Just when Gabrielle thought nothing could get in her way anymore, there she was.
Approaching her without care in her mind, servants greeted her, and so did the passing officials. Then she stopped in front of them.
Princess Neftali de Romanet, the core person of Gabrielle's original plan.
She still remembers the look in her eyes when she mistook her for her mother. That sharp glare in her eyes. The way she spoke acting almost scared of Gabrielle's sudden appearance. But in that voice there was no fear nor concern.
Her current presence was the same as that day, her head up tall, acting as someone of high status, of which she was, even if Gabrielle refused to admit it, deliberately ignoring her and speaking only to Maria. Like Maria was someone much more important than her.
All her frustrating Gabrielle was letting out by sitting on the couch and throwing pillows around the room. Maria would just gather all of them and arrange them as they were, then without even looking at her, Gabrielle would throw them again.
"How dare she?" She would say from time to time. "Little brat. To think I was going to befriend her! What a stupid idea!"
Maria stopped for a moment, to listen to what she was saying.
"I am sending her to boarding school the first chance I get! As if I am going to live with her! Befriend her? That is just insane!"
She grew tired of hearing those words over and over again.
"Do you think that will work?" Maria asked her quietly, hoping she wouldn't hear.
Gabrielle turned around to look at her. Both of her eyebrows were raised. "Excuse me?"
"Sending princesses to a boarding school?"
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and turned to throw more pillows around. "Of course it will work! She will have no say in that matter!"
"I doubt the emperor will allow that."
"Oh once I get my hands on him, he will do everything I want. Nobody will care for that stupid brat anymore."
"She did just walk into his office today."
The room got quiet. Gabrielle slowly turned to look at Maria who was behind her with pillows in her hands.
"Who's side are you on, Maria? The princess speaks to you once, calls you a "lady" and suddenly you are her obedient subject?"
"No I just-"
"Don't let it get in your head, she is just using you to get to me."
There it was, the delusional, the idea that everybody is her enemy.
Maria answered quietly. "Of course, my lady."
"Pick a side, Maria, you can't be on both, you know which is the best one."
Maria learned, on the hard way, it was better to agree with her then to argue with her. "Of course my lady, I am with you till the end, you know that."
Gabrielle's angry expression was replaced with a satisfying look. "Good. I don't want to speak of this again. I will get my revenge on her later. There are bigger fish to catch now. I need something to write to Gurtha about."
Maria gathered up the remaining pillows and arranged them as they were. "Well everyone that is close to her majesty will not talk to us, that is what I believe."
"Well that is the obvious. I don't want to wait till the ball to get good gossip." She stopped making a mess and carefully listened to what Maria was saying.
"There are still a lot of people in the palace, noble people, they must have heard things, some are from the capital, they have better sources of income then we do."
"That could definitely help."
"However we should do that tomorrow, it is late now."
"If we work fast, maybe Gurtha will be able to get a number printed on the coronation morning."
"I am sure we will manage."
"That is the spirit I want from you."
Gabrielle stood up and quickly went to her desk, she took out a piece of paper and started writing. "There is still a possibility to make things up. Gurtha is an imaginative woman, she will be able to get something out of the conversation I had with that wrench."
"But won't it be obvious that it is a lie?"
Gebrielle stopped writing mid sentence. "A lie? I am telling the truth, do you understand who has the upper hand here Maria?"
"Of course I-"
"I do!" She slammed her hand on the table. "I am the one granted the immunity by the empress! The emperor made her forgive me!"
"Of course my lady! But we know nothing more than that."
"Of course we do! The all mighty empress was forced to apologize to a lady of noble status. The emperor has no respect towards his wife and puts the will of young beautiful ladies before her, the way he treats the all loving empress shows the imbalance in their marriage!"
"But won't that have a bad effect on us?If people find out about the way he treats her, won't they turn on him? The people love the empress, it would sound like we are trying to tarnish his image, not hers."
"Well I am sure Gurtha will think of a way to write it suitable for our agreement."
"But isn't it better to be safe then sorry?"
"For someone who is on my side, Maria, you have a lot of buts."
"I am only thinking of your reputation, my lady." Maria approached her, stood very close and almost whispered. "They need to know something truly negative."
Sometimes she surprises both of them.
