101 Ways To Tame The Emperor

Chapter 16: The Heart Of The Empire

(Sabina)

MATILDE bought me a book about the Imperial Castle before so I would have an idea about what it looked like. But the illustration on the book did not give the Castle justice. It was bigger and grander than I imagined. It was painted all white and right now, all the lights around it were lit, making it glow all the more. But I should have expected this. The Imperial Castle was the heart of the Empire, after all.

The Castle was picture perfect like it was ripped out from children’s book except for the fact that the entire scenery screamed coldness, coldness that I could feel seeping under my toes.

Behind the Imperial Castle lies a tall, beautiful mountain. It was the silent witness of all the things that took place in and outside the Castle for several years now. I suddenly could not help but wonder. How many deaths and wars had this place seen? How many tragic stories had it heard?

I could not wait to see it in the morning. When the sun rises, would the Castle look less cold? From where I was sitting, it looked daunting. I have never been this intimidated in my whole life. But right now, I do. I was barely looking at the place where the Emperor resides yet; I was already feeling like this. What more if I would be standing face-to-face with him?

I shook my head to fight this negative feeling creeping inside my heart. The Castle was kilometers away from the Iron Gate which had the big wolf’s logo on it. There were pine trees on either side of the road. I did not see any flowers around but there were countless of large cactuses which I think described the Emperor’s personality. There were three huge dancing fountains on the center of the lawn accentuated by what seemed like LED lights.

So this world had those kinds of things, too.

Everything was magnificent as if it was His Majesty’s silent way of welcoming us. But of course, I was just imagining it. As if the Emperor would care about a woman he had never seen before.

It was past six in the evening. The sun had already set. We came later than planned because I kept insisting that we take a rest every now and then. We brought medicines with us. I helped Matilde and Jeanne applied first aid on the Escorts’ wounds earlier but I had to be sure that they would not force themselves to move too much. Now that they were my allies and have become members of the Justice Squad, as their president, it was my responsibility to take care of them since we can only count on each other when we were inside the Castle.

There were several soldiers in white and red uniform outside the Iron Gate who welcomed our arrival. At long last, the carriage stopped moving. Oliver opened the door for me and assisted me while I was getting down.

Countless of maids in light blue uniforms and knights lined up on our side. In front of them was a man wearing a three-piece black suit that bowed to me and smiled.

“Good evening, Lady Catherine. I am Matthew Farris, His Majesty’s right-hand man. In behalf of him, we would like to welcome you to the Imperial Castle. It must have been a tiring journey for you and your Escorts. The barracks of the Knights are on the west part of the Castle. They can now put their luggage there and rest. We will also send a physician to attend to their wounds. Only you are allowed to enter the front door. Your maids will be sent directly to your chamber on the back door of the Castle. Their food will be delivered to them while you will join General Malik Montebello to the dining hall at eight o’clock once you have freshened up. The rest of your schedule from tomorrow onwards will be sent to your chamber before ten tonight. Do you have any questions, my lady?”

“Thank you for the warm welcome, Sir Matthew. But may I ask why it’s General Montebello I will be dining with? Shouldn’t it be His Majesty?”

I know that the Emperor was just forced into this marriage. But to refuse to see me on my first day in the Castle after that long trip was just too much. I get that we don’t like each other but he did not have to be so obvious about it. We can at least be civil. Besides, regardless of my fear about meeting the Emperor, I was still hoping to see him as soon as possible because I wanted to strike a deal with him.

But this happened. What a total let down.

Matthew flinched. “His Majesty is currently in his chambers, my lady. He had tons of paper works that he needed to deal with the entire day. He is exhausted so he is taking a rest for now. But he sent his most trusted person to welcome and entertain you. And that is General Montebello who also resides in this Castle for the time being.”

He’s exhausted? My team was the one that traveled several miles away to be here. We put our lives on the line by fighting those rebels on our way. It took us almost eight hours to travel. We are hungry and we are just as exhausted as him, too. Those were what I would have normally said if only the topic was not the Emperor.

Damn, I was mentally screaming inside because of so much frustration right now.

My muscles ached all over. I have been overworking Catherine’s body for a week now and all that training plus the fight this afternoon was taking a toll on me. I feel like my bones were about to fall off.

I bit my lower lip before my mouth could get the best of me again. And then I remembered the name Matthew just mentioned. General Montebello? Wasn’t he the man who saved me at the tavern? I could feel my face burning up for the sudden embarrassment I felt. Why did he have to be here as well? Why now of all times?

I had the chance to talk to the Escorts earlier while we were resting. They gave me the information they heard about the Emperor and the ones close to him. That included General Montebello.

They said that the Emperor and the General were the living proofs of the saying, “birds of the same feather flock together” since both of them had the same temperament. They were both blunt and rude. Their only difference aside from their looks was that the General could be sociable and playful when he wanted to. The maid even said that he was known to be the hottest man in the entire Morven. I could not tell whether the Escorts were just afraid of him that’s why they did not contradict the maid’s exaggeration. I also heard that he was a great General who was also known for womanizing.

The Emperor on the other hand, had zero interest in women and in socializing. His Majesty was known for attending gatherings for at least half an hour before departing while the General would stay to drink and to flirt around until daybreak.

