Chapter 2 Lady Delphine

After Elpis had her medicinal bath, the lower rank concubines prepared her for her journey to see Lady Delphine.

"Your majesty, we all understand if you're tired from your journey. Why don't you have a rest with imperial consort? You've been gone from the palace for almost a year. And you haven't had any rest at all." Elpis was touched by her concubine words.

"Mirabel, you always know how to take care of my needs. And I am fine. I just want to see Delphine and her condition. How many hours has it been since she first showed sign of labour?" Elpis spread her arms while her concubines puts on her clothes.

"It's been few hours." Elpis hummed.

"Did the minister ever visited Delphine while she's in labour?" The concubines looked at each other before shaking their head no.

"With the news of your arrival, he didn't dare to show himself in Galatea Palace anymore." Elpis turned to face her concubines.

"So you mean to say that the minister has been visiting Delphine even after she was pregnant? What did the imperial consort do about it?" The concubines looked at each other before kneeling on the floor, asking for forgiveness.

"Please spare us, your majesty. We didn't mean to upset you and the imperial consort. Please just ignore what we just said." Elpis ordered them to rise.

"It's not forgiveness I seek. I want answers to my question. What did the imperial consort do after knowing the minister kept on visiting Delphine even after she was pregnant?" Lady Blanca decided to be bold and told Elpis the truth.

"The imperial consort forbid the minister from entering Galatea Palace. Noble consort Grace asked to dispose of Lady Delphine and her baby but the imperial consort stopped her before she could do anything. It was quite a scene to see them bantering each other. In the end, Lady Delphine was deemed to stay in her quarters since she was too weak to even do anything due to her pregnancy." Elpis sighed.

"As you may know, your majesty, Lady Delphine has always been the frail one among us. Even the doctor said that this pregnancy might cost her own life. Lady Delphine made the doctor swore to save her child rather than her when it comes to that." Elpis once again sigh.

"Come with me." The concubines bow as Elpis made her way out from her quarters. As she walked towards Lady Delphine's quarters, the servants couldn't help but to admired the empress's beauty.

"I wonder what will happen to Lady Delphine. Lord have mercy on her soul." The head servants prayed for the concubine.

"Long live Empress Elpis ... Glory and peace for the empire." Elpis walked into Lady Delphine's quarters where the servants and doctor all bow to the empress.

"How is she?" She asked when she sat next to her concubine.

"For now, we let her rest since it's not the right time yet. Your majesty ... Lady Delphine is one frail woman. Milady told us to save her child but ..." Elpis raised her hand.

"Save them both. If you fail to do so, your head will be hang in front of this palace entrance so everyone could see." Elpis turned her attention to her concubine's bulging stomach.

"You've suffered enough. Doctor, is there any sign of black magic used on the lady?" The doctor didn't say anything.

"Doctor, did the minister used any kind of foul way to seduce Lady Delphine?" Again, the doctor decided to shut his mouth. Elpis sighed.

"I see. So the lady was in love with somebody else other than me." Elpis was surprised when someone holding her hand.

"Your majesty ... please ... spare my child. This child is innocent. If you wish to punish anyone, just punish me instead. I was ... I was lonely, your majesty. And he was there ... while you were away." Elpis placed her hand on the concubine's forehead.

"Why would I punish my concubine? If I ever want to punish anyone, it would be the minister WHO DARE TO DEFLOWERED MY CONCUBINE!" Elpis turned to the consorts with menacing look.

"Bring that minister to see me, now! If he refuse, drag him out here!" The consorts flinched before heading out from the quarters.

"Your majesty ... please .. ah!" Elpis watched as her concubine felt another wave of pain washed through her body. Elpis let go of her concubine and ordered the doctor to do whatever it takes to make sure she's okay.

"Stay here with your sister. Make sure that the doctor did their job right." The lower concubines bow as Elpis leave the quarters.

"Elpis? What's going on?" The imperial consort was surprised when she saw the empress walked out from Delphine's quarters in rage. Elpis ignored both the imperial and noble consort as she walked towards the court.

"Sister? What's going on?" The emperor was confused to why his sister decided to be in court. It was when the consorts pushed down a minister that everyone seemed to put two and two.

"Kneel in the presence of the empress!" Consort Elena forced the minister to kneel with the help of a imperial guard.

"Emperor Ragnar and Empress Sophia as my witness, what have you done in Galatea Palace?" The minister decided to kept his words to himself after being asked by Elpis.

"When her majesty asked question, you answer!" Consort Margaux took a stick from the guard and hit the minister on his back. The people of the court were astonished by this behaviour from the consort.

"Did you or did you not deflowered my concubine?" Elpies asked once again. The people of court gasped at the claimed. Even emperor Ragnar and empress Sophia were surprised.

