“I humbly greet the Empress, Mother of the Empire. May you have good health and a prosperous life, Your Majesty,” Raena said in a respectful tone, curtsying as low as she could without toppling to the ground. She noticed Kara bending at the waist behind her, her shoulders tense. She had been pretty collected when meeting with the third prince, so Raena had expected she’d keep her composure effortlessly, but meeting the Empress inside the Imperial Palace must have been too much, even for her. Raena would have probably been the same if she didn’t know so much about the Imperial family from the book. It almost felt like she knew them all already, even though they kept surprising her every once in a while. Especially Kassian.
A short silence followed, then the Empress’s voice rang through the
