldn't want to bring a pregnant woman to battle. What kind of warriors would us be if we let that happen?" Andromeda's chuckled.
"Princesses, to be honest, I have many dreams and ambition. And it will only come true if I wear that piece of an iron crown on my head. So please, show me your loyalty, and your dreams will also come true." I tap my fingers on the table.
"Make your enemies tremble in fear when they hear the heavy stomp of the Empire's soldiers come marching down to give them the ultimate death. Drench the enemy's territory with their blood as we take over their land. I shouldn't have to teach you how to be a warrior. I just want to win this battle. That's all I'm asking." I smiled at the princesses.
"The Empire has won many battles just to keep its power. Do not embarrass your spouse by spouting nonsense about righteousness. Every ruler has to make a hard choice at some point in their reign. Isadora's first experience in being the next ruler of this cruel sovereign was to choose if she should betray our love for her people's future or just ignore her subjects together by making me the only woman in her life. Luckily, she picked to betray our love for her subjects." I stood up from my seat and walked towards the princesses.
"I have a secret mission for the two of you. Deep inside the holy priest's home, there should be a door that will lead you to his secret dungeon. If the information Sophia provided me with is correct, among all the women that are being captive, there should be a woman with a hair white as snow and eyes as red as blood. I want you two to save her and bring her back to Galatea. With her here, Isadora is ready to be the empress regnant. Do not disappoint me." I leave the room together with my butler.
That little mission should be enough to make them ponder of this mysterious woman's identity. That woman is the last of her bloodline. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that woman stays by Our side instead of our enemy.
