THE NORTHERN CONTINENT'S EMPRESS

Chapter 15: The Party (2)

Empress Helena looked at Cale's side profile while waiting for his answer. She was happy to meet Cale again after two weeks of not seeing him. Though she did have a lot of fun together with Rosalyn, Lily, and Crown Prince Alberu. 

Cale went silent for a moment, this made her a bit anxious deep inside. Why is he not answering? Was it confidential? Maybe... it doesn't concern her at all that he doesn't want to tell her at all. 

"How was your experience from the Duchy and the Capital City? Did the others escort you well?" Cale instead asked and looked her way, seeing the glimpse of her downcast mood. He didn't make any comments about it.

"Oh, while I was at the Duchy, Rosalyn and Lily kept me company. Before I left, I spent some time looking around the town with them. It was a fun experience." She said and smiled while reminiscing. 

"For the Capital City, Crown Prince Alberu only let me walk in the garden and my current room. Nothing eventful really happened while I'm here," Empress Helena told him with a smile, it was not genuine, but she tries to be cheerful. Cale nodded his head and then there was silence inside the room. 

"O-Oh, that's right! Tonight will be the ball, Sir Cale, are you... No, Will you be my escort later?" Empress Helena asked him shyly. She looked down to her lap, holding his handkerchief on her hands. 

"No, I will rest and not participate to the ball later," Cale said and stood up, 

"I will see you next time, I'll call the doctor in,"He said and left the room. Empress Helena stared at the closed door, before she sighed in defeat. It seems that, she lost the chance to get closer to Cale in this state. 

She stood up and composed herself first before she opened the door and found the royal doctor who waiting for her. She told the doctor to follow him to her bedroom instead. 

She let the doctor do her job and rest on her bed after. Empress Helena was sulking. Her purpose was getting close with the intention of marriage with Cale, but in the end, with little to no time to see or get to know each other, her intial plan will fail so miserably.

She sighed one more time and let the silence sink in the room. 

"Guess I just need to show myself one last time to the public before leaving," She said before closing her eyes, looking for a short nap before she get ready for the ball. 

+

On the other side of the castle, Cale was contemplating of his actions earlier with the empress. He was being cold and rude, which was not really his attitude to anyone at all, definitely not after being renowed hero of the kingdom. 

'I messed up, it was because of the secret that I learned, that's why I put up a wall while talking with her,' Cale thought while sighing, before he could delve deeper in his remorse, he heard a few maids walking on the hallways, talking about the Empress. 

"Did you saw the state of the garden where the teaparty was held? Some of the flowers were still alive and not wilting! Such a phenomena, what happened there?" One maid asked the others.

"I was there at the teaparty, and you would not believe your ears if you hear what were the events that transpired that day," One maid raised her hand and told the others to lean close to hear the story. Cale who was near them, hid and eavesdroped for a bit.

"The start of the teaparty, every noble ladies criticized the location and the ornaments presented in the garden, when the foreign empress arrived, their greeting were clearly lacking of respect and they started to berate the foreign empress for an hour! Its not minutes- but an hour! I was suprised that the patience of the empress was that long." One maid said and another dropped another information from the event.

"They criticized her dress for being too lavish and vulgar, her ettiquete, her knowledge about our kingdom- almost everything! And she still let them talk and waited patiently for them to stop talking, but they don't get the hint at all! Even I, a simple maid of the castle and a citizen of Roan Kingdom, was so ashamed while standing at the same space for all those noble ladies talk as if the Empress was nothing but a newbie in the social society!" the other maid said with indignation. The other maids gasped in surprise, but the fun was not over, another maid stepped in and told them the most crucial event in that teaparty.

"The highlight of that teaparty is when one young lady insulted the Empress  and dragging Sir Cale's name in the conversation. I was stunned in place as I witnessed the Empress used her magic to shut that lady down. But because of her actions, the other noble ladies cried wolf and started to point their fingers to the Empress for 'harrassing' a noble. It was so chaotic, but alas, the empress turned the tables when she mentioned the floating rumors inside the noble circle of the Roan Kingdom and threatened a few as a threat to the Crown." The maid said and everyone tried to process the swirl of events.

"Wow, to be an Empress in a foreign land must be hard," One commented. The others nodded.

"I was surprised at the part where she endured for an hour listening to the insulting words of the nobles towards her. I'm sure in her own land, she was not discriminated so disrespectfully like what happened yesterday. I hope she will feel at ease later at the ball.. Oh who am I kidding, she will need to interact with those kind of people again, who will enjoy the ball filled with hostile people?" The other maid sighed in frustration and the others sympathized to the Empress.

"Oh, we only have a few hours left to prepare the ornaments inside the ballroom, lets hurry!" The maids all dispersed and the place returned to its calm atmosphere. 

Cale stepped out of his hiding place and contemplated on the information he gathered just now.

"... It seems that...I owe the empress an apology or two," He said and walked inside the castle one more time.