The Empress Of Ashes - Chapter 2

Her husbands had wives, and to the concubines, he was their master and their man. However, there were only three women in the palace who held the position of empress, a position of absolute nobility. Unlike Afrosa, who was always tormented by the sins of her status, the two empresses were gaining momentum in the imperial palace.

The two empresses, who had fine and accomplished children by her husband, came from a great families. Eventually, Afrosa chose to move away from him because she was afraid of being in the middle.

It was natural for her to shrivel up because she had nothing to brag about, and it was as natural for her to hate the bad things in comparison as it was for her to breathe. And it was something she couldn’t change, so she had to let go of her husband.

“I’m pregnant.”

“I don’t care.”

Valerie, the second empress, was cruel. So cruel that she knew no shame, not even the smallest mercy. The hole in her heart grew deeper without being filled. She used the fact that Afrosa was an empress from a commoner background to look down on her. Even she was a slave in Valerie’s hands.

”Please…”

“What the hell are you asking me to do?”

“I’ll try. I may not be perfect, but I will try to be a good empress.”

“The Empress is perfect. Afrosa.”

“But…”

“And just because you work hard, doesn’t mean you can change your humble birth.”

Tears streamed down Afrosa’s cheeks. Valerie looked like she was facing a woman who wasn’t worth a word with.

The situation was like this. One day, the husband Afrosa loved ceased to be a husband. The time not so long ago when she had loved such a man became blurred like a memory of a previous life.

‘I wish I had left the day I remembered love as love.’

Valerie of the House of Ophreze was a proud and dignified woman. But Afrosa was his wife.

No, Valerie didn’t care, despite the fact that the emperor had married Afrosa and even gotten her pregnant. Whether Afrosa stayed or left…Valerie looked unconcerned, because she was going to have it all.

‘Love is a fool’s errand…’

It was natural for a woman to lead and rule. It was something she had done over and over again, like she opens and closes her eyes, she said. She married Alec and became an empress and he needed someone to manage his internal affairs.

‘I understand, if you’re from a humble background, you should be generous.’

That’s right. She had to understand and support him.

Afrosa shed tears every time she looked back at Valerie’s words. She was right, it was not something that could be won with love. Afrosa was miserable, lowly and shabby, rising to a position less deserving than where she came from and struggling to make ends meet. It was true that she enjoyed a position that was beyond her means, no matter what she did to justify it.

“He needs me.”

Valerie whispered as if she had driven a wedge. Afrosa turned to Alec repeating what she had said.

“What is she talking about?”

(*T/N: it’s very confusing right here with the time change from the past to the present. Above was what Afrosa remembered. And in the last chapter, Afrosa gave Alec a birthday present, and here is what the gift was. Back at the present time… This is all from my guess because the author’s writing is very confusing without mentioning who does the talking whatsoever, or the time of events…Please bear with me.)

“Embroidery….”

Was there such a thing? Afrosa stared at the gift in his hand with a troubled look, and Alec brought it up to show her.

“This. It’s what you just gave me.”

His brows wrinkled. Afrosa tried to keep her face straight. She stared at the man who was staring at her with a crumpled face. She was shaken by the water that was convex in his iron eyes. His eyes reminded her of a boy from the past. But it’s all gone now. She lightly dismissed the afterimage as Alec pursued her in a stiff voice.

“How about it, Rose, on a day like today, you wouldn’t give me a gift for no reason, would you?”

“That’s…”

She couldn’t say it was nothing so she kept silent. She took a closer look at the ribbon that tied the gift. It was the skill of Lady Rosyen, the head maid of the First Empress.

“There’s a windflower engraved on the ribbon. Did you sew it yourself?”

“No, that’s…”

What was she supposed to say? She glanced at him with a puzzled look. The gift was chosen directly by Lady Rosyen herself. Afrosa only asked what she had prepared. What was the content of the gift, she had no idea. But that was enough, Afrosa thought she had done her job. She thought Lady Rosyen wouldn’t choose a normal ribbon to tie the gift for the emperor, but she didn’t expect that the ribbon had an embroidered pattern sewn into it.

She always did the bare minimum when it came to imperial and royal business.

“There’s no way you would intentionally sew the windflower into the ribbon. Right?”

Alec’s face was full of anticipation. His face was clear and innocent, unlike him. Afrosa wanted to cut off that face.

“Rose, I….”

She averted his gaze. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say.

“The windflower on the ribbon…I…”

Afrosa’s lips parted, thinking she should say something. But Alec interrupted her and smiled faintly before she could complete her sentence.

“I like it. Whatever’s in there is fine with me.”

Afrosa shook her head. She felt a lump in her stomach. The emperor’s face, lit up like a boy’s, made her want to vomit.

“I’m sorry, to be honest, the gift was chosen by the head maid, Lady Rosyen. I am, after all, not good….”

Alec’s face hardened. It was a fact that Afrosa did not care. She was once a diligent empress because she didn’t want to be the one who lent and borrowed, even though she was the emperor’s first and real wife. But since everything had become a mockery, she didn’t show up much. And for banquets, the second empress prepared everything.

“Well then, I’ll leave first.”

“Rose.”

He grabbed her by the wrist. The emperor called her name in a low voice. Afrosa couldn’t stand it and quickly brushed him off. She tried to get out of his grasp as she looked at him.

“Alec.”

