Chapter 5

Before dawn, Lila was able to return without catching anyone's attention. She served breakfast to the queen just like she had always been doing and reported that the Arcana would not be able to adhere to Emery’s request because the other members were sent on individual missions. Thus, it was up to her to plan on what to do.

Just when Emery thought that she'd be having only one headache to worry about that morning, Prime Minister Korun came to her doorstep and demanded to see her immediately. When he entered the chambers of the queen, he sat across her and looked at her with eyes filled with disappointment.

"I know you have heard of the king and his concubine's trip tomorrow," he stated, shaking his head.

Anger was very much obvious in his tone despite his voice being calm. And Emery immediately knew what he came for.

"Up until now, you are wearing that veil and failed to seduce the king. And now, you still have the luxury to eat when tomorrow, he will be leaving the palace with his concubine. Before we know it, that concubine would be the one bearing his child. You are such a disappointment!"

Emery was not in the mood to argue with her father since she was already too stressed out about what to do with the king's leave. Adding him to the list would drain her remaining energy so she simply chose to be quiet and just listen to her father’s bickering. But then, she could not help but be infuriated towards him because the way he acted was just audacious. Despite the fact that he never visited her and her mother before, he did not even attend his wife’s funeral, and most of all, he did not even show up once and tell her to live with him in the capital.

With a simple letter stating that one of her mother’s relatives was going to adopt her that was actually staged by the Arcana, the prime minister simply agreed and showed no empathy at all. He did not even send a single penny to support her and yet when he found the perfect chance to make use of her, he just appeared out of nowhere and asked to be reunited with Emery. He was just unbelievable.

"You better make a way for you to join the trip," the prime minister hissed before storming out from her quarters. He did not even give her the chance to speak a word…well, it was not like she wanted to speak either so she just brushed her worries away and looked at her breakfast.

While finishing her food and doing some brainstorming alone in her mind, Emery came to think of a plan that would somehow work. She summoned Lila into her chambers and discussed the matters of her plan.

"I'll be going with the king and his concubine on their trip. Keep an eye on my father and his subordinates for I am sure that they are up to something. No matter how little it is, if their actions are suspicious, do not leave it out when you report to me. I am sure that this trip will be in three days so be on the lookout," she explained briefly.

Lila was a maidservant so she'll be free in going here and there within the palace so Emery could rely on her as a lookout. Though she had a bad feeling about their plan, she did not negate it because there were just no available options for them to choose from, especially since they were the only two on that mission.

"Will you be alright alone?" Lila asked.

Emery smiled and replied, "I can manage."

With their plan already set, it was time for Emery to go and speak with the king regarding the trip. She took her to leave the Inner Palace and headed to the King's Court where King Lawson usually spends his time working on governmental affairs.

"Your Highness, it is rare to see you here in the King's Court," the head eunuch stated upon meeting the queen.

"I simply wanted to speak with the king. Does he has time to spare?" she politely asked.

The head eunuch was a bit taken aback at the gentle response of the queen. He thought that she would be intimidating and scary as she was described in the rumors that spread throughout the palace and even outside. But with that short interaction, his first impression of her started to change.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness. He is taking a break inside," he responded.

He opened the sliding doors and let the queen enter before shutting them again. He cocked his head in confusion, questioning himself if the queen was just pretending to be kind or not. But he just shook his head after a while since that did not matter at all as long as he would not involve himself with the seemingly complicated affairs of the royalties.

Emery, on the other hand, found the king surrounded by scrolls piled up on top of his table. He seemed to be too focused on his work that he didn't notice the presence of the queen. It seemed that his so-called break was over but she did not have any plans to leave immediately.

She simply stood across the table and stared at him. Hearing that the king was the militaristic type, she first thought that he would resolve matters by shedding blood and would not even consider doing desk work but seeing how the king was working changed that thought. Now Emery was even more convinced as to why the Arcana was dedicated to protecting King Lawson—it was for the reason that he truly deserved the throne.

"What brought you here?" the king asked when he finally noticed Emery.

"Please, do finish your work first. I can wait," Emery responded.

However, the king insisted that she should speak up and finish whatever business she had with him. He set aside the quill and focused his attention on his unexpected guest. Thus, Emery told him her request.

"Please, let me accompany you to the Royal Villa," the queen stated.

"For what reason?"

"As the queen, I want to know more about you, Your Majesty, so I could be of help to you in any way."

King Lawson rested his chin on the back of his hand as he leaned back on his chair and his elbow resting on the armrest. He gazed at her. He thought of taking advantage of the situation to wring some information from the queen that seemed to be pressured by her clan to do her duty as the king's wife. And for sure, the queen visiting his office at that time was due to her clan ordering her to go with them on the trip.

"For my part, I see no problem if you are to come with us. However, Lady Hazel would feel uncomfortable with your presence so I'm afraid you cannot come."

Hearing his reply made Emery think that King Lawson seemed to want her to kneel in front of him and beg for his approval. If she did that, everything will sail smoothly, however, she did not do it. She would not go that far after her countless kneeling for the previous day she asked to spare Lila’s life.

