The Concubine Does Not Love the Emperor - Chapter 2.1

Margaret rested her chin on her hand and gazed out of the window in her room. The birds chirped, and the fragrance of vibrant flowers wafted through her nostrils. The gentle breeze of early summer blew softly. Everything seemed static, as if time had come to a standstill, and all was peaceful. Slowly, she closed her eyes. Despite the serene scenery, her mind was filled with intense turmoil. 

“I have to survive,” she whispered. 

Klein’s voice echoed in her mind, carried by the wind, along with the dreadful screams of that day. The sudden uprising, and Margarit, a knight of the royal guard, fleeing with the prince and princess. Their attempt to use a secret passage, was in vain, as they were soon captured. In order to buy time for the royal couple and Klein to escape, she stepped forward.

“It is my duty to serve my master. It is my obligation to protect you.” 

With hundreds of torches illuminating the path, Klein stood alone, blocking dozens of soldiers. He was Margaret’s loyal retainer. Thanks to Klein’s sacrifice, who had grown up alongside her since childhood, they managed to elude the pursuers until the very end, but they were ambushed. Fighting until her last breath, Margaret was struck by a blade and sold into slavery. Across the sea, in the empire known as the Great Borman, The one who purchased Margaret was Prince Mustafa. 

“Go to the harem and meet the emperor. Deliver my message, and I shall send you back to your homeland, the Kingdom of Berthelot,” he said. 

“Sell my body to the emperor? I cannot do such a thing,” Margaret replied. 

“Is chastity more valuable than honor and duty?” Prince Mustafa knew that Margaret was more than a mere slave. He was aware of her circumstances and status, hence the coercive offer he had made.

“The means and methods do not matter. Whether you share the emperor’s bed or not, what’s important is that you deliver my message to him.” 

But what difference did it make when he told her to go to the harem and meet the emperor? It was the same as offering her body. Margaret fell into deep contemplation. She had no knowledge of whether the prince and princess were alive or dead. For the sake of her honor and duty, she had to find a way back to the Kingdom of Berthelot. She had no choice. And so, she found herself sold into the harem. 

“Lady Hiram! The weather is lovely today!” 

Gulle, a maid, entered the room with a tray of cinnamon cookies and smiled brightly. It was their morning snack. After this, lunch would follow. After the midday snack, dinner awaited. There was nothing to do in the harem. Their days consisted of leisurely strolls and baths. Monotonous repetition filled their days. It had already been a month like this. Upon hearing Margarit’s words about possibly turning into a pig, Bahari, who had been sewing by her side, paused.

“But there is no other choice: the harem’s duties are carried out by former slave concubines, as opposed to Kadima, who was chosen out of sacred obligation.”

Kadima. 

Upon hearing that word, a flicker of disdain crossed Margaret’s face. Those who held positions in the royal court had to offer their daughters to the emperor, regardless of their status. If they had no daughters, they had to select someone from within their family. There were no exceptions. They called these women who entered the harem under the guise of sacred duty “Kadima.”

“It may be called a sacred obligation, but in reality, it’s just hostage-taking.”

The noble-born Kadimas were given separate chambers and treated differently from the concubines, who were former slaves. All the menial tasks in the harem were carried out by the concubines. The Kadimas, on the other hand, served as body attendants, waiting for the emperor to visit the harem and choose them. Margaret had never heard of such a strange system. In her country, it was a matter of having a few ministers, even if one was a king.

“Perhaps it’s because it’s an empire; the scale is different.”

Gulle sighed loudly, observing Margaret still deep in thought with her chin in her hand.

“Are you lost in strange thoughts again? Come here, try this. I spread some honey on it to make it sweeter.”

She offered Margaret a cinnamon cookie. Despite saying she didn’t want the pig-shaped one, Margaret obediently opened her mouth and ate it.

Crunch.

With a sound, Margaret felt her tooth break in agony. When she spat it out, she saw a small stone embedded in the cookie.

“Oh my, it started again after a while. I wonder who’s behind this now.”

Bahari approached Margaret, dismissing it as nothing out of the ordinary and setting aside her sewing work.

“Oh, really. Everyone must have gone crazy. They have nothing to do, so they put stones in again!”