She bit her lip. The emperor, no, Alec loved Valerie, not her, because that would have helped him a little more to accomplish his far-reaching destiny, and if he had married Valerie and still had the three concubines to keep her in check. If they had become a couple that truly loved and trusted each other, they wouldn’t have had to go through all the trouble. If Valerie also truly loved her husband, she would have been able to be independent of the family home and be faithful to her family. It was a dissonance. Afrosa was…? She was a hindrance to his life.

“Tell me the truth. What’s going on?”

“…”

“Don’t make a fool of me again.”

“Your Majesty.”

“You think I’m an idiot?”

“No, you’re not. I’m just…”

Afrosa really didn’t ahve anything to do with the windflower sewn into a ribbon. She was even surprised when she saw it.

“I didn’t do it.”

Aphrosa replied cautiously, “It’s all a misunderstanding,” she assured him, though Alec’s face grew increasingly angry as she said it.

“You’re mistaken.”

“…Then who played this prank on the present?”

“…”

“How dare the empress play a prank on the Emperor?”

The emperor spoke a low voice to Afrosa’s response. There was no answer to be given.

“…I will see what happened.”

Afrosa was seriously curious about who it was. Did Lady Rosyen really sew it?  Afrosa wasn’t brave enough to deliberately sew this ludicrous floral pattern onto a ribbon. Moreover, the windflower pattern was a traumatic experience for her. She wouldn’t offer such a poor gift to her newly emperor husband on his birthday.

“Yeah. Make sure you find out and let me know. Who dares to play this prank on me?”

Alec growled. Afrosa dropped her gaze and looked at his cravat, which was tied neatly on his neck. The silk embroidery Alec had received that day.

The edges of her eyes quivered. Every now and then she would look at him and thought the cravat was a silly thing.

There were often noblemen who made elaborate laces on the edge of the cravat, but no one wore a small flower patterned cravat around their necks like him. When Afrosa shook off his hand and turned around, there stood the second empress, Valerie, watching them. It was a strange face. A smiley, soft face was slightly hardened. Beside her, stood the grown prince with his straight posture.

Afrosa averted her gaze and searched for Loras. Unlike Valerie’s son, Loras was sitting in the corner of the banquet hall, watching the magic card trick shown by his servant. He had a wide smile on his childish face.

“Whoa!”

Her blood went cold. Her son was smiling but her heart froze. Afrosa’s tears fell as she walked towards him. When the attendant saw Afrosa approaching, he stood up nervously.

“Mother!”

With a careless motion, Loras rose from his seat and knocked over the table.

“Ah….!”

“It’s all right, Your Highness. Please come out this way. I’ll take care of it.”

Alex, who was organizing the cards, stood up, pushed Loras aside, and wiped his reddened ceremonial robe. Loras’s face was sullen as he looked at Alex.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. Your Highness.”

“Loras.”

Afrosa called him. Loras looked at Afrosa with tears in his eyes. Hesitantly, Loras ran to her.

“Are you all right, my son?”

Afrosa, who brushed off with her bare hands the red liquor that had stained his white ceremonial robe, stroked his face. Julina, Loras’s wife, who had changed her dress and came back, averted her gaze as if Loras was a stranger. Afrosa knew, but did not show it on her face.

“Yes. I’m fine. I like the smell of apples.”

It seemed that the liquor he spilled was apple wine. Afrosa’s brows furrowed slightly as she wiped the alcohol splatter from his cheek. On closer inspection, it seemed that her son’s nose was a little hot. If the wine was made in the court kitchen, the strength shouldn’t be too high, but Loras was not immune to alcohol. Afrosa always made sure that he couldn’t drink if she was around…But today, perhaps Loras, who wanted to imitate an adult, drank the wine. There was a strong possibility that he drank it even though Alex was following him around. Because no one would have let a man with a  seven-year-old mind drink.

“Younger brother, did you drink wine?”

Suddenly, his sister, who was fanning herself as she slowly, approached from the balcony. Loras blinked at her question.

“Just a little… I didn’t drink much.”

Loras replied, scratching the back of his head. His sister was never polite in front of people. Especially on a day like this…even the children of Second Empress Valerie and Third Empress Gladys raised their chins up, keeping their perfect image proudly.

“Lower your hands. Straighten your back.”

His sister, who stared at Loras with disgruntled eyes, said sternly. Frightened by his sister’s attentions, Loras lowered his hands, the corners of her eyes reddening. Then she looked around and opened her mouth again.

“Please don’t do anything stupid here.”

“Aris.”

Afrosa, who had been listening to her daughter’s whispers, lifted her gaze to the word ‘stupid’. It was Aristide. Her only daughter. A girl with long, sandy hair and peach-colored cheeks like her mother, as well as her older brother who was born before her. She was incredibly beautiful and kind, and the only daughter Afrosa was proud to have. If there was one person she could trust and rely on, it was her daughter. Because her husband, a stranger, who was as good as nothing, and her son was a treasure she had to protect.

“The women are watching.”

Aristide’s gaze reached Valerie and Gladys.

“Please don’t.”

Afrosa warned her daughter quietly. Aristide bit her lip, trying not to make a scene. She averted her gaze at Loras’s robe. The ceremonial robe was wet and stained. Afrosa decided to take him back to his palace to get changed. She had already given the present and shone her face. There was nothing left for her to do here.

“Loras, come with me…”

“First Empress.”

Suddenly, a soft voice came. Aristide turned her head first. Her face, which was nervous, darkened and hardened. Afrosa pulled her daughter back and stood in front of her. It was Gladys, the third empress.