Secrets of the Villainous Empress

Chapter Twenty-Five: Une Nuit en Ville I

Azalea Oleander Cursix

The light from the yellow crystals shone brightly in my office, illuminating every corner of the room such that the roaring fireplace had nowhere to cast its usual dancing shadows.

Still, my focus was not on the quiet decore or the stylistic arrangement of the baroque artwork on the walls; instead, it was on the work piled on Azalea’s desk.

Earlier today. I had been certain that I would be able to scratch off a few folders from her desk, however…

I hadn't pictured that I would be trying to uncover a conspiracy based on me.

“This is the third file,” I muttered to Henderson, who was on the coffee table stuffing the turkey he had stolen from the banquet room.

Though the walls in the office were lined in soundproof magitech, dull notes from the orchestra performing in the halls could still be heard. Perhaps because I had to leave some windows open to efficiently air out the smell of the turkey that Henderson had insisted on devouring in an office with scent absorbing furnishings.

“Do you think the Empress, whose body you have inhabited, was looking for you?”

“No need for clarification; I know what you mean when you say ‘Empress’.” I muttered, knowing that he only ever called me Simon or ‘Bro’.

I flipped the folder titled, ‘Quiescence Farms’.

Perhaps it was not wise to name all the businesses I started Quiescence, but it’s a great name.

Though I defended myself mentally, I fully understood where I had gone wrong. Numerous businesses under the name Quiescence began sprouting from the North one day almost a thousand years ago and have not stopped since. It was perhaps even more peculiar as its source had never been pinned because, unlike the normal familial inheritance of businesses, Tea, Sofia, and I only made CEO the people who were ‘worthy’. And well…human, because the shorter the period of time they had to work and manage literally trillions of Kerris for us, the more control we had.

Because even if we only showed up once to a meeting, we still understood how the company worked better than the human. Of course, that hadn't stopped at least eighteen of them from either embezzling or trying to incorporate the business into their family linage.

“I mean, I would understand if she had been trying to pin the wealthiest person in the empire, but-,”

I frowned as I picked a file under the name Kelsie. A name that I had used over fourteen hundred years ago.

“It doesn't make sense,” I muttered to myself.

The file that I was holding dated back to when I was living in the North as a Tea’s mother’s apprentice. Back then, the company had been relatively new and struggling-

“Just say it,” Henderson insisted as he placed a cleanly devoured turkey bone to the side of his silver platter, then reached out for another, “What do you think is going on?”

The three wealthiest families/companies in the entire Empire were; Quiescence Farms, whose headquarters were in the North; two, Christoff travels, whose headquarters were in Mayflower and the Oleander-Cursix dominated crystal trades and their headquarters were in Mayflower as well.

If there were pictures of the Christoff's and investigations on them, I would have chalked it off as simply scouting the competition, but… my life as Mariette was in no way tied to the farm.

“I don’t know,” I answered Henderson, “I feel as though the Oleanders were keeping tabs on me, and I have no idea why.”

“Calm down. You are probably reading too much into it.” He said, then placed his hand on the couch to hoist himself up.

“Oh, how easily I would believe you if you hadn’t smudged grease on the couch. Come on!! You will make the entire office-,”

“Who doesn’t like turkey.”

“Oh, gods.” I sighed then turned my focus back on the file.

There was not much info on the file that read Kelsie other than, well, the name, my age at the time and an image of me playing with Tea’s mother, Rona. A red dragon, just like she, only she had been wiser and more mature than Tea, perhaps hardened by the life she had had to lead before.

There was also the file of Mariette. My entire case was there, my family, the compensation money, my personality…

And lastly, my life as the daughter of the baron of Strawgate in the East a little over two hundred years ago.

Still, in all the three files, there was no common thread other than me, so the ‘why’ factor of the royal family’s possession of my information eluded me.

“Listen, listen,” Henderson said, licking some grease from his left hand as he approached me casually.  “Calm down. I am sure that there is a plausible explanation for this, other than what you are convinced it is. But bro, this morning, you held a meeting, gave a speech and literally executed criminals. Don’t you think that you are too overstimulated to think clearly?”

“None of the information you have gathered is going anywhere, so why don’t we just head into town and enjoy the rest of the night there?” he offered, “You can pick this up tomorrow morning after blowing off some steam,”

“You never know. You might have missed something because of the raw turmoil you are experiencing.” He finished.  

As much as I made it a hobby to underestimate his wisdom, he did have a point.

I sighed, then placed the documents back on the desk to face him fully.

“Do you really think that I will find something that I missed?” I frowned, “Perhaps, something else that could tie the photos together?”

I asked him, but all he did was stare at me as though I had just told him that I would get him another roasted bird.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“What?”

“I…I have never seen you uncertain, so-,” his hand flew to his chest dramatically, and he tore his gaze away from me, “I think my heart just skipped a beat.”

“Are you stupid?”

“No, no, I’m serious, I think you should wear the bald cap that you had as Simon, so that-”

“I never wore a bald cap!”

“Oh…” pity laced both his face and voice, “That was your natural hairline?”

-I…I should have asked for Ernest.-

“Anyway,” he pressed, then placed his hand gently on my back, turning me to the window, “I can wait for you to get dressed, maybe wear a disguise? Then we can head out.”

That wasn’t a bad idea. The town did sound more exciting than mapping tortuous theories. Plus, I haven’t eaten since lunch, so perhaps I can even enjoy some treats...

-Hmm…-

“Hends?” I called his name slowly.

“Yes.”

“Are you touching me with hands soaked in both your grease and spit?”

A tense pause that lasted all of thirty seconds filled the room before I felt his hands withdraw from my back.

“N-n..no?”