Secrets of the Villainous Empress

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Scandalous Labyrinth

Fuscia Greene

The night was calm and cool, aside from the sound of the marvellous fountain or the singing of crickets in complex melodies that did very little to entice one into dancing, the dim twinkling lights on the fences of the maze enamoured the night.

“That’s the third couple….” Fuscia giggled scandalously to her blue-haired knight.

“Not couple, honey,” she corrected, “scandal, the third scandal.”

Again, there it was. The ease in which Jelly had addressed her as ‘honey’, a pet name, send butterflies down Fuscia’s stomach as never in her life had she been addressed in such an adoring manner by a superior.

It was always, You maid! Madman’s daughter! Or, on simply good days, just maid.

However, at this moment! She had a pet name, and it was honey no less, a delicious and expensively rare delicacy!

-I have a pet name!!-

Fuscia nearly screamed out of excitement, but as they were both hiding like cockroaches in the maze to spy on nobles, that did not seem appropriate.

“Scandals?” Fuscia asked, trying to mask her excitement over the simple phrase. “Why would nobles have scandals? Don’t they have enough power to make everyone turn a blind eye?”

‘That and more…” Jelly answered passively as she craned her neck, “ but as life would be dull for those that have clearly achieved everything, they try to torture themselves by caring about what others think so as to feel as though they are living on the edge.”

“Hah! torture themselves by caring about the thoughts of others?” Fuscia repeated, “Does that mean you call others opinion an illusion? That you believe they can never harm you?”

“Certainly not, if some of these were to get out, one could lose their allies, families, investors at best, while at worst, they can make enemies, some of which could even go as far as to frame you or order a killing of the one you adore.”

“What?!” Fuscia gasped, “That is so far off the edge that…that they are flying!”

“Really? that’s the best you could do?” Jelly quirked her brow at Fuscia’s lukewarm comparison, “‘so far off the edge that they are flying?’ Do, do you need more time to…?”

“Stop mocking me,” she said as she punched Jelly good-naturedly then sighed,

“But, realistically, do you think it matters, the thoughts of others? Leave alone the ‘physical’ influence it has, but do you think that it is worth changing your entire belief fo-“

“Oh Gods, don’t tell me you wish me to join your cult?” Fuscia teased proudly.

That retort ought to get Jelly bawling!

Fuscia thought as that was her way of compensating for her initial tepid response. However, contrary to her belief that Jelly would catch on to her joke and immediately be amused by her clever response, her expression, though it was only for a second, mirrored disappointment.

-Oh no.-

Panic gripped Fuscia’s chest as she scrambled for words that would rectify the situation; however, Jelly beat her to it.

“Off! How did you know?” she joked effortlessly, easing the tension in Fuscia’s chest, “I thought for sure that you wouldn't catch on!”

“So? Was that better than the ‘flying’ one?”

“Ooh, honey…if it was,” she sighed, “You’ve ruined it now.”

“Ooh! Rude!!” Fuscia exclaimed, shaking her head.

Fuscia could not remember the last time in her life when she had had an uncomplicated and pointless conversation with anyone that did not involve being threatened or ordered around?

In any case, today was the night of the long-awaited banquet. An event that she had been eagerly anticipating because it would grant her the opportunity to meet Aleu. However, when the clock struck nine, and none had sent for her for a secret rendezvous, she had decided to take matters into her own hands; of course, Jelly, her knight, had not thought her idea brilliant.

Jelly had informed her that the imperial palace events differed from those of  Nissa and had instead suggested taking her to the maze as it would soothe her anxiety because there was another event tomorrow and that perhaps the one she was waiting for would reach out then.

It was not a bad idea, of course, it was not; however, why hadn't Aleu come to see her today?

Logically, she did understand he probably had other matters to tend to, but…

“Okay,” Fuscia began, wanting to keep the conversation going and her mind off her selfish disappointments, “Say that you were a noble-,”

“What makes you think that I am not one?”

“Ah, well, I-,” she flushed, at a loss of words because her point felt moot, and before she even had the chance to ramble a reason or form a question, Jelly pulled her deeper into the shadows of the labyrinth so much so that they were both almost completely covered in leaves.

“What?...wait? What’s…?” she asked incompletely, puzzled by her knight’s sudden actions.

“Shh!” Jelly pressed her forefinger to her lips, and the sound of heels clicking grew louder.

“I thought you said that everything was arranged?”  A feminine voice questioned angrily, “and what do you mean the Duke will not be retaliating?”

“It is as I said,” a male voice replied, “The issue is not retaliating, but the illogical change in that woman!”

“She never took the poison immunity lessons when she was young!!” the man continued.

“I am well aware of that, which is why I am saying that she is someone else!!” the woman insisted, finally stepping into view, exposing pale white hair that flowed easily with her beautiful long white dress.

“Look, Coral!”

-Oh gods!!-

Fuscia almost gasped loudly!

Coral Thiane, the Empress's step-sister, was the most beautiful and angelic woman in the entire territory of Mayflower. Three years in a row, she had been appointed Mayflower’s darling. Nevertheless, the fact that the Emperor had moved on with his life had apparently never boded well with the Empress, so she did all she could to terrorise his new family.

Coral, especially as she was a supposedly sweet and naïve beauty who could do no wrong, was defenceless against the Empress.

A few years back, there was leaked footage of the Empress spilling hot tea on Coral. When Coral was asked later by interviewers of gossip magazines if she was being mistreated by the Empress, she did not deny it; instead, she had proceeded to spew positivity about the Empress, which only fueled the misunderstanding.

Fuscia had believed that that was because Coral was an airhead, but what if she had been wrong? What if Coral only posed as an i***t to gain public favour?

There had been a movement that had formed dedicated to protecting Coral. However, its members had quickly vanished from sight within three days of the party’s formation.

  “Shh! Don’t say my name. Walls have ears!” Coral yelled to her companion.

“My apologies.” The male said, his voice growing tender, “I will look into the matter; however, you promised that you would cancel your engagement to Tomas.”

“What engagement? Those are just talks.” She replied frivolously.

“but you have done very little to halt those ‘talks’.”

“My stepfather is the one who insisted on the affair. Who am I to question him?” she defended, “I mean, he used to be the ruler of this continent!!”

“But he listens to you-“

“And half of the men in the council,” she breathed, “Look, after the announcement today, I have no idea what will happen, with our plan or with…us?”

“I know, I know, you are right, my sweet love. I should handle this matter promptly to give the both of us a chan-“

“Oh, viscount.” The woman gushed before a small voice yelling ‘My lady’ from a distance forced the couple to part.

For the most part, Fuscia had been so enthralled with the events before her that she had not realised Jelly’s grip was still on her hand. However, at the sound of the third woman's voice, Jelly's grip suddenly constricted, causing Fuscia to wince in pain.