One consolation was that Dowager empress Katleyanira’s body could never enter this tomb. Her head was still displayed in the city and her body was given to the wild dogs to be eaten.
And…
I looked for a familiar figure on the coffin lid.
Lucretius asked, “What are you looking for?”
“Oh, I thought the former emperor’s coffin must be around here somewhere.”
Lucretius pointed at the one right next to that of Empress Beatrice.
“It’s this one.”
“…”
This was the former emperor’s coffin?
I asked to make sure, “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t help but comment. “… I see that the sculptor was very generous.”
Lucretius smirked. “The former emperor had it made in advance and ordered it to look like that. He claimed that he looked that good when he was younger.”
“…”
I had no words.
The position of his coffin made sense. As the husband, he was resting next to his wife Empress Beatrice. The figure on his coffin lid was that of a gorgeous young man, which was ridiculous.
I felt uncomfortable. Would Empress Beatrice want to rest next to her husband even in death? This was the man who executed her.
I patted her marble face gently. “For some reason, she looks sad.”
Lucretius came behind me. “No, I think she looks happy.”
“Really?”
He answered with a coy smile, “Yes. Even a kind and soft-hearted woman like my mother wouldn’t have wanted to be near the former emperor or Katleyanira even in death.”
“What?”
My eyes widened in surprise.
I thought Lucretius said the coffin next to Beatrice’s was that of the former emperor, yet he said she would be happy because she wasn’t with him?
After a brief silence, I asked quietly as I pointed at the former emperor’s coffin, “Is… this an empty coffin?”
Lucretius shook his head. “No, but… his body inside is definitely not that of the former emperor.”
“…”
“After the funeral, his body was removed and burned so his face wouldn’t be recognizable. I then ordered it to be disposed of somewhere far away. I assumed his body was eaten by the wild animals. If he got lucky, perhaps his remains met with those of Katleyanira in a wild dog’s belly.”
“…”
Lucretius sounded pleasant, but his face didn’t show any joy. He continued in a low voice.
“I will end up here as well someday, so I didn’t want him here.”
“I guess.”
He added teasingly. “You too, right?”
“… what?” It took me a while to understand what he meant.
When I looked up at him, Lucretius turned towards me and explained, “This is where you and I will rest together after our deaths.”
“…”
“So I didn’t want this place to be contaminated by that man.”
He was so direct that there was no room for me to misunderstand. I stared at him, which made him smile like a boy.
YOU ARE READING
Empress of Another World
FantasíaSa Bina was on her way to write her SAT when she suddenly finds herself in a strange world. She is sent to be the old emperor's concubine, but on their wedding night, the emperor gets murdered by no one other than his own son and the heir! To surviv...
