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Wide mouth, large frame, big feet, crooked nose, a living blemish.
Her full name, Beatrice Lucinda Roth.
A pretty name for one of societies ugliest women. The best way for the Grand Duke to describe Beatrice would be a white elephant, an asset that held no use aside from taking up much needed room, much to the dismay of the owners who were duped into possessing such a useless gift from a god with a cruel sense of humor.
Easily distracted, chewing of the nails, a strong desire to argue back, thin skinned, poor manners, poor impulse control.
Roth's eldest daughter hardly possessed enough positive traits for a noble woman to make up for her failure in looks. Ugly as a swamp and simple minded as a fish swimming in circles. Nothing like perfect wife she was allegedly trying to replace.
Navier wasn't as offended as most would assume, what woman wouldn't want the emperor to fall in love with them and take them in as a mistress? All of the benefits and almost none of the struggles, a life of careless spending and frolicking in grand palaces and estates, and enough cake and diamonds to fill a bathtub, they weren't even required to give birth to any bastards. Hundreds of women would kill to become Emperor Sovieshu's mistress, very few of them wanted to become his empress.
Except for this white elephant in particular, Navier didn't know why, she just had the creeping feeling that someone would inevitably come to snatch her god given right, not just anyone could be the perfect empress, but currently, anyone could be the mother to the future emperor.
And this... this "blemish" has been noted to have been persistent in her quest to join the legion of ladies in waiting Navier had acquired over the years. The letters have never been opened, but it always seemed like she was trying to cozy her way into a new position in court... and potentially into her husband's arms if the numerous questions about him were anything to go off of, unsurprisingly, Sovieshu was disturbed enough to notice the clear signs, his much older cousin had been at it again, this time instead of silk or valuable jewels, it was his eldest daughter, and his least ideal child at that.
Needless to say, it wasn't surprising when the blatant rejection from the emperor was made public, Navier's ladies in waiting practically celebrated as if it were a holiday upon first receiving the word a couple of hours ago.
"Just who does this girl think she is to be targeting his majesty like that?"
"Does she truly think that her womb is enough to replace the effort and care her majesty had put into this glorious empire?"
"I can't say I blame this one for being desperate... "
Navier could never think those thoughts, that was the job of her many ladies in waiting. A perfect empress doesn't need to feel threatened by an insignificant blemish, she knew she could trust her loyal husband to reject the blatant bait laid before him and that's exactly what he did, yet another gift from Rylan Roth sent back to its sender, it wasn't the first time Rylan tried to capture his cousin's attention via bribery, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
Perhaps it was childish to be this paranoid that any girl looking to be a lady in waiting would seek out her husband, it was to be expected at some point that Sovieshu would inevitably attract different ladies when his wife was failing the future, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
A Roth will always guarantee to be a threat and that threat had been vanquished once again for the time being, Navier should be content to know that her position has been secured.
And yet, the empress still finds herself in one of the drawing rooms, sitting across the very girl that once threatened to destroy everything she had worked so hard to achieve, sending this one back home just didn't feel as secure as sending back ultramarine dye.
No matter where she went, shame always found time to creep up on the girl's face, firmly reminding her that those who aren't grateful for what they have will never be satisfied with the best. One of the ringlets in the girl's hair was noticeably coming undone due to the incessant need to mess with it, and her gaze was directed towards everywhere and everything that wasn't her majesty.
Navier felt too much pity for her to be put off by this girl's bad habits, if it wasn't for Rylan, nothing about his eldest daughter could be viewed as considerable.
Her voice was taut with an unknowing strident tone that sounded like she was reading off of a script, speaking this loudly before an empress could get the first words? How has she survived for so long?
"I truly respect you, your majesty, I truly do..."
The empress's expression remained stiff, everyone claims to respect the empress, anyone with the sense of desire would know to flatter the one with the keys to heaven's gate, any relative of the house of Roth would inherently have such a mindset built on flattery... At least, that's what Navier initially believed.
Taking a closer inspection of the girl in front of her, the idea of an opportunistic Roth started to fall apart. Beatrice had a feeling on why the empress would call for her presence to the palace; Navier knew that Beatrice had it all wrong, but she never alluded to it, the anxiety was allowed to fester in the young noble girl's mind, catastrophizing into several scenarios of disgrace and displacement.
