KINGS CALVARY

That night when everyone was asleep, Esme snuck out of her pavilion in search of food.

She felt like she was dying.

In her dark clothes and mask she easily evaded patrolling guards by shadow walking.

When she made it into the kitchen she quickly found some fruits and began eating. She craved meat but the aroma of it would invite guards, it was too risky.

As she munched away at the fruits she wondered what the penalty was for stealing from the imperial kitchen. She also wondered what other runt concubines were doing to get proper food.

Not everyone could break into the imperial kitchen.

At the same time she thought of what should appear on her report.

The queen had disrespected propriety just to humble her by only referring to her with a short form of her name.

Someone in the kitchen had enough connection with someone in the harem who controlled enough political power for her underlings to be so bold as to serve the imperial concubine a singular dish with visible saliva in it.

The Junior concubines spoke disrespectfully of her parents and her country in polished Kech dialects. They were also quite ambitious.

The Noble Consort was all smiles. She didn do anything out of propriety whether less than or more than. She was strictly ceremonial and Esmeliyah found that too calculative.

It was either the woman was just smart enough to remain neutral or she was posing a front of neutral politeness. Plus her smiles were just to confident. There was a wariness that usually hung around harem women even when they showed an image of confidence Esme could always smell the worry and the careful composure on them. But the noble consort was different. She was just too confident, truly confident.

It was either a really good thing or a really bad thing.

Esme paused as she wondered if the grapes were counted. She had been stealing in such a way that won be too noticeable. The last thing she needed was to get an innocent servant into trouble.

When fifteen minutes of happy munching had passed Esme snuck out of the kitchen and began to make her way back to her pavilon.

As she landed into her courtyard her eye caught a simple carving on a tree and she stilled.

She was being Summoned.

Esmeliyah quickly made her way to the Eastern guard tower as directed in the carving.

She knew she was supposed to contact the king with a report early enough but not this early.

Plus the King was summoning her. If he needed something done he could just send her an instruction.

Navigating her way to the eastern guard tower proved harder than finding the kitchen but she made it in record time.

Exactly seven minutes after she sighted the carving she swung her body through a lone window high up in the eastern guard tower.

You
e here.

The voice wasn the Kings but that of a superior she recognized. Esme knew him only by voice, in the Kings Calvary only two people knew all the members. The king and some guy she didn know.

Maybe it was this guy.

The surprise is you being here, Esme said.

The last time she had received instruction from this voice she was in a land far in the north.

The superior chuckled.

How is life in the harem so far?

A mess like we both knew it would be she paused is this about my report?.

There was a sigh

No.

Esme clicked her tongue

Something messier than the Harem is going on

There was silence but she knew she was right.

Im a harem spy what does it got to do with me?

I thought you wanted nothing more than to work out of the harem.

Esme squinted her eyes.

I married the King in the public theres no stepping out of this harem for me till at least Im announced dead.

You
e still a spy Esme, your first duty is to wherever the king needs you and that has changed temporarily.

Whats going on, No face?

The dark figure sighed and paced for a few seconds.

War is coming, unpreventable war. A couple of years back Sukech and North Chedii were at war with each other. The war lasted a long time without much progress in either direction and soon resources began to diminish majorly on both sides. To add to that there was a massive tsunami that affected both states. It was simply impossible for the war to continue. So the two states signed a peace treaty that neither would attack while the other was rebuilding. As a symbol of the treaty royal children were exchanged. Princess Julika of North Chedii has been in this harem since she was twelve years old and our Prince Kairo has been raised in North Chedii since he was eight.

Esme had an inkling of where this was going but she did nothing but raise an eyebrow.

Silence stretched for a long time and then she finally gave in.

Let me guess, Now that the country is reasonably replenished, the royal court just voted in favour of continuing that war. With Princess Julika in our custody the court wants to take advantage of that. If we can secure Prince Kairos safety, Princess Julikas situation will become a hostage case. Once we treat the princess as an hostage not only would we be able to go to war with North Chedii but we could negotiate the Princesss life for North Chediis surrender in their key borderlands.

Smart as always, your highness

You can be serious about sending me to steal Prince Kairo from North Chedii.

Its the Kings order.

Esme froze at that. She could not reject an order from the King.

Prove it.

A seal was tossed at her feet. Esme picked it up and examined the seal closely. It had the Kings original stamp on it which told her that the whole conversation wasn false.

May I ask, why me?, Im a harem spy.

Lets just say that you are the only member of the Kings calvary whose cover can be maintained at the moment. There is no other active member who can take this job without blowing their cover and leaving their positions empty.

My cover is also very prominent. I can just be absent, too many people would get curious.

Thats why your highness has been instructed to be in the cold palace in two nights.

Esmes eyes widened, What?.

Make sure you are banished and isolated to the cold palace in two nights your highness. Good luck.

And with that, Lord No Face swung out the window and into the night.