How To Tame An Empress (BOOK I)

Bonus Chapter #2

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There is no point in regretting something that has already come to pass. There is no point in praying for a lenient answer to my unforgivable sins... The only thing that I should do now is bite my tongue and accept everything that is to come my way.

After everything I have done, after having ruined the life of the most precious person to me, there is no way that even I would allow myself to get away from punishment.

With everything lost; my Empire, my title, my children and most importantly, my wife, nothing matters anymore. Just as it should be... I did this to myself.

"...Anastacius..." A deep voice called and I pulled my head up to meet the gaze of the weird-looking man that didn't even look like a human. This is not what I imagined the afterlife to be like and this man is not what I imagined for any of the gods nor goddesses to look like.

"Your fall from grace was quite the fall, wasn't it?" He asked, a small humourous smile tattooed on his face as he moved to sit down on the chair opposite me.

"Is that a question or a statement?" I replied, unfazed.

"For a man that has just lost everything, you do not look the least bit unsatisfied with the outcome of your horrid mistakes... I wonder why that is?" He tilted his head to the side in mock curiosity but I still didn't react.

Instead, I got comfortable on my uncomfortable chair. Leaning back and crossing my legs and arms, I pinned him in place with my harsh gaze, trying to figure out what the hell was happening right now.

"Why should I be unsatisfied with an outcome that I had already predicted? All I did was accept my fate in the hands of my child," He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"My name is 4501, it is nice to meet you, Anastacius. Although you may be used to being addressed as your imperial majesty, such titles do not exist in this world," He introduced quite late. But better late than never.

But I do question his parent's naming skills, I didn't say anything though, hoping that it was just a joke; his name, I mean.

"I no longer care about titles, I do not believe that I ever truly have. Call me what you will, but I would appreciate it if you would get straight to the point instead of wasting your own time. For the first time, I have quite some free time on my hands, but I do not believe that the same could be said about you," I swiftly said.

He chuckled as if amused by my words but nevertheless, nodded his head before looking down at the single piece of paper in his grip.

"Before I pass the results of your judgement to you, there is one thing that I must know..." He started but drifted off, face still directed towards the paper but eyes trailing up to meet my waiting ones and taking my silence as an answer, he continued.

"Why did you do it?" It was a short question, said in a quiet whisper compared to his previous words but for some reason, it sounded clearer, as if every letter of every word, carefully flew through my eardrums and I was left thinking about my answer.

"Do what?... Love my wife?"

"Torture your wife... That would be a better way to put it," He stressed on the first word of that sentence as if trying to drill it through my mind.

"I do not believe that she nor any of the people she loved, deserved the cold fate that you cruelly handed to them... So, I am asking you now, what was going through your head when you drew those knives through their lives?" He narrowed his eyes, looking at me as if the answer would just appear on my face. Well, since I am in uncharted territory right now, I don't know what I should be expecting.