Queensmen

Chapter 65

~Gilded Cage~

Almost every minister in the hall had taken a glance at their neighbor one or two times but not one word was spoken. The atmosphere in the court dimmed, stretched thin by tension so thick that it made the air feel like honey.  A thousand candle flames flickered in sync, casting dark shadows against every sober face present, while hair ribbons and sleeves were whipped up by a frenzied current of desert wind that had somehow gained awareness of what was taking place and was very displeased.

No one dared to step forward—even though it was the very thing required for the discussion to proceed.

Just like the wind, they were aware that picking a side so obviously in front of the Emperor and Empress Dowager was a death sentence in itself.

The harem was not to interfere with the court and the Court's officials were subjects of the ruler not the Queen Mother. At the same time, offending the Empress Dowager—especially if you had a candidate for the Selection—was equivalent to cutting off an arm.

What was the use of planting someone by the Emperor's side if they never got a chance to talk to him? What good was a daughter-in-law disliked by her husband's mother?

If these dynamics could be understood by the common people, how would educated men not take not of it?

Only Andrea's father had taken the risk to be on her side, subtly opposing the Empress Dowager at every turn for her sake. He might have chosen to stay out of this if his daughter hadn't been caught in the thick of it, but he had to have had some power in court to back his will or else it would have been for nought.

The other ministers had been quick to agree with him despite their initial reluctance because of it, and the few ministers who had opposed him were either powerful themselves—and had a more influential backer—or just never cared about the consequences of upsetting the Emperor in the first place.

At first glance, it was hard to distinguish which people belonged to the Empress Dowager and which didn't. The harder it was, the more Oris' thoughts drifted back to what Mikeal had told her about all not being as it appeared.

Hermes' court was not as simple as it looked. Far from it, it was a den of snakes with pleasant smiles and words that dripped with honeyed venom.

Oris hadn't realized how much she hadn't missed the feeling of wondering which misstep in court would lead her to certain death, until she saw Hermes on his throne today.

"What is this?" Faeradaigh was the one to break the dangerous spell cast on the hall.

As he walked to Oris' side and everyone focused on him, the tension in the air thinned and normalcy was restored once more.

Wei Wei relaxed in her seat, an easy smile propped on her blood red lips, and the ministers no longer looked as though their feathers had been ruffled.

Only Hermes demeanor remained unchanged. From the beginning to the end, he remained unaffected, as though the light in his court had not just been almost snuffed out by the gods' meddling.

Oris had to admit that he was a good Emperor in that aspect, unshakable, though when they had first met he had seemed like a person who could not control his temper.

The stark difference in attitudes made her wonder if he was just like how she had been when she still ruled Orse: an actor drowning in a hall of grinning liars.

"Dai, you have something to say?" he said while touching his fingers to his chin. With their tips, he brushed his lips, and as his rings reflected candlelight they caught Oris' attention.