When we left the hall I approached a guard. “Excuse me, we are looking for some fresh air. I heard the palace features some magnificent gardens. Could you tell us where we can find one?”

The guard gave us a polite bow. “Certainly my lady. If you follow this hallway and then turn left you will reach the midnight gardens. They have magical lights and special flowers that bloom at night.”

We thanked the guard and followed his directions. I was intrigued by the idea of a magical garden. The entrance was a big glass door with a metal frame. We could already see a blue glow from outside. While there was magical illumination, they kept it at a dim level. Enough to see and walk around while keeping the nightly atmosphere.

Looking around, the area reminded me of a japanese garden. There was a lovely pond with arms stretching through the vegetation. Stone bridges connected the different areas. I could even hear a small waterfall in the distance. Carefully crafted stone lanterns housed the blue crystals providing the light. The plants were interesting. I could see shades of blue, pink and white amidst the green. Some of the plants faintly glowed in the dark.

It was a beautiful sight. We followed the path, enjoying the silence as we walked. The peaceful atmosphere was exactly what I needed after that party. No one ambushed us. After a while we returned inside.

“That was nice. Any idea what we should do now?” I asked Lucy.

“Good question. What sort of things are inside a palace? This whole thing is huge. Do you think there is a dungeon? A laboratory? Is there a mage tower in here?”

“I have no idea. Maybe we should have asked someone. I have never really been to a palace before, except the one in Iron Rock. And there really is no comparison between the two.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Should we just walk around randomly?” Lucy suggested.

“Sure, let’s see where we end up. We have enough food from the buffet to survive even if we get lost.” I joked.

We wandered around aimlessly, choosing corridors at random. We stayed at the ground floor though. Maybe we could find a way into a basement. Surely any evil lair would be underground. Our exploration was cut short when a door opened that we passed. A woman in a somewhat military uniform stepped out.

She bowed to us. “Good evening, honoured guests. You seem to have wandered far away from the party. Might I help you somehow? Are you looking to retire for the night?”

“What’s behind that door?” Lucy asked while pointing behind the lady.

“Just servants quarters.” She replied.

“I suppose it is getting late. Maybe you could show us to our quarters.” I said. It was clear tonight’s exploration was coming to an end. We should probably remember where we were though. Maybe Elnora could do something with this information. Of course, it could also be that we just stumbled upon actual servants quarters. The sudden appearance of the woman suggested that we were watched though. Or at least that corridor was.

“Certainly, please follow me.”

We were swiftly escorted back to our rooms. Loriel had not returned and was still at the party. After I used another privacy spell I told Elnora everything that happened. I also shared some of my spoils from the buffet with her. Afterwards we turned in for the night. Our first day went quite well all things considered.

The next morning we had breakfast with Loriel. “How was your evening?” I asked.

“Boring mostly. It’s not my first time visiting the Empire. And courts in general have certain similarities. Some people always try to seduce me, others just want favours. And of course some just gather information and hope that I let something slip.” She shrugged. “Those things are part of being a queen.”

“What’s the plan for today?” Lucy asked.

“I am not entirely sure.” Loriel said. “I expect a more official welcome. Probably some grand announcement including an unfortunate delay concerning the talks. They will come up with some excuse and tell us to enjoy the time here. They want to impress and intimidate us and influence our perception of the Empire.”

“So they want the delegates to forget the scorched field in front of Iron Rock. They want them to think of good food, a spa, maybe a concert…” Lucy concluded.

“Exactly. The Empire needs to convince them that it’s a centre of civilisation. A place of art, beauty, commerce,... Not a place of war. Then they will roll out the convenient scapegoat who is to blame.” Loriel said.

“Do you think they will blame the inquisition?” I wondered.

“It’s hard to say. They are a major political player. But the Emperor could use this to reduce their power. We don’t know how much he controls them. They are supposed to be his tools but maybe they have grown too independent.”