And yet, no further excuses were attempted. Is she frightened? Navier can't say she blames her.
"Am I your adversary?" The cold empress asked. Beatrice was swiftly put on guard, this time remembering to lower her voice into its ordinary soft and quiet tone.
"I- Pardon?"
"Am I your adversary?" Navier repeated, much to Beatrices worry.
"Your majesty, why would you ever- I wouldn't nor could I ever- No, no you are not, your majesty."
How peculiar, Navier expected Rylan to be the type of man to raise his daughter's better than this if his second born was already Lovita's crown princess. This one on the other hand could never be a threat on her own.
"Adversary or not, we are both beneficial." Navier began. "As such, his majesty would appreciate you as he appreciates me."
Beatrice's gaze was still turned away from the empress in great shame. "I doubt your majesty will have anything to fear."
"That doesn't mean as much as you think it does" Navier stated, her thoughts currently thinking about what her husband's child could look like, whenever or not it looked more like its father or mother, Navier wasn't fated to be this child's mother, a baby couldn't handle surviving with her as its mother long enough to make it to the cradle.
Beatrice could be a failure in every sense of the word, but as far as anyone knew, she was fruitful while Navier was barren.
"Do you- am I your adversary?" Beatrice trembled as she hyper fixated on the empress' tone of voice and body language. Navier sighed and spoke no more at first while her movements were as subtle as a gentle breeze, she remained seated as she pondered which words to use and which way they shall be conveyed for what fell like an eternity for Beatrice, it was no easy task to refrain from twirling that one specific undone curl. "Your majesty...?" She hesitantly spoke.
"Lady Roth, you and I both know that no woman willingly seeks out an adversary in another woman."
"Then why must we oppose each other if we can find ourselves in agreement? I'm not your enemy, and you aren't my enemy, perhaps we could just move on? I'd like to move on from my... attempts.
"You mean your father's attempts." Navier corrected. "And are you certain that his grace will move on as much as you wish to?"
"It..." Beatrice croaked, struggling to make an excuse that wouldn't collapse. "It would be... preferable, if he did."
Without a shred of empathy, Navier delivered her final verdict. "Preferable is not enough, so long as you are tied to him, he won't move on from these attempts as you put it, any daughter knows to serve her family to the best of her abilities."
"I figured that to be the case." Beatrice admitted solemnly, her index finger she tried so hard to keep at bay resumed its usual position of fiddling with that one specific ringlet, only pulling it away momentarily to curtsy before the empress. "I thank you for lending your time, your majesty."
She was just as quick to depart as she was to surrender any hope of earning Navier's favor.
It's a shame, Navier found that the claims of the white elephant of Roth to be untrue for the most part, her decorum could use some work but on her own, she couldn't scheme or steal to save her life.
If only she weren't her father's daughter...
*
*
*
Later that night
During the two days of the week Navier and Sovieshu would eat dinner together, very little was heard out of their mouths even when there wasn't food in them. The conversation between the emperor and his empress was the most common to hear for approximately five minutes, the scrapping of utensils across the plates, subtle chewing and maybe an occasional cough or sneeze would soon be all that could be heard, but the rarest sound of them all was the sound of a conversation between man and wife.
Until today.
"Would it be possible to appoint lady Roth as a maid of honor?"
Sovieshu was startled by the abrupt question from the other end of the long table, didn't he already send that girl away? Why would his wife be mentioning her name now when he figured she wouldn't impose on his life, better yet, why would his wife ask something they agreed long ago was foolish, to accept one of his cousin's "gifts"
"You shouldn't be short on ladies in waiting" He commented after swallowing a piece of lamb.
"It wouldn't hurt to have more, a lady in waiting isn't just an attendant, she is a companion and most of all, she is to be trustworthy."
"... Must it be one of the children of the duke of Winchester?" Sovieshu complained.
"Not necessarily." Navier confirmed while she slowly cut up a piece of meat on her plate. "Just Beatrice. His grace is nothing short of opportunistic, his eldest daughter on the other hand relies on the demands of others, I pity her."
