Clap clap clap…
The silence broke with a loud applause from the dowager empress who was sitting on the throne elegantly.
She said to us in a mocking tone,
How amazing. What a great love!
Katleyanira laughed at Lucretius openly.
Of all the people in this world, I would have never guessed Lucretius to be the one risking his life to come here for love.
She seemed excited, probably at the perspective of killing Lucretius.
The dowager empress continued,
But how did you get here without anyone noticing? I can understand you entering the city secretly but into the castle!
Lucretius answered confidently,
This kingdom is mine and therefore there is nowhere I can’t go in this empire.
The dowager empress laughed at him as if he told her a great joke.
So the emperor sneaked in like a mouse. How funny.
She clapped her hands and continued,
Whatever. Your stupid decision has decided your fate.
The guards surrounding us took out their swords and faced us. It seemed like the hall was filled with the dowager empress’ knights. There were at least thirty to forty of them.
Even if Lucretius was the best swordsman in this kingdom, there was no way he could protect me and kill everyone here at the same time.
I squeezed his hands and whispered to him,
Why did you come here?! I didn’t realize you are this stupid.
He grinned.
I know you don’t mean that. I can see you missed me terribly.
… You made a wrong decision.
I closed my eyes. Was this really how we die? However, the Lucretius I knew always had a plan for every situation.
Do you have a plan?
Well…
Lucretius smiled at me blankly.
Did… did he really come here without a plan?
If he did, I wanted a chance to throttle him myself before the dowager empress killed both of us!
While we whispered, the knights came closer to us. In a few steps, the swords would reach our bodies.
The dowager empress told Lucretius,
Put down your sword, Lucretius.
He continued to smile and held his sword tighter,
Actually, these knights should put down THEIR swords first. By the way, you must be losing your eyesight. It must be your age.
The dowager empress sneered and asked,
Eyesight?
You are sitting on my seat. You are getting so old you must not be able to see where you’re going.
Katleyanira didn’t react to his goading. She still had a smile on her face, but it looked chilling.
Lucretius was making things worse by angering the already crazy Katleyanira.
What the heck was this man trying to do?
The dowager empress replied,
I’m tired of this foolishness.
Surprisingly, Lucretius threw his sword on the ground.
Okay. Now, are you satisfied?
He then raised both of his hands and smiled brightly.
…
…
Everyone, including the dowager empress and myself, became speechless.
Did Lucretius finally lost his mind? O, or was he always this crazy?
The dowager empress screamed,
How dare you…!
Just then, Lucretius whistled loudly with his fingers.
Following the sharp sound, something flew in.
Arrrrg!
The dowager empress grabbed her shoulder and cringed. When all the knights turned towards her, Lucretius grabbed his sword he threw a minute ago and started slaying the knights around us. He pulled me towards him, and we hid quickly behind a column.
From the second-floor terrace, arrows started to fall like heavy rain.
This was a three-storey building with tall windows covering the walls. From the second and third floor terraces, it was easy to look down to the first floor. The arrows were coming from those terraces.
Gyaaa.
Arggg!
Many knights fell to the ground, while some of them who were wearing full metal armors survived.
Along with the arrows, a loud roar could be heard nearby. Suddenly, all the doors burst open and the knights ran in.
The symbols on the armors shined brightly.
Three eagles.
These were Lucretius’ royal guards!
It was like watching a battle in a movie.
The noise of the weapons and screams of injured men.
Black-red blood was spewing everywhere.
It was clear early on that Lucretius brought enough men to win this.
He smiled confidently and asked,
So, what do you think?
I had no choice but to give him the answer he wanted.
It’s amazing.
He smiled proudly.
Obviously.
He was such an arrogant guy, but the truth was, he really was remarkable.
I felt an overwhelming happiness just being near him and feel his warmth.
I whispered to him quietly,
I’m sorry.
What for?
I confessed to him remorsefully,
You left it to me, but I lost it to her. The royal seal, I mean.
He smiled smoothly.
Just the fact that you are alive is the greatest gift I could ever receive.
He took his cloak off and covered my body which was confusing.
I’m not cold.
His answer was very serious.
I should be the only one who gets to see you like this. You should dress like this only in our bedroom.
…
This was the corny Lucretius I knew. It was true they took away my servant outfit before sending me into this hall. I was only wearing a thin layer that resembled a pajama.
Normally, I would have protested or argued, but I decided to accept his offer this time without another word.
I just survived my own execution, and my husband came to rescue me. I couldn’t complain.
Perhaps it was the adrenaline talking, but he looked even more handsome. He was alive and standing in front of me. Nothing else mattered.
I did something I would never normally do; I hugged him again tightly.
Lucretius at first smiled but quickly groaned.
Ugh…!
It was a very small moan only I could hear, but it sounded like he was in pain. His forehead was sweating heavily.
Was he…?
Luc?
He noticed I realized what had happened to him. He gestured for me to keep quiet.
I became scared. Was he hurt very badly? He must have been injured either when the rebels attacked him or when he was sneaking into this castle.
He was standing on his feet, and he did fight off a few knights while protecting me. I tried to assure myself he couldn’t have been hurt seriously.
But… Perhaps he was pretending to be okay because he couldn’t show any weaknesses in this situation.
I asked him very quietly,
Are… you really ok?
I’m fine.
After a quick pause, he continued,
But… It does hurt.
I knew it!
I put his arm around me so he could lean on me for support. Lucretius joked in a pained voice.
This is embarrassing. I was hoping to carry you to the bedroom.
Stop joking around. How did it happen…?
I felt like crying again.
I wanted to check on his wound right away, but this wasn’t the time.
Just then, the head of the royal guards and other generals came towards us.
Your highness, it is done.
When we turned around, an incredible scene greeted us.
The dowager empress was still glaring at us, but she was severely disheveled. Her hair was a huge mess, and she was missing a shoe. Part of her dress was ripped to shreds.
She was dragged in front of us with her arms tied with a rope. She still had an arrow sticking out of her shoulder.
Marquis Toruka and Galisia, who looked just as bad, were brought to us as well.
Dowager empress Katleyanira glared at us angrily and yelled,
How did you do this?
Lucretius ignored her and asked me,
Did you say that this traitor forcefully took the royal seal from you?
I nodded.
Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t protect it.
He shook his head and kissed the back of my hand.
Like I said, there is no reason for you to feel sorry. It is that woman who committed a crime.
He then turned to a royal guard nearby and ordered.
Bring the royal seal here.
The knight nodded and approached the dowager empress. He tried to take the ring off her finger, but she clenched her hand and resisted. She looked desperate as if keeping the ring would change anything.
Lucretius became annoyed as the guard struggled.
I don’t care how you get it.
Yes, your highness!
The guard immediately took out his sword. I turned away quickly as he swung it.
Slash!
