The Empress (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 14 - Mother

  Adelaide's POV
 
  "What have I done? How did I ended up being the puppet who push my daughter into war against those monsters? I promised Sullivan that I would make sure Astoria took over the fief. Instead I push her into the abyss. What have I done?"
 
  I watched as the woman cry as she buried  her face in hands. Should I comfort her? Perhaps I should. After all, this woman gave birth to my lover. I reached out and place a hand on the woman's back.
 
  "Please forgive me, your majesty. I shouldn't have shown this side of me. I- I just couldn't handle it since I drove my daugther into such a terrible situation." This is getting no where.
 
  "What's your name?" I asked. The former countess looks up while wiping the tears off her cheek.
 
  "Oh, yes. I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I am Emelda Aspen, a demi-human. My mother was a fairy and my father is a human."
 
  A fairy?
 
  "Fairies are said to be blessed beings by God." Emelda chuckled.
 
  "That's just foolish legend told by clueless housewives to their children. Fairies aren't blessed. They are cursed." Cursed?
 
  "For example, I couldn't wield any form of fairy magic. I can't even changed into a fairy at might. Because of that, I was raised as a human. When I was old enough, I decided to make use of my knowledge and study at the academy. That's when I met Sullivan. Wait, why am I telling her majesty this?" Yes- I was wondering the same thing too.
 
  But that's good news. The former countess seems to remember her past well. The physicians and priests did well. I was about to say something to the former countess we we both heard someone barged into the bedroom.
 
  "Mother!" Astoria shouted before she walks towards the bed calmly.
 
  "Astoria! How long has it been since I look at your face. I-" Astoria suddenly grabbed a hold of her mother's chin before looking deep into her orbs. Damn- I want her to treat me like that too. Why can't she be that rough when we were alone?
 
  "Aster, I am your mother. Have some manners!" Emelda lightly hit Astoria on the head before hugging her daugther. This is such a beautiful moment that I don't dare to interfere. I asked the others to leave them alone.
 
  Well, I was about to leave when I felt someone grabbed my hand.
 
  "I don't know what others might have told you but this is Adelaide. For some reason, we are lovers." Oh- she introduced me as Adelaide instead of her majesty. Ah, my heart swings whenever she called my name.
 
  "Goodness, lovers? I hope you didn't tricked her majesty, Aster. How could you do such a thing to a fine woman!" Wait- if I didn't stop this, Emelda will continue to hit her daugther.
 
  "I think I need to clarify this. I was given the permission to have lovers by the emperor. I choose Astoria because it would be easier for me to help her rebuilding the North without causing much attention. The nobles would just ignore my intention and thought of it as a way for me to make my lover happy." Emelda hummed.
 
  "So, you two are using each other? There is no love in this relationship?" Well- I don't know. I-
 
  "Nope. Who am I to fall in love with the empress? Mother, I know my boundary." Ah- somehow I felt like someone just stabbed me.
 
  "Is that so?" Is this how it feel to be offended by someone else's words? Everyone try their best to be on my good side but this woman is not like them. I thought we would be getting closer but somehow it seems like a wall was place to prevent us from getting along.
 
  Or was it just my imagination?
 
  "Did I say something to anger you, Adelaide?" This woman- how could she be so clueless. Can't she see how offended I am when she told her mother than we are not close enough to be lovers? By now the whole empire knew I took in a female lover. Ah- I'm so embarrassed.
 
  "Adelaide?"
 
  "I'm sorry, your majesty. It seems my daugther has associated herself with rugged men all these time and she has taken their attitude at the same time." Ah, it seems former countess Emelda is trying to help her daugther.
 
  "Huh? That's not true. I am who I am." Of course she is. I smiled at Emelda before shaking my head.
 
  "I'll leave you two alone." Emelda wanted to say something but I decided to leave them alone. After closing the door behind me, I look up to the butler and Adolfo staring at me.
 
  "What is it?"
 
  "You should come and see this, your majesty." I followed both the butler and Adolfo to where the knights are and I was surprise to see the head of a fearsome red dragon greeting me as I entered the room.
 
  "The countess slaughtered the red dragon all by herself. We were on our way back to the countdom when this dragon suddenly attacked us. Your majesty, I witnessed something I shouldn't have. The countess- she's a fairy." I see.
 
