Omari sat impatiently at the table in his dining room, shaking his leg up and down. He held the fork tightly around his hands and held a heavy frown on his face. His main servant Tano who was standing behind and could tell his master was not please. They had the spent the afternoon cleaning and cooking at the Red End House. Omari with the help of his servants cooked what would be Rehema's favorite dishes. He had done so much to prepare for her visit the first time, her sleeping with him since she became empress. Yet midnight was approaching, and she still was not there.

"Who is her majesty sleeping with tonight," Omari asked in the air.

"Your highness we can assure you, that she said she will be staying with you tonight," Tano said trying to get Omari to remain calm.

"THEN WHY ISNT SHE HERE!" Omari yelled and he threw a glass plate of the floor, shattering in.

All the servants in the room suddenly bent down on their knees quickly, in fear of Omari's rage.

Tano crawled to Omari on his knees and placed his himself across from him, "Your highness please don't get upset. I can assure you that her majesty could be just running late. She has been quite busy these past few days."

Omari was staring blankly at the table filled with hot food sitting in front. He then placed his fork down slowly and turned his body to Tano. Tano was staring at the floor still in a respectable kneeling position. Omar swiftly grabbed Tano by his right ear and forced him to look at his face. The room was in dead silence, and no other servant dared to say a word.

"If I find out that you lied to me and she doesn't come tonight, I will have you serving me ball-less." Omari muttered in Tano's face.

Tano was shaking, he gulped and could in Omari's face that he was being serious. 'Dear lords where the hell are you Empress Rehema.' Tano thought to himself. He should have never told Omari that Rehema was coming. He didn't expect her to come late, and what if she ended up changing her mind about who she was staying with tonight. Now he was going to framed as a liar and get a harsh punishment.

Omari tightened his fingers on Tano's ear. "You one more chance to admit that you have lied and wasted my time."

Tano winced in pain but he didn't give in, "I promise you, your highness that is what I heard her majesty say to, his highness Ekon."

Omari gritted his teeth, "ITS NEARLY MIDNIGHT AND SHE ISNT HERE!" Omar yelled. He slapped Tano so quickly that Tano body collapsed out of is kneel position. Tano held onto his cheek, and felt a sharp sting, that was now making the right side of his face numb. He bit his lip and felt a bruise.

Omari just glared at him, with his fists balled up.

"Your highness please-," A servant tried to say.

"Shut up!" He yelled. No one else dared said a word until finally news that saved Tano from any more humiliation finally arrived.

"Her majesty is approaching!" An older male servant shouted jumping up and down, who was standing near the exit door of the house. "Please have mercy your highness, her majesty is coming. I can see her."

Omari suddenly pushed Tano away from him and stood up abruptly. He rushed to the door entrance to see if the servant was right. In fact, he was. He could see Rehema in a decorated colorful sedan being held up by many female and male guards coming his way. Omari gasped in shock and turned to the servant. "Clean up the broken glass and fix anything out of place. Now!" He yelled.

The servants rushed doing so, and the room was in shaped and in order within seconds. Everyone stood in place and didn't dare move a muscle.

An elder woman came to Tano and helped him up, "Don't be in vain. You were right all along and have nothing to fear now." She said trying to reassure him. She placed a hand over his swollen cheek.

Tano was now fueling with rage inside, but he had to remain calm. His master was about to have his castrated over the fact that her majesty was just running late.

"I guess I will just have to get on with it, like I always do," Tano said sarcastically with a small sinister smile.

The woman felt a shiver down her spine. "Tano let's just relax. We will soon be-"

"I hate working for him. I hate it with a burning pas-"

The woman put a hand over his mouth, "Watch your words and do not get us killed." She then took Tano's hand and redirected him to the side of the room, where they stood with their backs straight and hands in fig leaf position.

Tano could feel his heart pumping. All he wanted to do now was grab Omari and smash his head into tiny pieces. If the empress hadn't come any sooner, he would have been severely punished over nothing.

