“…”
What the hell!
I didn’t plan on losing this battle. I looked up straight into his eyes and replied, “Your highness, the emperor.”
He scowled at me and sat right next to me on the bed.
I thought about jumping off the bed and run, but I knew I couldn’t outrun him. He was surprisingly athletic, while I was terribly unfit.
He reached out for me and touched my neck gently. To me, it felt like a snake or a poisonous spider walking on my body.
He held my chin and turned my face towards him.
He said to me, “I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”
“…”
“But this is beyond what I expected. You always surprise me like this.”
I couldn’t help but be sarcastic.
“What? Did you think I would feel honored to be a recipient of your love? Did you think I would fall madly in love with you?”
This was one of my pet peeves ever since I was a young girl. Why did some men think women had to reciprocate love to every man who fell in love with them?
This man must have expected it from me. He genuinely thought I would have fallen in with him by now.
I know that a lot of girls would have been interested in him. A gorgeous emperor! A bad boy who cares only for you!
However, I knew the truth. I knew for a fact he wasn’t some hero from a romance novel. Lucretius would never become a selfless man who would die for love.
If he could gain something he needed by sacrificing his loved one, I knew he would do it in a heartbeat.
He chuckled and replied, “I know you aren’t that kind of girl.”
“… Good.”
I was glad he still had his common sense.
He smiled.
“I see I have lost your trust completely.”
“Are you surprised considering what you did to me recently?”
“… I guess not, and I have no excuse for it.”
I smiled bitterly.
“So stop playing around.”
He didn’t say anything for a while. He looked at my cold face and asked quietly, “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Of what?”
He touched my shoulders and answered, “Afraid I might force myself on you.”
I flinched. I couldn’t help but show fear on my face and by my body language. He seemed disappointed.
“I see I have lost your trust completely.”
“…”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I want you to know you are safe with me always. I will not break my promise.”
I knew exactly which promise it was. He promised me before if I didn’t want it, he wouldn’t do anything.
I glared at him distrustfully.
He continued, “Please don’t look at me so angrily. It looks like you want to stab me like my previous wife.”
“… I don’t even have a knife.”
“But if looks can kill, I would be dead by now.”
I needed to make sure he really meant to keep his promise.
I asked, “You… really mean to keep your word, right?”
“Of course.”
He sounded genuine. He smiled at me and tucked my hair behind the back of my ear. He was being unusually sweet.
He continued, “I am a very greedy man. I want my woman to be completely mine, body and soul.”
“… I will never let myself be anyone’s property.”
“Please don’t take my word like that. I don’t mean it like I want to own you. I just… I meant I will wait for you until you want me too.”
I couldn’t understand this man. I just stared at him blankly. Lucretius smiled at me like a little boy and answered. It was such an innocent smile.
“If you don’t want me, then there is no point in me having you. You are worth the wait.”
He took my hand and kissed the back of it teasingly.
“So would you please do one thing for me?”
“… What?”
“Please say my name.”
I was confused. I couldn’t understand him at all.
One thing was clear. He had power over everything. He could take me at any time.
Despite that, he was still coming to me humbly and honestly. He was the predator of this relationship, but he was being considerate.
He also was ‘asking’ me, not ‘ordering’ me or making a deal with me. This was the first time he offered me a true gentleness.
I couldn’t refuse it outright. This could be the beginning of a more trusting relationship for both of us.
After a long hesitation, I opened my mouth.
“Luc… retius.”
I shouldn’t have done it.
Once I said the name, it changed everything.
***
“You know what you’ve done, right, Liliana?”
In her fourteen years of life, her mother had never been kind to her. Her mother’s voice was especially chilling today. Liliana cringed in fear as she nodded.
“Yes, mother.”
“If you know it so well, then tell me.”
She was a princess, and, therefore, she was the highest-ranking girl in this kingdom. Right now, her status wouldn’t help her.
Since her birth, her station was never a positive thing for a simple reason. It was because she was the daughter of the empress Katleyanira.
Liliana trembled as she explained, “I… I didn’t keep Rose under control, which caused you to be embarrassed in front of the emperor and his wife.”
Katleyanira snarled and asked, “Is that really it? Try again.”
“…”
Liliana’s lips trembled as she contemplated, but she couldn’t come up with a better answer.
Katleyanira yelled angrily, “The problem started with your birth! You shouldn’t have been born, you useless twit!”
Liliana had heard this many time, but it still hurt her every time she heard it. Her body shook as if she was being stabbed, but no one could protect her.
