The Romantic Trials Of A Transmigrated Empress

The leaves on the trees turned brown and started to fall, a new season of autumn was welcomed in Eldoria, it had been two months since Roland left, and a month since the Thorin army was disbanded and their soldiers pulled away from the Eastern boarder.

The excited king that had been more than pleased to swallow the soldiers duke Thorin served up on a silver platter and integrated them into the royal army. He had sent part of the royal army to the Eastern boarder and lately, he was sleeping better at night knowing that he controlled eighty percent of Eldoria.

If the duke of Ravencroft could surrender his armies as well, then he would have full control of the kingdom and rule as he wanted.

Unfortunately for the king, what he did not know the loyalty of these soldiers remained with the Thorin family, this was because the duke gave them all a handsome retirement package before letting them go.

They reported all of the affairs and movements of the king’s army to the duke, acting as spies for the Thorin family. If the king knew, he would not be sleeping so soundly in Rina’s arms night after night.

As for the injured soldiers, Sigrid had started an organization which she named the war veterans association, responsible for helping the soldiers of Thorin acclimate into their regular lives and find employment.

Her reputation in two months had climbed up a notch and she was quickly becoming a favorite royal to many people, especially those that benefited from her schemes.

Sigrid had been up to so much more, she had opened two restaurants in Doria, a third was being opened on this afternoon which explained the reasons as to why a small crowd had gathered outside of a six storied building that hosted a variety of shops.

The new restaurant Sigrid was opening was on the first floor and it was not a restaurant as people assumed but a coffee shop. She had chosen the location carefully, picking Doxcord street which was one of the most bustling area for social activity in Doria.

It was one of the busiest shopping areas with a wide range of shops that offered a variety of goods from fashion to home necessities.

Sigrid’s intention was to open as many coffee houses in and outside of the kingdom as possible, her own version of star bucks.

She was going over last minute arrangements with the baristas she had trained when she felt the familiar tingling sensation on the back of her neck which reminded her that she was being watched.

Whenever she stepped out of the vale, spies sent by different people trailed her, carefully taking note of all her moves. It had started after Roland left and the watchers had increased in number after the duke disbanded his soldiers. Many people wanted to know what the Thorin’s were up to, especially the crown princess.

She raised her head and looked at the curious crowd outside the door, more than a few faces were similar to her, she ignored them and pretended not to notice them as usual.

Instead of focusing on them, she perused her eyes through her coffee shop, it was decorated moderately, the tables were evenly spaced and it could fill up to fifty customers at a time.

"Crown princess, there is bad news." Lanai suddenly approached Sigrid and whispered to her.

"Excuse me." she said to the baristas.

She walked with Lanai to one of the corner tables that offered some privacy.

"Speak."

Lanai looked around and then she said slowly, "Mr. Cosmos has just word that Lord Bailey from the office of marriages has proposed a new law to get have the age restriction of marriage for women removed."

Sigrid clenched her jaw, that cursed lucky halo on Emmah’s head was working overtime to ruin her good work. If the age restriction was removed then Emmah’s engagement to Bumblebert would not hold.

Something similar had happened in the novel but it had been proposed by the queen as a favor for Emmah that had saved her son’s life. Emmah was not even in Doria and she had not met the queen but the law was being proposed by someone else.

Sigrid had seen to it that word of Bumblebert and Emmah’s engagement spread all through the city. She had been planning to use public opinion and pressure to tie down the fake female lead. It would not work now, it seemed.

"It’s the lucky halo on Emmah’s head that is working to see to it that all things work in her favor, you changed the plot so it countered your move." The system told Sigrid.

The statement made by the system reminded her of a game of chess, she made a move and the lucky halo did as well. Now, she would have to make a move and fight back, she had been prepared in case something like this happened. She just didn’t think it would happen this quickly.

"Has a vote been taken?" she asked.

"It will be taken at two in the afternoon, all the Lords that sit in the king’s court are required to be present. Mr. Cosmos suggests that you rush to the king’s castle and do what you can to salvage the situation." Lanai told her.

"Where is he?" Sigrid asked with urgency in her voice.

"At little Thorin." Lanai answered.

Little Thorin was the name of Sigrid’s first restaurant, she had come up with it on a whim. On the outside it was an ordinary restaurant but on the inside, it was her information collecting operation center, all the staff were trained knights that eavesdropped on the customers.

Behind, there was an office where she and Cosmos compiled this information sorting out what she could use, what she could sell and what was useless.

"Lucille, take charge and handle the opening." Sigrid instructed the female manager that she had hired.

She rushed out of the coffee house, climbed onto the back of her horse and started a race to the royal castle. Her knights and servants did the same, abandoning the carriages with a few drivers that were left behind to follow as quickly as they could.

Sigrid’s reason for rushing was simple, if one law on marriage was going to be changed, then they might as well change a few more.

She had been looking for an opportunity to bring it up without slighting the king and nobles especially at a time when she had no support in the king’s court with the exception of a handful of ministers that supported her grandfather.

Who knew that someone else would probide the stepping stone onto which she could clim and make her case. So, if the age restriction was being removed, why not change a few more things before Emmah arrived, proposed them and became a champion for change among Eldoria’s women.

As for Emmah, even if the age restriction was removed, the engagement would hold until she broke it off for one reason or the other. Either way, it’s purpose would be served because who would dare to suggest that an engaged woman become the crown prince’s secondary consort without looking insane or stupid?