For three days straight after the army's departure, nobody was able to sleep peacefully.
The imperial palace was guarded by the knights stricter than usual as the whole city became sorrowfully quiet. The western emperor who couldn't keep still turned around like thunder when the sound of door opening was heard. A man covered up from head to toe rushed in in a hurry.
"Your majesty…!"
"How is the army!?"
"Please hurry up, your majesty..! Please make a run for it right now…! the southern army has wiped out our front line.. They're coming for the capital now!"
"What??? For 3 days straight you bastards reported to me nothing and now you told me everyone has died??"
"Please run right now, your majesty!"
"Fuck!"
The emperor clenched his fist, turned his destination around, intended to take some money and jewelry with him but the sound coming from outside caught him off guard.
His eyes widened in shock as fire started to flame the imperial gates. Black smokes showed up, the smell of burning reached everyone's sense of smell from afar. The spy who rushed in to tell the emperor to run opened his mouth in shock just as the emperor himself.
"We're late now…"
Looking outside, as the fire was chewing everything down, we could see a few shadows running in the garden in the dark.
"Hurry up!"
"Hurry!"
It was all the princesses, except for Rowena. They covered their heads with scars to hide their identities, trying to break through the wall where the fire hadn't reached yet.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"...!"
Their hearts fell on the ground when the shining blades pointed at them.
~
"They're already here."
Mumbled Rowena to the burning scenario. A lot of people ran their horses through the gate with swords in hands. She was watching the tall and large wall falling in the form of turning into ash.
She felt nothing.
Death is nearing its distance to her, all she could think of was the death of her fucked up family.
"Did they already die?"
"Your highness… let's run, your highness!"
The maid ran in, grabbed her hand, proceeded to take her along but Rowena rejected in a soothing tone.
"Just go."
"Your highness…"
"Leave now before it's too late."
The maid took steps back in tears, she looked at Rowena for a while until she finally turned her back and ran. Rowena then gazed at the flame outside from her windows. Everything is falling.
~
"Fuck! Fuck!"
Watching the imperial palace being surrounded by the Southern's army, he gritted his teeth not knowing what to do. If he leaves now, he will die. If he stays here, he will die. Both ways resulted the same. The door that swung open made the two people in the room jump. Tall men with armors walked in, their gazes were as dead as hell.
The frozen emperor's foot stepped back unknowingly.
"Henry…"
"It's been a few months, your majesty."
"What is this supposed to mean…"
When he couldn't escape, the emperor started asking random questions as panic hit him. The mighty man's body was trembling all over.
"This means I'm taking over your country." Henry smirked.
"...are you mad at Rowena?? Has she provoked you?? You could just kill her… I wouldn't oppose your decision, Henry… Please reconsider—"
"Are you pretending to be stupid? It's true that your 5th daughter displeased me. But the reason why this happened was because of your first daughter."
"What…"
"She sent people to steal our traditional treasure. They have tried but failed. This was the reason. I'm not creating a unit with the country of a thief."
The emperor freezed. His brain wasn't able to catch up with what Henry was stating.
"Now you know the reason."
As he let out another smirk, his blue gaze turned to the side as if calling for someone to come in.
"As we promised… I'm giving you the right to behead this bastard."
Everybody turned to the opened door. Right at this moment... shock, disbelief and horror stained in the old emperor's expression.
"You…"
His mind went blank.
The large hand took off the hat that covered his face.
"Mikhael Elias-zo, you bastard..."
"There's no way I will give up on millions of my men's lives to protect a bastard who raped my mother and destroyed her life."
"Did you just side with the foreign and bite your own country?? Where the fuck did the other commanders go?? Did you kill them!?"
Henry took a step back, making way for the man who was taking his blade out while approaching the western emperor slowly.
Mikhael let out a smirk as if he was mocking the stunned old emperor.
"You royalty made a rule to own our lives, putting a leash on and using us like your dogs."
"What.."
"But you forgot one thing… All these dogs you royalty use are mortally friends."
The emperor's pupils shook.
"Do you understand what I mean? All the dogs under your leash had agreed to bite its owner. All the commanders you asked if I have killed them are outside surrounding you with the foreign army. In conclusion, the war did not happen, your majesty."
"You bastard.. you fucking fool me!"
"I had thought about moving on from the past and living my life peacefully but chances are, I have to catch it. After all… I have always wanted to slit your throat."
Mikhael pointed his sword on the emperor's terrified face.
"There's so much benefit coming from killing you. We can just give the throne to someone and they shall become the new emperor."
~
Creak.
Rowena turned her empty gaze to the present of someone as the door parted away slowly.
"It's been a while."
As their eyes met, the thin figure with a medium large tummy took a step forward with her back stood straight. She looked so ready to meet her end.
"Do you have something to say?"
Henry asked but the woman shook her head firmly.
"Nothing."
"You have nothing to say? When your stomach looks like that?"
"No."
The answer was short. The sound of a sword scratching the wall leaked out as the tall figure approached her.
"Rowena Luz Jersey."
"..."
Rowena sighed as if fed up with how the man was taking his time to finally kill her.
"You look so ready to die with our child in your stomach."
"So you're planning to kill me after I give birth?"
"..."
"Giving birth in prison… How do people do it?"
She asked the man who stood before her with a sword in his hand. The puzzle expression on her face made his blood boil.
"Are you aware of what is happening outside?"
"The imperial palace was set on fire. I guess my family had already beheaded, no?" She answered.
Henry gritted his teeth.
"Why are you not saying anything? Tell me to spare your life. Tell me the child is mine."
"Why do I have to?"
She sighed once again.
What was the point of this meaningless conversation?
"Tell me you were treated badly. Tell me the reasons why you're like that."
"Will that change anything? The rumour has it all. This is how I am."
"..."
"How long are we gonna do this chit chat? Just do what you have to do, your majesty."
"Why am I hearing it from someone else when it was supposed to come out of your mouth?"
The princess rolled her eyes as the blade dropped to the floor.
"What happened after you arrived here?"
"..."
"I got it all wrong. I'm sorry."
"..."
"After everything I've done to you… I just came to know that I only knew a side of the story."
"So what is your point? Am I not going to be killed?"
She casted the hand that was approaching her face. It made him suffocate.
"I thought you'd like to kill me yourself, that's why I was waiting… I should've just killed myself. 5 months for nothing."
Rowena didn't care about what he said. She was about to step back but her waist was being gripped.
"You were right. I don't know anything about you."
"..."
"I hated how you kept hurting other people the same way you did when you were little. I hated how you didn't change. But I was wrong. I didn't know anything about you."
"..."
"So please tell me."
"I'd rather die. That's all I want to say. If you're not going to kill me, I'm going to kill myself."
"The baby…"
"Why do you even care?" She tried to push him away.
"Because it's our child."
"Your majesty, have you killed people on the battlefield so much that you started to lose your memory? You're supposed to drag me around and say some humiliating shit."
"Not anymore."
"Ah. Fuck. I'm going crazy."
"Why am I hearing everything from your former lover's mouth and not yours? You could've said everything but you…"
"What's the point? Telling you so I could make you change your mind? I'm not desiring that. Whatever you think of me, it's all your problem."
She cut him off in disbelief and she felt uncomfortable with him acting like someone ripped his heart open. Maybe he was generous to everyone but he was a monster to her. Until this point, Rowena wasn't scared of him anymore since she would die soon. Henry dropped his face on her small shoulder. If he could only turn back time, he would like to fix everything that had happened.
Why was he doing the most to the woman he's going to end up holding on to her in the end? He fucked everything up real hard.
"I should've tried to get to know you a little.."