The Empty Ones (Fantasy Romance)

27. Court whisper

My chin darts to my chest. I cannot look at him but feel his burning gaze on me once in a while.

This breakfast is a strange affair. We, the Mahrani and the Empress, are here, but mainly as decoration. Laini is yawning discreetly while Paisa is making herself busy with the food. The one who looks most bored though is Prince Dair. He shouldn't. He should care and pay attention to what these people are saying.

They are commenting about the state of the economy, the unrest in the province of Mile and on the Iles on Milth, and about the attacks of bandits on the East Road.

These seem important matters that half of the people in this gathering don't seem to care about.

"Your Highness, the harvest this year has been good. The peasants will not object so much to the raising taxes," says Sahib Fried.

Sahib Ramir, who isn't actually a Sahib, was so graceful to remind me of the names of the people gathered here. Sahib Fried, has been talking for a while now and his cadence and the eastern accent really are sleep-inducing. The people in these offices are all new. I vaguely remember the names of the ones that were part of my father's reigning party and none of them is here. It feels like someone wanted to erase my father's identity from history.

That isn't so easy, though. He was the most prominent ruler of his time, of the last century, some say. Some say he even overshadowed the Emperor in power, fortune, and fame.

While talking, Sahib Fried is stealing glances at Bea, one of my maids. She is a beautiful girl and he is old enough to be her father, maybe even grandfather.

Even Sahib Meron, the head of administration is yawning. It looks funny; his plumb hand can't cover his rather wide mouth. The only thing he did in this gathering was to eat pastries and yawn.

"Where is Yeoh?" asks the Emperor.

"He will be here soon; he just entered the palace grounds, your Highness," answers a servant who seems higher in rank.

"There is not one gathering where he comes on time," whispers Laini. She is the most outspoken woman of noble birth I ever met.

Just instances later, the door opens abruptly and the man called General Yeoh enters the room, followed by another man, who has his face covered and is dressed in the very well-known uniform of the Five Elites.

The man with the face cover bows while General Yeoh only inclines his head slightly.

"You are late," says the Emperor curtly.

"With good enough reason."

My mouth gaps open a bit. He dares to speak back in such a nonchalant way. And I am pretty sure he hasn't been at the wedding celebration. I would recall such a face because it is... memorable. He is probably in his late thirties, and... mixed, half manab, half midrib. That is interesting; the decree that legalized mixed pairings was given only a few star circles before I was born. The time before, mixed children were treated, mildly said with condescendence. But times change; surely not as fast as they should, but they do. Here the acceptance was accelerated by the pressing need to have more magic bearers and a written royal decree.

My father was the one who made that royal decree come to life but this man... Something about him is familiar. Have I seen him before? His skin is darker than the regular manab shade, his body is tall and powerful, and his eyes are red-brown and oddly fascinating. The midrib pink bleeds through the brown and I have been staring at him for too long. Way too long for it to be considered polite or even decent.

Oh gods, I lower my head in shock. You were just looking, calm down. Too long and too intense but just looking.

"Mahrani, I am General Yeoh bin Nailah of house Orlaith. I believe we didn't meet before. Honored..." He is addressing me and bowing. It's a proper bow, not like the one when he entered.