8 Hope is Treacherous
8
Hope is Treacherous
Work continued to pile on her desk. She is almost lost in the sea of papers and documents as repairing countless of cities have become a job she encountered daily. The aftercare of the soldiers, the slowed economy, and the countless deaths that the Imperial family must sympathize and help with landed first on her desk.
The emperor had been plagued with the diplomatic affairs to bother with the internal affairs. Sileas had to pull herself in proper attire, despite the heat, into an office in front of the council. At first, they refused to talk to her, insulted that a talentless halfling would even dare be in the council chamber.
Sileas had no allies in the council, but she didn’t need one. She had herself for forever.
“I would remember this the next time the emperor is thinking of weighing your worth.” She smiled at them. The same smile she thought truly looked like her grandparents. “I might not be a doted Empress, but I am a skillful one. You have armies, but they are not as gifted and talented as the one the emperor possesses. I do not care if you threaten to march your whole alliances to these doors, because I would tell the people how you dragged your feet to pay for simple flowers to their passed loved ones. The ones who fought instead of those well-trained knights, all of you were harboring in case the throne is empty. Might I remind you the rebellion that had put Emperor Eitr’s father to the throne. They were a rebellion filled with the common people. While your kin’s heads were in steaks.”
They complained less then. They believed enough how capable she is after the months she was left in the palace. Most of them hoped that she wouldn’t care about the affairs of the country and languished in the luxury of the palace instead.
Sileas would never do that, because she needs to be happy by the end of this, and to be happy, she needs an environment where its safe for her to be happy. This marriage would end, and she needs a place to live in peace. She could make one from this seat.
The only large incidents that were to happen was one shifter council member almost clawed her throat, if it weren’t for the other council members stopping him. Since then, Lotir chose to attend the meeting, which made every meeting easier than the last. No outbreaks of rage or even complaints loud enough to hurt anyone’s ears were said.
She knows that she is becoming more influential than she planned. At first, all she wanted was to make the south happy. A place where her parents are waiting for her, patiently. Then before she knew it, she had to make sure the people were treated fairly and then she spotted a few discrepancies in the books that made her weed out corrupt administrators.
Her name was just Empress anymore, she heard some of the people call her the Good Empress. She never thought of earning a title. She guessed that she’ll always just be the once Empress. But to think she would actually be called good.
She smiled. Her knife cutting through the meat easily as the juices oozed out of the pressure.
“I guess you had a good day.” The emperor said.
This dinner was just the two of them in this large dining hall, with servants waiting for orders. Somehow that still made it lonelier. Lotir was caught up with something in her own estate, which meant they were on their own for two days.
“It was a good day.” She smiled. “Actually, it would be better if you would please visit me in my chamber later tonight.”
He raised his brows. Surprise marred his usual stoic expression. “My, aren’t you eager?”
“Very” She smiled even wider.
The meal went by quietly. Sileas noticed the nervousness of every servant, but out of fear for her. She guessed as much. It was daring of her to invite him in front of everyone. But he isn’t the kind to care about publicity that much.
That night, she waited in her chambers. Feina fussed over her and even sprayed perfume on her neck and wrists. She made sure that Sileas was presentable and then more despite it being a meet up. She was naturally expecting more to this arrangement.
“Feina stop shaking” She held the maid’s hands in hers. Saw how calloused the servant’s hands were compared to hers. How spoiled she must have seem. “I’m going to be okay.”
She nodded. “You will, not even a corpse would ignore how beautiful you are tonight, your highness.”
She smiled. “Now rush along.”
Feina nodded and left her.
As the days went on, Feina grew less nervous about the emperor killing Sileas. She, in fact, grew bolder at the thought of the emperor liking his forced wife.
“If only…” that were true Sileas thought. It would make things much easier.
The knock on her door came at the dead on night. Of guards switching shifts and posts. Sileas opened the doors and let in the much bigger and formidable emperor in a dark robe with golden stitches and hems.
“I greet you, your highness.” She bowed as she made way for him to enter her chambers.
He sniffed. “You are incredibly bold and brave.”
“Even death doesn’t scare me.”
He scoffed. Sitting on the lounges of her room farthest from the fireplace. “Then what does scare you?”
“Of not being of use.” She admitted. “I asked you to come here to propose something.”
“Proposal? You mean you didn’t ask me to come here to warm my bed?”
She pursed her lips and tried to look less red in the face. “I know this is an arrangement that you didn’t want. You don’t want a wife.”
He stared. Watching her and her words. She noticed how observant he is, and how he prefers to listen and watch for people to make the mistake that would doom them.
She won’t be doomed. She would be happy.
She sat across from him, where a coffee table sat between them. She pulled at the papers she placed on the table. “This is an agreement. I studied your father’s stipulation and he just asks that we stay married for at least three years, and the throne would be safely yours and won’t be contested by him, so I drew a contract.”
He leaned forward and took the contract from the table without a word. His lilac eyes darkened as he continued to read through her writing.
“I would stay married a year after those three years to make sure that our reputations would remain. Then I would leave with nothing but whatever I have.”
He paused. She noticed the shock and the caution that came after. He doesn’t trust me
That makes sense.
“I… don’t want anything grand your highness, I would do everything that I am able as an empress and what you require of me, but I don’t want to remain in a loveless marriage. As you know, both of our parents were fated together, and I don’t see a reason why we can’t find our fated mates in this life.” She’s surprised at how even her voice was as she delivered them. How easy she let go of the words without any problem. “I made a promise to my parents that I would be happy, and I have lied and sullied that dream ever since I lived with my grandparents, but I want to make do on it now. I don’t ask for money. I ask for a divorce.”
He shuffled through her contract. A slight frown slowly lessened into a passive expression. He is please. “And here I thought you were useless.”
“that’s something I try to avoid on being” She can’t help but feel relieved. Her head is still on her shoulders, and he hasn’t made any sort of outburst since…
“So, you do not fear death nor fear it when he is sitting across from you, but you are scared of being useless and loveless.”
She swallowed the dryness of her throat. “Not loveless, but without freedom.”
Slowly, he stands. The paper still in his hands as he walked out of her chambers without a single word of goodnight or even a goodbye.
She stared incredulously at the door. “This man has an annoying habit of walking away in situations that doesn’t merit it.” But she’s relieved. He would, at least, seem to consider her words. She just hopes it’s the right decision.