Chapter 115 (1/2)

Chapter 115: <Chapter 115>

The dowager empress was dragged in front of us. Lucretius ordered to have her kneel close to us so we could have somewhat of a private conversation.

The dowager empress looked at both of us and laughed loudly.

“So you won.”

“Indeed. Are you upset about it?”

The dowager empress frowned. “Of course. I bet everything I had and lost. I can understand how you could have snuck in by yourself, but… How the hell did you sneak an entire army inside the castle? It doesn’t make sense that you brought them here without a single fight with my men in the city or outside these halls.”

Lucretius smiled leisurely and replied, “The castle is full of secret passages that connect to everywhere like a spiderweb. My grandfather let me know all of these. Only the heirs to the throne can know about them.”

The dowager empress murmured in confusion, “He… told you about them? You were born after he passed away. There is no way you’re telling the truth.”

“He left a record of it. The former emperor didn’t get to see this record because my grandfather didn’t acknowledge him to be a worthy heir. After my mother died, Cornelius gave me this record from Emperor Kentius. That is how I found out about them.”

“…”

“I am grateful.”

“I… see.”

The dowager empress looked faded. At the mention of Emperor Kentius, her voice trembled subtly.

After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, she suddenly started to laugh.

“Ha, haha… Hahahaha!”

She smiled bitterly and turned to me.

“Do you think you are now the winner, little boy?”

“What?”

The dowager empress took a step towards Lucretius, not me.

Her hands were tied behind her back and she still had an arrow stuck in her shoulder. One of her fingers was cut off. There was no way she could harm him at this point, so she wasn’t stopped by the guards.

She turned towards me and gave me a bloody glare. I felt like my heart froze in fear.

“Do you think that when I die, it will truly be all over?”

“What are you…”

“But this is only the beginning for you.”

“…”

The dowager empress turned towards Lucretius again.

“An emperor is alone for his entire life. He lives with suspicion by his side. Distrust is his best friend.”

She then looked at me.

“An empress is not just the emperor’s partner. She is the emperor’s nemesis.”

Her words were like cold chains around my heart.

“Do you know what happens when the beast gets caught during the hunt?” Katleyanira laughed and continued, “The hunting dog gets put down first. The hunter can’t help but fear that the dog may turn on him.”

Lucretius stood up angrily. “Shut up!”

Katleyanira giggled as she enjoyed Lucretius’s fury.

“I am only telling you the truth. Even the greatest love can’t survive time. Eventually, your heart will return to being a block of ice. When that happens, who do you think you will hurt next?”

I pulled Lucretius’ arm as he got angrier.

“Don’t get emotional. You are hurt, remember?”

“Bina…”

I turned towards Katleyanira.

“You got one thing wrong, Katleyanira.”

“Wrong? What did I get wrong?”

I answered evenly, “I’m not a hunting dog. I’m a human.”

Katleyanira didn’t reply. She just looked deep in thought and I didn’t know what it meant.

At Lucretius’ gesture, the knights dragged Katleyanira down to the execution block. It was the very block where I was supposed to be executed. It was the same dull ax that would cut into my neck.

The cutting edge of it was covered with blood and oil, making it even duller. The dowager empress’s death would be the most painful and prolonged.

However, Katleyanira didn’t look afraid at all. In fact, her face was void of any emotions.