RXN 09

Chapter 9

The emperors of the Run Empire did not formally marry, so there was no empress. Usually, the emperor’s mother ruled the harem. All princes who failed to become emperor were killed. The black carriages carrying mothers who could only shed endless tears while stroking their dead children had to leave the palace sadly, behind the new emperor’s splendid coronation ceremony. No mother could remain calm in the face of her child’s death. And if her own son became emperor, she would become the empress dowager and stand at the center of power. So the harem was a bloody battlefield where women who had borne princes used every kind of scheme and intrigue. It was common for someone who was fine yesterday to disappear overnight or be carried out as a cold corpse. But among the hundreds of women gathered in the harem — from the empress dowager to mute beauticians — one person disappearing was not such a big deal. Even if they disappeared, there were plenty of beautiful women to serve the emperor.

The harem had a strict hierarchy. At the top was the empress dowager. The women whose only purpose was to give pleasure to the emperor, and those who managed and served them, formed their own rigid class system. The consorts were divided into two ranks according to their status: “Hura” and “Zariya.” Hura referred to women of Run Empire noble birth who had been formally chosen to become the emperor’s consorts. In contrast, slaves from other countries were called Zariya. Most Zariya were people kidnapped by pirates or bandits and brought to slave markets, but some were sold by poor parents hoping to have one less mouth to feed.

Newly arrived Zariya first learned to read, write, and speak the Run language. Then they learned sewing and embroidery, singing and dancing, how to play instruments, and even court etiquette. Once they had mastered these, they were given suitable tasks according to their abilities — some served the empress dowager and other high-ranking women, some became general servants, and some looked after the royal children.

Except for sewing and embroidery, Roxanne excelled in all subjects like a jewel among pebbles. That was only natural. Although a few daughters of lower-ranking nobles were mixed in, most of the women were commoners or of even lower status, so court etiquette was unfamiliar and difficult for them. But for Roxanne, born and raised as the daughter of a duke, it was as natural as breathing — something she had absorbed since birth. Moreover, before long, even her clumsy Run became as fluent as her native tongue, making all her teachers click their tongues in amazement.

After each strict lesson, there was a test on what had been learned that day. Only students who satisfied the teachers’ harsh standards could have free time. As always, Roxanne was the first to make the teacher nod with her perfect answers, leaving behind the envious gazes of all the other students as she quietly left the classroom. Because she had finished early, Roxanne now had free time and headed to the back garden.

Perhaps because they disliked the thought of their skin being damaged by the unusually warm spring afternoon sun, the back garden was strangely empty — not a single person could be seen. Thanks to that, Roxanne had the entire garden, carefully tended by the imperial gardeners, all to herself. Taking a deep breath, she followed the scent of flowers deeper into the garden. Then, the sight before her made her gasp without thinking.

“Oh! My goodness.”

Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of tulips in every color — red, white, yellow, purple, and pink — bloomed across the garden. On the large tree branches at the edge of the flower field, colorful glass beads were strung on silk threads and hung down. The beads sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight, creating a fantastical atmosphere. Not only that, but the songs of yellow canaries and nightingales in small cages hanging here and there were clear and pure, like heavenly music. Roxanne wondered if she was dreaming a daydream.

As she walked, entranced, among the lushly blooming round flowers, a large figure suddenly jumped out from behind a tree, and she couldn’t help but startle.

“Who are you?”

What slowly revealed itself in front of the tense Roxanne was, surprisingly, a young man. Several months had passed since she entered the harem, but apart from eunuchs, this was the first time she had seen a man. The only men who could enter the harem, located in the deepest part of the imperial palace, were eunuchs and the emperor’s attendants — aside from the emperor himself. Of course, there were cases where entry was permitted with the emperor’s permission, but those were usually members of the imperial family or high-ranking nobles among the consorts’ families, and even that was very rare.

“I…”

Roxanne was not the only one startled by the sudden encounter. The man seemed flustered and could not answer easily. Roxanne eyed the hesitant man with suspicious eyes. He had a slim face and was very tall — not just because of his height, but his lean and fit build made him seem even larger. Through the loose white shirt open at the collar, his bronze neck was visible. His golden-brown hair, damp with sweat, was tangled carelessly around it. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his clothes were stained with dirt here and there. From his appearance, Roxanne guessed he was a gardener.

“Are you the one who tends this garden?”

“Yes.”

“It’s truly beautiful. I have never seen flowers bloom so beautifully and richly. And tulips of all things!”

There was even a hint of excitement in Roxanne’s voice. That was because she loved tulips so much that she had tried several times to get bulbs and plant them in Shengart. But whether it was because the soil wasn’t right or the climate didn’t suit them, despite all her care, they never bloomed.