My expression did not escape Matthew’s sharp eyes.

“Why do you look so disappointed, my lady? Usually, people, especially the women, would rather be with the General than with the Emperor since they said he is less scary. The previous ladies who came here are only after the General. They wanted to see him more than His Majesty. In fact, you could say that His Majesty is giving you a favor by sending the General in his behalf. Besides, who would not want to meet the one hailed as the Empire’s most beautiful man? The General would normally avoid meeting ladies in the Imperial Castle but he made an exemption for you tonight. He agreed to meet you, my lady.”

Matthew eyed me as if he was telling me that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I should quickly seize it.

“Pardon me, Sir Matthew, but what am I going to do with his beautiful face? The General is not the person who I came here for. He is not the one the House of Peiris wanted me to marry. It is the Emperor. I am not like the other ladies. I am not after superficial things. If I am after someone else’s physical looks, then I would not have to look far. I am beautiful myself so I would just go get a mirror and admire my own reflection there.”

I could feel Matilde and the maid tugging my dress as if they were trying to stop me from talking. I innocently turned towards them. “What? I am just telling the truth. They say honesty is the best policy. I am just being honest here.”

Matthew chuckled. My Escorts who heard what I said and the rest of the Castle servants all bowed their heads as if they were laughing, too and were just trying to hide it. It took a while before the laughter died down. When Matthew looked up to face me, he was wiping his eyes. I seriously have no idea why they were laughing but maybe it was a good thing since it eased the tension around. My team had been so jumpy ever since we reached the Castle gates.

“You are really something, my lady. I have never laughed so hard in my life that it made me teary-eyed. I wonder how General Montebello would react if he hears you say that.”

Somehow, I could not tell whether that was a compliment or an insult. “If the Emperor and I want to foster a good working relationship, we have to meet each other. His Majesty should not keep sending a representative for him. I am thankful for this favor but I do not want it. I am hoping that it’s His Majesty that I would be dining with next time.” I frankly said.

I was fully aware that as a woman with a lowborn status, I should not keep requesting these things. The Emperor was free to show up whenever he feels like. But I was in a rush, not to mention that I was trying to avoid a death flag. Acting timid would not get me anywhere. And since the Emperor was said to be pretty blunt too, being direct to the point like this could help.

Besides, I haven’t recovered yet from the shame of my first encounter with the General. Dining with him was the farthest thing on my mind right now.

“Don’t worry; I will relay that to His Majesty. But for now, General Montebello is your gate pass in order to meet the Emperor, my lady. You have to get on his good side first. That is how important the General’s judgment is for His Majesty.”

I sighed. Matthew is basically telling me to kiss the General’s ass. “All right. I understand. I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Sir Matthew.”

“Oh, please. You can call me by my name.”

“I can’t do that. You are His Majesty’s advisor and right-hand man, after all.”

He winked. “I don’t mind. You have my permission.”

I smiled back. Matthew may look easygoing but I should still be careful. There were two noblewomen who died inside the Imperial Castle. I could be the third if I act recklessly… that is, if I haven’t been reckless enough since Matilde looked so pale as if she was going to faint anytime just because of what I said. “Well, if you insist, Matthew. Then to be fair, you can also call me by my name.”

“Thank you, Catherine. Let’s get going, then.”

 “Take a rest for now. I will see you all again tomorrow.” I told my Escorts. They all did a hand salute. I waved at Matilde before the servants took them to their destination. When Matthew raised his elbow, I put my hand on it as we walked inside the Castle.

“If there is any food that you like to eat for dinner, feel free to tell our Chefs. They will prepare them for you.”

Great. One of the women who were sent here died of food poison. And my drink had been spiked once. Eating was one of my favorite things in the world. But after all those incidents, I don’t think I can still enjoy the food the way I used to. If I was going to die either way, then I want to die with style. It would be terrible if my cause of death was because I was being a glutton. If that happens, the Peiris’ would laugh on my grave.

Come to think of it. I could just eat whatever the General would eat later. And I would be safe.

“I appreciate that. But I am not a picky eater, Matthew. I eat anything as long as they are edible. Thank you for being gracious, though.”

Matthew laughed again. The delight in his eyes was impossible not to notice. “You don’t have to be so formal with me, Catherine. You don’t also have to keep your attitude in check when you are in the Castle. It was actually because of your attitude that you managed to get here tonight. Just be who you really are so the employees here can get to know you better. The last thing we would want you to do is for you to restrict yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

I hate it when Matthew looked like he knew something but would not spill it. His eyes shone mysteriously. “I think my job will be easier from now on. And it will be because of you. I may look like this but I am scared as hell. Only His Majesty could invoke so much fear in me. But you are here now. I feel like many things will change from today onwards. And I am looking forward to it.”

“Matthew?” I asked while we were walking towards the spiral stairs covered with black carpet.

“Yes?”

“Has anybody ever told you how strange you are?”

Matthew chuckled. “I am aware that people think I’m strange the very day I chose to work under the Emperor. But this is the first time someone actually told that straight to my face. Anyone who works with His Majesty is impossible not to be strange. You are a strange one, too, Catherine. Because you are here, too. Anyway, congratulations for safely arriving in the Imperial Castle.”