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Erienne, princess of the powerful Samaria, is faced with one of the most dreaded situations of all time: an arranged marriage. Bound by a blood oath, she marries her unwilling groom. As circumstances shift out of her favor, Erienn...
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"OCTAVIA," MUTTERED ERIENNE'S MAID IN DISGUST.
What an ugly name, she thought, as she folded the sheets. And how incredibly insulting. She was sure it meant something in Weiss, something along the lines of submissive.
But, then again, Gods forbid that Erienne call her by her true name. Or at least the one she'd stolen.
Dia. The name didn't exactly exude power, but it wasn't as embarrassing as 'Octavia.' Dia had been a perfect fit for the girl she killed.
The maid's mind flashed back to the day Dia, the real one, had been selected to serve in the palace. She remembered her joy and the atmosphere of jealousy in the slums. Then she remembered the blood on the stone. The maid shrugged off the thought as she stacked a linen sheet upon another. It wouldn't do much good to remember the past.
She was Dia now.
At that moment, Erienne burst through the doors. Dia observed her face carefully. She looked happy, a guarded sense of accomplishment was present in Erienne's eyes. Dia lowered her eyes and curtsied. She felt resentment flare in her stomach. "Your Imperial Majesty," she said. Erienne nodded to her maid.
"Octavia, I do believe I have your first mission for Court."
"Your Imperial Majesty?"
"As Empress, per the custom, I have every right to select women to be my ladies in waiting. But, as you know—"
"No one wants to be a lady in the waiting for a black queen," Dia finished.
"Right. Nevertheless, I do plan on choosing four ladies for my waiting, and I'm not giving them the option of declining."
"Won't that strengthen hostilities, Your Imperial Majesty?"
"Oh, most definitely. However, it will give you the chance to become closer to the ladies and they're servants, since they'll be living in my quarters once I move to the Majesty suites. The ladies will be perfect pawns in the scheme against me, since they're close, and you'll hear everything." Dia only nodded. It was a dangerous plan, but she had to admit, it was clever of Erienne to bring the scheme against her into her playing field.
"When do you want to select your ladies?"
"As soon as I can. I'll call for an assembly today."
"Might I suggest, Your Imperial Majesty, that you not overstep? The Royal Court is already upset due to them having to witness your coronation. Calling an assembly this early will make them annoyed. And, possibly, insubordinate," Dia proposed. Calling the assembly today seemed totally idiotic.
But, contrary to popular belief and Dia's hopes, Erienne wasn't stupid. So, Dia really needed to hear her train of thought.
"Why wait for something to boil when you can bring it to a boil yourself?" Erienne asked. Dia remained silent.