"If you still insist that I should spill my father's plan, I, once again, apologize because I have nothing to tell you. My father does not trust me enough to tell me whatever he has in mind."

"You truly are good with your words that it scares me to believe you. No matter how much you beg, if you cannot give me what I want, then you will stay here in the palace."

King Lawson was firm and had no more interest in prolonging their conversation so he turned his attention back to his work.

"My king, I do not mind having the queen come with us." Royal Concubine Hazel entered the room after hearing their conversation. She curtsied and apologized, "It was not my intention to listen but as I wanted to visit you, my king, I overheard your conversation."

This time, the king stood from his seat and walked toward his concubine. He smiled at her and told her that she did not need to apologize for such a petty thing.

Though Emery did not like the situation, she still needed to use Lady Hazel so she could go with them on the trip. She rolled her eyes to the side as she watched all being lovey-dovey but she had to keep her emotions at bay.

"Royal Concubine Hazel, do accept my gratitude for giving me the permission to be with you on the trip going to the Royal Villa," she stated before excusing herself and leaving the King's Court. She did not want to suffocate herself from whatever interaction they would do. She might even vomit watching them. 

As she walked into the hallway, there was a group of eunuchs who did not know of her presence and continued to mind their business.

"The rumors are true. The king does not recognize the Prime Minister's daughter as the queen. She is still even wearing her veil," one of them said. It was loud enough for Emery to hear and she came to a halt.

"If you have the luxury to speak about me behind my back, why not use that time instead to accomplish your tasks?" she interrupted.

The three eunuchs were shocked and embarrassed. They all knelt on the ground and beg for forgiveness, asking the queen to spare their lives. Emery rolled her eyes to the side and left them without saying another word. The rumors going around the palace were getting on her nerves that her patience was likely to snap but dealing with each one of them would just be a waste of time.

On her way to the Royal Garden, Emery bumped into her father who was carrying a box of scrolls.

"It seems that you talked with His Majesty. Did you convince him?" he asked while staring down at her.

Emery lowered her gaze and replied, "Yes, father."

Prime Minister Korun was satisfied with the result and decided to go about his way, leaving Emery heaving a sigh. As the prime minister and the father of the current queen, he wanted to take control of the palace just like what he had been doing even if that meant using his only daughter.

Emery felt more than burdened compared to the previous missions she took before because now, being an undercover assassin and a queen at the same time seemed to be incompatible for her. It may not have been so long since she sat on the throne beside the king but being the queen felt like shackles on one hand and one arm because she could not move as she wishes due to the eyes of the people looking at her. In addition, her impatience started to build up as she started to feel more and more dominated and weak for acting submissive all the time. That was not Emery at all.

To calm her angered nerves, the queen took a deep inhale and exhale as she enjoyed the company of the blooming water lilies by the pond. She distracted herself by stating the color of each water lily in her mind.

"Your Highness, I already prepared your things for your trip." Lila came to report and when she drew closer to the queen, she added, "I have hidden your daggers within your royal robes in case you need them."

Emery faced her maidservant and reminded her to only observe and never do anything that would blow up her cover. She knew that Lila had the tendency to act on her own and if she is caught, it'd be bad news for the both of them. And of course, she did not want to get her in trouble because she might not come on time to save her.

Just when they were discussing the details of their plan, Emery saw the king and his royal concubine walking toward the garden. From an outsider's perspective, seeing the two of them would make one think that the royal concubine was the queen who was perfectly fit for the majestic king, whom every soldier admired. And at their current situation, Emery seemed to be the royal concubine totally ignored by the king. However, for her, such a thing did not matter at all.

That aside, Emery did not want to spoil their moment together so she decided to go back to the Inner Palace.

"We'll continue speaking about this matter in the Inner Palace," she stated before standing from her seat and walking away from the gazebo.

As she came across them by the footbridge, Emery did not bother to curtsy at the presence of the king and simply walked straight ahead.

Her action made Royal Concubine Hazel wonder why the aura surrounding the queen seemed to have changed. Though she knew that Emery was acting reserved after the wedding to probably get the attention of the king, it made her curious as to why she reverted to being a bit aggressive.

"She is finally showing her true colors," the king commented, who seemed to have sensed Emery’s aggressive aura.

Meanwhile, Lila asked Emery about her change of behavior. She thought that she was to act submissive so she wouldn't attract too much attention but that seemed to be not the case at all. Well, she did not expect the queen to be able to prolong the playacting in the first place so it was not a surprise for her.

"Those two are getting ahead of themselves just because I am being submissive. I don't like where this play is going so I'm changing my role," Emery replied as she clenched her fists, digging her nails into the flesh of her palm. Instead of a meek and weak queen, she will be that stoic type and in that way, she won’t be stepped upon by anyone.

Lila could not help but worry because Emery's short-tempered nature was slowly coming out after only a few days of trying to conceal it. But she also knew that the queen knew best that she had to conceal her real identity no matter what. Showing a bit of her real self would not blow up their cover, at least that was what she wanted to believe in.