How To Tame An Empress (BOOK I)

Chapter 41 - Return Of The Sun

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"I have already buried you once. I will not risk losing you again." And that was final.

Ria continued fighting me as I carried her towards my stallion, striking my shoulder and demanding that I put her down, but I did not loosen my hold. I had spent six months with empty arms; a few blows from my furious wife would not convince me to surrender her now.

Tiberius followed with Evan still held awkwardly against his chest. Though my son appeared perfectly content now, his small fingers were occupied with the general's cloak fastening while Tiberius, on the other hand, watched him as though he feared the child might suddenly explode.

"Hold him securely now, if he is any bit the same as he was six months ago, then he will slip out of your grasp before you can even notice." I warned, half-joking, as the man gulped, but was unable to say anything more as I continued walking.

As we reached the stallion, I placed my foot into the stirrup before lifting Ria onto the saddle, making sure to keep an arm around her especially as she  attempted to turn towards me, perhaps intending to climb down the other side, but I tightened my hold before she could move.

"Do not." I warned quietly.

"I was not going to do anything." She glared, eyes flashing.

"You have deceived me successfully for six months. Forgive me if I no longer place much faith in your innocence." Her expression faltered as I unintentionally wounded her, but before I could say anything else, she quickly looked away.

Whispers had begun travelling through the growing crowd. The villagers who had once greeted her as Aurelia now stared at her as though they had never seen her before.

I followed their gazes towards my wife. Her clothes were plain, her hair arranged without gold or jewels, and there was dirt along the hem of her tunic. Nothing about her resembled the Empress who had once ruled over them.

Yet they continued looking at her with something beyond mere surprise.

There was hurt on some of their faces, confusion on others. An elderly man near the gate held his hat against his chest while two women whispered urgently to one another, and further back, several children had gathered around their mothers, searching the crowd for the little boy they had known as Evan.

For one fleeting moment, I found myself wondering what had transpired here during the past six months.

What life had she created? Who comforted her when she would fall ill? Who repaired that miserable house, and who ensured she was safe while carrying my child? But more than that, how many of these people had earned a place in her heart while I had believed it no longer beat?

"Wait." Ria's voice pulled me from my thoughts as I looked up to find her staring towards the small house in the distance.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Our belongings. I need to collect them." She said, fingers tightening around the saddle.

"You need nothing from that house." I pointed out, already knowing that she would not accept that answer, and as expected, her glare reignited.

"Evan's favourite blanket is inside. You know he struggles to sleep without it, and Livia made clothes for him. There are clothes for the baby too, and-"

"-I will have Claude retrieve everything." I gave in quicker than intended, releasing a sharp breath as I looked towards the man who stood near us, staring at the ground with an expression I could not decipher. But at the mention of his name, he raised his head.