As Roxanne gazed at the endless tulip field with enchanted eyes, she suddenly felt a gaze on her cheek and turned her head toward the man. The gardener was one of the emperor’s approximately forty attendants. But the man standing before her had something about him that didn’t quite fit the image of an ordinary gardener. Although old and stained, the shirt he wore so casually was a high-quality item that only the wealthy upper class could afford. His shoes, made of white goatskin with delicate gold-thread embroidery along the edges, were not suitable for gardening and were far too expensive for an ordinary gardener to afford.

“Are you really a gardener?”

“Did I ever say I was a gardener?”

“But didn’t you just say you tended this garden?”

“Not everyone who tends a garden is a gardener.”

Roxanne narrowed her eyes and looked at the man. It was true that she had only assumed; the man had never said he was a gardener. But whoever he was, it didn’t matter.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“Why not?”

“Except for His Majesty, only eunuchs and attendants can enter this place. So…”

“So I’m fine being here.”

“Pardon?”

For a moment, Roxanne looked at the man with a bewildered expression. Then suddenly, she remembered something she had heard from the attendants. They said that although they were fewer in number compared to black eunuchs, white eunuchs also existed. They mainly guarded the emperor’s side or taught young boys who had been taken as slaves, training them to become attendants and officials. Sometimes, instead of killing imperial family members who had lost power struggles, they would be physically mutilated to prevent them from succeeding to the throne and then kept in the palace. So this man must be a white eunuch. Finally realizing why the man could freely roam the harem, Roxanne nodded.

“Then do you teach the boys?”

“What?”

At Roxanne’s question, a look of disbelief crossed the man’s face.

“I mean, surely you’re not thinking that I…”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t been here long, so I’m still not familiar with the ways of this place. Besides, I’ve only seen black eunuchs in the harem, so I didn’t think of it. I apologize.”

As Roxanne bowed her head and apologized, the man let out a hearty laugh.

“It’s fine. If you want, you can look around the greenhouse over there.”

“There’s a greenhouse?”

“Yes.”

Nodding, he took Roxanne’s hand and led her forward. They passed through the garden full of tulips and walked around a tastefully arranged pond. Then, as if it had appeared from nowhere, a glass greenhouse suddenly stood before them. Not only was it amazing that the entire building was made of glass, but through the transparent glass walls, countless flowers were showing off their individual splendor.

“Amazing.”

As Roxanne’s eyes sparkled and she kept exclaiming in admiration, the man shrugged as if it were nothing, but he couldn’t hide the proud smile that rose to his face.

“Do you want to go inside?”

“May I?”

“I’ll allow it.”

His arrogant nod, as if the greenhouse were his own possession, was amusing. But Roxanne lifted her skirt, bent her waist slightly, and gracefully gave him a word of thanks. Following the man inside the greenhouse, Roxanne was overwhelmed by the beautiful and rare flowers she was seeing for the first time, and the sweet fragrance they gave off made her dizzy.

“That’s a hyacinth.”

When Roxanne pointed to the flowers hanging in clusters on the stalks and tried to show off her knowledge, the man nodded.

“That’s right.”

“I had no idea hyacinths bloomed in so many colors.”

Indeed, inside the greenhouse, white, yellow, pink, red, blue, and purple flowers were all blooming beautifully.

“Hyacinths not only come in various colors, but their fragrance is very strong, so they are also very popular as a material for perfume.”

“Oh!”

Roxanne nodded at this new piece of information and listened to his explanation. The man seemed pleased and showed off his extensive knowledge.

“According to legend, the beautiful youth Hyacinthus, who was favored by the sun god Apollo, died because of the jealousy of Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, who also loved him. Hyacinthus is the flower that bloomed from the spot where Hyacinthus died.”

“Oh dear, so beauty led to an early death.”

“Hyacinthus died because of hubris. He trusted in Apollo’s favor and ignored Zephyrus’s pleas, so he was killed.”

Hubris meant excessive confidence, arrogance, and the violence that comes from arrogance.

“So you’re saying he died just because he refused a god? But even if Hyacinthus had accepted Zephyrus’s plea, he would still have been killed by the angry Apollo, so either way, he was destined to die. Therefore, the god only forced a death upon Hyacinthus disguised as a free choice. If this were the fate given to me, I would not beg the gods for mercy — I would fight against them to the very end.”

At Roxanne’s resolute yet arrogant words, the man smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.

“To fight against an almighty god — quite an interesting statement.”

Roxanne met the man’s gaze, which somehow seemed amused, without flinching. Then suddenly, she felt that his amber-colored eyes looked somehow familiar.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“Well…”

At his vague answer, Roxanne chuckled and muttered to herself.