Cerulean Waves | Duke Ergi

Chapter 12

Several clicking sounds echoed throughout the dark dimmed hallway as a noble woman walked silently. Her long blonde hair fell down her back, styled in a delicate half up half down hair style. No guards made a move to stop the stoic looking lady who continued to walk. The only movements they made was to bow towards her and opened a long wooden door leading to somewhere much more gloomier.

It wasn't until she reached a certain cell that she had abruptly stop in her path. Looking inside, the young woman saw a man with tattered clothes laid down on the cold stone floor. His brown hair was extremely tangled and his entire body was filled with dirt, something he must have obtained during his stay inside the dungeon.

As she approached the man, his head looked up at the peculiar sound. His eyes immediately widened upon recognizing the blonde figure.

"Your Majesty–" He said as he attempted to stand up to properly greet the Eastern Empress. However, he was unable to do so as he stumbled on his own feet.

"Please accept my sincere apologies, Your Majesty." He apologized as a small laugh escaped his dry lips, sounding as if he was mocking himself for his own inability to stand. "I know I should bow to Your Majesty, but I'm having trouble getting up."

"It's fine." Navier simply stated. She gave the man a questioning look as to why he was smiling in such a state.

"Have the people heard what that woman did to the Duchess?" He inquired. Even at the brink of death, the only thing filling his mind was none other than the Duchess.

"I kept shouting on purpose as I was being dragged away. I yelled as loudly as I could so that the people can hear the truth." Viscount Landre admitted.

'Ah, so that's why he repeatedly shouted even when he was being dragged away...' Navier thought as he stared down at the Viscount.

"Now that I think about it, it was a very foolish thing to do. I should have shared all of the information I gathered instead of coming to see her." He admitted as he recalled his previous actions. "But I lost my temper when I saw her try to weasel her way out of it."

He held his head down in shame, knowing that the reason why he ended up in this seemingly hopeless situation was because he acted out of impulse.

"I'm afraid your story has been buried by even bigger news." Navier responded. Viscount Landre quickly looked up at the Empress bewildered.

"It has?!" He exclaimed. "How could that have happen when it was about the Duchess!"

But even with the man's baffled state, the Empress remained calm as she explained. "The news have spread out that Rashta is pregnant."

He stared at the Empress in horror, completely taken aback at the piece of information that he just received. "No... That can't be true."

"Pregnant? She's pregnant?" He muttered to himself as shook his head in denial. "I can't believe it.."

In bothered by his expected reaction, she revealed. "Viscount, you will be executed without a trial."

"Look at me." Navier stated as she slightly bent down to match his position. Tapping the metal bar that separated the two in order to grab his attention, she said. "Viscount Landre. I wouldn't have told you this if I knew you were gonna die."

"Do you understand where I am getting at?"

"Are you... saying that there is a way?" He slowly said as he looked up to see her face. "Are you..."

"Possibly considering exercising your right to grant an Imperial pardon? As the Empress I heard you can do this for up to only three times."

"It's something like that." She answered with a nod. Suddenly, she came closer as she whispered to him with an emotionless gaze. "Now what I need you to do is to tell me exactly what happened."