The Pinnacle Of Empire (Book 6) Read Free

Mother, just that you’re so lovely, you should wear the simpler gowns so your own dignity shows to your advantage.”
    The dowager puffed up. A twitching smile dispelled the ugly red flushing. She permitted her attendant to bind a heavy velvet robe around her. Helgamyr came to her daughter and led her to the adjoining sitting room where servants had laid out a sumptuous breakfast on hearing the dowager was awake. The two royals sat, nibbling on delicacies washed down elegantly with a fragrant tea amid the finest tropical palms, ferns, and orchids.
    “Now, what has Saxthor, or whatever his name is, done to upset you?” Helgamyr patted her daughter’s hand. “We’ll have more cream cakes, Countess.” The dowager’s plump hand extended beyond the ruffled lace cuff. Tiny plump fingers, choked with dazzling gemstone rings, pointed at a delicate crystal plate besmirched by crumbs. The two royals watched the slender lady-in-waiting withdraw. As the intricately carved door closed behind her, Helgamyr’s head jerked back to her daughter, her face pinched to a point.
    “That usurper has ruined everything. Even my maid Nina fled when she heard that man was marching here to take the throne. She accompanied me when I came here to marry Engwan, you know. Good servants are rare, especially these days.” Her hand flicked toward the door. “These noble ladies-in-waiting seem vexed when asked to do the simplest things.”
    “Well, what’s done can’t be undone, Mother. We’ll have to make the best of it. It’s just that I know Saxthor loves Queen Dagmar; the whole court chatters about it behind my back. I can see it in their faces when they look at me. The pity is too much to endure. Everyone knows he spent every hour with her while she was here for the coronation. It was such an insult to me. Now he avoids me, a further affront. He knows we must marry to stabilize the empire. I’m the laughingstock of the nobility.”
    “We’ll get our revenge yet, my child.” Helgamyr didn’t look at her daughter. She was perusing the remaining pastries on the tea table.
    Tottiana began a muffled weeping, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. Helgamyr’s head instantly jolted back to her daughter. “Stop that at once. You must not let others see you effected by that upstart.” The alert dowager glanced at the door. “You are the Princess Imperial. Of course you’ll marry the usurper. We must preserve this dynasty even if tarnished by this intruder. We’ll bide our time and get our revenge.”
    Tottiana dried her eyes, cleared her sniffles, and checked her coiffure. She sat rigidly upright just as the courtier returned with the plate of cream pastries.
    Helgamyr squeezed her daughter’s hand between their chairs, out of sight of the countess. She bent over to her daughter’s ear and whispered, “We’ll have our revenge yet.” Tottiana rose to leave. “Do stay and have another of these delicious cream cakes, my dear.”
    “I must go, Mother.”
    “But you haven’t told me which gown to wear today,” Helgamyr exclaimed.
    “The one with gold butterflies.”
    “Just as I suspected myself. Didn’t I tell you the one with gold butterflies was the correct selection, Countess?” Helgamyr turned to Tottiana just as she glanced back, sweeping out the door.
    * * *
    King Grekenbach accompanied Queen Dagmar on their journey back up the peninsula after the investiture of Emperor Saxthor at Engwaniria. They rode slowly and reminisced about the war, the damages to their respective kingdoms, and plans for reconstruction. Neither of them wanted to touch on the emotional attachment between Saxthor and Dagmar. As they approached Sengenwhapolis, Dagmar noted King Grekenbach’s agitation and knew he felt he must finally broach the tender subject.
    “Sengenwhapolis should be visible from that ridge,” Dagmar said, spurring her mount up the slope. Grekenbach followed closely behind; their horses’ hooves clacked on the rocky slopes