461 A Child (1/2)
”M-Master are you certain of this?” the servant frantically whispered, his eyes wide as a hunted deer, and shaky as a trapped rabbit. He nervously licked his bottom lip, wondering what could've caused his Master to behave like this.
”If you're not going to use these ears, just cut them off!” Marquis Qin roared at his useless servant, his face twisted into a deep scowl. His heart was set ablaze, his blood boiling with impatience. What a bunch of incompetent fools he had raised!
His servants flinched back in fear, despite being accustomed to his rage-fueled remarks.
Everyone knew their Master was a tender-hearted man. But when his temper got the best of him, he could think of nothing else but ruin everything in sight. Roaring like a lion, cursing like a sailor…these things didn't come out that often, but when it did, he was scarier than the monsters that hid under the bed.
”Even if it will cause me an arm and leg, I will make sure to get it for her,” Marquis Qin growled out. He stormed down the hallways of his estate whilst grinding his teeth.
”And once I do, I will make certain to get my payment. My hard work will not go in vain, or else…”
- - - - -
Lady Ge Beining glanced around the empty hallway. Suddenly, she did not know where to go. Her place had always been by the side of the Empress—quiet and obedient. It had been her spot for years.
Lady Ge Beining still remembered her days as a child, where she sat on a chair too large for her tiny frame. There were many aristocratic women gathered, all powerful and influential, but none of them were seated as close to the Empress as she was.
”I was just a child then…” she murmured to herself. It was one of her favorite memories. She was years younger than those women, but none of them would ever come close to the prestige she bore.
”I miss you, Mother,” Lady Ge Beining said wistfully. She glanced up at the sky, wondering if her mother's sacrifice was truly worth it. Maybe if her mother was still alive, then she would know what to do in a situation like this.
”I've been by Her Grace's side all of my life, but I had forgotten it was a given spot… not an earned one.”
It was precisely why Lady Ge Beining did not know what to do. It seemed the spot, reserved solely for her, was now ”occupied”. The seat wasn't taken by anyone, but no one dared to approach it anymore as if terrified of touching the spot.
”Her Grace is neglecting us again,” she whispered under her breath. It had been days since the Empress called for her ladies-in-waiting, and everyone was eager to meet her.
Lady Ge Beining glanced around the hallways that she had found herself standing in. Her fingers reached out to stroke the golden pillars, bright and dazzling, a sharp contrast to the Crown Prince.
Lady Ge Beining was not distraught by this idea, for she had a bright future. Even so, she couldn't help but drop her head a bit and observe the smooth wooden floors.
”I can marry the wealthiest and powerful suitor knocking at my doors…” Lady Ge Beining tried to imagine such a future. She would be happy, rich, and free from the shackles of the palace.
Lady Ge Beining shakily revealed her palms, flushed pink with life. ”But my hands are already tainted in blood, and there is no going back.”
She tucked her hands back into her sleeves and decided to try and find her way out of here. ”Where is this place?” she asked herself.
Lady Ge Beining had nothing to do the entire day, so she had decided to blindly turn the corners, one after the other, and walk down paths that were semi-familiar but not really.
”A life away from the palace…” Lady Ge Beining nearly gagged. It was a repulsive idea. All of her life, she had walked down these corridors, smelled the flowers in the air, and breathed in the extravagance. All she had known in this lifetime was the Imperial Palace.