The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Thirty-Three

Emperor Cabel and Luna sit quietly in the royal office.

The emperor's cheeks colored a faint red shade as he thinks to himself, covering his mouth as his eyes scan over the document in hand. His throat tightens for a moment as he swallows sharp and quick—too quick for calm, too slow to hide.

Adjusting the cuff of his sleeve as an act to hide his embarrassment, he hesitantly turns his chair to face the desk. Working through the papers, his eyes frequently shift up to glance at Luna as she reads with a peaceful expression.

Her expression composed with a gentle glimmer of excitement in her eyes as she continues to read the book, the emperor's lips softly curl upwards as he unconsciously copies the subtle smile she wears.

Gazing at her profile his eyes focus on her lips that rest with a subtle pout to them, until shifting lower to admire the soft curve of her jawline before setting his sights on her slender neck. Recalling the moment between them—whatever composure he had gathered, catches briefly in his throat before he forces it down. The tension in his jaw tightens as he shakes his head—forcing his eyes to look back to the document before him.


Soon, the door knocks with a firm but polite knock.

Raising his hand, a shadow rises to open the door.

"Come in." The emperor calls out.


Duke Oslo enters the office, bowing as he walks in.

"Greetings, your majesty -" Duke Oslo speaks, pausing as he notices Luna on the sofa, "Oh forgive me, I was unaware you had a guest."
"Hello, I'm Luna of the golden palace." Luna introduces herself, curtsying calmly.
"I'm Duke Oslo, it's nice to properly meet you." He gives a soft nod to greet her back.
"Properly?" Luna repeats, tilting her head from his choice of words.
"Oh yes... I've heard a lot about you from his majesty."
"I see." Luna meekly responds, "Good things I hope?"
"But of course." The duke politely chuckles with a friendly smile.

Giving a nod to accept his response, a gentle smile appears on her lips.

"You must be here for business, allow me to leave -" She speaks up, soon cut off.
"Stay as you are. We can start our meeting now." Emperor Cabel interrupts, pointing at the seat before him for Duke Oslo to sit.
"Yes, your majesty." Duke Oslo bows.

Walking to the emperor's desk, the duke sits as he places documents on the desk. Emperor Cabel continues to finish writing on a page as the duke prepares for the meeting.
Conflicted by the emperor's request to have her stay, Luna does as she's told. Slowly sitting back down on the sofa, she glances at the emperor to make sure her presence is accepted.

With the emperor and duke focused on their work, Luna quietly opens her book again.



"We need to deploy the marquess' knights in the East." Emperor Cabel speaks, his eyes scanning over a letter.

As their meeting continues, the emperor leans back in his chair as he glances at the various letters before him.

"The East is filled with troops on patrol from the Lunnex Kingdom. With how many knights the marquess can send, it won't be easy to pass them. I could send some of my knights, but if my squadron is deployed to the West, I won't have many knights to offer." Duke Oslo speaks, thinking to himself.
"I can contact the dynasty of Xiao. Their warriors can provide backup once we enter the central area of the East."
"Your majesty, if we rely on the Kingdom of Xiao, they'll use this as an excuse to bring their princess here to -"
"I know." Emperor Cabel coldly interrupts, "We won't worry about it now, but I'll find a way around that. If we have support from Xiao's warriors, we won't need to worry about our knights being ambushed."
"They'll surely be useful, but they could potentially start a war if you refuse their princess -"
"I said I know, didn't I? I'll face those consequences." The emperor coldly cuts him off—his sharp eyes commanding the duke to not mention the princess once more.

The tension in the room grows heavy as the duke and emperor talk.

Quietly listening in on their conversation, Luna opens her lips but shuts them tightly as she debates whether or not to speak. Unable to focus on her book from the tense atmosphere, a look of resolution appears in her eyes.

Placing her book onto the table, she sits up straight as she raises her hand.

"May I intervene?" She asks, cutting through the tense silence.

Turning towards her, the duke glances back at the emperor as he gives a relaxed shrug.

"I have no problem with that." Duke Oslo smiles, awaiting for the emperor's response.

Taking a moment to look at the nervousness on Luna's face—the emperor's expression softens as he notices the confidence within her gaze.

"Come." Emperor Cabel nods, gesturing for her to sit in the empty chair beside the duke.

Hesitating upon hearing their answers, Luna stands with a resolve as she walks over to the men. Taking her seat before them, she fiddles her fingers as she gathers her thoughts.

"I apologize for interrupting." Luna bows her head.
"Not at all, what would you like to say?" Emperor Cabel speaks, his tone softening as he waits for her to continue.
"Well, regarding the Kingdom of Xiao... Might I suggest an alternative to avoid going to war—and avoid being in debt to them?"
"If you have an idea, you're free to share." The emperor lethargically speaks, curious as to what she'll say.
"Xiao is described in history books as a once beautiful kingdom, but when King Tun passed, his eldest was crowned. His eldest son was described to be selfish, and changed laws to only benefit himself. But court officials wanted more control, and they voted him off the throne—crowning his younger brother Shen. King Shen lacks skills regarding politics, which made it easy for officials to pass laws that border on inhumane. The most notable law that was passed was to have their kingdom heavily rely on taxing commoners, allowing officials and nobility to be exempt. Poverty increased rapidly due to it, which made job openings rare—with very little pay. However, there's one job in Xiao that provides a liveable wage to commoners."

