The second night of the Midsummer Festival, the Emperor invited people from the city to put on performances for the imperial family. It was a relaxed atmosphere, professional troupes were not used and instead, children and young adults from throughout the city were invited to perform. They were greeted with enthusiastic applause, their efforts congratulated with affectionate laughter and appreciation. To receive such an invitation was seen as the greatest prestige.

On other evenings, different officials and leaders throughout the city came to dine with the Emperor. The Transportation Department, The Ports, Finance, and even the officials from the Grand Library, all had their turn sitting with the Emperor to enjoy his food, music and entertainment. They came bearing gifts thanking the Emperor for his hard work throughout the year and in turn, the Emperor gave gifts to his loyal and dedicated officials.

As the week proceeded, Teal and the other consorts were given different nights off and those who were asked, accompanied the Emperor to the different festivities. On the fourth night, Teal and Delba were asked to join the Emperor to watch a theatrical performance by a professional troupe. It was a splendid affair with lavish costumes and backdrops. Performers danced their way through the performance, and Teal was soon captivated by the show.

At one pivotal point in the night, he turned to catch the Emperor's attention when a dancer leapt down through ceiling without ropes for support. The dancer landed agilely and continued twirling and leaping through the air.

It was not the Emperor's eyes that met Teal’s. Next to the Emperor was the Emperor's mother. Their eyes locked. Teal’s Presence surged forth, and he was surprised when the Empress Dowager bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. Teal's eyes glowed, but it wasn't a glow that sent soothing energy through his body, it was something else.

Teal's heart pounded. This was not an interaction between himself and the Empress Dowager. It was an interaction between the Empress Dowager and the Presence. Without any other indication of what had just taken place, the Empress Dowager turned her attention back to the stage. Teal quickly looked around. Mesmerised by the performance, everyone else remained oblivious to what had just taken place.

After the performers took their last bows, the audience rose and retired to the courtyard where servants handed out nibbles and drinks for the imperial family and guests to enjoy. Teal stayed close to the Emperor not used to talking with the family members who were present. Delba, on the other hand, Delba mingled quite easily amongst the guests, the usual rules for the consorts forgotten during the Midsummer Festival.

Most of the guests cast wary glances in Teal’s direction. Only the bold and brave dared to speak with him and even then, it was kept to polite pleasantries regarding the festivities and the performance they had seen. He caught a glimpse of Prince Yernal and followed Ralen's advice. He spied something on the other side of the courtyard and drew the Emperor's attention to it.

Teal pointed to the sculpture and guided the Emperor across the courtyard, The Emperor’s hand come to rest upon on his shoulder.

"You do not need to fear Prince Yernal," the Emperor told him.

Teal swallowed. Nothing got past the Emperor.

"Rumor has it,” the Emperor continued, “he wants nothing to do with you. Rumor has it," the Emperor smiled. "He is quite scared of you."

“Really?” Teal asked, surprised.

The Emperor chuckled, but then all of a sudden, Teal saw a deep frown appear on his forehead.

Teal followed his line of sight. In one of the corners of the courtyard, off to the side and away from the other guests, Delba stood with Prince Salren, the pair deep in conversation. A respectable distance remained between their bodies, but it was obvious that whatever was being discussed, was of a serious nature.

Their discourse continued. Delba lifted her hand and rested it on Prince Salren's arm, and Teal sensed the Emperor stiffen. Prince Salren suddenly turned his head in their direction, and Teal saw The Emperor and Prince Salren's fix their eyes upon each other.

At first Teal couldn't read Prince Salren's expression; a flash of guilt, followed by anger? The Emperor held the same passive neutral expression that he always used to hide his true feelings.

Upon noting the standoff, Delba nodded towards the Emperor, neither guilt nor fear on her face. Without another word, Delba took her leave from Prince Salren and disappeared into the crowd.

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"Is everything all right?" Teal asked nervously, the tension around him palpable.

The Emperor smiled, bringing his attention back to Teal. "Everything is fine."

For the rest of the night, Teal could not lift the Emperor Rathner’s mood. He remained lost in his own dark thoughts no matter where Teal tried to stear their conversations. He made comments on the performances, offered the Emperor treats on display, and discussed the various people in attendance. None of it worked.

Later in the evening, Teal remained quiet as the Emperor guided him up the stairs to his personal quarters. His servants scuttled quickly to attention and provided them with drinks when they reached the top of the tower.

The evening breeze was cool; a reprieve from the day’s weather. Teal stood apprehensively and turned his body into the wind to drown out any other sound in attempt to calm his racing thoughts. He had no idea what the rest of this night held or whether the Emperor had even realized he had led Teal to the top of his tower for the first time since he had Sworn his Loyalty.

