How To Tame An Empress (BOOK I)

Chapter 28- The One Who Lies

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"So, are you going to explain why you chose to defy me?" I asked once we were in the confines of the throne room. Me, Ria, Claud and a few other guards standing in the back.

"Are you asking because you truly do not know or are you asking because you like seeing me like this?" She asked, hands clenched by her sides as she furiously glared at me and I chuckled at her, shaking my head before going to sit on my throne.

"Because I want to hear it from those lips of yours," I replied anyway and she huffed, the glare on her face looking like it was going nowhere.

I gestured to one of the guards to come over and he quickly did.

"Schedule Linus's execution three days from now,"

"What!? But you said you wouldn't hurt him if I came with you!" Ria, yelled, taking an urgent step forward and I nodded to the guard to leave which he did.

"Yes, but you are hurting my feelings with that fiery little temper of yours," I faked a pout.

"Why in the hell should I care about your useless feelings when an innocent man is about to lose his life because of your corrupted jealousy!" I almost flinched back when she said that in such a confident, intimidating voice but I didn't actually react.

Standing up, I slowly strode over to her angrily shaking figure, pausing not an inch away from her as I too glared a gentle glare at her. Not enough to scare her away, yet more than enough to keep her from shouting again.

"Flower, you know better than to shout at me, especially in that tone of voice," I outstretched a hand, attempting to brush her hair away. She slapped my hand away and I paused, my hand still frozen in the air as if not having processed her actions yet but once it did, my once simmering temper began to boil.

"I have had enough," I whispered, running the same hand she slapped away down my face in frustration. This mischievous little wife of mine was working especially hard today to anger me in ways that no one has succeeded before.

"Forget three days from now. Execute him now..." I sighed, massaging my temples as a quiet yet surprised gasp escaped Ria's throat.

"Pardon me? Your imperial maj-"

"I said I want him dead!... Bring that jerk, Linus, here and slice his head off! I want to see his head roll!" Before I had even finished speaking, the guard was already running away.

"No... No! You can't-" Ria moved to run after him.

"Where do you think you're going?" I grabbed her hand, keeping her from straying.

"If you hurt him then I will hate you! Stacius!" She yelled in my face, slapping my chest and I glowered at her but unlike all the previous times, she did not flinch back and continued to fight against me.

Starting to lose my cool, I grabbed both her forearms and forced her to look up at me, shouting back at her just as fiercely as she had been shouting at me.

"Do you not see that defending him only does more to enrage me!? How much more must I suffer!? To watch you flirt with a man that is not your husband! I have done everything I can to keep you by my side but you only ever want to be free of me!"

"I do not want to be free of you! I want to be free of the palace walls!" She shouted. "This is my home and has been my home since the day I married you, if I leave this place then where will I go? No matter what, I will always return to you," I felt my grip on her forearms begin to loosen after hearing those words.

"You are my husband just as I am your wife... I said that there is only one thing I want in a man when I marry him and that was loyalty, why then, would you even think for a second that I would not be a faithful person? I tell you every day, no matter how scary you are, that I love you, but what must I do to prove that to you?"