Chapter 26

Kimchi

*Lady Amara Hagasu*

I know that I'm considered to be a little odd among the women of nobility, especially with what was once limited to mere rumors being brought to light as fact since our return to the much greater spotlight of the capitol.

I've never really been able to bring myself to care, though. How I run my household is no business of theirs. And, really, my style of matronage wouldn't work for their households, anyway.

We have always kept fewer servants than most noble families of similar station, a fact well known and oft-ridiculed by our peers, and that number has dropped even lower since we fled the Demesne. Sadly, a good portion of that is due to them just not making it. I've always viewed our long-time servants as extended family. For those with surviving family, I insisted to my husband that we give generously in memorial gifts.

Well, I say insisted, but it is a matter on which we have always been of like mind, so he agreed immediately.

The truth of the matter of our few servants is simply that our family is not a very large one, only myself, my beloved husband, and our two beautiful children, and the truth of my oddity is that I like doing certain things for that family with my own two hands. Even now, I'm planning dinner for when my children return from their lessons.

Especially now that we have no grounds to maintain, we really only have a handful of cleaning staff. Less than half a dozen maids that tend to laundry, dishes, dusting and the like. I know them all by name. On holidays, we've always insisted they join us at an otherwise far too large dining table.

My husband always said that my heart was as vast as the empire, and I'd put every soul within its boundaries at our table if I could find a way to make them fit. I always laughed it off and told him to stop making fun of me.

Now I wish he was around to ignore me and do it again and again until the embarrassment made my head explode.

As that memory rolls through my head, I pause in front of the memorial shrine for him, the portrait of his ever so handsome face basking in the flickering light of the candles. I knew before word reached the capitol because of the locket that lays before that picture even now. We each had one, linked to each other. It grows hot when the person it is linked to is in danger, and breaks when they die.

I am certain that mine is still perfectly intact wherever those horrible Heroes left his body, but his sits in two pieces, the silver hinge shattered irreparably.

I begged him not to do it, it wasn't worth the risk. But my husband had always been braver of heart than any would credit him, and he knew that every day those Heroes lived was another chance everything glorious could be undone. Worse, they could threaten his family, and that great man would see both the empire and its salvation burn before he could tolerate that.

I sigh and turn away from the memorial, wiping a single tear from my eye and flicking it away before rubbing the red stain off my finger with my thumb. Crying can be done later. My children will be hungry when they return. Now that they are all that I have left in this world, they must come first.

I run a hand over the rune switch at the top of the steps, illuminating the mana lights as I head down into the basement. We keep the canned goods down here instead of up in the kitchen pantry because the temperature stays lower and more stable. It's also better for their longevity if they stay out of direct light as much as possible.

My husband and I had a plan, of course, in case the worst should happen, and the day the locket broke, I relayed to our children their part in it. Poor little Mei cried so much at the news of her father's death that I never was certain how much of it she really heard, but Mataru had kept his chin up and listened intently despite how he must have felt.

Dear husband, you would have been so proud of him.

Running, especially too soon, would have made us look guilty, and we would have spent the rest of our lives on the run, being hunted by imperial soldiers even though we'd never done a thing that wasn't for its betterment.

So we have stayed in the capitol, behaved ourselves, remained model citizens. Even when news of his death reached the capitol, the claim was against a noble, and even if that claim came from Heroes, it had to be investigated. That meant an even longer wait as a team went out to the border of the Western Demesne to confirm the reports, and then traveled all of the way back.

I pull a jar of kimchi from the shelf in a section of the basement a little colder still than the rest of it, closed off as it is by a false wall, and I turn it over in my hands as I recall the contents.

This whole batch was made from the daughter of that traveling merchant that came through six months ago. They never did find the poor thing. She was too prone to wandering off and the capitol had too much excitement for her to restrain herself. She probably ran off into its poorer parts following some darkly handsome young man that promised her a night to remember.

I remember how broken the merchant looked when, after a month and dwindling finances, he finally had to admit defeat and left the capitol. One thought filled my mind as I watched him leave.

He was too weak. So much so that he brought shame to his daughter's memory. If something like that ever happened to Mei, I would raze the entire city until I found her or killed the person responsible. I would sell my very soul to the eleven hells to get justice for her if needs must. The duty of a parent demands nothing less.

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This particular jar was made using her eyes. Their lovely hue is no longer distinguishable, as they had been mashed and mixed into the sauce. It's a small jar, only enough for one meal, but that makes it convenient for me. Indeed, most of the jars are small like this, with only a few larger ones set aside for meals with company.

Unlike that weak man she once called father, we didn't let any piece of the girl go to waste. Most of her had gone to making assorted variations of kimchi, as such had been the season, but even her bones were ground and mixed with flour for baking or set aside whole and scored for broths.

One of my favorite parts, though, is also the most difficult: The wine. The tricky part is keeping the blood moving until the coagulants break down. I cheat by picking seasonings that are known by herbalists for their blood-thinning properties. Of course, the mixture remains quite thick for a beverage, so it's diluted further with coconut water.

