The old maid stared out the window with a hollow look on her face, as if she had gone through the most horrifying situations in her life. Looking at the moonlight, a small tear was shed from her eyes as she listened to the other young maids gossiping and whispering with their lady.
"I must say, My lady, you look quite gorgeous in green colored dresses."
"Do i? My mother liked to dress me up in green even back then." The red haired lady spoke, letting out a chuckle.
She watched herself in the mirror. Her fiery red hair, one she inherited from her father, curly and long, like a mane of a lion. She didn't need to wear any sorts of make up to compensate for her beauty for in the entire Interieore, only few could match her beauty.
Her purple eyes, one she inherited from her mother looked at the mirror, at herself with a stoic gaze. Pursing her lips, she moved her eyes to look down at her dress, a green dress of elegance and grace.
Design handmade by her loyal secretary.
A door opened and a woman in red robes entered the room. The woman in red hair took a glance at her before looking back at the mirror, letting the maids fix her dress.
"Good evening to you, my lady." The woman bowed deeply before taking out a stack of papers.
"Here is what you have told me to gather, Madame Aijira."
The red haired woman, Aijira turned her head around to look at the papers, before opening her left palm. The maids stopped immediately and bowed deeply to her before rushing out. Leaving only her, the red robed woman and her old maid.
Aijira grabbed the stack of paper and set them down in her office desk before sitting on the chair herself, looking through the papers, the old maid stared at the one she had served since young.
Duchess Aijira Falkncast of the Falkncast Dukedom. Her feats are many, from slaying rouge dragons at the level of royal dragons, to beating beasts of all sizes. She was the reason why the entire Falkncast Dukedom didn't go to chaos, her leadership kept all nobles in the south steadfastedly loyal to the Falkncast Family.
The citizens and netizens spread her praise, the nobles admired her courage and nobility.
Corruption was at the all time low with her at the helm, unlike the Henituse Marquisedom from the west, the Akaviri Dukedom at the east and the Gwynne Marquisedom at the north who was in chaos from the deep corruption at the capital.
And to think this same woman, this absolute powerhouse of a woman used an ancient family heirloom to marry the Tyrant Emperor, Malik.
Rumours of the Emperor was everchanging, from killing servants without a cause, to destroying villages. His crimes include massacre, arson, terrorist activities, alleged cult ties, fund fraud, abolishing laws against slavery....
She couldn't even remember the rest due to how many crimes he allegedly had. The old maid turned to the red robed woman, a witch that grew up with the Duchess, and shook her head.
The witch nodded her head with an exparated expression on her face as she watched Aijira skim through the entire stack of documents.
"These are all rumours without concrete evidence? I need evidence Charlie."
Without looking up from the documents she was reading, Aijira spoke.
"There is none from what my people have told me, they asked brokers, nobles, everyone. There were some who tried to fake an evidence but we fact checked it all, there is none left." The red robed woman, Charlie let out a sigh.
"It's either the Emperor didn't do any of the aforementioned crimes or-"
"He cleverly erased all traces of evidence." Aijira's eyes narrowed.
Charlie nodded her head and continued. "Right. So what should we be doing now?"
Aijira finished the documents and turned to look at her calmly. "Nothing for now."
She stood up from her desk and walked to the terrace and looked at the moon.
"Tomorrow, i will meet the Emperor in his palace back at the capital. If the rumours are true, he will gladly accept me being married into the royal family with the Royal Edict Tablet. Of course the entire Falkncast Duchy will be given to my heir in order for me to become Empress."
Charlie immediately stood up and knelt down, "My lady, please reconsider-"
"I will not."
Both flinched as a heavy pressure pressed their entire body, they both looked down, unable to look at the Duchess.
"The entire Empire is at the brink of collapse. Wars, civil wars, revolutions. Everything is happening at once and the Emperor doesn't even show his mug to his subjects and fix these problems."
Tap.
They both heard one step as Aijira continued.
"Marrying the Emperor will make me the Empress, although my influence in the capital will be weak for a while, but in due time, i will fix this entire empire that the emperor himself refuses to fix. That is why i must go. For the people of this Empire."
"..."
The two felt the pressure soften and Aijira was infront of them, her hand reaching for them.
"And i trust you will follow me?"
The two of them smiled and knelt, this time, with straighter posture.
"Glory to Aijiri."