Dynasty: The Glorious Strategist (Dynasty Saga Book 3) (27 page)

“Alrighty then,” Lymee said turning around and marching back up the steps forgetting about the swagger she had been working so hard at earlier. “What’s next on our agenda today?” Lymee looked over at Keo who was still standing on the left side of the throne in a very elegant silver and red Kimono. “Primary Minister of Administration,” she added plopping down on the throne flashing Keo a playful smile.

“Our Empress wished to make a decision regarding the Prisoners of War,” Keo stated giving a slight bow of her head as Lymee sat down. But her eyes betrayed her demeanor returning the playful look that Lymee was giving. 

“Right,” Lymee nodded placing her hands on the armrest as she peered at the large doorway directly in front of her. “First I want to talk to the officer who wanted to burn the Fox Statue instead of taking it inside the gate.”

“As you say Empress,” Keo said glancing over at Gea. Gea nodded then signaled to one of her men who bowed and went running off out of one the side entrances.

“How am I doing so far?” Lymee whispered leaning towards Keo, talking out the side of her mouth so that no one else would be able to hear them.

“My Empress is making quite an impression,” Keo answered her gaze unmoving.

“Well that is what I am going for,” Lymee nodded casually stroking Kitsune’s tail that was draped down the front of her chest.

“Our Empress always seems to make an impression regardless of her intentions,” Yoni stated from her place next to Keo. While she did not lean in her voice was low enough that only they could hear.

“You can shut your face,” Lymee stated keeping her expression blank as she focused straight ahead. She suddenly wished she had a fan that she could hide her mouth behind. That would allow her to talk more freely as well as give her something to do with her hands besides wiping the sweat off on her dress.

Out of the corner of her eye Lymee could see the faintest of smiles at the edges of Keo’s lips, seemingly finding the banter amusing. It was good to see her smile like that again. Lymee had not seen it for a while now.

After a few minutes of waiting in silence the doors to the Throne Room opened and a woman, whose hands were being held by some kind of wooden board with two holes in the center for her wrists, was escorted inside. Lymee made a mental note to invent handcuffs at some point. The woman was led to the same spot where the other soldiers had been and was forced to her knees by the guards.

“That’s enough of that,” Lymee said waving the guards off the woman. “Remember the law of my late sister states that no one has to bow before a noble if they do not wish.”

Keo straightened a bit seemingly impressed by Lymee’s mentioning of Alia and her laws as a way of both honoring their past lord as well as making it seem that Lymee was adhering to their tradition and heritage.

“In that case I would rather stand,” the woman said, awkwardly rising to her feet trying to keep her balance as her hands were still bound in front of her.

“You will address her as your Empress,” Gea barked at the woman. 

“She is not my Empress,” the woman growled her eyes glaring up at them. “Only the Zie family can claim the throne and this charlatan,” she raised her bound hands gesturing at Lymee. “Isn’t even of noble birth. What right does she have to claim to be
my
Empress?”

There was some slight murmuring from the crowded most of it not very favorable for Lymee.

Gea looked like she was about to pounce on the woman for her slanderous words but Lymee held up her hand signaling for her to restrain herself.

“What’s your name?” Lymee asked resting her cheek on her fist as she peered down at the woman with a fascinated curiosity.

“I am Sub Commander Shu of the Empress’ Imperial Army,” the woman declared proudly puffing out her chest.

Lymee could not help but smile as she looked at the woman standing so defiantly before her. “And is it true that you wished to burn down the fox statue that I left at the gates instead of bring it inside?” Lymee asked.

“That’s right,” Shu declared with no hint of regret or remorse in her voice. “I was overruled however. My superiors thought you beaten and did not wish you to have even the smallest of victories. As such they accepted your challenge that your ‘greatness’,” she sneered the word, “would not fit through our gates.”

“Turns out it fits just fine,” Lymee smiled gesturing to the palace around her. There was some snickering from the attending people. Shu did not seem to find Lymee’s words amusing as she glared up at where Lymee sat.

“And if I have heard correctly you were also the one who led the defense in the second tower of the rear wall,” Lymee said a bit coldly. Lymee could feel Keo stiffen as she spoke. That had been where Sai had been killed. There was a chance that this woman had been the one to kill her.

“I was,” she nodded again. “As soon as the alarms rang out I ordered my men to fall back to the secondary wall. I knew that with the gates destroyed on the first wall trying to defend it would be pointless. However, very few of my men were sober enough to even understand my orders and fewer still were in any position to fight. And no matter how hard we fought we could not take back the gate controls that your men had seized.” 

Lymee nodded moving her knuckle in front of her mouth as she thought over the woman’s words. Shu in turn just stood there defiantly glaring up at Lymee.

“Well,” Lymee said dropping her hand. “In that case the only thing for me to do is give you a commendation for your actions.”

There was a sound of surprise from everyone in the room but no one was more surprised than Shu who just stood there with a look that almost resembled horror.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Shu gasped. “Are you mocking me?”

“Not at all,” Lymee assured. “Your command of the situation was brilliant. If they had done what you had wanted to do not only would we have never taken the city but we would have also lost thirty of our best soldiers. Not to mention I would have lost many good friends.” Lymee glanced over at Yoni. “The way I see it, if they had put more trust and faith in your judgment we would have lost this war. No doubt about it.”

“You should hate me then,” Shu stated still confused. “Not wish to reward me.” 

“Hate you? Why?” Lymee asked genuinely dropping her hand to her lap. “You were a soldier doing your duty to the best of your ability. Why should I hate you for that? Can I not respect my opponent and honor their accomplishments? Don’t get me wrong,” Lymee assured holding up her hand. “I am happy that you were overruled. And I am happy that we won instead of you. But that does not diminish my respect for you and what you have done. Would you not agree Chief Military Commander Gea?” Lymee looked over at Gea who was doing her best to maintain her composure.

