The crowd looked confused and so did the new crown prince.
But the applause was heard louder than anyone would have thought.
King Iyan de Romanet
The Empress's face became pale again, she couldn't hear them, those people who are clapping. It is cold, it is silent.
Of all of them, she could only see her husband, standing tall with his hands on Iyan's shoulders. In her eyes he didn't wear a crown, his face was younger, less tired, there were no scars on his hands. He was standing facing the crowd, but the crowd wasn't there in front of him.
There was only one person, a gray haired old man with a red cape on his shoulders and a gold crown in his hands.
King, he mouthed. Again and again,
Reaching the crown out towards Evan, his only son.
Cold sweat covered the Empress's body. She could blink, she couldn't turn her head, the wall behind her was cracking faster than she thought.
"Mom!" Neftali was pulling her arm, she could feel it, but it was almost impossible to answer her call. Getting out of this vision is almost impossible, she has to wait for it to pass.
Evan looked at his father like he was really standing there, the moment he never got to live through, his father passing down the crown to him. The late King kept stretching his hands out towards him, he is not allowed to come to the altar, ghosts are not allowed there. Evan couldn't go to him, because he knows this is just an image, it is not a reality. He is not a young prince anymore and he never will be, that type of life is unknown to him.
King! She could hear his voice now, it was a desperate call. The late king tried to reach his hands towards Evan again, this time dropping the golden crown. Both of them watched it fall and just a moment before it would hit the ground, it all disappeared.
"Mom!" Neftali was not the only one calling her at this point. She could feel the hands of her ladies on her shoulders and back.
The Empress blinked, the image from before was gone. The Emperor is there, with a shiny golden crown on his head, his eyes are closed, his body is stiff. He does not understand.
"I am alright." The Empress said to them, "Let's go to the palace."
"Mother, what is wrong?" Neftali was still holding her hand, looking scared and confused.
"You should return to your chambers my lady." Maria said.
"Are you sure everything is alright my lady?" Diana asked.
The Empress smiled and turned to look at them. "I am just emotional. Please understand. We should start going back to the palace now."
"Mother-"
"Neftali, why do you have spider webs in your hair?"
"Mother, you already asked me that."
"Well you didn't answer me." She picked them from Neftali's hair again.
"Don't worry about it. Look, they are exiting the temple!" Neftali pointed her finger at her father and brother who were slowly going down to the exit. They are going to ride the horses through the town before coming back to the palace to celebrate. Neftali and the empress are also supposed to go with them, they will ride in a carriage behind them.
"We should go to the carriage."
"Oh, yes the parade." The Empress looked surprised, she forgot where they were supposed to go.
"I will escort you, my lady, princess Neftali." Diana offered and quickly started leading the way before the empress could deny her help.
"Let's go mother!"
*
While the parade was going in the town back in the palace the guests were gathered in the main ballroom, waiting for the Imperial family to return so the celebration could start.
Everyone was talking about the Emperor's announcement back in the temple. Calling his son the King is no small thing. Does that mean this land now has an emperor and a king. In what position does that put the young prince?
Maria knew it didn't mean anything, in reality Iyan is just a crown prince, the Emperor pronounced him the king out of spite towards his wife. He is still mad she was one to make the choice of the future of the crown and this is his way of getting back at her.
Even if Iyan's title becomes King, he will do the same duty as the crown prince. It is just a word. If his wife doesn't show any signs of anger towards his choice of words the Emperor will just keep finding ways to get back at her. Perhaps he will pronounce Iyan the young emperor next. Or come up with some other ridiculous way of spiteful revenge.
Maria was standing next to the window looking out for the imperial family's return. Her lady worries her. The Empress has been acting odd since this morning, it is like she is lost in her own home. Perhaps her health is getting worse. Ever since the last flare up Maria felt like she hasn't recovered. There are times when she is completely distant, looking somewhere in the distance and only placing her hands on her stomach.
