How To Tame An Empress (BOOK I)

Chapter 24- To Say Goodbye

--Valeria POV--

My mother was dying. And my husband was keeping me from seeing her one last time.

And Stacius knows, probably better than anyone else, that I will not let myself be kept away from my mother especially during this time where she needs me most.

I want to at least be able to send her off with a smile, telling her not to worry about me. Knowing my mother, if she were to find out the kind of person Stacius has become, she will not be able to rest in peace with the knowledge that I'm married to him.

So, to reassure... Or even to be able to see her beautiful smile one last time... I'm prepared to face my husband's consequences later, no matter how brutal or mentally draining it may be. I'll at least have Evan by my side when the time comes for that.

Now that I think about it, I don't think I was that good of a daughter. As a child, my father was always away with his work so my mother was basically the one that raised me and Julius, what was I doing to help her at that time?

How can I expect myself to be a good mother to Evan if I failed in being a good daughter to my mother? She's lying in her death bed right now and here I am, simply worrying about her without doing anything.

"Your majesty," I looked up to see Linus peering down at me. "Is everything alright?" He asked when I didn't reply and I turned my gaze to look down at the ground, wondering what to do?

Not once in my life did I think that I would be here right now. As an Empress, married to an Emperor with a beautiful child who is always smiling.

But where did it all go wrong?

Before we were married, all those little meetings I had with Stacius; when we bumped into each other at the market, when he kissed me under the olive tree after I had waited for him for hours on end and after his four marriage proposals... Where did those days go?

The first few weeks of our marriage was bliss, it was only after I asked to venture beyond the walls for the first time did he truly begin to change. Growing more and more possessive, one would think that I was a prisoner. Now, even I am beginning to believe that.

I don't care about my freedom anymore.

I have a child now who I will dedicate my life to and raise with all my love. But my mother is ill right now, all I want is to see her at least one last time and thank her for everything she's done.

"Linus..." I called.

"Yes, your majesty," He replied as if having been waiting for those words, hands interlocked behind his back as he stood as straight as a pillar.

"I'm going to go see my mother..." He didn't seem surprised by those words and waited for me to continue, not letting a single emotion slip past his face. "I will not ask you to come with me," I itched the back of my neck nervously.

A small smile finally cracked through his emotionless facade.

"With all due respect... Valeria... I am not only your personal bodyguard but a friend too," I nodded in agreement to that. In the years that I have had the luxury of knowing him, Linus rarely ever called me by my name, so hearing these words was nice.

"And as both a personal bodyguard and friend, I cannot risk your safety over my own. So, if it is alright with you, I will be accompanying you wherever it is that you are planning on going," I chuckled at him and the corners of his lips moved higher, his smile broadening.

"Then... I will thank you in advance," He nodded his head, bowing a small bow before standing back up and I too, stood up from my position on the couch.

Moving over to where Evan sat on his bed, playing with a few toys, I sat in front of him and leaned forward, kissing his forehead.

"Mama is going out for a little bit, okay? Do not miss me too much, my boy. I will be back before you know it," He giggled, outstretching his hands for me and I gladly picked him up, standing up with him in my arms and twirling us around as he laughed.

"I love you... So much," I whispered, showering his head with a million kisses and hugging his small figure tightly as he naively played with strands of my hair, unaware of my fear, just as I preferred it to be.

"Everything will be okay," I reassure both him and myself before handing him over to the woman that stood on the side of the room and she carefully picked him up. Kissing his forehead one last time, I stroked over his cheek and smiled at him.

"Look after him," I turned to ask the woman, smiling at her in advance and she nodded her head, squatting down into the best curtsy that she could currently manage.

"Of course, your imperial majesty,"

Around an hour or so later, I borrowed one of the slave's outfits, putting a cloak over it and covering my face as I followed Linus out of the palace's back entrance which was mostly used to export food and clothing.

Due to the fact that Linus was my, the Empresse's, personal bodyguard, he was able to move through security swiftly as this wasn't the first time he's run errands for me to the market. This time, he had the excuse that I was a slave helping him and no one really bothered to stop and look twice at my face which was already well-covered with the cloak, thankfully.

"Are you alright?" I heard Linus whisper to me as I clutched onto his back.

"Yes," I replied and we continued on our way.

Once we reached the market, we rented a travel cart and got on, waiting for it to take us to my old home where my mother was currently waiting with my father. Julius visited our mother a few days ago, that's how I was able to be sure of the fact that she was ill.

He would have liked to be with her for some more time but his duties as the head of the Plebeian guards prevented him from doing so.

Right now, Linus and the slave I borrowed clothes from are the only people aware of the fact that I left the palace walls.

And Stacius is sure to find out soon too. I just hope that by the time he does, I will already have been able to meet my mother.

...