The Crazy Tyrant Wants To Kill Me(EDITING)

5- Threatening

As I limped through the city streets, every step sent a pang of discomfort through my swollen ankle. The enticing aromas of street vendors selling pies, sausages, and other treats only served to remind me of my empty stomach, which growled in protest. It had been far too long since my last meal, but my pockets were empty, and hunger would have to wait. My primary concern was finding a way to reach the neighboring kingdom as quickly as possible. But securing a free carriage ride seemed like an insurmountable task.

I mustered up the courage to approach a coachman standing idle by his carriage. "Excuse me, sir!" I called out, waving my arms to get his attention. "Might I beg a ride to-"

The coachman's scowl was immediate. "We don't offer charity rides here, young one," he said curtly.

I tried to protest, but he was already turning away, leaving me to watch as he drove off into the distance. Defeated, I sank down onto the roadside, letting out a deep sigh as I gingerly examined my throbbing ankle. 

A collective whisper spread through the crowd: "The emperor is here! What brings him outside the palace at this time? He looks... angry."

"Stop chitchatting and move out the way, unless you want to get on this bad side and get locked away!"

I felt  forceful shoves as people shuffled to the side of the road, their anxious gazes darting back and forth. When I looked up from my ankle, confused, my heart sank: I was the only one left standing in the middle of the path, directly in the emperor's and Harry's line of sight.

The emperor's eyes gleamed with a sinister intent as he ordered, "Seize her." Harry took a step forward, his arm outstretched towards me.

"No, stop! You can't take me away! I have rights, you can't just disregard them because of your imperial status!"

The emperor's expression turned icy as he countered, "I'm not kidnapping you, I'm merely reclaiming my wife and bringing her back to the palace where she belongs."

The crowd erupted into shocked murmurs,

"Wife?"

"Is that Julia?"

"I thought she was dead!"

"What's going on?"

"Is she going to be killed?"

"You can't just assume I'm your wife without any proof! You need concrete evidence to back up your claim! Without any evidence, I'm just an innocent woman-"

The emperor's eyes flashed with anger as he towered over me, his grip on my chin like a vice. "Your face, your hair, your appearance is the evidence."

"Nonsense! I won't go back with you!" I looked over at the crowd of people for help, but they all looked away. A bunch of cowards.  

Frantically, I seized a knife from one of the food carts and pointed it towards my throat. "D-don't move! Don't touch me! All of you leave immediately and let me go, or I'll die in front of you all!"

I noticed a brief moment of panic and concern in the emperor's eyes, but it vanished quickly that I suspected it was probably just my own imagination.

"Really?" The emperor's mouth turned into a smile. "Then, proceed directly! That is fantastic! This is precisely my desire; your death. I won't even have to get my hands dirty with your blood if you murder yourself instead."

What? I stared at him in disbelief. He was just going to let me kill myself?

Of course he was.

The hand holding the knife trembled.  Suddenly, the emperor snatched the knife from my hand, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. My face was buried into his chest.

"..?!"

He threw away the knife and smacked the back of my head with his hand, knocking me unconscious. The last thing I remembered was him carrying me into a carriage.