“You should have died! Instead, you killed your twin brother! How could you live with yourself…!? If Tomilis had lived, I wouldn’t have to see that bastard Lucretius crowned!”
Her twin brother died before he turned one and ever since then, she was the target of her mother’s fury.
If Tomilis had lived, he would have been 14 and be a powerful contender against Lucretius.
There was a very good chance Tomilis would have become the new emperor, and Katleyanira would have ruled as his regent.
“Do you know what Lucretius is doing to me?” Katleyanira yelled hysterically, “Even this morning, my breakfast was poisoned again! It must have been him, but I have no proof!”
The dowager empress and Lucretius poisoned each others’ food and sent assassins every few days. It was a regular occurrence now. Even Liliana, who was just a child, knew this.
“Because of that bastard, I can’t even drink a sip of water without fear!”
Her scream was shrill and piercing. Her fury was directed at her own daughter, who couldn’t protect herself or fight back. It was unfair, but there was nothing that could be done.
“This is all your fault! If you died instead of Tomilis, everything would have been great!” Katleyanira pinched her daughter’s back and waist mercilessly. “On top of killing your own brother, you ruined your fiancé too!”
Liliana lowered her face. Originally, Liliana was supposed to marry Marquis Toruka’s heir, who was also her cousin. The wedding was supposed to take place next year and through this marriage, dowager empress Katleyanira would strengthen her status. It was a smart political marriage.
However, after Bina’s poisoning incident, Marchioness Toruka was framed and her two sons were disqualified by the emperor from inheriting the title. Lucretius also made sure Marquis Toruka couldn’t adopt an heir with a claim he was still young enough to be able to sire a legitimate son.
The dowager empress has tried her best to find him a new bride, but it was very hard to find noble families willing to give up their daughters to a man who abandoned his own wife in the dungeon.
At this rate, the only option would be to marry a woman of low birth, but this will be huge damage to the Toruka name.
Katleyanira knew lashing out like this wouldn’t solve anything, but she needed a way to relieve her immense stress. After the death of her husband, things had not been going her way. She was also very pregnant and had difficulty controlling her emotions.
She found her oldest daughter to be the ideal victim. Liliana was helpless.
“Was your brother not enough? You had to destroy your fiancé and the Toruka family too?”
After panting for a few seconds, the dowager empress ordered her maids.
“Bring me the rod!”
“…”
What the hell!
I didn’t plan on losing this battle. I looked up straight into his eyes and replied, “Your highness, the emperor.”
He scowled at me and sat right next to me on the bed.
I thought about jumping off the bed and run, but I knew I couldn’t outrun him. He was surprisingly athletic, while I was terribly unfit.
He reached out for me and touched my neck gently. To me, it felt like a snake or a poisonous spider walking on my body.
He held my chin and turned my face towards him.
He said to me, “I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”
“…”
“But this is beyond what I expected. You always surprise me like this.”
I couldn’t help but be sarcastic.
“What? Did you think I would feel honored to be a recipient of your love? Did you think I would fall madly in love with you?”
This was one of my pet peeves ever since I was a young girl. Why did some men think women had to reciprocate love to every man who fell in love with them?
This man must have expected it from me. He genuinely thought I would have fallen in with him by now.
I know that a lot of girls would have been interested in him. A gorgeous emperor! A bad boy who cares only for you!
However, I knew the truth. I knew for a fact he wasn’t some hero from a romance novel. Lucretius would never become a selfless man who would die for love.
If he could gain something he needed by sacrificing his loved one, I knew he would do it in a heartbeat.
He chuckled and replied, “I know you aren’t that kind of girl.”
“… Good.”
I was glad he still had his common sense.
He smiled.
“I see I have lost your trust completely.”
“Are you surprised considering what you did to me recently?”
“… I guess not, and I have no excuse for it.”
I smiled bitterly.
“So stop playing around.”
He didn’t say anything for a while. He looked at my cold face and asked quietly, “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Of what?”
He touched my shoulders and answered, “Afraid I might force myself on you.”
I flinched. I couldn’t help but show fear on my face and by my body language. He seemed disappointed.
“I see I have lost your trust completely.”
“…”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I want you to know you are safe with me always. I will not break my promise.”
I knew exactly which promise it was. He promised me before if I didn’t want it, he wouldn’t do anything.
I glared at him distrustfully.
He continued, “Please don’t look at me so angrily. It looks like you want to stab me like my previous wife.”
“… I don’t even have a knife.”
“But if looks can kill, I would be dead by now.”
I needed to make sure he really meant to keep his promise.
I asked, “You… really mean to keep your word, right?”
“Of course.”
