Her Empire

"A mistress?!"
"They aren't even married yet.."
"This looks bad for the Howard family."
"Knew that girl was worthless!"

The last statement came from her father as he glared in rage at the couple dancing to the music before him. It stung Heather's ears. That should have been her, in the emperor's arms. But instead it was that girl!

Since birth Heather was told she would be Empress. She knew she would be Empress. All she had to do was marry that bastard. Easy huh? Not.
The lowly soon-to-be-emperor takes some girl as his mistress! Announcing it to the entire public on Heather's sixteenth birthday publicly humiliating her. Everyone tells her it's normal for Emperor's to have mistresses and concubines. It isn't normal for the mistress to try and completely sabotage her every move! Her soon-to-be husband is also completely blinded by this woman's beauty and grace to notice! When she discovers the servants speaking of a rumor to replace Heather she knows at once she needs to act.
Maybe with some help of a new mysterious noble she can reclaim her empire...