  If the former countess didn't told me about her lineage, I would have been surprise. But I was sure that Emelda said her lineage didn't passed on to Astoria. So what happened to make Adolfo said those things?
 
  "The countess was 'flying'. It's humanly impossible for any human to suddenly developed wings on its back and used its power to its full potential. What me and the knights had witnessed is something almost like a miracle. Not to mention the countess is a talented aura user. The countess would be the greatest asset for the empire." Asset?
 
  "What Adolfo meant is perhaps the countess is the answer you have been seeking, your majesty. Regarding the issues with your family." My family? Ah- they have been in war with the noble faction since I took the empress seat.
 
  People have been telling me that the only reason I became the empress is because of my family. The Hawthorne Household was part of the founding family that build this empire along side the Canterbury and Lowenstein. But the noble faction only sees the Hawthorne as a literal thorn that support me.
 
  "What do you suggest? You wish me to use Astoria for my own battle? I choose her as my lover because I am bored with the life I have now. So why would I let my lover to take on my burden? No. I will never let that happen. And don't even try to mentioned this in front of me ever again."
 
  Both Bolton and Adolfo bow.
 
  "Please forgive us." I waved my hand.
 
  "My father and brother will surely handle Hawthorne well in my stead. I'll think of another way to support them if need me be." Ugh- I went to the North because I want to be in peace. And yet, here I am.
 
  "Adelaide." Both bolton and Adolfo nodded before leaving me alone with Astoria.
 
  "What do you think of my gift?" Huh? Did she meant the dragon head? Well-
 
  "I've never received such gift before. It would be an interesting piece of decor in the empress palace." Astoria chuckled.
 
  "Actually, I was wondering if you be willing to go out with me and see the North. It's been years since the Northern cloud made its way for the sun to shine on this gloomy land. I thought you would like to go and visit the market with me." Oh- is this woman asking me out on a date?
 
  "But if you're busy-
 
  "Gladly."
 
 
  Later that day,
 
  "What's this?"
 
  I asked when Astoria handed me something that looks like a meat skewer.
 
  "Oh, it's salamander meat. It's one of the North special cuisine. We often offered this to travellers. Some said that the North has one of the most unique dishes to note."
 
  Salamander meat? It looks like regular barbecue meat that we often see but does it taste the same?
 
  "I heard salamander meat is poisonous." Astoria chuckled.
 
  "Not really. Well, it is poisonous if the person made them doesn't know how to properly prepare it." Well, I trust this woman with my life so-
 
  I took a bite of the meat and I was surprise. It's delicious and it doesn't smell as pungent as I thought it would. I turned to Astoria with my eyes widen while chewing.
 
  "Delicious right? My mother taught the villagers on how to prepare and cook it. And just to let you know, we could also eat dragon meat." Dragon meat?! Now I'm curious to how it taste like.
 
  "Does it has the same texture as lizard meat?" Astoria was surprised.
 
  "Ah, I tasted it before when visiting the Desert Kingdom in the Middle East. It was an experience." Astoria hummed.
 
  "You can say that. But dragon meat has better after taste. I'll hunt down for you soon enough." Eh-
 
  "What? You don't have to do that." Astoria smiled.
 
  "It's the least I could do to repay for your kindness, Adelaide. Look around you, before this, the villagers couldn't even get out from their home because of how cold it was. You even made a special exception for the North and let us paid only half the cost of buying coal." Ah, but that because I couldn't let your people to die unnecessarily.
 
  "Not only that you even made better environment for us. Hell, you even brought your best physicians and priests for us. Before, I never seen such bright smile from children of the North. And from what I recently heard, you build a new school here too. I- I don't know how to repay for those things you given to the North." This is a first.
 
  "No one ever thank me for what I've done before. Nobles usually think it's what I'm supposed to do as the empress. Thank you for saying those foreign words to me."
 
  Astoria was about to say something when we both heard people screaming, as if running away from something.
 
  "Monsters! The monsters escape from its cage! Help!!!!" Escaped?! Cage?! What is going on?!
 
  "Damn those people. I'll be back. The knights will keep you safe. Please do not leave their side. This won't take long." Astoria smile before she ran towards the commotion.
 
  "Your majesty! This way!" But- what about Astoria?! She's alone!
 
  "Don't worry about the countess. My people are on their way. Please, follow me. The countess will kill me if something were to happen to you on my watch." But-
 
  "Your majesty!"