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Chapter 4

Author: Roundie
The next day, Swan Palace sent over a plate of honey cakes.

The maid who delivered them wore a sugary smile. "Her Majesty says Junior Consort Mornay has been living so frugally that she had her private kitchen make these especially for you."

I thanked her, shut the door, and stared at the dainty little cakes.

Beneath the sweetness was the faintest rank smell.

I sent for Lucan to test them.

He tried them with a silver needle, then crushed one and sniffed it. His face darkened.

"Saffron. Only a trace. Not enough to tarnish a silver needle, and an ordinary poison test wouldn't catch it either. But if a pregnant woman ate this, she'd lose the baby."

When the empress realized I hadn't eaten the cakes, she tried a different approach.

Three days later, she hosted a flower-viewing banquet for the inner palace, and every consort was required to attend.

I sat at the table in the farthest corner, with a few cold dishes and a flagon of wine in front of me.

I didn't dare touch the wine. I just raised my cup now and then for show.

The empress sat in the place of honor, her swan crown dazzling and her gown embroidered with butterflies flitting among flowers.

Every so often, she glanced my way, the way someone might size up a rabbit in a cage.

Halfway through the banquet, Consort Ameline rose to dance, and every eye in the hall turned toward her.

In the distraction, a young page brought a bowl of broth over to my table.

"Junior Consort Mornay, Her Majesty ordered this restorative tonic especially for you."

I looked at the bowl and caught the smell of medicine.

"Thank you. I'll drink it in a moment."

"Her Majesty asked that you drink it in front of me. Otherwise, she won't be able to rest easy."

I lifted the bowl and looked around.

Everyone was watching Consort Ameline dance. Nobody was paying attention to the little junior consort in the corner.

The bowl drew close to my lips.

"Wait."

A voice came from behind me, carrying an authority no one could defy.

I turned to see a man in a dark crimson robe striding toward me.

Severin Veyr.

The entire hall scrambled to its feet and bowed.

He glanced at the bowl in my hands, his brow creasing slightly. "What's that?"

The page dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty, it's a restorative tonic Her Majesty the Empress sent for Junior Consort Mornay."

Severin turned to look at the empress.

Empress Isolde smiled graciously. "Am I wrong to look after the women of the inner palace on Your Majesty's behalf?"

"A junior consort hardly needs the empress fussing over her every need."

The moment those words left his mouth, the empress's smile froze on her face.

Severin shot me a cold look. "Put the bowl down. And stop putting everything you're handed into your mouth."

With that, he turned and left.

The empress watched him go, then slowly picked up her own teacup and took a sip.

She didn't look at me again.

But I knew this was far from over.

If she couldn't poison me in plain sight, she'd find another way to get rid of me.

Sure enough, ten days later, everything fell apart.

That morning, I was eating breakfast when a violent wave of nausea hit me. I rushed to the corner and retched again and again.

Nell hurried over with water. I'd barely taken the cup when the door was pushed open.

Matron Hester stood in the doorway with four palace maids.

"Junior Consort Mornay, Her Majesty requests your presence at Swan Palace. You must come today."

When I arrived at Swan Palace, the empress wasn't the only one waiting in the main hall.

Physician Pell was there too.

Empress Isolde sat in the seat of honor, her smile soft and warm.

"Don't be nervous, my dear. I'm only concerned about your health. Physician Pell, if you would examine her."

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  • The Tyrant Emperor's Secret Triplets   Chapter 10

    On the day of the princes' naming feast, the palace was hung with lanterns and streamers, and every official at court came to offer congratulations.I had been made a High Consort and was seated just below the empress's empty seat.Severin sat on the imperial throne holding the eldest prince. He held the baby awkwardly, but his face wore a tenderness I'd never seen before.He'd named the three boys. The eldest was Caelan Veyr, the second was Rowan Veyr, and the third was Tarian Veyr.The officials knelt in congratulations, their voices rising in a chorus of "Long live the emperor!"I sat beside him, my palms slick with cold sweat.Because the golden text had told me that someone would come to kill my children tonight.Beforehand, I'd asked Lucan to claim that I was "still recovering" so the princes' wet nurses could keep the second and third princes in the rear hall of Larkspur Palace instead of attending the banquet. As far as anyone else knew, the two little princes had caught