"Becoming a warrior." Duke Oslo speaks up, his eyes widening as he takes in her words.

Giving a small nod, Luna sits up straighter as she grows more confident.

"Yes. Since it's the only decent job that's available, it's rare to find a citizen who didn't try to apply. Except, there's a low rate of citizens who pass their training tests—only ten percent or less of those that apply, successfully become warriors. Since applicant's must undergo training within the academy—Xiao heavily prioritizing stealth based combat—those that failed resort to dirty work such as becoming a hired assassin. Xiao's slums are sure to be filled with citizens who have the same skills as the kingdom's warriors, and we can take advantage of it. If we scour for the best trained citizens, we could recruit them to live here. If they're highly knowledgeable with Xiao's methods, they could even teach new recruits—strengthening your army with Xiao's renown methods." Quickly explaining, Luna takes a deep breath as she finishes sharing her idea.

Taken aback by their silent stares, she sheepishly looks at Emperor Cabel and Duke Oslo, who both stare at her dumbfoundedly.

"Where on earth did you learn this?" Duke Oslo asks.
"Well... I've read history books on neighboring kingdoms to know more of their culture. I read that once King Shen was throned, the lower class began paying up to sixty percent of their salary for taxes, while nobles pay either five or none. The jobs there are scarce, but their warriors are highly revered and I thought of this theory I suppose." Luna shrinks back, questioning if their stares are positive.
"It's good in theory, but how would we know we can trust them? If they're stuck in poverty, the ones we recruit could want to make money quick and abandon their posts." The duke cautiously points out.
"There's a chance that could happen, which is why you should send in spies to recruit them. If you find the ones who're well trained and desperate to escape their lives there, you can build this empire's army with the strongest defenses. You'll have knights who are skilled with hand to hand combat, archers who are trained for long distance attacks, and assassins who are experts in stealth and ambushing. If you're willing to provide a better life for them here, they'll see his majesty as a savior and will want to provide loyalty in return—the important factor is to scour the slums in order to find those that are truly desperate to survive."
"It's brilliant. You really thought of this from reading?" Emperor Cabel asks, a subtle grin on his lips as he looks proudly at the woman before him.
"Of course. I finished all the books at the golden palace's library, and read an abundance of books and journal's from the royal library so far... Have I made a mistake?" Luna cocks her head, thinking back on her words.

"Not at all, you had an amazing idea." Duke Oslo smiles, his mind racing as he thinks over her suggestion, "Your majesty, if this is successful you'll steal power from Xiao. If word spreads and their citizens find your empire more liveable in comparison, there could be a revolt against King Shen. It would make overtaking them easier."
"I could kill two birds with one stone." Emperor Cabel softly scoffs in an amused tone.
"How so?" Luna questions, curious about his words.
"Xiao has been a kingdom I wished to takeover. I don't care enough to go as far as calling a war to overthrow them, but they've sent many assassins to take me out. If this works, Xiao will be taken over by my empire—and I'll make it the first kingdom run by a woman." An amused grin grows larger on the emperor's lips as he ponders for a moment.
"A woman? Who would run it?" Luna questions, surprised by his statement.
"House of Zelnia, Earl Pietro has four sons, and one daughter—Canella. She has the capability and intelligence to run the house of Zelnia, but since her brothers are older—she has no chance to become heir. She's the smartest out of all of those useless rats, and I'd hate for her qualifications go to waste."
"Go to waste?" Luna questions.
"That father of hers plans to marry her off for wealth since she can't become heir. She's loyal to me, has a strong sense of justice, and has... Personal ties with Xiao." Emperor Cabel softly chuckles to himself as a thought appears in his mind.

Tilting her head as she tries to guess what the emperor meant by 'personal ties', Emperor Cabel flashes a proud smile towards her.

"Duke Oslo, carry out Luna's plan. Decide out of the squadrons which knights will perform best undercover."
"Yes, your majesty." Duke Oslo stands and bows.

Gathering his things, the duke flashes a friendly smile towards Luna—suddenly bowing towards her.

"Lady Luna, your intelligence is very bewitching. I'll be sure to consult you in the future." The duke speaks in a composed tone.

Her eyes widening ever-so-slightly as she notices the intrigued look in the duke's eyes. His friendly expression contrasted by an analyzing stare—stuns Luna as she tries to understand the meaning behind his gaze.

Cautiously, she bows back to the duke.
Turning towards the emperor, Duke Oslo bows low with a hand on his chest.

"May glory of Helios rest upon you." The duke says.

Taking his leave, Duke Oslo softly closes the door behind him—an indecipherable expression on his face as he hums to himself in a pleased-amused manner.