How To Tame An Empress (BOOK I)

Chapter 33- The Lying Messenger

--Valeria POV--

"Where are you going?" Julius asked as he watched me pull the cover of my cloak up to cover my head. I didn't reply to him until I was finished fixing my shoes.

"Out," I simply said.

"Out?" He repeated, confused and I nodded my head. "Even though your husband is currently away to battle?" He added on.

"Brother, do not act ignorant. I overheard you talking to the messenger this morning," There was a short pause until he sighed. "The battle ended yesterday and there were few casualties, my husband got away without so much of a scratch," I shouldn't even be surprised at this point.

"You know, possibly better than anyone else, that he is taking his time in coming back to increase my level of worry... but I'm tired,"

"Tired," Julius echoed.

"Of his games... But the more you play the better you get and I've gotten used to this game of his that it's all just so boring now. His lies, deception and possessiveness... I know I said I wanted a loyal man as a husband... but this is not what I meant," I grumbled the last bit.

"Do you understand?" I looked at my brother.

"I understand... So, what are you going to do now?" He said and a smile crept onto my lips as I lightly chuckled, going to hug him tightly.

"I'm going to reminisce on the feeling of freedom for as long as I can. Do not worry too much, brother. Linus will accompany me in case of any unfortunate events," Kissing his cheek, I turned to leave the room.

"Oh, look after my son while I am away, will you? Evan's just learnt how to walk and now he won't sit still," I laughed at the adorable memory and Julius laughed with me but nodded as he waved me off.

I met up with Linus near the back entrance of the palace and we left the palace together, talking about anything and everything, trying to fill everything out in the short time that we had to do so.

After the previous incident with my mother, Linus was sent off to a completely different side of the palace where I rarely visited and to avoid any suspicion from my husband, I stayed away from Linus as much as I could.

With Stacius threatening to kill him last time, or even the fact that he never planned on killing him but made it all out to be an act to teach me a 'lesson' is something that I still can't properly comprehend.

Even this time, I originally planned on going alone or with my brother if I had to have someone with me, anyone that wasn't Linus. In the worst-case scenario that I am to be caught, I didn't want to thread Linus into the problem again but this man was persistent about not letting me leave the walls without him.

I wandered around the streets, greeted the few people that I recognised and contrary to Stacius's words, not one of these people jumped at me like last time, proving the fact that Stacius had paid off people that time I visited with Linus.

Even that time, when Claudius came to 'save' me, I had pegged it off to be some sort of coincidence because I didn't think Stacius would be capable of that sort of deception. But he proved me wrong and it all makes sense now.

I wasn't an animal that he could tame.

He could try as much as he wanted but he will never succeed.

"Are you hungry?" I asked Linus, already walking up to a vendor and pulling out some coins to buy the tastiest thing that I could find. Although, when hungry, everything looks tasty.

"Not... Really..." He drifted off and simply stared at the food as I laughed at his reaction. 

"What? Has no one offered you food before?" I asked, biting into my own food.

"Not an Empress," He nervously chuckled.

"Well, last time I checked, I was a human too," I mumbled, pretending to think about it.

"Are you... Not worried about the Emperor?" Right, Linus is probably one of the many people that think the Empire is still at war. Little does he know that the battle ended yesterday.

"I am... No matter what, Stacius is my husband and despite the fear, contempt and hate that I have for him... I love him too. So, of course, I'm going to be worried that my husband is away, fighting for his Empire," I decided to say.

I managed a sad smile for Linus and he blinked, possibly wondering why I was out here having fun if I was so worried for my husband, it was all quite contradicting after all.

"But there is only so much of his lies that I can take... At this point, I no longer care. Whether he finds out about this endeavour of mine or not, whether he chooses to punish me or not, as long as it's only me that gets hurt in the end instead of anyone else..." I drifted off.

"Then..." Linus pushed, raising a single brow.

"Then... At least I can say that right now I am happy and enjoying myself... Truly." I grinned at that and Linus chuckled, shaking his head at me as if I were a child but I didn't mind.

My words were true.

But for how long will they last?

"Then I guess it's up to me to put an end to this happiness of yours. Right, Ria? My darling little wife," 

His voice whispered behind me, leaning down and leaving an icy trail down my spine as his cold voice caused goosebumps to erupt on my skin.

Apparently, not long.

"...Stacius...?" I breathed out, too shocked to even react.

"Yes... Ria?" He chuckled and to prove my suspicions correct, I slowly turned my head around and unfortunately, I was right. 

He was real, not a hallucination.

"You've gone and done it this time, my wildflower... I'm shaking in excitement from just thinking about how I should punish you for this silly act?" He chuckled, amused by all of this as he raised a hand to rest on my cheek.

He was dressed as if he came straight here from the battle. His once shiny armour stained with the blood of his victims and the chilling smirk on his face looked like it could rival the devils.

"But... The messenger said that you were..." I drifted off and his face told me all I needed to know. I should have known. After all this; how could I have been so naive?

"I know you better than you know yourself, darling. Do you think I wouldn't be smart enough to decipher the fact that you would take advantage of my absence to enjoy your freedom as much as you could?... I had the messenger tell Julius that I would be arriving later than I would,"

Now, I really am done for.

...