“Our Empress speaks the truth,” Gea nodded. “Respecting your enemy is very important in warfare. However I have never heard of giving your enemy a commendation before.”

“I haven’t either,” Lymee agreed turning her attention back to Shu. “But she is no longer our enemy now is she?” Lymee smiled at the woman before her. “The Empress you once served is dead, the Kingdom she once ruled is now mine. There is no one left for you to serve who would oppose me. This woman before us whether she likes it or not is one of my subjects now.”

Shu shifted a bit at Lymee’s words. Lymee smiled at her, weaving her fingers together in her lap.

“Which is why,” Lymee continued her smile still on her face. “I would like to make you a general in the new Imperial Military. If you would accept it that is. I have lost good officers in this battle and need to replace them with as competent of people as I can find. And you have shown me that you are very competent. Not to mention I am sure my army will be growing very quickly in the coming days and I need to place good officers in charge before that happens not after.”

Lymee felt both Gea and Keo grow darker in mood after hearing Lymee’s offer but mostly Keo. While Lymee was sure that both of them understood her reasoning Gea no doubt did not like putting someone who so obviously despised Lymee in charge. But Lymee figured Shu did not despise Lymee so much as she was just a sore loser. But Lymee did not mind have sore losers working for her. It meant they had a vested interest in making sure not to lose.

Keo on the other hand was more primal in her disliking of Lymee suggestion. She hated the woman for possibly being the one who murdered Sai. But Lymee knew that Keo was better than letting that affect her work or her decisions. And over time she was sure that Keo’s resentment would fade.

Yoni was the only one who seemed unfazed by Lymee’s words. If anything she completely agreed with Lymee. That was a strange enough thing in and of itself but then gone were the days where Yoni felt it her place to be the counterpoint to every suggestion Lymee gave.   

“You think to buy my loyalty with commendations and rank?” Shu spat, though there was now doubt in her voice. It would seem that Lymee was getting to her. “I will never trust you. I will never think of you as my Empress. And I will most certainly never see you as some ‘gift from The Heavens’.”

“Well in that case,” Lymee said leaning back in her throne. Speaking of needing a counterpoint, Lymee thought with an amused smile. “I would like you to be one of my personal advisers instead.”

“Empress?” Keo blurted out in surprise and confusion.

Shu looked equally as confused. “Did you not hear what I just said? I despise your very being.”

“I heard you,” Lymee assured cutting her off. “And that is why I want you. Right now I am at a very interesting stage. Too many people share my views and agree with the actions I take. That or they are too afraid of me to truly speak up in protest. With you I do not see either of those ever being a problem. Just know that while I will always listen to your advice I will probably never follow it. You will forever be heeded but always disregarded. If you can live with that then the position is yours.”

Shu looked absolutely stunned as she stood in the center of the vast Throne Room. She stood there her hands bound, her outfit soiled and bloodied, her mouth gaping open.

“Regardless of your decision, your men and all the other soldiers who fought against us will also not be harmed assuming that they are not guilty of some other crime,” Lymee assured. “Those who wish to stay will be welcomed too and those who wish to leave will be free to do so. No hard feelings. I promise.”

Shu had seemed to recover herself and was now staring up at Lymee with a very serious and deep expression as if she was trying to figure Lymee out. Lymee was confident that whatever preconceived notion Shu had once held of Lymee it was now sufficiently shattered.

Or maybe not, Lymee supposed. It was completely possible that Shu just assumed that Lymee was nuts and this was simply something a crazy person would say or do.

“But could you ever even trust me?” Shu asked her voice having lost a lot of its hostility.

“I can trust that you will never trust me,” Lymee stated with a slight smile. “I may never trust you with anything that I could not entrust to someone else, but only time will tell.”

“And regardless of my answer, you will let me go?” Shu asked.

“You and your men,” Lymee nodded.

“I would ask that you give me some time to think about it,” Shu said lowering her head so she was staring at her feet.

“Of course,” Lymee nodded. “Feel free to stay and observe if you like. I hope this will help you get a better feel for who I am and how I wish to rule.”

“I understand,” she nodded still not looking up at Lymee.

Lymee signaled to Gea who instantly started giving orders to the other men. The two guards that had escorted Shu into the Throne Room stepped forward and released the lock around her wrist. The board fell to the ground with a thud at Shu’s feet. Absently rubbing her wrist Shu was escorted to the side of the Throne Room where she fell in line with the other soldiers.

“Next,” Lymee said shifting her weight into her chair trying to settle in. “The Royal Palace Guards. Bring them here.”

“Right away,” Gea nodded giving orders once more.

After a few minutes of waiting in relative silence seventeen women were all escorted into the Throne room. They were surrounded by nearly twenty men all whom seemed very weary of the women, keeping a tight grip on their weapons as they stayed a safe distance away. Lymee had to wonder if even twenty would be enough if these women had decided to try something.

But unlike the people who had been brought in before, these women were neither defiant nor groveling. Instead they almost seemed reverent as they stood before Lymee, their heads lowered in what almost appeared to be shame.

“Empress Sun,” they all said respectfully. 

Lymee was a little surprised by their demeanor. If anyone would have the right to hate her she would think it would be them. Lymee had murdered their charge after all. At least as far as any of them knew.

“We accept whatever fate lies in store for us,” one of them said. She was one of the guards that Lymee had seen previously in front of the Throne Room. She wondered if maybe she was their leader, though she seemed rather young. But then again none of them looked to be over thirty. “We simply wish to express our thanks to you, the illustrious Heavenly Fox, for freeing our Empress.”

Lymee leaned back in her throne not saying anything instead deciding to simply finish listening to what they had to say.