Roberto smiled mysteriously. “Does it matter if it was me or not? Either way, you will benefit from this, mother.”
“What?”
“The important thing is that the rumor has started, and the emperor will soon hear of it.”
“…”
He was right. There was no way the emperor wouldn’t hear about it, especially when it concerned him and his wife.
“Even if the emperor is the kindest and the most patient man in the world, he wouldn’t be able to think objectively if he hears about a rumor concerning his wife having an affair. They will drift apart, and this will be your chance, mother. You can make this work.”
“…”
Again, Roberto was right. This was the best chance Norma would ever get for her plan to work, but she couldn’t help feeling uneasy about it.
Roberto whispered firmly, “How it happened or who caused it doesn’t matter, mother. This is your only chance and you better take it.”
His whisper sounded like that of the devil.
***
It was time for the empress to get dressed.
The maids and a few noble ladies were gathered together discussing which outfit and jewelry would suit the empress the best. They smiled politely and pretended not to be aware of the ongoing rumor. It was best to act ignorant.
Just then, the door to the dressing room burst open.
“Oh my!”
Everyone gasped in shock but quieted when they saw who it was.
It was Emperor Lucretius. It was common for the emperor to visit this room when the empress was getting ready, so everyone was used to this.
“…?”
However, something wasn’t right. The maids and the ladies realized something was different. The emperor usually looked at his empress with love and sweetness in his eyes, but today, he looked tense. As he walked towards his wife, everyone bowed deeply.
The empress saw him as well and smiled. “Oh, hello, your highness.”
She seemed ignorant of what was going on.
Emperor Lucretius quietly walked towards Sa Bina. She seemed confused.
“Is something the matter, your highness?”
Lucretius, who looked angry, replied, “… How long were you going to lie to me?”
His voice had never been this cold towards his wife. The empress’ face turned pale.
“What are you talking about?”
The emperor sounded frustrated as he yelled, “Ha! I can’t believe how unashamed you are!”
The empress raised her voice as well. “I don’t understand what you are talking about. Just tell me!”
“Everyone knows now. The rumor! Are you denying it?”
“What rumor?”
“That you were meeting with another man last night early in the morning!”
“Pardon?!”
The empress’s face became even paler.
“I don’t understand what you are talking about…!”
The emperor couldn’t take it anymore. He shouted, “My internal affair chief came to me this morning with this disturbing rumor. Apparently, a few of the ladies saw a woman and a man together.”
YOU ARE READING
Empress of Another World
FantasySa Bina was on her way to write her SAT when she suddenly finds herself in a strange world. She is sent to be the old emperor's concubine, but on their wedding night, the emperor gets murdered by no one other than his own son and the heir! To surviv...
