I was very nervous, and I grabbed my hands firmly. Both Soa and I were in shock that the Land Embracing Palace was calling for me. I was barely able to wear clothes, and Soa did my make up with her trembling hands. I simply put up my hair up and came to this Land Embracing Palace following the person that they sent. Right now I’m sitting down inside the inner palace.
“The Empress is entering.”
I stood up right away hearing an outside maid announcing and soon the door opened. Her hair was gorgeously put up with the gold yongjam (hairpin with the dragon’s head), and she was wearing a light violet colored dress. Her face with red lipstick was intimidating. She walked slowly and sat down and send away all the maids. And she looked at me with her cold eyes and pointed at a seat.
“Sit down.”
“I…I’m grateful, Your Highness.”
I barely replied and sat down slowly. I put my head down nervously thinking if she noticed anything.
“So, is it comfortable in the Heavenly Purified Palace?”
“Yes, it is.”
“That’s good.”
She said it like that and drank a sip of the tea that was already prepared.
“I like cooled down teas, so I always prepare beforehand. Do you enjoy teas?”
Her tone made me look at her unconsciously.
“I don’t enjoy it that much.”
“That’s too bad. I was about to ask you to try this good quality tea that just came in. To give that as a gift to a person who doesn’t enjoy tea is such a trouble.”
Her tone was confusing for me. I didn’t know if she was reproofing or not. But still she was drinking her tea and looked straight forward at me.
“Actually you and I can’t be in a situation where we enjoy our chatting like this. Since you are the Madame who entered the Heavenly Purified Palace, and I am the Empress.”
I was struggling not knowing how to reply to that, but she continued.
“Do you know all the North Empire’s tyrants in the past all had their Madames in the Heavely Purified Palace?”
I felt all of my blood was drying out after hearing that.
“I…I don’t…”
“It’s the fact. That’s why I was the first person to oppose His Majesty when he announced that he will take you in the Heavenly Purified Palace.”
“I see.”
“Do you know why?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s because it’s not too much to say that the Emperors who took their Madames in the palace are half insane.”
“Your… Your Highness!”
I shouted with shock, and she smiled. Her smile on her cold face was very cold, but I didn’t feel any hostility.
“This is the fact also. But in the past, those emperors left their madames in there for a very short time. They probably had a headache because those women acted like they were the empress or something. But anyway while they were in the Heavenly Purified Palace, the emperors did whatever they asked. Even the things that would ruin the country. That’s why they are called tyrants.”
“I’m… overwhelmed.”
I said it like that, and she still didn’t erase her smile and continued.
“That’s why I opposed you. I knew he was obsessed with you than any other emperors in the past. It looked like he won’t even notice even he go bankrupted by giving everything to you. That’s why I opposed him more. But something was strange.”
She stood up and slowly came to me and looked down on me. I was trembling so much and looked at her I was scared that she might find out I’m a male.
“One day passed, and two days passed. I didn’t hear anything that something went out of the royal storage. I didn’t even hear the governments were being replaced. It was strange. Nothing was like this in the history. If it was His Majesty’s other concubines, they would act crazy to chop off my arms and legs. Or trying to grab everything from the royal storage.”
Her bitter words made me just blankly stare at her.
“And it was very memorable during the Planting Festival. Dragon’s fairy that calls out the rain. Because of your humble acts until now, all the conservative high officials are starting to look at you well.”
I didn’t know what the Empress was talking about. It started to give me a headache. She noticed my state and smiled her cold smile and went back to her seat.
“So, I’ll get to the point since you don’t seem to get it.”
Because her tone was either disregarding me or just considering me, I had a puzzled look.
“I, the North Empire’s Empress Yeonchu Sangah, will borrow the Yeonchu Family’s powder and become the small kingdom’s princess and this country’s Madame’s background.”
“Pardon?”
I