Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Cornelia’s brow twitched. She pressed her long fingernails to her temples, then gestured. A handmaiden quickly approached with a cigarette on a silver tray. Cornelia lit it, inhaled deeply, and exhaled with a sigh.
“Hmm…” No one dared speak during this ritual. Only the sound of the Empress’s deep breaths filled the air.
After a moment of silence, Cornelia muttered irritably, “I put them there to watch her, and they come back defeated?”
The servants lowered their heads, holding their breath. The Empress’s displeasure was palpable. The servants tasked with feeding Shamshir shuddered, gulping nervously.
“They’re utterly useless.”
Countess Elvira quickly interjected, “Perhaps we should reduce the Second Division’s budget and demote the Knight-Captain?”
“Yes, that’s a good idea.” The Empress tapped her fingernails against the chair again. “Demote him two ranks.”
“As you command.” The Empress’s anger seemed to subside slightly. Countess Elvira was adept at handling these situations. However, Cornelia’s brow remained furrowed.
“Which family is that Knight-Captain from?”
Elvira briefly pitied the family. Until the Empress’s mood improved, they would be excluded from all social gatherings and subtly ostracized. But this was the Imperial Palace, a place where the oblivious could not survive. The Knight-Captain had made a grave error in judgment.
“I’ll handle it appropriately.”
“Yes, you must.” At that moment, the sharp scent of blood filled the air. Shamshir had crushed a rabbit’s head. Its jaws opened wide, revealing bloody fangs. The Empress enjoyed watching Shamshir eat. Her cheeks flushed like a young girl’s. The crunching of bones was a strangely satisfying sound. Sometimes, she wished the carcass wasn’t an animal, but one of her enemies. Like…
“What is she doing?”
“She hasn’t made any significant moves yet.” Countess Elvira glanced around before whispering something in the Empress’s ear. Cornelia listened with a bored expression.
“Useless, the lot of them.” Another cloud of cigarette smoke filled the air, creating fleeting illusions. They were all so useless. But it wasn’t time yet.
“Yes, let her enjoy herself until then…” The one who had granted the reprieve was none other than Cornelia herself. Everything needed time to ripen. She knew the wait would make the eventual outcome all the more satisfying. Like a farmer patiently waiting for the fruit to ripen. She could wait.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. “Aagh!” Shamshir had bitten a servant’s left arm.
“Hahaha!”
Cornelia laughed aloud for the first time that day.
***
Cesar’s room was a disaster, so I had to bring him to mine. I had something new to teach him today. I’d already asked Delphina to prepare everything.
“There it is.” The table was covered with learning materials and children’s picture books.
“You need to learn how to speak properly.” The Knight-Captain’s mocking words about Cesar’s speech still stung, but I had to admit there was some truth to them. If Cesar was to attend social events, he needed to communicate more effectively. He would be meeting many people, and he would have to converse with them. His current vocabulary, limited to a few simple affirmations and negations, was simply not enough, even for a child. He needed to be able to express himself, even if not perfectly fluently.
“Learning to read will help you speak more naturally.” I thought teaching him to read and write would expand his vocabulary and improve his speech.
“Cesar, look at this.” I picked up a flashcard. It was a picture card with a letter of the alphabet and a corresponding word, designed to help children learn vocabulary. The pictures were simple, like an apple, a baby, a cat, a dog.
I showed him the card with the fluffy dog. “Isn’t this cute?”
Cesar swatted the card away. “No.”
It fell onto the table. He didn’t like dogs? Maybe cats?
“Ugh.” He turned his head away. Cats were out, too. I had to find something that would capture his interest.
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