Divine Empress

Chapter Twenty-Two

Inky night held silence as You Rina sprinting down the corridor, turning a corner, and stumbled to the closed doors of gates. She loudly banged on the doors, "Imperial Doctor San!" She called out; her tone sounded fearful as she continued banged on the doors.

The doors opened, Doctor San stepped out, eyes widened in distress, "You Rina? What is the matter?" He asked.

"It's the Empress, she's unwell!" You Rina fearfully said. After hearing Her Imperial Highness was unwell, Doctor San hurried back in and quickly dress properly and grabbed his medical bag. When he returned, both he and You Rina ran to the inner palace, to Warrior Gold Palace. "Hurry!" She said.

Doctor San huffed and puffed as he ran behind You Rina, his age was certainly catching up to him, realising this as he ran. Once they passed through gates of Warrior Gold Palace, they stopped running, but kept their quicken pace—striding into Her Imperial Highness' palace. Once he entered, "what is wrong with Her Highness?" He asked through his heavy panting.

The doors slammed shut behind him, slowly he turned to see two handmaidens closely guarding the closed doors. Doctor San sighed, realised there was more to the story, as he turned to You Rina. She nervously smiled back to the Doctor before bowing, "I'm sorry for lying to you, Doctor San. But I needed it to look real." She said.

He one long deep breath, glancing back the two handmaidens, who bowed as well, then to the direction of Her Grace's bed chambers, then sighed, looking back to the young handmaiden and asked, "what is the story this time?"

"Her Imperial Highness is secretly traveling to Tookai and does not want anyone to know about it, and we need your help to make a cover for her sudden disappearance!"

He frowned his thick brows in confusion, "but Tookai is in Gaia Kingdom..." His eyes widened, "is she... Is she meeting with the mad King!?" His tone rose in shock, and You Rina rose from her bow, rushing to his and nervously hushes him. He slapped his hand on his lips, lowering his hand to his chin, "how is this possible?"

You Rina shook her head, "I can't say any more than I have... Please Doctor San, help Her Imperial Highness to complete this mission." She begged, she grabbed his hand and placed a small wallet bag.

"You Rina..." He sighed, grabbed her wrist and gave her the wallet bag back. "You need this money to pay your Salve Debt. Helping Her Grace is enough payment for me..." He glanced around, then back to You Rina. "Her Imperial Highness has the common cold and needs a week of care. That is enough time for her, but You Rina... She does not return within the week and someone catches on this, we will be trouble."

"I understand," she nodded her head. "But this is her only way to help His Imperial Highness."

He nods, and the two handmaidens opened the doors for the Imperial Doctor, he and Youn Rina bowed, before he quietly walked out. The two handmaidens closed the doors behind him and turned their gaze to You Rina, "Jennie... Kat... We must make sure no one else other than us enters Her Grace's palace. Our reason is to lower the chances of spread of the sickness. Got it?" You Rina glance at each one, as they nod to her order.

The following morning, the Emperor was in his study when he heard about Empress' sickness, "Her Grace has the common cold." His Eunuch said to him while the Emperor was working on his daily reports.

"Last night we had dinner, and she looked well. In fact, she high spirited," the Emperor wondered, before he stood up. "Let's leave to Her Imperial Highness' palace," he ordered.

But quickly his Eunuch stopped in his way, "Your Grace, Doctor San said no one must see her or else the sickness will spread. You must wait for a week to pass, to see her." He nervously said, the Emperor sighed as worry crept his mind. "Your Grace, we can't have two ill Royals and you know Grand Empress Dowager would not like that idea and would not want you go to see Her Grace."

Nodding his head, "okay..." He whispered, taking his seat again and glanced up at his Eunuch. "How is it she got the common cold when we haven't reached the Dawn of Whispering Change (Autumn)... Could it be mixing snow soup and wine?" He asked. His Eunuch shrugged his shoulders, then the Emperor turned his gaze back onto his report in hand. "It must be the snow soup and wine..."

Raina's POV

"Ah... My back! I'm hungry! I'm tired! My back!" I groaned/cried.

"What's wrong with your back?" Gaibin asked, the herb shop owner and messenger between Gaia Kingdom and HuddOmen Empire. And my tour guide to Tookai and traveling buddy.

"My back hurts!" I whined, leaning head down to touch on the soft feathers of my snow-white feathered horse, known as Hippasang. Last night, after dinner with the Emperor, You Rina received word from Gaibin about the mad King wanting to meet in a small villager in his kingdom.

"Weren't you the one who said, we must hurry this trip because you want to get back before anyone notice?" Gaibin hummed.

Rolling my eyes, the trip was a three-day journey to and back, because I did not want worst any time and be quick with this meeting, I left in the middle of the night and we had been traveling all night and now I'm tired, hungry and my back was killing me. Sitting up, I looked over at Gaibin, our pace was slower than last nights, but he was ahead of me.

"Gaibin... Haven't you gotten tired from all the traveling you've done the past days?" I asked, considering how much he has done to deliver a message to the King, imagine the time he spent trying to find the King, then travel back to the palace. "Don't you miss your husband?"

He chuckled, "my lovely flower has always waited for me, even though I would disappear to be on the road. His like a flower that waits for his sun." He glanced over his shoulder to look at me with a smirk on his face.

"That's mean!" I gasped in shock.

How could do that his husband!?

"I warned him! But that man is stubborn, and he has a neck of seeing through me, that what attracts me to him at the first place. Married for six years, he still waits for me and I keep going back to him."

"Cute..." I awed, smiling warmly, I must hand it to Gaibin's husband for his patience—Gaibin seems to be a handful and his husband managed for six years of marriage, plus years of knowing each other.

"The traveling I am used to it... Plus..." He smirked devilishly, and wiggled his brows, "gives me a good reason for my lovely flower to give me a massage."

I screamed and covered my ears, "please don't give me the details."

Throwing his back and roared out in laughter, "oh, don't play innocent, Your Grace."

Chuckling, I rolled my eyes, "so... How is it you know the mad King?"

"It was chance, I was in the Capital city of Gaia. I trying to make a business deal when he walked in and acted like some kind trader... Before we were cheering and drinking to a good deal, while drunk he admitted being the King. That man yelled on the top of his lungs in the restaurant, he was such a laugh."

"He doesn't sound bad..." I muttered, shrugging.

"Your Grace, his called the mad King for a reason... One minute his cheerful, the next his having a breakdown then violent to those he finds a threat. When you meet him, make sure you're ready for anything. Cause I can't promise your safety or pleasing meeting with him... He is a good man, once you get to meet him and I hope you meet the good side of him..." Gaibin's tone changed from his usual playful and merry tone to a settled concern and troubled tone. The mad King must his good friend, especially since Gaibin seen the good and bad sides of the King, and yet he stayed and was proud to call him a friend.

A true friend...