Rendezvous in the Romanowskian Empire

61. Sad truth

Julian

The crowd was beginning to disperse as Alexander's favourite concubine didn't float, but drowned in the Nile.

Alexander stood beside me, his arms crossed as he looked ruefully in the distance.

"You really had to kill her?" I sighed, "Didn't I tell you she was Althea's sister." I ran a hand through my head, worried about how she must be feeling right now. I had seen her in the distance, standing out of the crowd with her eyes red with tears.

I was about to head to her, to engulf her in my arms, when an old man came by.

He seemed to be her father.

I sighed again. He really had to come at a time when one of his daughters died, right in front of him.

"I didn't want to kill her either, but she was too willing to die. Strange woman," Alexander tched. "Somewhere, it was me to blame, too. I paid so little attention to her, she ran away to another man..." he shook his head.

"Anyway, that doesn't offend me cause I've got more important things. Like an empire to build. But you can take it as a lesson Julian." Alexander gave a wry smile. "If you don't keep your woman pleased, you'd get the same fate," he laughed, slapping my shoulder. "Alright, I'll head out, have to plan my departure for the East soon," he informed, before joining the other warriors for the feast we had to leave midway.

Even with the unfortunate circumstance that had arisen, a smile came up to me from what he'd said. Of course Alexander, I won't get the same fate as yours with my woman.

It was odd how I wasn't able to find Althea or her father for the next few moments. As if they had disappeared somewhere altogether. It was unnerving.

Finishing my meals quickly, I was about to do a second roundabout of the house when a guard from my palace came rushing by my guest room.

"My Lord, your presence is required urgently in the palace." He heaved. "Two of the guardsmen guarding your room have been found unconscious, and it seems that poisoning is the cause."

I turned to face him, baffled. "That happened in broad daylight?" I implored. I was already writing a quick letter for Althea to return to the palace with her father.

"No, my Lord. The night before. Our apologies. We couldn't inform you first thing in the morning because..."

A distressed snarl escaped me. "Because?" I demanded. "My guardsmen are fighting for their lives and you take half a day to inform me?!" I tied the letter, furious that even taking a minor break from my duties could cause my guard's poisoning. That too when I was in the palace.

"Uh, my Lord b- because..." he stuttered, "because we saw you leave with... with the court writer lady and you seemed to be in a good mood that we didn't want to ruin. The guards were out of danger and conscious too and they are sure it's someone fr-"

"Prepare the carriage," I dismissed him, ordering a servant to call Ashtor. Good mood, yeah. Fucking ruined now.

Once my trusted warrior, who I'd assigned with the duty to keep a check on Althea, came, I handed him the letter to deliver to her and settled in the carriage.

I pondered over the situation, apprehension building within me. My guards were loyal enough to not let any outsider enter the palace in my absence. If anything, I could only make it out to be the work of some insider fooling around.

Most palace dwellers had already reached Romanos as I rushed to where my guardsmen were. They were lying low in one of the warrior rooms, thankfully looking stable.