Ironically, back in the Demesne, we were so far inland that this was by far the most expensive component of the recipe. It's one of the few things that is actually cheaper in the capitol.

Of course, like any wine, or kimchi, it still must be allowed time to age, but the end result is a semi-sweet vintage with undertones of copper, clove and cinnamon. We especially like it served hot in the winter months.

Of course, it will actually be the winter months by the time this girl's batch is ready for consumption. I'm getting thirsty just thinking about it.

I head back upstairs with the jar in hand. Most everything else I will need is in the pantry. I'm thinking I'll pair it with salted fish, and Hanna just brought that lovely basket of fresh peas in today. Some boiled potatoes would settle the stronger flavors of most of the rest of the meal nicely, I think.

The bell for the front door sounds and one of the maids answers it. I could wait for the maid to see the guests to the tea room and then come to get me, but I decide to embrace my quirkiness, and I make a detour on my way to the kitchen that will bring me in view of the entryway.

As soon as I see who it is, I bow as low as I can while still holding the kimchi in my hands. In my doorway stands the very person I had been dreading to see for the last month, in full battle dress no less, and a contingent of royal guards behind her.

"My Empress," I declare without raising myself from my knees, "what has your humble servant done to deserve such an honor as your visit this day?"

Her gaze goes about the opening room of my home before coming down on me. "The investigation team has returned from the border and delivered its finalized report. Lady Hagasu, your husband's corrupted remains were found at the site and corroborated the Heroes' testimony."

Though I keep my head down and my mouth shut, my back stiffens. I could have stopped it, controlled the muscle tension, but I don't want to. Besides, it's better if I don't.

Of course, Empress Xuhitana notices. "... Do you have something to say?"

"... No, Your Highness," I answer after swallowing. "It was the only thing I could expect had happened when you come to my doorway in full armaments. But still ..."

I swallow again, my tongue feeling like it is too big for my mouth. "I'm still in denial. I know we have no reason to doubt the words of the Heroes, but I also know my husband. I am incapable of imagining him as a monster. Please, forgive me my inadequacies."

She nods after staring at me for a bit longer and returns to casting her eyes about us. "... Are your children home?"

"No, my Empress," I reply without hesitation. "Nor do I expect them to return this evening. They were to be leaving the city as soon as their lessons concluded for the day."

"Where?"

"I have family in the Serazin province, as my lady is well aware. I've arranged for them to stay there for a time."

"Yes," she notes thoughtfully, "I recall you were of House Ettia before you married, now that you mention it. What is the reason behind the trip?"

This is precisely the reason, I mentally reply, though it doesn't remotely reach my lips or my expression. That was the children's portion of the plan. What happened to me didn't matter. What was important was that they were kept safe. If they ever saw guards outside the house, they were to immediately take a prepaid carriage to my brother's estate as far away from the capitol as possible.

Though what I say is surprisingly close to the truth. "They have never been exposed to as much bustle and crowding as the imperial capitol possesses, Your Highness. They are accustomed to wide open spaces and horizons lined by trees instead of walls. Adjusting over the past year has been hard on them, and only grew worse with the news of my husband's passing.

"Not only have they lost their father, but the conditions surrounding his death have left a pallor over our house. There has not been a day since the news reached the capitol that they have not faced mockery or derision. I have long been considering giving them a reprieve in which to regather themselves."

"Long," she repeats. "Is that why you've had a standing order for a carriage to Serazin Province for the last two weeks?"

I'm not surprised she knows of that. It's nearly impossible to keep a secret in the imperial capitol. As it was, I'd already put off ordering the reserve until the news officially arrived.

"Yes, Empress," I agree. "I wanted the option there in case they would come to find the burden too great. Truthfully, I want dearly to go with them, to see family again during this time, but I knew it wouldn't be permitted while my husband was under investigation."

Xuhitana nodded thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I must still deny you, Lady Hagasu. I will not send forces after your children, however. Let them go in peace. They will not be made to suffer for the sins of their parents."

I hold back my tears, but only in the normal human fashion, with sharp, deep breaths restraining my sobs. "Thank you, Your Highness. I shall ask nothing else of you for all of my days."

"Then I trust you will not object to the sentence I must lay upon you as the surviving head of House Hagasu," she replied. "Your family's nobility has been dissolved and your property within the city is confiscated by the Throne. This would also include all lands entrusted to you, but given the state of the Western Demesne, I find that would be redundant. Your personal wealth and belongings will be left to you, though I suggest you utilize them wisely to make them last."

"Does this mean I am not under arrest?"

"You are not," she confirms, allaying the second worst fear I had of this outcome. "However, you will not be allowed to leave the city. Your property will be searched and any belongings you remove from it will be subject to examination. The severity of the crime your husband committed demands we check for any other connections he may have had and any collaboration with others. This, of course, makes his immediate family the most prime suspects."

"I understand completely, Your Highness," I submit immediately. "I have no objections to your commandment and swear my utmost cooperation."

Really, it is stunningly generous of her. The Empress' heart may be as big as my husband always proclaimed my own to be.

It's times like these that remind me exactly why we want to save the Empire, why it's worth saving, even if it doesn't understand that.