There was a silence after Orpheus, disguised as Stefan, shamelessly declared that.
He looked at the woman in front of me; she had also disguised herself. Her original hair and eyes have changed to red hair and brown eyes; even though she had disguised herself, she couldn’t completely hide her beautiful face.
The silence continued as they stared at each other in the eyes.
Empress Lillia didn’t know why but something in those limpid blue eyes was drawing her in; they looked mysterious. Finally, she lowered her head and:
“That bastard, It’s all his fault.” Empress Lillia cursed softly and downed another cup of whisky as if she needed that before speaking.
“And that whore, she is like a cockroach refusing to yield. Damn them.”
Orpheus just sat there, beside her, listening to her with a smile. He had just heard her curse lots of people. Naturally, she didn’t say their names, though.
She even cursed him. However, most of the time, she cursed that man, her husband.
Although she cursed that man most of the time, he was not the only one the empress spoke about. Maybe because she thought Orpheus did not know who she was, she let out all the steam she had accumulated and started a vented all her grievances.
She insulted her family, saying they didn’t help even fully knowing what was happening.
Like a good listener he was, Orpheus listened to her patiently, only interrupting to console her or to agree with her words.
Like that, he slowly gained her trust, prompting her to talk more.
That was not very hard due to Lilia’s current state. Her defense weakened because of everything that happened inside the palace, so she became a little talkative; there was also alcohol.
Although at the start she was rather reluctant to talk about her personal problems with an unknown man, the truth was that she needed someone that could listen to her. It was just a matter of time before she started to talk about everything.
Moreover, Orpheus was a good listener above everything else, and importantly he was someone she was not going to meet again after tonight (it was what she thought), so she did not have to be wary of what he would think of her.
In addition, Orpheus did not know her identity as the empress of the Wratharis Empire, the strongest empire on the human continent, so even if he felt unhappy about some of the things she said, it would not matter. With that mindset, she can let out all her frustrations.
Suddenly, Orpheus felt somebody behind him; he knew who it was but still decided to play pretend.
“How may I help you, Miss?” He asked.
She glared at Orpheus and said, “Mister. Can you please move away? That is my place.”
“Sorry, that won’t do.”
“Is anything wrong? I’m just talking with this beautiful woman here.” Orpheus asked while looking at Lillia.
“Could it be that I can’t?”
Lillia seemed to understand what Orpheus was trying to say. Because she looked at the newcomer in displeasure and waved her hand.
“Learn, stop bothering us. I’m speaking to Mr. Stefan now.”
“Please excuse me, but my lady, you should not be too close with another man. Remember that you–”
“Stop it, Lea!” Lillia spoke again; this time, her displeasure became more evident.
“Shut up; We are doing nothing wrong, just chatting for a bit. Now go scram, go play.”
“I understand. But be careful, mistress.” The girl named Lea sighed and walked away while looking at them worriedly.
Before leaving, though, she turned towards Orpheus and gave him a stealthy wink. Orpheus almost laughed aloud. This girl, he would ask her later, how did she manage to become Lillia’s maid and gain her trust to that extent.
By now, Lillia’s wariness towards Orpheus had diminished by a lot.
They were now talking happily while drinking. He couldn’t even count the number of cups she had drunk.
Suddenly, Lillia said something normally she wouldn’t.
“You know, that’s not the worst part; that bastard did not touch me for a long time now.”
There was a silence before Orpheus said. “What? How could he do that? To a beautiful woman like you. He deserves to be punished.”
Finally, Lillia noticed that she had blurted out something she shouldn’t; alas, she had already done it. She rolled her eyes when she heard what Orpheus said.
“You know how to sweet talk. All men are the same.” Lillia said, feeling disgusted with men; they are just a bunch of animals.
“Not really, there are different, for example, their sizes. You know, I’m talking about.” Orpheus shamelessly said.
“Fufufu! You’re a funny one, and you’re also shameless.”
“Thanks for the praise, My Lady,” He replied with a grin.
“You dumbass, I’m not praising you.”
The two continued to chat happily. Well, It was more like Orpheus continued listening to her rambling patiently, consoling her for some time. He could feel that after the time spent with her, wariness toward him was almost reached the bottom. She became more talkative, more open; she even exchanged jokes with him.
It was to be expected because Lillia, who was an empress, must keep her regal bearing, and she doesn’t have someone she could talk to as an equal. Also, she was isolated inside the palace; her husband never visited her chamber for a long time ago after that accident.
To worsen everything, the woman she considered as a problem was now pregnant; the unborn child’s gender is a male, meaning he could threaten her son’s position. All these things created a moment of weakness in her.
And when that weakness appeared, she met him. A handsome young man that listened to her problems and comforted her without caring about her status: he even flirted with her; she felt desired after a long time, something she was deliberately searching for.
To Lillia, that was the opportunity to vent all her frustrations. Moreover, Orpheus’s sweet words of consolation gave her an illusion of comfort. All these things were like a drug to her; once she tasted them, she would want more and more, and this was exactly his goal.
Suddenly, Lillia asked him a question.
“Stefan, what’s your job? I know it’s impolite to ask this kind of question, but I just want to know a little about you.”
Here’s come, she even started directly calling his name. You’ve started falling, my lady. Orpheus smiled before answering.
“Me? I’m a merchant wandering here and there. What I am selling I will not say it for now, but I’m planning to stay here for a while. I love this city, and I have a lot of connections.”
“I see. It’s a good thing if you like it; you should try to stay here and see.” Lillia suggested.
Orpheus smiled when he heard what she said.
Suddenly, someone came and whispered something into Orpheus’s ear. He put on a startled expression before asking that person to go back.
Afterward, Orpheus looked at Lillia apologetically and said to her.
“My apologies, beautiful lady, I need to excuse myself. A little urgency.”
“Is that so? You can go then,” She said, a little displeased.
“Thanks, take this”
When Orpheus said that, he passed her earrings; it was emerald in color.
“What is this?” Lillia asked, confused; it was one thing to tell him a bit of her story, but it was entirely different from what he would give her some on their first meeting. She was not that cheap
“Oh? It’s a gift on my part. These earrings are used to communicate; however, their range is limited to the capital; if I’m outside the capital, it won’t work.” Orpheus explained before continuing.
“Keep it; I will contact you again after I come back. I want to see you again. I hope you will not decline.”
Lillia stayed silent for a while before wearing the earrings.
“You look beautiful,” Orpheus complimented her.
“Shut up, you rogue,” Lillia roared, embarrassed that she still accepted his gift even when she thought it was a cheap move, that she was not that cheap. Women are creatures hard to understand.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” Orpheus said because he had just remembered that he didn’t know her name, the name she was using under this disguise.
“Oh! It’s Maria”
“Nice name. See you soon.” Orpheus said.
Another one called him a rogue. He chuckled before leaving. The first to call him that was Emea when he was pursuing her.
Once alone, Empress Lillia touched the earrings and said, “What’s happening to me? I even told him my second name.”
She shook her head before saying,
“Well, I’m doing nothing wrong. Besides, it was he that started by neglecting me. I’ll think for myself; nothing happened, and maybe nothing will happen in the future.”
After, Empress Lillia and her maid Lea (Nia disguised) left and returned to the palace.
Fifteen minutes later, Orpheus came out from his hiding and looked in the direction of the palace, precisely Lillia’s mansion, and smirked before leaving. The die was cast. He would see her soon. The game had begun, and it would be exciting.