Beginning Of His Downfall

Synopsis

On the day my husband returned victorious, the Emperor held a banquet at court in his honor. He did not return alone but with a newly decorated female general. In front of the assembled nobles, she abruptly struck my soup bowl aside, spilling hot broth across my luxurious gown. "Do you have no hands of your own?" she said sharply. "Why must General Vayne serve you personally? He is a man of honor. How could he be reduced to such menial tasks?" The great hall went utterly still. Even the court music faltered. My husband hurried to me, carefully blotting the stains from my skirts. "Pearl was raised beyond the court and knows nothing of noble decorum," he said in a placating tone. "She only acted out of concern for me. Please, do not take offense." I smiled, as though I accepted his explanation. Then I pushed him aside, stepped up to Pearl, and struck her across the face. "I am the Grand Princess of the Aldemere Empire," I said coolly. "And you, a minor officer without title or peerage, dare offend your superior. Tell me, what punishment does such insolence earn?"