She has spoken to Diana about this matter, Diana suspects their lady is with child but both of them know that is not possible. Empress is an extremely fertile woman, she got pregnant after the first night she and the emperor spent together. Same with their second child. The emperor is aware of this, the imperial doctor told him to be careful with his wife, her pregnancies were hard on her body, the child in her womb would almost eat her alive, same was with birth, it took two days for princess Neftali to be born, Empress lost so much blood that day that doctors thought she would not make it out alive.
Because of that, the Emperor is very careful with his wife, in a sense that he would make her life a living hell if she was seen alone with a man. That is the main reason the men are forbidden from entering the Queen's palace without a formal invitation. Knights that are keeping her safe are all castrated. It was the emperor's order.
The highest position for every knight in the empire is to guard the imperial family, specifically the empress, but the price for such a position is high. Many refuse to accept, which is reasonable.
There is no way her lady might be with child, so there is the other much worse thing. Sickness.
Maria prayed with all her might for it not to be the case. She cannot allow her to die. It will be the start of the domesday if the empress were to die. Everything wonderful would go with her, there would be no peace. War would start again.
It is not just a silly fear that Maria has, it is the truth, in the peace agreement with Yalan it is stated that the war will stop for as long as the empress lives.
Diplomats have been banging their heads against the wall for years now because of it.
There is no certainty of what will happen if she were to die, but Yalan has a strong army, it is a rich land, the Emperor can do nothing with that matter, if he prohibits them from having an army he would need to pass it as a law that will prohibit every province of having an army, that will lead to disturbance and a long list of problems. Walking on eggshells around Yalan is easier.
For all of their sakes.
"Lady Maria," She heard someone calling. It was the High priest approaching from the crowd. She didn't even notice him coming to the temple with them.
"Your Holliness, it was a wonderful ceremony."
He stood beside her looking at the crowd of guests. "Thank you Lady Maria, everyone is so concerned with the young boy's title that I doubt they remember anything that was said. Thank you for saying that Lady Maria."
"I understand them in a way, they are in position to view it in that way only."
"It is a shame. My greatest wish is for everyone to see what I have at that moment. Pureness the air around us had, God was watching us, Lady Maria, and nobody noticed."
"We can only see what we want."
"Book of Icarus."
"It is Your Holiness."
The priest smiled, "I am more amazed with your knowledge of Holy books every time we talk Lady Maria."
"Thank you, Your Holiness. I would be ashamed not to know sentences from the books I read so many times."
"That reminds me. I have not been able to find the Book of Cato that I have promised to lend you."
Maria suddenly remembered their conversation from a few days ago. The fresco behind the altar.
"It is alright father, have you lost the book?"
"I suppose so, but there is a specific place I left it many years ago and I haven't moved it from there. It is weird that it is not there."
"Could it be stolen?"
"Well I am very old Lady Maria, there is a much bigger chance I have misplaced it, but could I still ask you to do something for me?"
Just as she was about to answer the trumpets started playing, the big ballroom door opened and the announcer came in. The room was quiet before he started to speak.
Maria turned around to look outside the window. The Imperial family has returned from the city.
"Stand for the Imperial family! His Majesty Emperor Evan, His Highness The Crown Prince Iyan, Her Highness Princess Neftali, Her Majesty Empress Dowager Katherine! Welcome!"
Everybody in the room bowed as they entered. The Emperor was first entering with his daughter after them came the Empress with her son next to her. They were whispering something just before they separated. The Emperor and his children sit on the podium, him in the throne with his son on the right and his daughter on the left. The Empress sits on a sofa placed at the bottom.
In the wonderful world that they do not live in she would sit next to her husband, but because of the huge skirt of her dress she needs to sit separately. That is the story they stand by, one of the most hurtful sights in the whole palace.
"Could I ask you to check the Imperial library, to see if they perhaps have a copy of the Book of Cato." The high priest asked, pulling her out of the doings in the front.
"Of course father."
"Please notify me of what you find." With that he got lost in the crowd.