Queensmen

Chapter 68

~Assistance~

"Nian Fey," Oris pronounced the title slowly, refusing to allow a single ripple of emotion taint her voice.

The earthy aftertaste of the tea weighed down on the back of her tongue, an immediate reminder that the words that were about to pass her lips would have consequences regardless of how delicately she framed them.

She passed her tongue over her bottom lip, able to just make out the flavor behind the red Andrea had painted on to make it look fuller. Berries. That was what the sweet tang in her mouth reminded her of.

Mulberries to be exact.

"Yes, I remember," she continued, her attention back on the man in front of her. "How did a story told to entertain myself in the dungeons interest you so, sire?"

"You accused someone of being her, my mother," Hermes leaned back in his seat, his words measured to carry equal parts nonchalance and interest, "it made me curious."

Oris laughed and set her cup down on the table between them. She felt his gaze follow her movement, and gauged its intensity by the trail of heat it left on her skin.

You are not as uninterested as you want to appear, Your Majesty.

She smiled and reached for the teapot, raising her head slightly so that their eyes met. For the briefest moment, she searched the depths of his expression, only to look away when she found nothing bubbling beneath the calm surface.

I. . . Hovering the pot's sprout a palm's length above the table, she filled his cup then hers, should stir that calm of yours then.

She lowered the teapot and the crisp sound of porcelain meeting wood echoed across the room.

Hermes took his teacup and tilted it in her direction first before turning its rim beneath his nose to appreciate the scent of tbe tea.

Oris left hers by the teapot and rested her hands on her lap. She did not share the emperor's tea-tasting mood and it was now her turn to add something deadly to the conversation. "How would sire not know whether his mother was in the dungeons?"

The words seemed to take him by surprise because he paused and stopped swirling his tea.

His lips twitched up into something too subtle to be a grin but she didn't sense any malice coming off him. "Are you admitting to lying then?"

"Who would dare lie to the Emperor?"

They both smiled at each other. Oris' was hidden behind her veil, but she could very well the see the lift of Hermes' lips smoothing his smirk into something more gentle and good-natured.

"You have keys to the dungeons in your possession," he said. A statement, not a question.

"I do." There was no point denying a fact.

"What do you intend to do with them?"

Before answering, Oris looked into Hermes' eyes one more time.

It was as though she was gazing into a mirror. She saw nothing but herself and a hardness he could not erase from the otherwise rippleless surface.

She knew she had the same in her eyes because she had worked to hide it over the years, and failed miserably.

Resolve. It was a quality ingrained in her now.

As a royal, her perseverance remained no matter the circumstance. As a commoner, as a queen, and now as the occupant of a very dangerous harem, it had been the one thing she had to fall back on.

Knowing that it existed in Hermes changed something in her, softened it maybe.

Oris decided to be the first to make a concession.

"I intended to free someone who had cared for me," she allowed her gaze to fall from his face, "but your Deádim kindly reminded me that locks can be changed, so I suppose they are useless now."

"Why would you break the law and help someone escape imprisonment?"

"If someone is convicted without a trial they should be given an opportunity to prove their innocence," she said. "That cannot be done from inside a cell."

"It is still against the law," Hermes stated, and she had to hold in a sigh at his stubbornness.

The bait he was using would have ensnared a lesser person but thankfully she was not.

Oris grabbed the teacup, brushed her veil aside and took a sip. There was little she could say now without revealing the fact that she knew more than she was supposed to.

This topic was obviously one the emperor was deeply invested in.

His birth mother was more important to him than he wanted to let on.

And if that is the case. . .

"I am glad this secret is not known by anyone who might wish to harm me, sire."

"Is the person you wish to free my mother, Nian Fey?" he asked directly, but Oris was not ready to take a dive into that just yet.

She couldn't reveal her hand before he did, or she would lose this game they were playing.

I have already taken a step back, it is you turn, Hermes.

"I have never met sire's mother before and I would not know here if she stood in front of me." It was a blatant lie but the softness of her voice was designed to mask it as ignorance.

The truth was, even if she hadn't met Nian Fey in the dungeons, she had seen the queen's portrait one time too many to not know what she looked like.

Oris imagined every prince back then had had a scroll containing the Naritan Queen's visage hidden in a secret compartment in their chambers, and as someone who had spent years planning a rebellion against the woman's son, she had acquired much more than a portrait in her quest for knowledge.

She leaned forward slightly, hoping to rouse a reaction out of the emperor. "But if she was imprisoned, would you free her?"

Hermes crossed his arms, the corners of his smile dropping slightly. "You answer a question with another."

"I do not have the power to free anyone," she admitted, tired of his flawless mask. "I almost died in those very dungeons and just now narrowly escaped execution. This palace is so dangerous, I wouldn't dare break the law when a blade still hangs over my head."

"Would that change if I offer my help?"

The fact that he hadn't just commanded her to do as he wished stunned the carefully planned reply out of her. "What?"

"Enough of this roundabout conversation." He got to his feet, his tea cold and abandoned beside hers. "You are a smart woman. The fact that we are both here is testament to that. In the Grand Hall, I thought I would need to step in and save you, but you came up with a good answer on your own."

"I am flattered, sire." Oris forced her voice to lighten and got to her feet as well. Sitting while an emperor stood was beyond improper but Hermes didn't give her time to compose herself.

"Nian Fey," he began, his expression grim, "I request your assistance. . . to free her."

~

Oooo. Finally managed to write this..... The next chapter will be easier because I've seen it in my mind so many timmmes.

Isn't Hermes such a gentleman... Arg, writing their conversations is so stressful. So much... whatever this is. :'(

Annnd I just spilled hot water on my wrist. Ouch.

I should focus, lol.