  • The Tyrant Emperor's Secret Triplets   Chapter 9

    In my eighth month, I went into early labor.That night, the pain had me tossing and turning. Triplets were already more likely to come early than other babies, and Lucan had warned me long ago.But I never expected it to happen so suddenly.Larkspur Palace fell into chaos. Lucan was the first to arrive, with two midwives close behind him.Sweat drenched my face. I bit down on a cloth so hard I nearly cracked my teeth.When the first baby came out, I almost passed out.Lucan's hands were covered in blood, but his voice was steady. "The first one's out. It's a little prince!"The baby's loud cry hit me square in the chest.The second came right after him. Another boy.But something went wrong with the third.The baby was in the wrong position and stuck.Lucan's hands began to shake."My lady, you have to push!"I had no strength left.All I could see was blood, and my mind teetered on the edge of collapse.Suddenly, only one line of golden text remained: [You can't die. I

  • The Tyrant Emperor's Secret Triplets   Chapter 8

    In three days, the Blackcloak Guard uncovered most of the truth. It took them another five to piece the whole thing together.The wandering healer's name was Corwin Dacre, a traveling quack by trade. Three years ago, a steward of House Ravencourt had brought him to the capital, given him a new identity and a purse of silver, and arranged for him to enter the palace to "treat an old illness" of the empress.But the empress had never had any old illness.The prescription hadn't been a mistake. It had been deliberate.The medicine contained an ingredient that slowly sapped a man's vitality. After the emperor had spent three months tasting it for the empress, he could no longer father children.The night the report reached the Imperial Study, half the palace heard Severin's roar from Swan Palace.Empress Isolde was deposed and sent to the Cold Tower.Her brother, Lord Cassar Ravencourt, was stripped of every office he held, and every honor House Ravencourt had earned over three gene

  • The Tyrant Emperor's Secret Triplets   Chapter 7

    Three days later, before dawn, my chance finally came.Posy had gone to eat breakfast during the shift change, and Wren was dozing in the outer room.I used a hairpin to work open the hidden latch on the window, then turned sideways and climbed out.Climbing through a window while nearly six months pregnant, I bumped my stomach on the window frame. It hurt so much I almost cried out.But I didn't look back.I followed the narrow passage behind Swan Palace all the way to the Imperial Study.A guard at the door stopped me."Which household are you from? The Imperial Study is off-limits—""Junior Consort Mornay of Moonrest Court. I have urgent business with His Majesty."The guard looked me up and down. When his eyes landed on my swollen stomach, his expression changed."Wait here."A few minutes later, a single word came from inside."Enter."I walked in.Severin was reviewing state papers by lamplight. When he saw what a mess I was, the hand holding his pen paused for an i

  • The Tyrant Emperor's Secret Triplets   Chapter 6

    I told my two new maids, Posy and Wren, that I wanted to keep copying scripture as a prayer for the empress's good health.The empress allowed it.To her, a pregnant woman cooped up in her room copying scripture posed no threat at all.What she didn't know was that I wasn't copying ordinary scripture.On the last page of every manuscript, I wrote a few small lines in the faintest ink.It wasn't a plea for help.It was a poem.Severin had written it as a young man at the Royal Academy. Before I entered the palace, I'd heard my tutor at a southern academy mention it. He said our current emperor had been brilliantly gifted in his youth, but after taking the throne, he had never written another word.I was betting he still cared about those old memories.Once the manuscripts were finished, they went to the main hall of Swan Palace and from there to the palace chapel as offerings.They had to pass through the empress's hands.But the chapel was open, and anyone could go there to

  • The Tyrant Emperor's Secret Triplets   Chapter 5

    Physician Pell laid his hand on my stomach.In less than five seconds, his eyes went wide.He looked up at me, then at the empress.The hall was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat."Your Majesty... Junior Consort Mornay is... with child."The air froze.The empress's smile disappeared inch by inch, like a crack slowly spreading across a sheet of ice."With child?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down my spine. "When was Junior Consort Mornay ever summoned to His Majesty's bed?""Your Majesty, the Chamberlain's Office has no record of her ever attending His Majesty," Matron Hester answered at once, her tone icy.The empress's eyes locked on my face. Every trace of gentleness in them had shattered, revealing the ice beneath."Elara, I'll ask you once. Whose child is this?"I knelt on the cold floor tiles, my knees throbbing from the impact.My mind raced.Denying the pregnancy was impossible now.If I said it was the emperor's, there was no record from the Ch

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