Avoiding the Emperor

10

After running away from the soldiers in the harem Neil and Lucious came to a place with a small pond and surrounded by flowers with good atmosphere and scenery. Lucious were slowly enveloped by sleepiness and without saying a thing he find a comfortable place where he could lay down which is the  flower bed of different color of tulips.

He push some flowers creating some space and he lays down, he yawns and look at the sky. The weather is warm and with the help of passing calm winds Lucious is like being lulled even more. Thus, his eyes slowly closed and the last thing he saw when drowsiness completely eaten him is the rustling leaves of the trees and the calm azure sky. 

Neil on the other hand, with his sharp reflexes he blocked the incoming sharp thing coming to him. Without saying a word a man enveloped by black clothing suddenly attacked him with a quick pace which he depended immediately. Both pounses at each other, no one is slowing down nor weakening their attacks at each other . Both showed a professional and a well experienced strikes that made both of them hard to land an attack at each other. 

When finally the two were separated due to Neil attack landing directly to the black clothed man face, he spoke. "what do you need with my master? " 

The black clothed man spitted the blood "he is not my target, it was you."  and he again attacked. 

Their fight continue while he concluded that the emperor is the one who send this black clothed man to kill him. It looks like the emperor can't take his existence anymore which he already anticipated because he already senses that there are few people who are constantly finding some information about him. Too bad because even if they found something about him they can't do anything about him, as for his family they were under the protection of Athelstan family. 

After some more minutes of exchanging blows at each other, Neil already had enough so he fasten his pace more and strike the vital part in the neck area of his opponent, and the man collapses. Neil immediately placed the man not so far from where they are and bind him in a tree. Thinking that maybe some other black clothed man are lurking he decided to venture around while waiting until Lucious woke up and decided what to do next. 

"Have no one still not found Lulu? "  The emperor spoke, his patience is slowly draining and anger is consuming him. It is already afternoon and there are still no news about Lucious whereabout. 

"Still no news your majesty, the man who we send to watch Lucious athelstan is still not here. " Lee said while measuring the emperor's mood. 

The emperor clenches his jaw due to anger and about to stand up when suddenly someone came, a servant who kneel and greeted him. The servant spoke "The athelstan brothers are here your majesty, they ask a permission to help find their youngest brother " 

The emperor slightly calmed down and asked the servants that let the brothers come in which he immediately comply and the three brothers with a sorrowful faces made an entrance kneeling while they greeted the emperor whom they despise in their heart.

"We would like to find him your majesty, being his brothers for so many years we already know almost everything about him, his mannerism, his dislikes and mischiefness. " Rold said while trying not to retaliate the emperor. 

"why do you think he escaped ?"  The emperor asked.

"The more you restrained him the more he would try to escape" Rold answered back. 

The emperor did not asked further instead he just looked at the three brothers in front of him still kneeling. He sigh and slowly stand up.

"Follow me we would search for him" thus they walk towards the palace where lucious is staying.

Upon arriving the servants as frantic and restless trying to find Lucious but seeing that the emperor is coming they all kneel while trembling in fear. The first one who came in Lucious room is the emperor and the first thing he saw is Lucious pet beside the bed. He walk some more around the room looking for some traces but he found none.  On the other hand the three brothers did not look in Lucious room instead they roam around outside Lucious room.

" Where do you think he escaped? "  Aiden asked 

"Look for a hole maybe in some walls there" Rold answered 

and so the three brothers kept finding where a hole or a tunnel could be found until ...

"Found it! " Sen shouted when he found a medium size hole in a wall not far from Lucious room where bushes and trees surrounded it.  The two remaining brothers immediately jogged towards Sen followed by the emperor and Lee and there they saw a well defined hole. Seeing that none of them could be fit, all of them have to take a walk around it to see some clues about the whereabouts of Lulu. Upon arriving in the other side of the hole a piece clothing that they all assumes is Lucious clothes is found neatly folded inside a bush. 

Seeing this the three brothers can't help but to chuckle because they were all became familiar of this behavior of Lucious, disguising as a normal citizen roaming the city while leaving some evidence behind. 

"For sure lulu is sleeping somewhere now" Rold said half laughing.

"how do you know" Lee can't help but to ask even him are curious about Lucious unique? (weird) behavior.

"Because it's already afternoon, it is he's nap time " Sen answered. 

After this they take a detour around more, walking and still search for some clues when they heard some small laughs of feminine voices, they are nearing in the harem palace.

 "were nearing in the harem palace" Lee announces which made the three brothers look at him. 

"Harem?" Sen asked as if clarifying it more clearly. Which Lee answered with a nod.

"Lulu was probably in the harem " Rold said with full conviction.

"Probably? for sure he was there. He likes women hahaha" Aiden said that made the emperor look at them with an unexplainable expression but one thing is sure, he is not happy about the thing he heard.

"Is lucious likes to play with women?" The emperor asked with a deep annoyed tone. 

" Yes your majesty, but not physically. He just like to have a chat with them. " Rold answered. 

"Then we should go there immediately maybe he is still in there " The emperor said.

"pardon my answer your majesty but we think Lucious is no longer there, he may like women but he value more he's laziness. " Aiden said that made the emperor lips curve a little.

"Your majesty, do you perhaps know if there is a place here with a warm atmosphere and a good scenery?"  Sen asked the emperor that made him think but the emperor can't help to asked the reason for his question.

"what for?" 

"Lucious is probably there sleeping your majesty" Sen answered.

The emperor suddenly look at Lee, truth to be told he doesn't know much about his own palace and Lee is the one knows more about this considering that most of his time is consumed by his study room where he keeps on working. 

"I know a place here with a small pond and flowers" Lee said that made the three brothers face lightened.