The Emperor waved to a section of cushions near the small alcove where Teal had first kissed Jale. "No matter how much I love the bed that Crael made for me, I still prefer the Talbecan tradition of sitting on the floor,” the Emperor told him.

The bamboo mats were cool under Teal's skin as he sat down beside the Emperor.

"I know Jale already spoke to you, but you do not need to fear my mother," the Emperor said quietly. He draped his arm over Teal's shoulder. "I have every intention for you to take a promising ceremony and become an official consort."

"That's reassuring," Teal said. He wanted to know more of what had happened between Delba and Prince Salren, but it was not his place to ask. "Thank you," he said instead.

"You seem to enjoy spending your time with Jale," the Emperor suddenly stated.

Teal took a sip of wine while he deliberated his answer. It was best to be honest. "I really enjoy spending my time with Jale."

"Good. He is very fond of you."

The Emperor's hand squeezed Teal's shoulder, only it didn't stop at one squeeze but continued as a gentle, lazy massage. Teal truly began to relax and felt his body lean into the Emperor's fingers.

An attention getting cough interrupted them, and Teal startled forward and out of reach of the Emperor's hand.

Empress Crael was standing to the side. Neither of them had heard her approach.

The Emperor, of course, showed no surprise at the intrusion.

"What is it, my love?" he asked. He patted the bench behind him, and she moved to join them giving Teal a smile of acknowledgement while she did so.

"Your brother, Prince Salren, came to see me just now," she began.

The Emperor sighed. "You too. What did he want?"

"You know what he wants," she smiled.

"He wishes for you to persuade me just like he has been talking with Delba to do the same."

She nodded. "He asked me to try to convince you to send more troops to the border."

The Emperor shook his head.

"I know you don't trust him and you're worried of giving him too many soldiers," the Empress stated. "But they are your men and they are loyal to you. He is your brother, he won't defy you," she assured him while Teal listened on in silence.

"He has wanted his own territory for too long and his city is loyal to him," the Emperor argued. "It would give him too much temptation." His tone was flat as if these were facts he had argued on many occasions before.

"But the alternative is for the labor camps to become too restless. If news spread to the borders, too, that you don't even trust your own brother, the desert mobs will see it as a weakness and possibly attack. Of worse, try to bribe him to join their forces," she paused to take a breath.

"Furthermore,” the Empress continued, “if your brother's people hear of your mistrust and that you do not wish to support him, there could be unrest on their behalf." The Empress placed her hand gently on the Emperor's arm. "I know you are occupied with your other worries, but you can't ignore this real threat. The outer western labour camp and the desert mobs could really cause havoc for the empire."

Teal's head swam. He had no idea who these desert mobs were that they were talking about, but it sounded serious. There were so many things occurring in the empire that he was oblivious to.

"We can not afford civil unrest with the pressures from the Keglar Kingdom," the Empress pressed on.

"I will consult the official criticizers tomorrow," the Emperor cut her off, his voice weary. Teal got the impression that it had nothing to do with the time of night but the topic at hand.

"There's something else, isn't there?" the Empress asked cautiously. "Something you're not sharing with me. Something that's stopping you."

"It's nothing, but I do hold serious doubts for Prince Salren's's loyalty and if given the chance, I do believe he would run with it."

The Empress smiled, a hint of hurt in her eyes. "Speak it over with Jale as well. He has your full council."

The Emperor did not miss her tone. He swept his arm out and caught the Empress' hand with his own. He brought it to his lips tenderly and kissed the back of it.

"There are old, complicated issues here that I do not want to trouble you with,” the Emperor told her kindly, his eyes swooping to her belly. He freed his hand and ran it gently over the swell of her stomach. He leaned up to kiss her. "I can't wait for the child to arrive," he murmured when their lips separated.

The Empress’ mood swiftly changed, and she didn't try to contain the bubble of laughter that escaped her lips. "And I believe there is more than one reason for that," she said, her tone suddenly full of mirth. She moved back in and grazed her lips teasingly over the Emperor's.

Teal sat perfectly still, unsure of whether they remembered he was there or not. Should he try to discreetly slide away to give them the privacy they needed?

The Empress however, had not forgotten. "Go back to enjoying your evening," she said with a nod in Teal's direction.

The Emperor turned sharply as if Teal's presence had slipped his mind completely. He had been so preoccupied with the Empress' conversation. They stared at each other, and Teal could see that it was only just dawning on him who was actually with him, at this time of night, in his tower.