The Viper of the Empire

The next morning, Augustus woke to the rustling of clothes. Empress Sarah Kerrigan sat before a mirror as several palace attendants and makeup artists tended to her loose cascade of fiery red hair and magnificent gown.

On a small round stool beside Empress Kerrigan sat little Princess Louise, whose long red hair was the very image of her mother's.

Princess Louise was to attend the ceremony before the colonial fleets departed with her parents today, and she was agonizing over which dress and hat to choose, all while lowering her head to chew on her thumb.

Though Augustgrad Palace had separate imperial chambers for the emperor and a suite for the empress, the family still lived together. After all, they were vastly different from old noble houses like the Mengsk Family and the Bennett Family, which were famed for their cold-blooded cruelty.

Like many Korhal nobles, the Mengsk Family placed great importance on family. The bonds between relatives lasted a lifetime. Even after the Mengsks had risen to become the imperial family, the relationships among its members had never grown distant.

"You're awake?" Kerrigan did not turn around. The attendants behind her were lifting the sections of her braided hair and pinning them high atop her head.

"You could even sense a change in my breathing rhythm." Augustus took a dark gray Imperial Navy uniform from a nearby clothes rack, draped it over himself, and fastened the buttons one by one.

"Your Majesty." At the sight of Augustus rising, the attendants all bowed repeatedly.

With attendants tending to it every day, the emperor's living quarters were always neat, orderly, and comfortable. Silver vases on the bedside table overflowed with roses cut from the rooftop garden, with the bouquets changed twice a day. Every garment in the wardrobe had to be