I answered coolly, “I am being framed.”
Ksania’s shrill voice ordered, “Ludia, please tell us what you saw two days ago.”
Princess Ludia glanced at the dowager empress, me, her aunt, and her brother before speaking. It was exactly what I expected.
“Two days ago, I visited the castle library out of curiosity and saw the emperor’s wife from afar. I noticed she was with another man. They looked very close.”
Coronel shouted in anger, “This is unacceptable. A proper Genoan woman would never commit adultery.”
I asked Ludia coldly, “Did you see the man I was with?”
Ludia flinched but quickly smiled.
“I didn’t get to see his face clearly, but I remembered his outfit. He was wearing a deep green top decorated with golden thread and a pair of black pants.”
As I expected, she didn’t get to see Clodys’ face, but just in case, I had already warned Clodys not to be seen by Ludia in the castle. You could never be too careful.
Ksania continued to accuse me triumphantly, “Why would any married woman meet with a man in secret unless she was having an affair?”
The dowager empress answered, “I agree.”
It was funny how in this case, Ksania and the dowager empress seemed to be in perfect agreement. An enemy of my enemy was my friend…
Ksania threatened me, “If an empress or a wife of an emperor commits adultery, it’s considered treason. Isn’t this correct, your highness the dowager empress?”
“Yes. In fact, the former empress Beatrice was executed for this exact crime.”
The dowager empress looked at my neck sharply. She was probably remembering the Empress Beatrice’s execution.
She continued, “If Sa Bina has committed this crime, she won’t be able to escape from execution.”
Ksania seemed like she wanted to high-five someone. Ludia and Coronel also seemed excited.
I found this situation hilarious.
Even if I was found guilty and was executed, this didn’t guarantee that Ludia would become the next Empress. Yet, the Genoans were acting like I was the only obstacle.
I answered evenly, “I am innocent.”
Ludia smirked. “A guilty person always says that.”
Ksania agreed with her niece, “If you are innocent, you should be able to tell us who that man was in the library.”
I knew they would never be able to find out it was Clodys. Usually, anyone entering the main castle was required to sign in. On that day, Clodys did sign in as well, and I knew leaving this record was dangerous. Not only for this incident but if the dowager empress ever happened to look at it, it would look suspicious. So I asked Liliana to delete this record that day.
Then, I ordered Agnes and the trusted guard to hide Clodys out of the castle by having him leave inside a vegetable carriage. This meant there was no record of Clodys ever being in the castle that day.
The only problem left was to figure out how to explain who the man I supposedly met in the library was.
If I gave them a reasonable answer, this whole thing would go away.
In fact, this could be a chance for me to get rid of the Genoans.
When I remained quiet, they looked triumphant. Just then, I addressed the dowager empress.
“Before I answer, I would like to confirm something, your highness.”
The dowager empress looked confused.
“Confirm? Confirm what?”
“What will happen if I am found innocent?”
Ksania laughed loudly. “Ha! Innocent?”
The dowager empress looked at me knowingly. I could tell she figured out what I meant. I knew she didn’t care for the Genoans. It wasn’t like she made an official deal with them. In fact, I was sure she wouldn’t mind getting rid of Ksania.
She would have preferred to get rid of both of us, but she wouldn’t get that chance.
Katleyanira played with a strand of her red hair and answered with interest, “If you are innocent… Then those who accused you will, of course, be punished.”
Ksania flinched and protested, “It is a wife’s duty to prove her purity, just as it is her duty to question other wives’ purity. I am only doing my duty as a proper royal woman and her highness should do the same.”
I asked accusingly, “How could it be the emperor’s wife’s duty to accuse an innocent person? If I prove my innocence, it means her highness Ksania was attempting to frame me. How could this not be a crime?”
“What…!”
Before Ksania could reply, the dowager empress stopped her. No matter what, Katleyanira had the highest rank in this room. On top of that, Ksania reported my imaginary crime to the dowager empress, which gave Katleyanira the right to act as the judge.
This was Ksania’s biggest mistake in this scheme.
“If the emperor’s wife can prove her innocence then it means her highness Ksania accused her without solid proof and therefore would have to pay for her mistake.”
Ksania frowned while Ludia looked at me nervously.
The dowager empress turned towards me. She looked like she was having a good time. I hated it, but I had no choice but to continue.
“So how will you prove your innocence?”
It was time.
I smiled confidently. “It is true I did meet with a man that day in the library.”
“Finally, the truth!”
Both the dowager empress and I ignored Ksania’s exclaim.
“That man is…”
I paused dramatically. I could hear the noise outside.
He was here.
“Just about to enter this room.”
As if planned, the servant at the door announced loudly.
“Your highness the dowager empress, his highness the emperor has arrived!”
***
As Lucretius walked in, a silence fell in the room.
He approached us elegantly and greeted the dowager empress with respect.
“I apologize for a sudden visit, your highness.”
The dowager empress tried her best not to laugh. She knew exactly what was going on.
“Not at all. This involves you as well, your highness, so you should be here.”
Lucretius slowly took off his cloak and handed it to the servant. When people saw what he was wearing underneath, they gasped.
Deep green top with gold decorations. A pair of black pants.
Lucretius wore an outfit resembling Clodys’ clothes the most from his own closet.
I took his arm and turned to Ksania and Ludia.
“Two days ago, the man I met in the library was his highness.”
Ksania stood up and screamed, “That, that can’t be…!”
Lucretius looked around as if confused.
“I don’t understand why this is happening. Why is my rendezvous with my own wife such a huge problem? Explain yourself, Princess Ludia.”
When Lucretius glared at the princess, Ludia became pale.
“T, that is…! I, I saw it!”
The dowager empress interrupted her, “You said that you saw a man wearing a similar outfit as his highness is wearing right now, correct?”
“Well…!”
Ludia couldn’t say anything. She saw Clodys and I from afar, which meant there was no way she could see Clodys’ face clearly.
Even if she did, we would insist that she was mistaken. Meeting my own husband secretly was not a crime. If Lucretius claimed he was there, we both knew no one would dare question him.
Ksania’s hand trembled visibly. The dowager empress summarized the situation with a smile.
“So this is it, then.”
Ksania, Ludia, and Coronel couldn’t say a word.
