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ASTRID WATCHED IN HORROR, she was seated next to heinrey in the dining room where a few esteemed guest were invited to dine with the imperial family. she had mostly ignored everyone and simply ate her dinner and admired the beautiful embroidery on her purple dress but she jumped from shock as her brother slammed his glass down. "you're being very disrespectful, prince heinrey!" sovieshu exclaimed
"what's disrespectful about pointing out her mistakes? she says she the recipient of my letters, but she doesn't seem to know half of it," heinrey said simply, "if she was impersonating my lady, isn't it only natural to protect my lady's honour? ─ oh although my pen pal might be a gentleman," he glanced at rashta, "i'm feeling terribly offended ─ by your servant and by lady rashta, are you slighting the western kingdom or me?"
"rashta clearly told you that she had momentarily gotten the contents of the letters mixed up," sovieshu argued
"and i clearly said it's bizzare that my pen pal would get over half of the letters' contents confused," heinrey shrugged
"prince heinrey!"
"everyone, am i the strange one here? yesterday, lady rashta here said herself that she was the recipient of my letters. and i trusted her words without an inkling of suspicion because i thought a distinguished lady such as herself wouldn't lie ─ and as princess circe put it, i treated her as sweetly as a cream puff,"
"you're so mean," rashta said, sobbing, "it's because─ it's because i'm not of high social standing or sophisticated, and that's why you're drawing a line,"
astrid glanced at navier and noticed the uncomfortable look on her face, something suddenly clicked, navier was the pen pal. she wondered if she should get insolved, but before she could, navier got up
"i didn't want to get involved but i should correct everyone's misunderstanding," she began, "your majesty, i know the individual princes heinrey was sending letters to ─ it's not rashta,"
"you shouldn't take prince heinrey's side because you despise rashta, empress,"
"it seems the emperor only believes the words that come out of lady rashta's mouth," heinrey shrugged, "how fustrating it must be for you, your majesty,"
"that's enough," sovieshu said, taking his sword out and pointing it at prince heinrey's neck. "prince heinrey, i challenge you to a duel for tarnishing my woman's honor,"
"what honor? the honor of serving the emperor in bed?" astrid grumbled to herself
"can i leave this room safely even if i kill you?" heinrey asked, "if so, i accept your challenge,"
astrid rolled her eyes and finally got up, "both of you stop it," she demanded, "no dueling at the dining table,"
"prince heinrey, you are a guest ─ please act accordingly," she said, she turned to sovieshu and grabbed the sword out of his grasp and pushed him to hit back down, "and you are the emperor, didn't i teach you better than to go dueling princes from neighboring kingdoms?"
sovieshu stayed silent, "prince heinrey was merely telling the truth, i am prince heinrey's pen pal ─ rashta, don't go impersonating me or anyone anymore," astrid revealed as everyone turned to look at her in shock, astrid turned to navier and gave her an assuring nod.
navier smiled and turned to everyone, "why don't we end the dinner here? thank you, everyone, for coming,"
as astrid was leaving, she could see navier and rashta outside, rashta in tears. her brother rushed to rashta's side, "what's going on? why is rashta crying?"
"i asked her why she lied about me sending her a gift when. i've never send her one,"
"can't you just... overlook it?"
"how can i, when the name of the empress is falsely being used?"
"don't blame rashta. it's my fault for sending a gift in your name," sovieshu admitted before he turned to wipe rashta's crocodile tears.
"did you really, your majesty?" rashta asked
"yes, it seems you've been blamed for someone you didn't do,"
"it's okay, your majesty. i'm so touched that you did that for me,"
astrid rolled her eyes, navier was the one who was wronged yet, sovieshu is apologizing to rashta?
"if you're the one who's wronged me, i should be blaming you. you've admitted your fault," navier spoke, "being the emperor doesn't mean you can misappropriate someone's name,"
"so, what is it that you want?" sovieshu asked
"an apology, take responsibility for the false information rashta has spread, and tell people it wasn't me," navier deadpanned
"navier," sovieshu warned
"afraid you'll lose face? well, i've already lost mine,"
"if sending a gift to rashta was all it took to make you lose face, how piddling your honor is indeed,"
"then i'm sure it'll be a piddling task for you to tell everyone it wasn't me. and do make haste,"
"why are you being so petty? you didn't used to be like this?"
"you took the words right out of my mouth. and don't disrespect me, sovieshu," and with that navier walked away.
astrid looked at the couple coldly, "navier was being reasonable. misappropriating one's name is a crime worthy of death ─ i would've had your little mistress killed if i were the empress. adulterous couple," she spat walking away from the couple who stayed silent, stunned at what just happened.