"I did." The minister finally spoken.

"Why?" Elpis just want to know his honest answer.

"Because she was beautiful and in need of attention. Lady Delphine was the daughter of the prime minister. And she is known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire. Hell, all of your concubines are beautiful, your majesty but Delphine ... she's different. She was forced to be with you and I'm just there when she needs someone the most." Elpis showed no reaction as she walked down the stairs to meet the minister eye to eye.

"In other words, you've taken a liking to my concubine? Did you or did you not read the rules of Galatea Palace? No one is permitted to touch MY concubines. But you ... you have the guts to put a child inside one of them. How do you plead?" Elpis asked while looking down on the minister with her icy blue orbs.

"Sister! If I may, he came from a long line of distinguish minister and loyal to the court. If something bad were to happen to him, the court will be affected." Elpis turned her glare to her brother.

The emperor didn't expect that his sister would act this way for a lowly concubine.

"You're right, brother. What was I thinking?" Elpis laughed before she turned to the imperial consort.

"My whip, Virtra." The imperial consort sighed before she present the empress with a whip that she kept at her side at all time.

"Do you love my concubine?" The minister kept a straight face.

"Yes."

"Did you had fun deflowering her inside my palace?" Elpis whipped the floor with her whip to gained everyone's attention.

"Did Delphine ever told you that she love you?" Elpis's question made everyone feel sorry for her. She just came back from war and now she have to face this matter.

"She did, your majesty. She love me." Elpis let go of her whip before facing the imperial consort.

"I see." Was all she said before taking Virtra by the hand and asked noble consort Grace to do what she sees fit to the minister.

***

"This incense should help you to relax your tense muscle." Virtra said while she watched Elpis walked towards her bed.

"It's not poison, is it? Do you want to leave me as well, Virtra?" The imperial consort chuckled as she made some tea for her wife.

"You have to kill me if you wish me to leave your side, Elpis." Elpis didn't react.

"Elpis, I know you're sad about Delphine. But please, don't torture yourself like this. If you need more concubine, I can find them for you. Delphine is not the only one in court. You have me, Grace, Elana, Margaux ... even those low rank concubines. We're here for you." Elpis once again didn't react.

"Do you know why I decided to give the throne to my brother and his wife?" The empress suddenly asked. Virtra shrugged.

"Because I don't want to die the same way like my mother. And now ... Delphine is facing exactly like my mother did when she tried to bring me into this world. What if ... what if Delphine ... suffer the same faith as my mother?" The imperial consort forced Elpis to stand on her feet and guide her to the sitting area to have some tea.

"Your mother was poisoned by empress dowager. That's why she was weak when she gave birth to you. I can assured you that I taken care of Delphine better than that hypocrite. You don't have to worry about a thing. You've taken a doctor as a concubine for a reason, right? I'm sure Lady France will do wonder by helping the imperial doctor in saving Delphine and her child." The imperial consort pour a cup of tea for Elpis.

She proceed to stand behind the empress and gave her a massage on her shoulder.

"Elpis ... I have a question. If you don't mind me asking." Elpis waved her hands.

"Why didn't you end the minister life even after knowing that he had done something horrible in Galatea Palace?" Elpis took a sip of the tea before looking upward to face the imperial consort.

"Because I don't want that child to know that I killed its father. What if that child grow up to be a tyrant? Delphine came from a noble family. Her brother was there when I lead the army. He's quite strong when it comes to battling it out with the enemy. I don't want that child to be the source of my failure." Virtra chuckled before giving Elpis a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"You and your logic. Anyway, once the child is born, what should we do? Should we just cast it out from the palace and let the maids worried about it or should we dispose both the minister and Delphine together with that child away from the palace?" Elpis shake her head no.

"Let Delphine raise the child here in Galatea. But let the child feel what hardship is. I don't want any child that was raise here in this palace turns out to be a spoil brat like all those nobility." Elpis patted her thigh, telling the imperial consort to sit.

"And as for the minister, I don't want to see him near Galatea Palace ever again. Warned him to never step a single foot into my palace. If he dares, death will be waiting for him." Virtra finally stopped moving her body as she looked into Elpis's icy blue orbs.

"Virtra ... I'm so tired ..." Elpis wrapped her arms around Virtra's body as she enjoys her scent that she had long for.

"Elpis ... did you missed me that much? Here I thought you would asked for the soldiers to find you a woman to please. You didn't? At all?" Elpis shake her head no.

"Why would I do something like that when I have the best wife and consorts back in the palace? Each and everyone of you compliments me. All of you completes me. Can we stay this way for awhile. It's been so long since I held you in my arms." The imperial consort nodded while caressing the empress's hair.

"Such a baby." Virtra chuckled.