"There is only one person in this palace who will speak to me about such matters. My father."
Like a lightning came through her body, Gabrielle walked out of the room without saying anything more.
~
Hallways were dark, some barely lit with few candle lights and moon light that was poking through the dark clouds.
The night patrol was on duty in the whole palace, and a significantly increased number of guards were marching in those hallways. Gabrielle did everything she could to avoid them. She remembered the way out of the Queen's palace, but the guard at the entrance she could not avoid. He asked where she was headed, and she told him. To her father's office, he called for her to come and meet him immediately.
The guard didn't pay much attention to her answer and moved out of her way, he will still be there when she returns and if she doesn't he will make a report, not a single person who comes in or out of the queens palace doesn't go by being unnoticed. The guards always notice who comes in and out.
The patrol was easier to avoid since there were less of them spread across more ground, she only needed to pass two of them, and they didn't stop her to ask where she was headed. Because the place she met them was the entrance hallway of the king's palace, and it is not unusual to see a lady going in alone.
Marquise Favre's office was on the beginning of the same hallway as the emperor's and empress's, it was not just his office, all the marquises would work there when they needed to spend time in the palace. It was the strategy room with a big round table in which the map of the empire was carved with such precision that it was probably more accurate than any other map that exists.
The light shined through the door crack.
This late at night only one person can be there, her father.
Gabrielle looked around to check if anybody was there, then she knocked on the door. Only once, short.
There was no answer for a while, then she heard steps coming from inside the office and a shadow appeared in the door crack. Marquise Favre opened the door just enough to peek through it.
Gabrielle whispered. "Father."
He flinched in relief. "For the love of gods child." He opened the door so she could come in, looked around to see if anybody other than her was outside, then closed the door quietly.
The strategy room was enormous, with a big round map table in the middle which had too many chairs around it to count. There were several other tables around the room, most covered with maps and atlases because no one used them. One each one of the four walls in the room there were tapestries of maps hanging from the ceiling to the floor. Each showed a different region of the empire. On the biggest wall, right in front of the door, there was a map of Yalen, now a sacred territory of the Athenian empire, but once it was an unconquerable territory for which many lives were lost. Legally it was always part of, then Athenian kingdom, but the province of Yalan is big, with miles of thick forest grounds spreading across it and for a long time no one lived there. It wasn't much use to the kingdom, it was far away from the capitol, so resources that it produced were hard to deliver in most populated parts of the kingdom. Previous kings didn't pay much attention to it, but the people did.
At some point in time the territory was populated by wandering merchandisers, they would take resources that Yalan forests provided and sell them for pure profit to the people of surrounding provinces.
It was not a problem at first, such business was easy to hide from the government that didn't pay much attention to those parts of the kingdom. People even started building villages in Yalan, a few houses scattered over the land that was left ravaged where there once was a part of a forest. That happened at several places in Yalan, villages and small towns kept popping up all over the land. Most of them were owned by merchandisers that claimed the land as their own.
But where there is merchandise and where there is money there is theft.
It didn't take a long time for bandits to find out about the riches those people were getting. So they started by occupying towns and villages, making the people who lived in them pay taxes, or just robbing them, kill those who didn't want to cooperate with them.
If they had only stayed there in silence, perhaps the war would happen much later. But bandits started proclaiming themselves lords, rightfully owners of the Yalan province, gathering armies. First they fought amongst themselves, for territory that had more towns, they even started building their own as the forests got smaller.
Once they got tired of that they combined their strengths and decided to start expanding the province of Yalan on surrounding provinces ruled by lords.
It was the start of the civil war.
The civil war kept going for years, the kingdom's armies were able to keep them in Yalan, but had a hard time claiming the land back. The land that now had nothing of its resources. But the palace couldn't allow their territory to be taken away, especially since it was inside the border.
The current rulers, Emperor Evan and his wife, were the ones that managed to come to a peace agreement with the bandits and claim Yalan as Arthenian province once again.
The only reason Gabrielle knew about the history of Yalan is because her father was one of the last people who fought in the war. If he hadn't done so, the emperor wouldn't have given him the border to keep safe. Her father was in line to succeed the title of Marquise since the last Marquise died without having children, but Gabrielle's father was a distant cousin of his and therefore not the first person in line of succession.
