I Am The Tyrant’s Wife

Meredith sat down in bed, a small table propped up in front of her as she began to write, looking at the documents Theodore had left her.

They were some etiquette rules, palace rules, and whatnot. Things she needed to keep in mind as the future Empress. Honestly, she was quite surprised how much the palace stuck to rules when Krillien kept on breaking them for whatever reason he had.

"Would you like to take a break, Your Highness?" Fiona asked. The ladies-in-waiting who were supposed to attend to her were given leave as Meredith was unable to perform any outside duties. Fiona was enough to aid her and keep her company.

"That would be wonderful," she smiled. Fiona walked up and grabbed the table, moving it into the floor, allowing room for Meredith in bed. She had continued to apply the ointment the doctor left her and once a day, he would come by to check on her wounds, especially the burns on her thighs.

Fortunately, the wedding was pushed back. Other nobles may have thought something happened between Meredith and the Emperor, yet the rumors had spread. Everyone at the palace had told the truth in whispers, leaving the palace grounds and onto the ears of the society:

Someone tried to assasinate the Empress.

Of course, not everyone believed the truth nor heard of it. It seemed to be the most popular gossip they tossed around.

It had been a few days since that incident and when Meredith asks of Lady Carmille, no one had known what happened to her. No one had even seen her left the palace.

"…cut her hands…" she remembered Krillien say. Perhaps he really did deal with her himself.

Meredith shivered. It was for the best not to think about it. Krillien had already done gruesome things to people since his reign on his throne. Why would she think that he wouldn't continue to do such things now? It had been quiet before the incident with Lady Carmille. Everyone had thought he stopped, Krillien only needed a reason to do so. Meredith had become that reason.

Krillien had agreed to push back the wedding. Meredith thought that he would give it a week.

"We will wed by the end of the month," he said before he left her chambers a few days ago. Krillien had given it a few more weeks for their wedding. She could imagine the relief Madam Miriam and the palace workers must have felt.

Meredith was quite relieved as well. Becoming Empress that quickly without any training or knowledge of it would have killed her. Krillien may not appoint her to any duties, but it would be wasteful for her to not perform any.

It became quiet in the Palace.

Meanwhile, in the Ryvetsky household, it was far from quiet.

"You useless shit." Arthur Ryvetsky muttered under his breath, clenching on the bottle of wine. Julia Ryvetsky stood silent near him, her eyes low.

"I'm sorry, dear. How could I have known Meredith would run off to the Emperor? Much less survive such encounter." She brushed her hands on her skirt, her fingers fiddling on the fabric.

"You should have just let her work instead of sell her off to a brothel!" Arthur slammed his fist onto the table, the silverware jumping, creating a noise as they clanked together.

"Arthur, the children will hear." She said firmly, eyes darting to the closed room at the back. "Besides, weren't you the one who was the happiest when we received that money?"

Julia recalled the smile that reached his ears as she placed the pouch of gold on their table, telling him of what happened. He did not have an ounce of care of what happened to his eldest. She was sure he did not even hear her. Just the money that had given them a glimpse of the riches they used to have.

Arthur glared and took a sip of his wine, droplets dripping on his chin. He swiftly swiped it away, gulping before he spoke, "and now we don't have an ounce of money. That man is asking for his money back claiming he didn't even touch Meredith. We don't have anything to give."

Julia glanced at his bottle of wine before staring back at him, "we would if you would stop spending your money on alcohol."

Arthur raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Wine is a luxury, my darling. The only thing keeping us separate from those runts in those alleyways."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed and sat down on the chair next to him, her voice low and asked, "and what of the money you had before?"

Arthur raised the tip of the bottle to his lips, thinking for a moment. "Money?"

Julia raised both her eyebrows, telling something only the two of them could understand. Arthur shook his head and took another sip.

"That money is gone."

"Gone?!" Julia quited her voice once again, "they were thousands. How could you lose them? Did you spend it all—"

"Tsk, no. No, that money was taken away along with our titles." Arthur stroked his chin looking faraway. "That bastard Emperor knew about it."

"You told me you hid it well." Julia formed her hands into a fist, clenching them. "How would the Emperor know about it?"

Arthur let out a laugh, "two years of this mess and now is the time you ask? The Emperor knew about it. That is all I know."

"Then could it be…" Julia glanced at the front door. "Is that the reason why he took away your title?"

Arthur shook his head. That tyrant who killed his very own family without rational reason would not think for a second as to why he was taking away the titles of families he could care less about. Nothing but power in that man's mind. He recalled the meek and small Krillien who stood beside his brothers, silent at every banquet and meals they had. Who knew a child like that would have such thirst for blood.

"Then how could we get more money?"

"You could sell yourself."

Julia's eyes narrowed into slits, "is that how you treat your wife?"

"This is your mess. If you hadn't sold her then she would not have come to him."

Julia sighed, irked at her husband who was pinning the blame on her. How could she have known this would happen, anyway? Who would have thought that Emperor had fancied a woman like her?

"Meredith will marry the Emperor. She is still our daughter, no?" Julia smiled, a finger continuously pressing on the table.

"Mn," Arthur nodded, half-listening to his wife.

"Then it is right that we greet the Emperor as the future Empress's parents," Arthur turned his head towards her, interested as to what she was insinuating. "We must give our approval, correct?"

Arthur exchanged the same devilish smile.

"Correct."