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THE PALACE LOVED GOSSIPING, and their latest tidbit had been that the imperial princess and the emperor had gotten into a huge argument regarding the emperor's new mistress. but even after his sister's advice, sovieshu had still decided that rashta would still be appointed as a concubine. astrid, sprawled all over her king-sized bed as kalliste sighed and set a tray of tea on the bed. "is there something on your mind, your imperial highness?"
astrid smiled in appreciation and sat up to grab the cup of tea, "just wondering what is going on in my brother's fickle mind," she took a sip of her tea and smiled in bliss ─ the tea kalliste had brewed for her was always perfect.
"i believe that is on everyone's mind," kalliste smiled as verena and odessa joined them with a tray of delectable treats, kalliste turned to verena and odessa with a gleam in her eye, "verena, odessa what do you think of rashta?"
verena huffed and set the tray of treats next to the tray of tea, "i don't like her, not one bit," the girl declared, "seriously! i don't see what's so special about her!"
"she has no class─" kalliste agreed, egging the girls on
"─and to think she's going to be appointed during the new years' ceremony!" odessa continued hotly.
astrid snorted and finished the last of her tea and taking a macaron and popping it into her mouth, "come, let's go on a walk─ it'll be good to clear the mind,"
──── her ladies followed behind astrid as they made their way into the princess' imperial garden. astrid's garden was the most marvelous and beautiful place in the entire eastern empire. intricate marble carved statues and fountains with lotuses and fishes in them ── fields of every flower you could think of ── from the rare and impossibly hard to find to the simple and common flowers ── all strategically placed to perfection. astrid admired her flowers and she knew kalliste was wincing because of her long purple tailor-made dress that was being dragged through the mud.
"your imperial highness," verena began, her voice excited, astrid hummed and in response, verena asked; "is it true? please tell me it is!" astrid looked up from her peonies in confusion
odessa saw the look on astrid's face, "prince heinrey of the western kingdom is coming to the new years' ceremony!" she explained
astrid's grinned mischievously, "that is for me to know, and for you to find out, my dear friends," she went back to examining her flowers that were carefully cared for by the best gardeners in the empire. "we must give the gardeners a pay raise, they did a wonderful job taking care of my precious peonies─"
she was cut off by a hand grabbing her arm, she whirled around in surprise ─ the girl who had grabbed her had ice-white hair and dark eyes. the girl was pretty, but she didn't seem like someone who could ever be able to demand one's respect─ she was just another pretty face .astrid realized that the girl was rashta, "hello!" rashta cheered.
