her obedient servant. | remarried empress x f!reader

- ; [ 046 ]

idk what ure talking abt, ymir and historia DID get married and lived on the countryside with two kids🤨

anyway, use the pic above as visualizer for the painting i describe in this chapter.

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"Why's he here?" Koshar asks, holding back a bitter tone as you pull away from the hug.

"He's hear to discuss trade between Rwbit and the Western Kingdom." You hum out, pulling him so he'd come with the garden as well.

It would be nice for the two to bond and become close friends. They've already gotten close enough to call each other friends now all you had to do was push them closer so they'd be best friends.

"So-"

"Lady ( y/n ) ( l/n ), the King has requested your presence."

You jump as the sudden voice of an official, someone you'd seen helping Mckenna from time to time.

You grumble, "You two chat, I'll be right back."

Walking away with a disdainful expression, the two men wait for you to completely disappear within the corridors before crossing their arms and turning to each other.

"You like her, don't you?"

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"You can recieve the Duchy today." Heinley starts as soon as you're seated down.

You raise an eyebrow, "What? But I haven't finished the paperwork."

You recalled leaving behind the last pile of paperwork before leaving the office with Kaufman.

"It's fine, I've already received all necessary documents. The ones left are just extra paperwork." The king smiles, handing you a newspaper.

"And I've already announced I was going to give you a Duchy. Some Nobles aren't pleased, but Majority trust my decision."

"I'm guessing those who disagree are Christa's followers."

He nods.

You sigh, giving back the newspaper, "Well, what about the maids?"

"I've already sent them to the Manor."

You smile, "Thank you, your Majesty."

The blond merely smiles before dismissing you.

--

"Sorry you two, I have to my Manor today. Can't stay for long." Looking at the two apologetically, you watch them nod understandingly.

..Seems like the tension between them has disappeared for now...

Looking at them suspiciously, you bid them goodbye-while squinting at them in question-Before boarding the carriage already prepared for you.

The Manor was bigger than you'd expected, and just as the rumours describe, it's moss infested, dust filled, and several windows were barely intact.

It would surely be trouble to fix and clean up.

As you stepped in, webs were in every corner, rats squeaking and even birds had placed nests within the vicinity. Every step you took echoed around the spacious halls, alerting the maids who obediently stood in the main area, infront of the ascended stairs.

"Good evening." You start, your unfamiliar own voice ringing in your ears as it echoed.

As you stood above them, their heads raised to observe their new master's face.

You're sure half of them are spies on Christa's side, but you have no choice but to trust the maids the King himself had given you.

"We'll begin with the cleaning today. If you find anything that you feel needs my attention, then report to me. Everyone will be rewarded handsomely once the Manor is clean enough to my liking."

You form your sentence to make it seem you were a demanding woman with high standards. They understood immediately that if even a speck of dust was left, they'd be severely punished. ( You didn't say anything about punishment, so you wouldn't actually be punishing anyone unless anything was stolen or a crime was committed. )

"Dismissed."

They walk out to do their duties, the woman who seemed like the unofficial head maid dividing and sharing duties.

Huh, they're quite reliable.

You'd only hope they stayed loyal to you.

Recalling back to when you were on your way, the villages within your fief were completely abandoned, the houses old fashioned and not a single soul in sight.

Usually, when a rumour spreads, it wouldn't get so severe that entire groups of villages would leave and abandon everything they had.

No people meant no money.

You sighed, ascending the next flight of stairs that led to the third floor.

It's not like you were poor, you had money hidden away in the Troby Mansion. Money that you began earning since turning 14.

I was planning on saving it until my retirement, but I already promised rewards to the servants.

The decorations were grand, especially the countless details carved on each pillar that supported the walls. The ceilings had no lights hung, meaning this manor was much older than you expected.

The Western Empire began using a special type of gemstones to illuminate their homes during the dark about a hundred years ago, meaning this very residence was older than that.

As you turn a corner, you're met with a hallway, old paintings hung on the walls with torch stands attached beside them. They were too dusty to distinguish, however it was clear that the paintings were mostly landscapes than portraits.

At the end of a the hall was a ballroom, large, but not enough to compare to the Imperial Palace.

As soon as you enter, you're blinded by the setting sun's orange light seeping through the large areas of glass on the walls.

Up in the ceiling, is a painting, in the middle of all that class. It's untouched, almost as if it's new. Contrasting the corners of the ballroom, the painting does not have any webs, nor did it contain any dust.

It was a painting two women in the middle of a large meadow beneath a large tree. One had beaming blond hair, eyes happy as she laid down on the other woman's lap.

The other woman was a brunette, smiling as she leaned against a tree, book in hand.

The sunlight made the painting glow, almost like it was painted with magic.

The more you stared, the more it drew you in, as if wanting to absorb you into it.

"Duke, we've found some paintings. However, they seem to delicate to be carelessly cleaned." The head maid calls your attention, making your jump in surprise.

ah, it must be the paintings I passed by in the hall.

"Carefully bring them out. I will take them to a professional to clean and restore."

"Yes, Duke."

You wait for her to leave before looking back up at the painting.

The blond woman looks like Navier...

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oop 👀

not proofread