Gift of the Fox

Chapter 4: Tamie's Accident

The royal family was feasting at the table while the servants brought new dishes and drinks and filled up their cups constantly as they got empty. 

"Son, how is the situation in the North?" the emperor asked his fourth son, Wang Shao. The family members curiously glanced at him.

"We've repelled the enemy," Wang Shao said. "The Sorovs have hired a mighty army of the Vidars to help them, but we've managed somehow."

"Is it because of the big brother's keen strategy or because of our snowy mountains of the North?" Wang Jong, the youngest prince, grinned at Shao. The latter chuckled.

"The Sorovs are already used to the extreme cold and mountainous landscapes, so I guess it was rather a matter of strategy that well worked out," he said. "The advantage was that we fought on our lands, and our soldiers knew what tactics to use."

"I'd rather believe it was a matter of luck." Wang San, the yellow-clothed 3rd prince, cackled, implying that Shao was not a good strategist.

Emperor Wang Ru glared at the 3rd prince, but Shao didn't even bother to complain. He instead just shrugged:

"Every victory or defeat is always partly a matter of luck..."

Queen Yue, Wang Shao's mother, smiled faintly and asked:

"So, how was your journey back, Shao?"

"It was fine, mother. Thank you." Shao bowed a little, as a sign of respect and gratitude to his mother the queen.

"So, how come the Vidars helped the Sorovs in the battle against us?" Crown Prince Wang Rong puckered. "The Vidars live so far north-west in Nordheim! Why did they appear on our battlefield?"

"They're just hired soldiers. They have no interest in our lands. They simply fight to receive their reward from the Sorovs who have hired them." Shao took a sip of his rice-wine. "But I'm not surprised why you're so alarmed. The Vidars are indeed skilled in battles. They believe that if they die in battle they'll be blessed. Beliefs are strong motivators for people."

"They're rather just violent freaks who have no idea what culture and intellect might be," the second prince, Wang Di, said. Once he spotted his fourth brother's countenance turn even sterner, he grinned with delight to have managed to offend him. 

Tamie, who was listening to the royal family's conversation together with the other servants, got pretty surprised as she couldn't understand why insulting the Vidars could offend the 4th prince - he had nothing to do with those berserk warriors of the North, did he? However, the royal family members seemed to have perfectly understood what Wang Di was implying upon, for all of them, save for Queen Mu and Prince San, squirmed. Queen Yue sighed with sadness. Once Emperor Ru caught the sight of his 2nd wife getting upset, he clutched his glass and glared at his second-born:

"Wang Di, mind the words you're using at the table!"

1st queen Mu, Wang Di's mother, pouted - she apparently liked neither Queen Yue nor any of her sons and got angry when the emperor reproached her own sons because of them. Catching the sight of this scene, Liz faintly chuckled and whispered to Tiegan in the international language of Nordile - an island in the North that had many colonies across the oceans (Nordilian was the language of merchants and the middle class. It was not a big deal either for Liz or for Tiegan to know it - Liz was raised as a noblewoman in Frankheim, and the noblemen of Frankheim were the rulers of Nordile, so they all could speak Nordilian along with Frankish. As for Tiegan - her home, Soutrail, was actually one of Nordile's colonies, so she, as a Nordilian by ancestry, spoke it as her native language):

"Just look at Queen Mu's face! She is clearly jealous of how Queen Yue gets more affection from His Majesty."

"Haha, you said it! These Wanglongian nobles are such fools!"

They noticed Court Lady Om's glare and instantly hushed, getting back to their work. Meanwhile, Tamie approached Wang Shao, having spotted how his glass had gotten empty. She wanted to pour some more rice-wine into it when Christine smirked and slowly walked between Prince Wu's and Prince Shao's seats as if to add some rice-wine to Wu's glass, and pushed her with her body. Tamie lost her balance for a moment. The rice-wine ran off the jug and splashed at the 4th prince's precious black silken kimono-robe. Seeing such behaviour from a mere maidservant, the royal family members gasped. The emperor almost sprang up in a rage, and Court Lady Om's eyes sparkled with incense. Tamie widened her eyes in horror and instantly dropped to her knees, bowing to the 4th prince:

"I committed a deadly crime! I beg for your forgiveness, Your Highness!"

Liz and Tiegan watched her with worry - oh, Great God, what would happen to Tamie now? It was an unforgivable crime for maidservants to dirty the princes' clothes at their dinner time! Wang Shao glanced down at the kneeling Tamie and noticed her tremble. He then cast his strict gaze towards Christine who hideously smirked, standing behind Prince Wu, who was no less astonished than the other princes.

"What a disgrace! Behead this fool!" 2nd Prince Di exclaimed with irritation once noticed how this negligent servant had interrupted their conversation. However, he wasn't completely angry with this scene happening - he hoped to make others forget his own shame of getting reproached by the emperor, by casting much attention to this simple mistake of the maid.

Tamie shuddered in dread once heard the 2nd prince order her beheading. Tiegan and Liz were no less stressed. Tiegan wanted to run up to Tamie, but Liz caught her and made her stop. Tiegan glared at her, wanting to break loose, but Liz shook her head, her eyes filled with tears - she already knew they couldn't help Tamie, for their rank was no higher than hers. The guards who were standing nearby ran up to Tamie and grabbed her to take her away when a stern, deep voice of the 4th prince sounded:

"Stop!"

Everyone halted. The guards looked at him with surprise.

"What? She has dirtied your clothes with rice-wine. It won't wash off. She has ruined your kimono. How can you let her get away with it?" Di was astounded.

"Shao?" Queen Yue got no less concerned - why was he standing up for a mere servant?

"Not her fault. It was my mistake. I swung my hand and accidentally hit her jug, so it spilled. No need to blame her."

"Huh? I didn't see that happening!" Prince San raised an eyebrow.

"You say I'm lying?"

"But if none of us saw it_" Queen Mu took her son's side immediately - how this boy dared glare at her son like that?!

"Silence!" Emperor Ru hit his fists on the table. "Wang Shao was offended. It is his decision whether to forgive or not. If he says it was his fault, then be so. Over with this petty accident!"

The princes and the queens quieted down and sat back in their chairs. The frightened Tamie wiped off her tears, bowed to Wang Shao, then stood up, bowed once again to all the Royals and left the place, for after committing such a crime, she was not to serve the table anymore. Once she got out of the room, she darted off into the garden and then to the forest, crying hot tears, for the fear remained in her heart, so great it had been. She was also concerned about another thing - what the 4th prince said back there hadn't actually happened. It was all indeed her fault. So, why did he stand up for her? Why did he lie just to protect a mere servant? It was a deep mystery...