The metallic sound of unlatching the door woke me up, my eyes opened, sunlight poured in through the broken window shards. It must have been morning.
Cesar kept his head still on my lap, not leaving yet.
“Oh, I have to clean up the body again…”
“How crazy will it get this time?”
"Be prepared. You might get bitten again like last time."
“Let's finish it and then rest.”
“The anesthetic is enough to make an elephant fall asleep but wake up within less than an hour. It's so troublesome.”
The noise of the men made me uncomfortable.
The knights who brought Cesar in yesterday now appeared again, their faces full of determination.
One person held a stick, another held a chain, the rest held a net, and entered the room carefully. A knight met my eyes.
"EH?"
If they make noise, Cesar will wake up. I put my index finger to my lips:
“Shh…”
They looked at me, stunned, pale as if they had seen a ghost.
A knight dropped his stick, making a sound
gulp
echoed throughout the room.
“Uh…uh…uh…”
Sure enough, the loud noise woke up Cesar. He raised his jaw, exposed his teeth, and was on maximum alert.
The image of him being hysterical last night came back, making me shiver. Even though he was still in my arms, his muscles twitched as if ready to attack.
"No way. Don't do that!"
I screamed, pressing his shoulder.
Miracles happen. Cesar stopped and stood still as if listening to my words.
“R-right, right?”
Then he imitated my voice again, reciting it exactly like last night.
I nodded, pressing each word:
“Yeah, that won't work.”
I stroked his hair, gently.
He had spent too much energy and was tired, and I didn't want to go through the chaos again.
Cesar was suspicious, tilting his head several times. Yes, just be quiet.
At that moment, the servants from outside entered.
"What's going on? Is it taking this long to clean up one body?"
“The thing is…”
They watched me and the knights, their faces gradually pale, then filled with surprise.
One servant said:
“You must report to the Emperor immediately!”
Then it was chaos. Countless people came: the chief servant, the magician, the physician, even the administrator of the capital diocese.
“Oh God!”
“So magical!”
“Truly, the descendants of the Flores family are like no other.”
Everyone thought I was dead. The doctor examined carefully, besides the wound on the palm of the hand, there was no other wound.
The manager also performed an exaggerated ceremony, sprinkled holy water, and placed a cross on my forehead and hand, which was both serious and funny.
When everything was over, the servants in the palace discovered the blood-stained blanket and took it away.
This confirms that Cesar and I's wedding took place safely.
“What?”
Queen Cornelia's face turned pale when she heard the news from Countess Elvira. Just now, she was happy like a child because of her new dress, but now her innocence has disappeared.
“The daughter of Duke Flores… survived?”
Elvira was about to say "out of wedlock" but bit her lip.
Cornelia, a long-time friend of Emperor Guido from the time he was crown prince, mother of Cesar - the Great Prince, and mother of the second prince Matthias, went through many ups and downs to be recognized, which was taboo to mention "illegitimate" in front of her.
“Is she alive?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Cornelia called her servant, picked up the glass of wine on the tray and drank it all.
“It's interesting.”
She leaned back in her chair, her face relaxed, even though she was nearly 40 years old, she still looked like a young woman, strangely attractive.
“It's interesting.”
She tapped her long hand on the arm of the chair, her ice-blue eyes flashing.
“Where is the Great Prince?”
“In the archery room.”
Cornelia smiled with red lips, her eyes falling on the blood blanket - clear evidence of the wedding.
“Clean that up.”
A servant brought a blanket to burn.
"We're officially husband and wife, we just need our own palace."
She tapped her hand on the chair, authoritative.
Elvira looked up, Cornelia smiled and smirked.
“So what are you going to do?”
The Queen smiled then sighed and said:
“Give her the Emerald Palace.”
A faint smile, then Elvira bowed her head:
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Cornelia frowned:
“But what is her name?”
“Irenea.”
"Ah, that's right. Every once in a while they all die so it's messy."
The servant chuckled, Cornelia smiled lazily.
“I wonder how long this time will last… maybe it will take my place too.”
Hearing that, the servant was confused, Cornelia waved her hand to signal to retreat. But call Elvira again:
“Told her to invite me to have tea with me soon.”
“Yes, obey.”
I could only breathe a sigh of relief that night, after a whole day of nervous tension and constant questioning.
Luckily, the Queen had prepared a place for me: the Emerald Palace.
I looked at Elvira leading me, she looked at me from head to toe, her expression was both mocking and cold.
“You know, Your Majesty, it all happened so suddenly that it was difficult to find a suitable place.”
She glanced over, referring to the desolate palace, where no one had taken care of it for a long time.
The Jade Palace is located deep inside the royal palace, with a wild and lonely appearance.
Even though I'm the stepchild of the Flores family, I've never seen anything this bad. Since childhood, I have only known luxurious and comfortable mansions.
Garden? No, it should be called a wasteland. Weeds grow everywhere, strangely dry thorn bushes. I sighed.
“Go inside.”
The gate opened with a terrifying sound, only a few servants were able to pull it.
“Sorry, Your Majesty, it's not ready yet.”
Elvira smiled, but her eyes revealed nothing.
I understand “unprepared” to mean: I survived, leaving everyone confused and not knowing how to handle it.
The inside is even more gloomy: it smells like rats, it's covered in dust, and there are spider webs everywhere. I wanted to run away immediately.
“Isn't this place satisfactory?”
Elvira asked, I smiled softly:
"No, it's fine. It's just..."
I raised my eyes, my voice a bit arrogant:
“Just?”