Chapter 106 (1/2)

Chapter 106: <Chapter 106>

The next morning, news arrived that destroyed my hope.

It was another gloomy day. An injured carrier pigeon arrived from the west after we noted the ominous black smoke from the nearby mountaintop.

Chancellor Cornelius brought me the dead pigeon and informed me.

“Your highness, a rebellion has occurred.”

Until now, every time I saw the chancellor, he had always been calm.

However, today, he looked tense and anxious. He looked decades older.

My voice trembled as I asked him, “What does that mean exactly?”

“All of the provinces were asked to join his highness during his hunting event and part of the southern military group attacked the emperor.”

I was familiar with the southern province because Lucretius was concerned about it. This was where Marquis Galisia worked as the chief of the military for a very long time.

Since Lucretius didn’t trust him, he moved Marquis Galisia to another province recently and placed his own trusted man in the southern military base.

However, it was this very army that attacked Lucretius. What did this mean then? Did the man Lucretius trusted betray him? Were the southern men still loyal to Marquis Galisia because he led them for so long?

Suddenly, it clicked.

“Southern province, Marquis Galisia… The dowager empress…!”

The chancellor nodded. “That’s the only possible explanation.”

I clenched my teeth and asked, “How is the emperor? Did anything happen to him? Any other news?”

Cornelius shook his head. “Other than this message, we received nothing else. I am not even sure if the battle has ended or if it is still going on.”

I couldn’t think. My eyes became blurry in shock.

Lucretius? Was he safe?

He had to be!

Could he be… Dead?

He left with a promise that he would return to me safely.

He said he would come back in three days.

The dead pigeon in the chancellor’s hands looked gruesome. It was covered in its own blood.

Was Lucretius hurt as well?

No! It can’t be!

“NO!”

“… ness!”

“It can’t be…”

“Your highness!”

At the chancellor’s firm voice, I managed to regain my thoughts. He looked at me steadily. His hand was on my shoulder. He must have been shaking me, and I haven’t even noticed it.

“You need to snap out of it!”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, I know. Thank you.”

The chancellor looked relieved.

“Did his highness by chance leave you something before he left?”

For a second, I hesitated. Could I trust the chancellor?

I tried to think hard and remember what Lucretius had told me. The chancellor lost his beloved granddaughter because of the dowager empress. This made him Lucretius’ greatest ally and, therefore, the dowager empress’ enemy. I had already seen Cornelius and Katleyanira go head to head a few times.

If I had to beware of the chancellor, Lucretius would have warned me already.

As long as the dowager empress remained as our common enemy, I decided I could trust the chancellor.

I nodded carefully.

“… Yes.”