It was family history that he made her and her sisters learn word for word.
"What are you doing here?!" He asked with an angry whisper.
"I am sorry to disturb you at this hour, father."
"You should be in your room! Do you know what it took to get you to stay there? You have no right to act so privileged and wander around the palace alone! At night! To the king's palace!"
Gabrielle sat down on one of the chairs around the centre table. "Father! I came to tell you how my meeting with the empress went!"
Marquise looked puzzled for a moment, then as he realized what his daughter was saying, cleared his trough and came closer to her. "You should have done that right after it was over, your mother was waiting the whole day for you to come and tell her how it went."
Gabrielle sat up straight and looked to the side. "I was occupied."
Marquise sat in front of her. "Well, how did it go?"
Gabrielle kept glancing around the room for a few moments, her eyes kept taking her to the left where a few offices down she talked to the empress just a few hours ago.
"It went well, she granted me immunity."
Her father smiled widely. "Well that is great! I am glad it went well, now we can live our lives peacefully."
"Father," her expression collided with his happiness, it almost seemed like she looked ashamed. "I do not believe forcing Her Majesty to apologize to me was a good idea."
"What are you saying child? Nobody forced her to apologize," Marquise laughed as if what she was saying were a joke. "I simply asked the emperor to smoothen things out, for the sake of your sisters."
Gabrielle almost flinched, of course he didn't beg the emperor for forgiveness because of her. It was the lives of her sisters he cared about, as if she is supposed to suffer alone. If the empress told him to disown her in return for his family to come back to the Imperial palace, he probably would.
"Still, it was wrong of us to beg, it was wrong for you to beg him, when I am the one at fault." She placed a hand on her heart.
Father looked at her confused, still not believing what he was hearing. "Gabrielle, we are done with this matter, there is no need to drag our family name through the mud. Again!"
The vein on his forehead popped.
"I am not going to do such a thing! Mother told you I started going to the church and the priest told me to stop making others apologize for my mistakes. So I should apologize to the emperor for causing trouble to," the words felt hard on her tongue. "His wife."
Marquise leaned forwards slamming his hand hard on the table. Whispering again. "Do you take me for a stupid man child?" Anger grew in his eyes. "I know about your scheme, I know where you have been these past two weeks!"
Gabrielle blinked in shock. "What are you implying father?" She tried to look dumb. This is what she feared would happen, of course her mother can't lie to him, it was a risky move from the start. But it was worth a try.
She looked at her father, he looked like he could flip this whole table upside down from anger.
"I swear to gods, one day you will kill me with that behavior of yours. Did you truly think you could fool me?"
Gabrielle bit the inside of her lip. He already knows about her wish to become the emperor's mistress, Maria told him, there was no doubt she was also the one to tell him about her plans again.
"Then shall I tell you honestly what it is that I want?" From weak and remorseful her voice became serious.
"Yes, please tell me my child, what is it that you want so bad that you can not have? Money? Clothes? Shoes? Jewelry? Palace? Man? Love? Which one of those things you can not have? What can that man give you that you don't have already?"
Of course he doesn't understand, how could he? He is an old man who was destined to get everything he wished for. But she is just his daughter. Money, clothes, shoes, jewelry she has. Their family home is a palace, not grand as this one but still a palace. She can have any man she wants, there are several of them asking for her hand, offering love and wealth one can only dream of.
But they can not offer her status, they can not offer her power. If she marries one of them, from the status of Marquise's daughter, she becomes their wife.
Like a dog being sold to a different owner.
Instead of hunting for a husband, her tasks will be birthing and raising children, socializing with other wives at boring events where she will be the same as all of them.
She is just another woman.
"He can give me power, father."
"Power? What kind of power do you wish for?"
"The one that comes with the status. Emperor's mistresses are respected in the society! They are feared! They are powerful women with a chance to secure the highest possible status in the whole empire!"
"You have no idea what it means to be a mistress!"
"Yes I do!"
"No you do not! It is not all fun and beautiful as you may have heard. Kings had mistresses, many of them at the same time." He pointed his finger at her. "But our emperor will never take a mistress and if he does she will not be of noble status and will not be living in this palace and she will definitely, definitely never become an empress."