When Rehema finally reached the entrance of the Red End house she was greeted by Omari and three servants all kneeling on the ground at her. They all said in unison, "Peace and blessings to her majesty." Rehema smiled at them and took the hand of a guard who helped her off the sedan.

"Is everything alright? I thought I heard yelling a little bit. I know I'm late, it's been a busy day," Rehema said. She stepped on the ground and walks towards Omari.

"Everything is great. I was soon going to go to bed because of how late it is..." Omari said staring at the ground while still kneeling on the ground.

"You may all rise," Rehema said. Omari then stepped in front of her and linked his arm with hers.

"I had cooked some food with my staff, if your still hungry..."

Rehema's smile brighten, "Really? Off course I would love some."

Omari than took Rehema's hand leading the way inside. The servants now moved out the way to give them a path to walk. Inside Omari directed her to his dinning room. Where Tano and his other servant stood at the edge of the room looking down at the floor.

Omari helped Rehema sit, and he walked over to the two servants, "You are dismissed for the night." He simply told them and went to sit with Rehema at his dinning table.

Tano couldn't help but feel even more angry, after all of that, and now he was just off the hook. The female took his hand, and they both kneeled to Empress bidding her farewell and left. Tano could not help but steal once more glance at Omari as he left. Of course, Omari was now acting like sweet and innocent man he made the Empress believe he was. Rehema was creasing his cheek and smiling and gave him a quick peck of a kiss on his lips, in which Omari returned with a fork of food into her mouth.

Tano balled his fists as he set out of the house, ready to head to the servant's headquarters and get a well-deserved night of sleep

"Should I send a letter to the new empress in the African lands to see how she is doing. I wonder if the man she choose is pleasing her?" Fan Du said as she puffed out smoke from her smoking pipe.

She was laying on her stomach on a couch, completely undressed with only her jewelry on, and smoking from her pipe in one of the drawing rooms of the palace of harmony.

The advisor standing in front cleared his throat, "I would advise that. We want to be on good terms with Empress Rehema and build ally ship with her, especially with the threat we face."

Fan Du sighed, and turn around, the concubine who she had slept with last night and promised to spend the evening with now looked disappointed. He had been in her harem for a while, but this was his first time serving her. He wasn't her usual type. He was bald and had been raised by monks, so his style of fashion was conservative old-school. But he was muscular and a simple man, which what attracted Fan Du the most.

She had given birth a few months ago to a baby girl, whose father was ranked a noble man in her harem. It was official now, out of the the current empresses she had the most offspring. Eight children and she wouldn't mind more. Now she was trying to divide more time in her harem, and try to give everyone a fair shot. Especially with the fact that is was damn near impossible to please everyone with her harem size. But hey she was trying.

"I'm sorry," she said, seeing he was disappointed. "I'll promise I'll get back to you after work."

"I understand," he said deeply, and looked at the ground. He simply had on a plain furry white robe and was barefoot.

"Get me my robe love," She told the concubine, as she sat up, placing her feet on the cold marble floor. Her long sleek black hair styled in a tight bun sat on her head.

He did so coming over to her with a red luxury silk robe with a dragon designed on the back of it. Fan Du thanked him, giving him a quick kiss as he helped her put it on.

"I would love to spend all day with you love," She said ticking his chin. "But unfortunately, I have work to do. State duties." Fan Du noticed he hadn't smiled once since they spent the night together. Does he despise her or it simply a case of serious resting face.

"Is there anything else-"

"You have done enough, rest. I will send you to the spa area this afternoon as a reward." She then pulled away from him and put on her slippers.

Before she exited the room, she stopped. "Your name again?" She asked out of the blue.

"Feng," he said, still kneeling and looking at the ground.

"Please your majesty we have much to do if we could go now," the advisor urged.

"Alright, alright..." She said.

Fan Du left the room with the advisor, and two other servants to carry on with her official duties for the day.