"Sister," Catherine called out to her sweetly and Emilia paused, surprised.
Catherine approached her, flanked by two maids in finer silks and a tall, sharp-eyed guard at her side.
Her face is glowing with satisfaction, her cheeks lightly rouged, and her hair pinned high with pearl hairpins. She performs a graceful curtsy.
"Forgive me for disturbing your work," Catherine greeted, her voice carrying a tone of mockery.
Emilia stood slowly, her posture regal even in her plain robe.
"How did you get here?"
"No one from outside the king's quarters is allowed in," Emilia said.
Catherine smiled, with raised shoulders.
"His Majesty made an exception for me. I pleaded earnestly to be allowed to visit you."
"I thought you might be feeling... lonely," she replied.
The grin on her face conveyed the actual meaning of her words clearly.
Emilia sneered in response, shaking her head slightly at her foolish arrogance.
She had always known Catherine to be too eager to beat her and even now, she can't just wait to flaunt her vainglory in her face.
"How considerate," Emilia replied, her voice calm unlike Catherine's expectations.
"Of course, we are sisters," Catherine uttered.
"Now that I'm here, shouldn't you offer me some tea?"
"Or are you not allowed?" she queried with a smug on her face.
She had heard rumors that the King really treated Emilia just like one of the servants and allowed little or no different treatment for her.
Even her servants are not allowed to come in and serve her.
"If you are here to drink tea, then there is," Emilia assured her firmly.
"Is that so?" Catherine muttered.
"But...the King has told me to be very careful about the things I consume these days," she said proudly.
"You understand, don't you?" she giggled, implying she is already with a child.
"The King also granted me some foreign tea yesterday," she replied, then whispered.
" It is actually good for fertility, so I thought about sharing some with you," she said, and gestured.
One of her maids steps forward, presenting a small carved box of sandalwood, tied with a delicate golden ribbon.
Emilia laughed, unfazed by her attempt to rile her up and sat down, examining the gift box.
"I must say, the side chamber suits you," Catherine continued, also taking a seat in front of her and looking around in an arrogant smug.
"Sister, I'm here because I don't want you to misunderstand me because of the rumors going on."
"I have no intention of taking your place, but I can't help it that the King wants to spend the night at my place instead." She said pretentiously.
" I could barely persuade him to leave this morning." She flaunted.
"You seem to be enjoying his company well," Emilia responded and Catherine laughed.
"The King sure is affectionate and kind." "Just because there was a fly in my room last night, he assigned a personal guard to keep watch over me day and night." She boosted.
" Isn't that thoughtful?"
Emilia raised her brow.
"Each quarter in the palace is assigned guards for safety."
"Yours is not an exception," she told her, but Catherine chuckled.
"Or perhaps he favors those who warm his heart and his bed," Catherine replied, eyes gleaming with triumph.
She moved to sit next to Emilia and took her hand cautiously, a false look of concern flashing in her eyes.
"You…you have consummate with the King, right?" she asked and Emilia immediately shove her hands away.
Catherine's smile twitched but she masked it quickly.
"No need to be shy, sister."
"You can tell me," Catherine pressed, not minding the disapproving stare from Emilia.
The actual reason why she begged Lucas to allow her to visit Emilia today is simply to find this out.
The first time Lucas came to her, she initiated a kiss, but pulled away quickly, like he was bitten, and then he never touched her.
Since then, he had visited her chambers four times more but never consummated with her.
Each time he sat in the chair, reading all night and didn't leave until daybreak.
Catherine tried to initiate it once with him, but he simply pulled a cloth over her body and asked her to go to bed.
She was greatly upset but then kept the truth to herself.
Even though nothing had happened yet, she couldn't help but enjoy the speculations from others that she might be with a child already.
To ensure the truth didn't get out to anyone, she had to confirm with Emilia first and know if the King acted the same way with her.
"Why are you so curious to know?" Emilia retorted, sensing the uneasiness in her.
Catherine quickly covered up her nervousness with a smile and pulled away.
"Of course, because I worry about you."
"What if I end up giving birth to a child first?" she retorted slyly.
"It's not your turn to worry about me," Emilia told her and stood up, seeing she was not going to relent.
She turned to leave but saw Robert walking at a distance with two other guards and paused.
"Sister, your gift, don't tell you don't want it." Catherine called out.
Emilia studied the box, then untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.
A faint hiss escapes inside it, and a small mechanism springs, then a hidden blade slices across her palm as she opens it.
A bitter metallic scent drifts into the air, sharp enough to sting the nose.
Emilia screamed in pain, startled and withdrew quickly.
Robert rushed over as he heard her voice and got to her even before Catherine could react with her maids and guard.
"Your Majesty," Robert called, catching her bleeding hand, and he turned furiously to Catherine.
"Guards! Seize her!" he ordered
Catherine reels back, eyes wide in shock.
"W-what? No!" she refused.
Emilia steadies herself, raising her wounded hand, crimson seeping down her fingers.
She noticed the folded parchment beneath the blade, stained with her blood and retrieved it, then unfolded the page.
The word Jurua is scrawled boldly, the seal of the Dragon God pressed in red wax.
Her heart clenched in fear, but her face remained composed.
Robert stepped forward, fury radiating from him.
"Your Majesty, this is an assassination attempt! Allow me to arrest her..."
"No," Emilia cuts him off sharply.
Her gaze turns to Catherine, whose arrogant face is replaced with a pale one.
"She is too foolish to orchestrate something this dangerous," she said, and fixed Catherine with a cold stare.
"You will return to your quarters, and you will not whisper a word of this incident to anyone. Do you understand?"
Catherine swallows hard, nodding quickly. "Y-yes. Of course. I swear it."
"Good," Emilia muttered and folded the bloodstained letter, slipping it into her sleeve.
"Go. And remember silence is the only gift that will keep you alive."
Catherine stumbles backward, her arrogant smile utterly gone for the first time.
When she leaves, Emilia exhales slowly, her hand still bleeding, but her gaze sharp as steel.
"I would inform the King immediately," Robert stated, turning to leave, but Emilia stopped him quickly.
"That won't be necessary," she refuted.
He wanted to argue, but Emilia groaned in pain, and he simply gave in and led her away to get her hand treated.