Gabrielle didn't want to look at him. She turned her head and said, "Do you know how many girls are fighting for that role? I am not the only one! And their parents will do everything for them to succeed!" She turned to look at her father again. " I am at an advantage compared to them, a much bigger advantage. This is an opportunity of life! You should support me as my father!"
In the end, how different he is from her. He fought in the civil war, gave everything just for the emperor, then a sixteen year old boy to notice him. Gave everything to secure a status of Marquise. To secure his family a wealthy future.
She is trying to do exactly the same. In every way she is suitable for such a position, not only of a mistress but that of an empress.
Marquise calmed down for a moment. "Gabrielle, do you know how their marriage came to be?"
"No, why would I? It was arranged there is nothing special about it!"
"They were married by the request of the late king, on his death bed. Katherine was chosen special by the late king, he called her the prophecy bride." He spoke quietly as if he was afraid that somebody would hear them. "And on the day of his passing, he ordered for them to get married right there in front of him. He let out his last breath the moment they were pronounced husband and wife."
Gabrielle kept looking at him, somehow, he was giving her exactly what she wanted to hear. What she wanted to know.
She said, "That does not mean they love each other."
"What do you know about love stupid child? They were united in marriage in such conditions so that the bond between them can never be broken. The emperor promised his father to cherish her, that was his last wish. Do you really believe he would betray such a promise for a mare mistress? Divorce his wife, we can say god given wife, for you? For any other woman in this world?"
"He still deserves happiness, no matter the honor."
"Honor is happiness to him! Do you think he doesn't have another woman? He has! Many of them! But they don't live here, and they never will, they are all from low class, whores! And even if there, out there in this whole wide world is a woman who he is destined to love, he won't leave his wife. Katherine is the empress, nobody will dare deny her that right, not even he."
"What if I am that woman he is destined to love?!"
"You are not! Now give up on it already! Use your head child! They have children, they made this kingdom an empire, because of them you and I are standing here today! Think! What can you offer him that she does not have!"
Gabrielle stayed shocked for a moment, she felt like her father was spitting right in her face. "Are you saying I am not good enough for him?" She asked him with a disgusted look.
Marquise took a deep breath and rubbed his tired eyes. "Forgive me lord for what I am to say, but yes Gabrielle, you are not good enough for him, not you or any other woman. Katherine is the only one he will ever be with, till death."
Tears started forming in the corners of her eyes, angry tears. Perhaps it wasn't worth the effort to come here and get information from him.
"I can not believe that is what you really think of me." She stood up, almost knocking over the chair.
"That is what everyone will think of you. If you continue with that silly idea of yours."
Gabrielle started to leave but she stopped when he spoke again.
"Try looking at those other girls that are trying to become mistresses, you say there are many of them, so look for them, look how they are treated."
"Good night father."
She didn't want to listen to this any longer, what did she do to deserve this? Getting gossip from him wasn't worth surviving those torturous words coming out of his mouth. Of all people, her own father.
Gabrielle no longer cared who saw her or heard her, she slammed the door on her way out. But she wasn't the only one with such ideas. Another door, down deeper in the hallway also slammed open but remained that way. Heavy footsteps coming from that direction were approaching her. Then they stopped, stepping right into the moon light that had just peaked out of the clouds.
It was the emperor, from top to bottom.
The door of the strategy room opened and her father came out yelling in whispers again. "Gabrielle -!"
He stopped as he saw him. "Your Majesty."
Another set of footsteps was approaching from the direction the emperor just came from.
It was the empress, "Evan," she whispered before seeing them.
"Your Majesty," Marquise repeated, surprised even more. He took Gabrielle's arm and forced her to bow.
She did so, sloppily, she was distracted. Too busy looking at the figure in front of her. Too busy steering at those dark eyes that glowed in the moon light. They were looking at her from a height, not just physically, it was like she was a rat and he was a man who was going to kill it.
It was breathtaking. Seeing him in such a state, blazes unbuttoned and the shirt underneath open, his muscles barely poking through. His hair is messy, his face unshaved, it is a tired face, a face that lost joy a long time ago.
Majestic, truly majestic.
He was so close, she could touch him, only arm length kept them apart.
That moment was ruined by one word that came out of his mouth.
"Katherine."