"I'd prefer if you wouldn't go out of your way to revive a problem that was already solved." warned Sovieshu, displeased and almost threatening to exile Beatrice if he had to, what good was a white elephant to an empress?
"I can assure you that I won't be reviving a problem; it is ultimately up to her to decide what is worth more to her and depending on her decision, I'm sure she would appreciate if her cousin were to repay her for her sacrifice." The empress explained, leaving her husband to ponder what she meant by sacrifice while she took the time to eat her meal.
"Sacrifice...?"
The once intimidating emperor softened, there were little aspects he really knew about Navier then he'd like to admit, he knew so little that they might as well have been strangers who occasionally came each other's way in the halls of the palace. However, Sovieshu did know that when Navier wanted something, she could almost always make it happen, it was one of the only traits the paired shared together, a mutual determination to get their way no matter the cost.
Sovieshu didn't know what exactly Navier was planning, and perhaps he would never know if Beatrice were to make a certain decision, but he couldn't deny that he was impressed.
"If I may ask, what does it matter that the eldest daughter of house Roth pledges her loyalty to you?"
The wait for Navier to finish chewing her food left Sovieshu in suspense, she didn't raise her eyes towards him, nor did her body language suggest any plans of foul play, it was just another day for her.
To his surprise, her response was simpler than he expected.
"It would do well to ease my worries." Navier finally revealed after it was polite to speak again.
*
*
*
Three days later
Clammy hands nearly tore the recent letter she received from the grip alone. her heart fluctuating from fast heartbeats and increased blood pressure, to slowing down the pace, right before rushing back up once more.
Every new paragraph only seemed to leave Beatrice paranoid of something new.
To Beatrice Roth
I don't want to hate you, and I'm sure you don't want to hate me. An empress must be willing to sacrifice anything for her motherland and her position in life, as bittersweet as it is, the house of Roth is another threat that must be defended against, and consequently, that means I must defend myself against you.
That being said, neither of us want such a fate, therefore I am extending you this olive branch, you are better than all of the members of house Roth, I know you are, because unlike them, you are humble, and most of all, selfless.
If you truly wish to stand by my side, then you know what must be sacrificed, just like a good empress would. You will certainly lose the majority of what you once were, your standing won't be what it used to be and I can't promise that you will ever elevate yourself back to where you started, but perhaps it is for the best that you won't have to associate yourself with the house of Roth anymore if you were to stay by my side.
I don't seek your abdication; I seek your happiness.
Sincerely, Navier Ellie Trovi.
Of all things Beatrice had expected to come out of attempting to join Navier's personal circle, a letter was expected. Contents such as these? Not at all.
The message was clear, but would it be worth it? To relinquish her status and dowry for practically nothing, her only leverage for marriage and Navier was asking her to trade it in exchange for an alliance, the answer seemed obvious, who would be so desperate to accept this parasitic request?
"A future spinster would"
"I don't know that."
"And take the risk?"
"This is equally of a risk as spending the remaining days of my life as a spinster."
"But why stick around here for the possibility that I might bear heirs that may never succeed their grandfather's position anyway?"
"Because I'm terrified..."
"Terrified of someone who had something good to say about me? Is that what I want? to disappointment an empress with a positive view of me?"
"I wouldn't call it positive, this is... this is neutral."
"Neutral is good though, it's better, I'm not needed here, I'm needed there."
"But what would mother and father say?"
"... That's a silly thing to worry about."
"..."
"When has father proven any reason to stay? What would he possibly need from me? Navier doesn't need me around; she wants my happiness, she said it herself, and she is counting on me...
"Counting on me... to be the bigger person, it would be a good example to set as the first born after all, think of how selfless Minnie and Scherl could be if they were to see their sister put another over herself."
"I am humble, I am selfless, this home doesn't notice that, her majesty does, she forgave me because she knows I am selfless, she knows best."
"It's not as if she forbade I ever visit this home ever again, Lebetti would certainly urge me to take this opportunity, I would hardly lose anything at all."
"Because... Her majesty knows better than anyone."
"..."
"..."
"I need a couple more days to think this over."
"Selfish."
"I know..."