He sounded genuine. He smiled at me and tucked my hair behind the back of my ear. He was being unusually sweet.
He continued, “I am a very greedy man. I want my woman to be completely mine, body and soul.”
“… I will never let myself be anyone’s property.”
“Please don’t take my word like that. I don’t mean it like I want to own you. I just… I meant I will wait for you until you want me too.”
I couldn’t understand this man. I just stared at him blankly. Lucretius smiled at me like a little boy and answered. It was such an innocent smile.
“If you don’t want me, then there is no point in me having you. You are worth the wait.”
He took my hand and kissed the back of it teasingly.
“So would you please do one thing for me?”
“… What?”
“Please say my name.”
I was confused. I couldn’t understand him at all.
One thing was clear. He had power over everything. He could take me at any time.
Despite that, he was still coming to me humbly and honestly. He was the predator of this relationship, but he was being considerate.
He also was ‘asking’ me, not ‘ordering’ me or making a deal with me. This was the first time he offered me a true gentleness.
I couldn’t refuse it outright. This could be the beginning of a more trusting relationship for both of us.
After a long hesitation, I opened my mouth.
“Luc… retius.”
I shouldn’t have done it.
Once I said the name, it changed everything.
***
“You know what you’ve done, right, Liliana?”
In her fourteen years of life, her mother had never been kind to her. Her mother’s voice was especially chilling today. Liliana cringed in fear as she nodded.
“Yes, mother.”
“If you know it so well, then tell me.”
She was a princess, and, therefore, she was the highest-ranking girl in this kingdom. Right now, her status wouldn’t help her.
Since her birth, her station was never a positive thing for a simple reason. It was because she was the daughter of the empress Katleyanira.
Liliana trembled as she explained, “I… I didn’t keep Rose under control, which caused you to be embarrassed in front of the emperor and his wife.”
Katleyanira snarled and asked, “Is that really it? Try again.”
“…”
Liliana’s lips trembled as she contemplated, but she couldn’t come up with a better answer.
Katleyanira yelled angrily, “The problem started with your birth! You shouldn’t have been born, you useless twit!”
Liliana had heard this many time, but it still hurt her every time she heard it. Her body shook as if she was being stabbed, but no one could protect her.
“You should have died! Instead, you killed your twin brother! How could you live with yourself…!? If Tomilis had lived, I wouldn’t have to see that bastard Lucretius crowned!”
Her twin brother died before he turned one and ever since then, she was the target of her mother’s fury.
If Tomilis had lived, he would have been 14 and be a powerful contender against Lucretius.
There was a very good chance Tomilis would have become the new emperor, and Katleyanira would have ruled as his regent.
“Do you know what Lucretius is doing to me?” Katleyanira yelled hysterically, “Even this morning, my breakfast was poisoned again! It must have been him, but I have no proof!”
The dowager empress and Lucretius poisoned each others’ food and sent assassins every few days. It was a regular occurrence now. Even Liliana, who was just a child, knew this.
“Because of that bastard, I can’t even drink a sip of water without fear!”
Her scream was shrill and piercing. Her fury was directed at her own daughter, who couldn’t protect herself or fight back. It was unfair, but there was nothing that could be done.
“This is all your fault! If you died instead of Tomilis, everything would have been great!” Katleyanira pinched her daughter’s back and waist mercilessly. “On top of killing your own brother, you ruined your fiancé too!”
Liliana lowered her face. Originally, Liliana was supposed to marry Marquis Toruka’s heir, who was also her cousin. The wedding was supposed to take place next year and through this marriage, dowager empress Katleyanira would strengthen her status. It was a smart political marriage.
However, after Bina’s poisoning incident, Marchioness Toruka was framed and her two sons were disqualified by the emperor from inheriting the title. Lucretius also made sure Marquis Toruka couldn’t adopt an heir with a claim he was still young enough to be able to sire a legitimate son.
The dowager empress has tried her best to find him a new bride, but it was very hard to find noble families willing to give up their daughters to a man who abandoned his own wife in the dungeon.
At this rate, the only option would be to marry a woman of low birth, but this will be huge damage to the Toruka name.
Katleyanira knew lashing out like this wouldn’t solve anything, but she needed a way to relieve her immense stress. After the death of her husband, things had not been going her way. She was also very pregnant and had difficulty controlling her emotions.
She found her oldest daughter to be the ideal victim. Liliana was helpless.
“Was your brother not enough? You had to destroy your fiancé and the Toruka family too?”
After panting for a few seconds, the dowager empress ordered her maids.
“Bring me the rod!”
