AN: Sorry for the long wait. I had finals to study for and just…lots of stress with life. Please forgive me. My thanks go to my reviewers CK Shorty, C., SamanthaNicole, xlovexpollutionx, Saphira Tahirah, Nara Merald, xXxWritersXBlockxXx, dreamforever101, With A Love To Read, MacKitty, , GrannyP, EmoDefier, SilveryDarkness, AuraBorealis, Cittywolf, Twilight Starr, Ivi, and all the others who took their time to read my story. I really thank those who’ve given me their precious suggestions. I agree with most of them and have edited the first chapter accordingly. I figured that I can only catch so many mistakes in my own writing, so if you are interested in helping me out as a beta-reader, please email me with a note regarding the subject (see profile for email address). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Chapter 2 – Two Lives

The colours of the carriage were vibrant against the grey, barren expanse that stretched on for miles. The nation was a large land that covered farther than the eye can see; some rolling greens, some yellow sands, and land like this that was devoid of almost anything. That was why the railway construction had started those many dynasties ago, and why it had continued to this day.

Her power must expand to every stretch of the kingdom, and this railway was there to remind the people of her high presence.

Once the tracks were laid, the spikes would be driven so deep into the ground that they were harder to uproot than the trees that were there in nature. Even if the people were to be godless, the Empress's existence would be burned into their minds, etched in memories that no amount of water could wash away.

--

The clang of metal against metal rang in his ears with a sharp, deafening tone, but as if he could not hear, he continued his work, letting his callused hands become more callused with each stroke of the hammer. Sweat poured down his back, making his rough shirt so wet that it clung onto his flesh. It mattered not, that was his life and destiny; the life and destiny he shared with the rest of his coworkers.

He never once wondered why that was his fate. He never once wondered why some people stood easily atop the hierarchy while they toiled their lives away at the bottom of the pyramid. It was charred into his brain, the teachings of a commoner, and so he never wondered; he had not the power to wonder about anything.

I am a commoner. What makes me a commoner is the fact that I am a commoner. I have not the power to do anything by this. This is my life. This is how I can make my life useful; how I can serve the Empress who overlooks us.

His thoughts were disrupted as someone patted his shoulder lightly. He turned to see his supervisor look down at him with a pair of serious eyes, not that his usual gaze was not serious enough.

"Hey you, put away your equipment and clean yourself a bit. The Empress is here to inspect the construction, so go make yourself more presentable than this. We don't want her to lose her appetite because of your smell."

"Understood," he answered, never once questioning; never once denying anything that he had heard. Yes, he was disgusting. He was lowly and untalented. His very existence in this nation can only occur because their loving Empress had tolerated it.

He accepted those words as truth.

--

The silk covering parted in the wave of the Advisor's hand, pouring to the sides of the carriage door as the golden robes brushed past the curtains. She looked through her cold mask at the men along the unfinished tracks whose faces were all hidden in their own shadows as they touched their foreheads to the pebbled earth.

She was about to extend her hand out in a gesture for them to rise, but the Advisor's fingers brushed her hand back very gently, a signal for her to stop her motion. She gulped down a sigh that never escaped her silently protesting self.

"Supervisor, lead us through the construction site. We will inspect the process of each section to ensure that the plan is executed smoothly," the Advisor commanded.

"Y..ye..yes. It...will...be done im...imme...immediately," the Supervisor stuttered. She watched him crawl closer, confused at whether or not his action was appropriate.

"You may stand, Supervisor. It would be more convenient that way," she couldn't help but suggest, though her strong tone seemed to have pleased the Advisor.

--

She had thought that inspecting the railway would be a nice getaway from the cold palace, but it had not turned out as she had expected. Just like the maids back in the imperial house, the commoners acted all the same; bowing deep, stuttering in their speech, and crawling away while she stepped towards them. She wondered if the mask made her look like a beast, one with fangs three feet long that shone with a violent glint. She could not help but suppress a giggle at the thought, but after the momentary “humour”, so to speak, she started pondering about deeper things. Was power simply the ability to induce fear? To her, it was just something that was innate, but perhaps nothing was that simple.

With no other choice, she sneaked away from the supervisor's office when the Advisor was busily discussing the construction plans with him. Well, it couldn't really classify as sneaking away, as she was the Empress and had every right to be anywhere she pleased. If the Advisor found her, she would simply say that she wished to inspect whatever she happened to come across.

So coincidentally, she came to a run-down shack a short distance from the office with a wooden door so old that its hinges barely supported its weight, causing the board to be slanted and unable to completely close. With youthful curiosity, she peeked inside at the shadows of many objects, but found that it was too dark to see clearly. Drawn by the interesting sight, her hand slipped out of the silken sleeve to grip onto the rough plank's edge, pulling it back to reveal the building's entrance.

--

Sound of running water stopped, letting his ears hear the sound of footsteps close to him that wasn't present a moment ago. He came out from behind the building where the water tap was located, and stared at the door that hung slightly more opened than before. It was unusual at this hour; perhaps someone forgot his shovel?

But the footsteps lacked the squeaky sound of mud against floor boards; the breaths from within lacked the panting quality that all the workers shared.

He picked up his shovel from where he left it leaning on the shack's outer wall, stepping in.

-End of Chapter-

AN: For some reason, I just felt that I had to end it there. Please tell me if this pacing of things is okay, or should I make longer chapters and adopt a quicker pace. Thanks very much for reading. Please be so kind as to leave a review behind; be it comments, suggestions, constructive criticism, or just a note saying you’ve read this. Anything other than flames is greatly appreciated!