I Am The Tyrant’s Wife

Meredith had finished the tasks she was given yesterday. She had also chosen her dress before lunch with the other ladies-in-waiting giving their opinion. Lady Carmille had only scoffed at her decisions. It had been uncomfortable with the other ladies who were trying their best not to offend Meredith and suffer in the awkwardness of Lady Carmille being rude and picking a fight with her. 

It was later that afternoon did everything go south. 

The ladies, including Meredith, were out in the garden having tea as Theodore once told her about the breeze in the garden. It was always the favorite place the women in the palace would go to to rest their minds, enjoying the flowers which were always groomed by the gardeners. 

"Has His Majesty already prepared his part for the wedding?" Sabine asked hoping to connect with Meredith and be on her good side once she becomes Empress, as her father, Baron Hilbert instructed. This was a good opportunity for the noble ladies, having such experience in the palace and with the Empress, no less, they would be able to climb higher in high society without much doing anything aside from aiding Her Highness. 

"I believe so," Meredith answered, sipping her cup of tea. In two days, their wedding was about to happen. She would be married and become the Empress of the Valrion Empire. She wondered if her parents had already heard the news. Were they drowning in regret for selling their daughter away? Did they still have no idea that they haven't crawled inside the palace like she did to escape, to beg for her forgiveness? 

"Would you like a refill of your cup, My Lady?" Lady Regina asked, raising the teapot. 

Noticing her almost empty cup, Meredith moved it closer to Lady Carmille. "Yes," she said and looked at her with a small smile. "I would like for Lady Carmille to pour the tea herself." 

The ladies awkwardly glanced at each other. Lady Carmille smirked and slowly stood up from her seat, grabbing the teapot from Lady Regina's hand. With a cruel smile on her lips, she held the teapot in her hand, slowly pouring it to her cup. Meredith watched her. It was quite a sight to see the woman who had treated other ladies such as Meredith and the others here on the table like dogs was now obeying someone she looked down upon. Lady Carmille was now serving her instead. 

Lady Carmille irked at Meredith's satisfied smile on her face. Quickly, she pushed the cup and teapot onto her, the hot earl grey tea spilling onto Meredith's dress. 

"Your Highness!"

"Lady Carmille!"

The ladies shouted. Fiona, who stood by the side rushed over to help Meredith by grabbing napkins on the table. Meredith's eyes turned dark as she looked up at Lady Carmille who was smirking at the mess she made. Meredith quickly stood up and quickly slapped her hand onto Lady Carmille's face. Her head turned the other way, eyes widening, and mouth opened. 

The ladies gasped and froze in place. Meredith pointed at her with her finger, her eyebrows furrowed together. "Do not--"

"You bitch!" Lady Carmille striked Meredith's cheek, her nails digging in her skin. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. 

"Hah," Lady Carmille huffed, looking at Meredith's face as her head turned the other way. 

"Y-Your Highness..." Lady Sierra spoke, her silent voice echoing from the silence against the cooes of the birds that passed by. "Your face..." She slowly pointed at the red scratches across her cheek, blood dripping at the end of the line. 

Lady Sabine gasped. Fiona quickly rushed to her to dab on the blood on her face. 

Meredith winced at the sting. From their reactions, it seems Lady Carmille had struck her so hard that it left a mark on her face. Meredith was getting married in two days. 

"Inform His Majesty that the wedding be pushed back. Tell him that I demand it." She uttered, holding onto Fiona's wrist that held the napkin. 

"I..." She glanced at the ladies and the napkin on Meredith's face and her eyes which were welling up with tears.

"Fiona, we will handle this," Lady Regina walked over and grabbed a napkin and placed a hand on hers. "Go find the butler and tell him of Her Highness's message."

"Yes, You Highness," she bowed to Meredith and the rest of the ladies, running back inside the palace. Lady Carmille stood there, watching as Lady Regina and Lady Sierra rushed over to aid Meredith. 

"You call yourself ladies?" She scoffed. "You decide to help her instead of me? I thought we were closer. Is it because she is the 'future of the Empire'?" She mocked, laughing. She could never understand how an ill-bred woman could become the Empress, even if her status was not stripped away. Meredith had always been rude. How could she act like this innocent woman now?

The ladies glared at her. 

"You were attacking her first, Carmille. Ever since back then." Lady Sabine walked up to her and handed her the other napkin from her hand. "Will you do your duty or will you wait for your consequences?" 

Lady Carmille stared at the napkin. She smiled, "no." 

"Then consquence it is," a man's voice said from behind. They all turned their heads to where the voice came from. Lady Carmille's breathing hitched. Was it His Majesty? No, that can't be. He does not care enough for Meredith. It was obvious from the way he had not even showed up back at the banquet to be beside her. And yesterday, too. There was no sight of him at all.

Could this be the time where Krillien was going to show his care for her? 

Slowly, Lady Carmille turned her body to see the man who appeared. 

She released a breath seeing an unfamiliar man. In all her days attending parties and the past day at the palace, she had never seen this man before. His brown eyes covered by his spectacles, his curly dark hair covering his forehead, thick enough that it seemed like his hair was a puff ball on his head. His eyes were slit and piercing. Fiona stood behind him, her hands fidgeting together. 

"I will be sure to inform of your decision to His Majesty, Lady Carmille."

"Hah, and he'd believe a mere servant like you?" She crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow as she eyed his plain garment most servants in the palace were wearing. 

He smiled, seeming to be annoyed. He sighed and thought, I wasn't supposed to reveal this but this woman truly knows how to push buttons. He bowed with his right arm resting on his chest, his other arm on his back. 

"Then allow me to introduce myself, my name is Aurelius." He rose, "His Majesty's right hand man."