Chapter 271 Was Someone Playing With The Kitty?
It followed her as she changed her clothes and listened to her as she attempted to question the maids covertly.
"Why is this animal following me around?" She asked one of the maids.
"The cats are always curious when new people show up around the castle, maybe it likes you." the maid answered.
"Mmm," Emory eyed the cat warily, and said nothing else. But she could have sworn that the cat looked at her with contempt when the maid claimed that it liked her.
"I don't want it my room anymore, get rid of it." Emory ordered the maid.
"I can't do that, we are under strict instructions by the governor not to touch any of her pets without her say so unless they happen to be in danger or have met with an injury."
"Get rid of it." Emory shouted, "It's not as if she will find out. Unless you are planning to tell her, is that why you are here. Did that crazy bitch tell you to keep an eye on me and report back to her?"
"Lady Emory, the governor always knows when something is done to the animals. Just let it be after all it's harmlessly sitting in the corner." another maid stepped in to attempt to smooth over things since the guest was becoming more agitated with every passing second.
Nobody knew how Scarlet found out but she always knew when something happened to the animals. It was if they went to her and reported whatever had been said or whoever had harmed them.
They had all learned to treat the pets with care and respect. What did the guest want them to do?
"I will do it myself," Emory mumbled and she marched over to the corner with a heavy grunt on a mission to grab the cat and throw it out of her room.
When she reached down and touched it's tail, the cat swiftly jumped up and scratched her face. It's claws were sharp so the cut was deep, going all the way from the bridge of her nose to her chin.
Emory screamed while the cat returned to it's former position and closed it's eyes as if nothing happening at the moment was it's fault.
"Med bed, sealing fluid, hurry." Emory's personal maid screamed at the castle maids and everyone started hurrying to stop the bleeding and treat the wound.
"I will kill that animal," Emory screamed as she was taken away for treatment.
Later, at the table, in a large dining hall decorated with lights and a very large blue christmas tree under which a few cats were playing with empty boxes, the guests gathered with the host for a sumptuous breakfast.
"Wow, we don't even eat like this in the palace." the empress said.
"Neither do we here in the castle." Scarlet told her, "Today is a special day because it happens to be christmas and we have guests."
"We get gifts today." Justin said.
"Yes, little one, I brought you a good as well." the empress told Justin.
Justin looked at Scarlet and she nodded, then he smiled brightly at the empress and said, "Awesome, thank you so much lady majesty."
"Oh, lady majesty." the empress said, and she laughed.
The others laughed as well, and Scarlet patted Justin's hair. Usually he could sit wherever he wanted during mealtime but with Emory around, she wanted him close to her.
There would be no more sleep overs as well with his great grandparents for as long as that woman was in the castle.
"Justin, come here, grandmother has a gift for you as well." Emory used her hands to call him over.
He looked at Scarlet and she sliced a small piece from a snowman shaped pancake with a fork and fed him.
"He is still eating, maybe later." she said.
Emory, angry at being slighted frowned and said, "I am his grandmother, I can feed him too."
"The spider to the fly, come into my web." Scarlet mumbled. Esong squeezed her thigh and she smiled, and then, loudly she said, "You have a fading mark on your face Emory, what happened?"
Emory frowned even more and her face folded, "I had a little accident, apparently some things are just like their owners, lunatic, untamed and disgustingly wild."
"Oh-Oh, was someone playing a little too rough with the kitties? Careful, they scratch." Scarlet said with a sly smile.
Esong sighed and squeezed his wife's thigh again, please tone it down, he conveyed with his actions.
While everyone at the table who knew where the genesis of this conflict begun buried themselves in their delicious breakfast, the guests were enthralled by the back and forth which would have been considered playful banter if not for the tension, scowls and frowns.
"So, how is the food princess Carana?" The empress changed the focus of those at the table by changing the subject.
"Wonderful your majesty, I must confess that we do not eat like this on Xeno either. I would like to know more about how this type of food and how you grow it. What kind of plants does it come from?"
Scarlet turned her head in the direction of the princess and she asked, "You know about plants and food."
"Oh yes, Xeno is rich in lush green forests, but they are filled with deadly beasts. We isolate out cities far away from our forests for that reason. But we are do go foraging for edible plants."
"Wow, what kind of plants do you have?" Scarlet asked.
"Mmm, I will show you mine if you show me yours." Princess Carana replied, and she smiled gently at Scarlet.
Esong frowned and he leaned forward, blocking the view of his wife from the princess. He recognized a look of desire when he saw one. This princess had designs on his wife!!
"We have agricultural experts, they will be eager to trade knowledge with you on that subject." he said in a deep voice.
Scarlet pushed him back because he was interrupting a potential business conversation.
"I will be looking forward to that." the princess said. "I would also like to know what this is." she shook the salt in a glass salt shaker and a few grains poured out.
"Oh, that is salt." the empress said. "It is mined right here on the blue star and sold all over the empire."
"So it is not a plant, is it a gem stone then?" floozy asked.
"Pffft!" Elroy laughed, and coughed, "Choking, I was choking." he said because his mother and sisters glared at him.
The Su women did not play when it came to business.
Moving on, princess Carana also took a cube of sugar with a spoon and lifted it up. "This too, it makes plain water sweet, it's so tasty. I hope this does not inconvenience you but I would love to acquire some of these things before we return to our empire."
"We_" Esong wanted to say that 'we can discuss that' but his wife cut him off as she was filled with excitement.
"It's not an issue at all." Scarlet said.
"Yes, we can do business together." Fey added.
"What kind of currency do you use on Xeno?" Carolyn joined in with a question of her own.
The empress smiled as she looked at all three sisters. Perhaps a new trade route would be opened up with another empire successfully.